hypocrisy Archives | Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada

Do those who reject the gospel understand what they are rejecting?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:13:27 +0000

Rejection of the gospel isn’t necessarily conscious rejection of Christ. Some people reject the gospel because they misunderstand it or because it has been misrepresented to them. This is partly why Jesus, Paul, Peter, and other biblical authors warned so strongly against hypocrisy and causing a truth-seeker to despair (Matthew 18:6; 1 Corinthians 8:9).

But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:9)

Scripture implies that rejection of the good news of Jesus Christ is often the result of ignorance and misunderstanding rather than conscious evil intent. Jesus doesn’t refer to unbelievers as “snakes,” “dogs,” “jackals,” or “scorpions,” but as “sheep” (Matthew 9:36; Luke 15:4; Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25). We can assume that the image of “sheep” (known for harmlessness and herd instinct) was chosen for a reason. Scripture also refers to unbelievers as “ignorant” and “wayward people” (Hebrews 5:1–2), “poor,” “oppressed,” “blind,” and “captives” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18).

Even when the gospel hasn’t been misrepresented, a world marked by disease, competition, and violence makes the gospel sound improbable to many people (1 Corinthians 1:18–25). Harsh life experiences make us wonder how a loving God can be in charge. Even Hebrew believers who lived in the time before God “made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:10), had an ambivalent view. They believed their departed loved ones were at peace with God in some sense, but considered them unable to join in the joyous worship of the Lord’s people in the same way as when they were living (Psalm 88:10; 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; Ecclesiastes 9:3–6).

Jesus knew the obstacles to faith and understood His role in revealing God’s love to us. We should pattern our response to the lost on His compassion.

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13 NIV).

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Should Christians be tolerant?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:13:22 +0000

Let’s be honest about the emotional reaction some of us have towards the concept of tolerance as a principle. If there were ever a buzzword for our culture, tolerance is it, and many of those who uphold this principle are often doing so in ways that are synonymous with an anything-goes belief system. And if compromise and a wishy-washy belief system is what we mean by tolerance, then we can certainly understand why a Christian would not want to be labeled as tolerant. But in a strict sense, tolerance has nothing to do with compromise. It is simply the ability to allow for views different than our own.

So, should Christians be tolerant? Well, that depends. If tolerance means compromising our belief in the message of Jesus Christ, the story of the Bible, or historic Christianity to avoid conflict with others, then no. But if tolerance means that we strive to live unwavering in our convictions and at the same time love others unconditionally, then yes. In this sense tolerance would look a lot like embracing prostitutes, tax collectors, drunks, and other sinners like ourselves. It would look a lot like emptying ourselves of our spiritual pride, looking beyond people’s actions, and seeing them as people who matter to God. It would look a lot like submitting ourselves to the will of God and laying down our lives for those who desperately need His mercy and forgiveness.

In other words, it would look a lot like Jesus.

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Why do Christians sometimes seem fake to the outside world?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:13:19 +0000

Not only do Christians seem fake to the outside world, they can also seem fake to other Christians, too.

The reason for fakery in the lives of those who claim to follow Jesus often comes down to expectations of perfection within church communities and a lack of authentic humility among churchgoing people. Courage and humility can begin to correct the pandemic of fakeness in the church.

Christians often feel a cultural pressure to appear as holy and perfect as possible to one another and to the world. The trouble is that we are neither holy nor perfect. This can lead to a fake witness. We are strongly motivated by two impulses to try to keep up this front: fear and pride. For example, I fear what others may think of me if I behave authentically, or show a little of the everyday-still-in-need-of-a-Savior-self to others. I’m afraid that somehow I might be judged by others if I don’t act like I think a “good” Christian should. Yet, oddly, I’m proud, because acting this way usually results in compliments and admiration for me because of my good behavior.

What am I to do?

Jesus calls his followers to tell others about his work in the world. He is our redeemer and the fullest expression of a life faithfully lived. Personally, I am far from the fully faithful person Christ is calling me to become; however, as his redemption is being worked out in my life, I can point to him and what he is doing rather than trying to fake my own holiness. The tools available to bear this witness are two deeply Christian virtues: courage and humility.

It takes great courage to be truly humble. True humility leads, almost automatically, to authenticity, and the ability to be authentic will bear a great witness to the One who invites us to become more like him.

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Why Should I Get Involved in the Imperfect Church?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:12:33 +0000

Selfishness, hypocrisy, and other “people problems” in church can be discouraging. But selfishness and hypocrisy shouldn’t drive us away from church involvement. Rather, it should make us aware of how much we all need it!

As children, we grow up in a world governed by adult authority figures who appear all-knowing, just, and wise. But as we approach adulthood, we learn how flawed and imperfect adult authority is. This awareness creates disillusionment, some of it painful. Disillusionment often turns into rebellion. As teenagers, most of us rebel to one degree or another against adults we perceive as arbitrary and unloving.

If we are fortunate enough to have loving parents, we are encouraged to “work through” our rebellion and anger. As we gradually mature into adulthood, we become aware of our own imperfections and conflicting ideals. This awareness of our own imperfection usually has the effect of humbling us, making us more realistic, and changing our rebellion into understanding and forgiveness.

Organizations, whether secular or religious, are made up of imperfect people. As adults we sometimes continue to expect perfection from organizations long after we have stopped expecting it from other individuals or ourselves. But just as teenagers grow into adults,Christians mature in their relationship with Christ. As we mature, we begin to discover how much we owe to God’s grace and how little we earn through our own efforts. This makes it easier to see how God is able to use His church, which, like us, can serve as an instrument of divine grace in spite of imperfection and sin.

Sinful individuals or a sinful church can’t produce lasting effects for the kingdom of God, but the power of God’s Spirit working through them can! ( 2 Corinthians 4:7 ). As Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” ( Mark 2:15-17 ). If we were all perfect we wouldn’t need the church. It is our imperfection that calls for the purifying process of membership in the body of Christ. Our mission is to love each other ( 1 Peter 4:8 ) in such a way that we gain the spiritual strength that can only be developed in union with other believers ( Ephesians 4:14-16 ).

We shouldn’t overlook the hypocrisy and problems that exist in the church. We need to do what we can to confront and deal with them in loving ways. The apostle Paul was probably as aware of hypocrisy and imperfection within the church as anyone who ever lived, yet he wrote:

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load (Galatians 6:2-5).

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Why Don’t Christians Stop Sinning Completely?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:11:58 +0000

The Bible stresses both the importance of confessing ( James 5:16 ) and forsaking sin ( Ezekiel 18:31 ; Matthew 5:29 ; Luke 14:27 ; Romans 13:12 ; Ephesians 4:22 ). But just because Christians should confess and forsake their sins doesn’t mean that they are capable of achieving sinless perfection.

Certainly some sins are the outward and obvious kind that can be clearly confessed, forsaken, and avoided. No genuine Christian could commit an obvious, outward sin like adultery, murder, or theft without realizing it is wrong. In fact, it would be hard for a genuine Christian to commit such a clearly defined, obvious sin without a major struggle of conscience.

But not all of our sins are so outward and obvious or under our conscious control. There is another type of sin so deeply rooted in our depraved human nature that it seems to have its own life within us like a parasite or an alien being with a destructive craving to live independent of God.¹ This kind of sin is present in all of us — not just in obvious sinners, like thieves, adulterers, and murderers. Regarding this kind of sin, the apostle John wrote:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. . . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10 NKJV)

The apostle Paul described his struggle with this kind of sin in Romans 7:15-25:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (Romans 7:14-19 NKJV)

This kind of inner sin is often carried out unconsciously and in ignorance, but it eventually leads to death ( Romans 8:6,13 ) It appears in forms that are often subtle — like greed, pride, sloth, indifference to others, and lust. This inner sin is often so much a part of us that we recognize it only with difficulty, although others around us may see it clearly. Like an addictive poison, it has become so much a part of us — infecting every aspect of our personality and identity — that in this life it is impossible for us to be instantly freed from it. To be instantly purified of its influence would be more than we could bear.²

When we have faith in Christ we are instantly freed from the eternal penalty of our sin, but we can not be freed of the burden of inner sin itself except through a process — the process of sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit ( 1 Corinthians 6:11 ; 2 Corinthians 3:18 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ; 1 Peter 1:2 ) Sanctification creates a “new man” within us in the image of Christ, a new “nature” that is drawn to life and immortality instead of death and corruption. Unlike the instantaneous event of justification, the process of sanctification continues through our entire life on earth, reaching completion only in heaven ( 1 John 3:2,3 ).

See the ATQ article Are Christians Held Responsible for Unpremeditated and Unconscious Sins?

This is implied by numerous passages in Scripture that describe the immense gap between sinful humanity and the Holy God. ( Exodus 33:20-23 ; Isaiah 6:5 ; John 1:18 ; 1 Timothy 6:16 ). Back To Article
The biblical name for this instantaneous act of forgiveness is justification ( Romans 3:21-28 ; Romans 5:8, 9 ; Philippians 3:8, 9 ; Titus 3:4-7 ). Back To Article

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Why Did Jesus Condemn the Self-Righteousness of the Pharisees?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:11:57 +0000

Jesus condemned the Pharisees’ self-righteous hypocrisy because it blinded them from seeing their need for repentance and a Savior.

Many Pharisees prided themselves in their strict avoidance of obvious, outward sin. But they refused to look inside themselves and acknowledge the presence of inner sin that didn’t fall within the boundaries of their man-made rules. Jesus knew that in spite of their obsession with outward perfection, they willfully resisted consciousness of their inner corruption and need for grace:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:25-28 NKJV).

Jesus didn’t associate with “known sinners” like tax collectors because He minimized their sin ( Luke 19:1-10 ). He freely associated with them because He knew that they were more open to repentance.

Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:10-13 NKJV).

“Known sinners” weren’t full of self-righteous pride, deliberately concealing their hidden sins behind a legalistic façade of “righteousness.” Jesus was keenly ironic when He said, “I didn’t come to call the righteous to repentance.” He knew that the Pharisees weren’t righteous, but their pretense of righteousness kept them from accepting the only remedy for their condition — repentance and faith in Him. The obvious sins of “public sinners” made them more likely to repent and look to Jesus for the answers they needed.

We are all sinners, both inwardly and outwardly. Although we may not be notorious “public sinners,” we all share a fallen nature and are often controlled by the “flesh” — the “sin principle” — within us (Romans 8). Jesus’ stern warnings to the hypocritical Pharisees make it clear that sin we ignore and deny is no less serious in its effects than the sin of the public sinner.

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If I Feel Like A Hypocrite When I Obey God, Does that Mean I Really Am One?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:09:57 +0000

Christians know they are sinners and should never be under the delusion they have absolutely pure motives.

¹ Under the influence of the fallen nature the natural heart is always hard and selfish. Even when we follow Christ our motives are always mixed, and when we obey the Holy Spirit we go against our natural inclinations. Certainly, some “acting” is involved. But sincere action motivated by obedience and leading to spiritual change is vastly different from insincere action aimed only at conveying a false impression. Satan’s accusations are hollow if our heart is right, and we demonstrate the inclination of our heart by staying on course.

The key issue is the inclination of our heart and whether it is yielded to the Holy Spirit. If our heart is truly committed to goodness and truth, the “acting” will become reality, like a man who does right by his neighbor even though he doesn’t like him and eventually becomes his friend, or like a husband and wife in a troubled marriage who do the hard work of respecting and reaching out to each other until they discover that their hearts are actually entwined. Acting in harmony with the direction of the Holy Spirit brings growing awareness and rejection of the evil motivations of our heart, along with love, joy, and peace. (Galatians 5:22-23)

To describe the condition of the human heart, the Apostle Paul quoted Psalms 14:1-3, 53:1-3:

“There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12. Also see Jeremiah 17:9.)

A biblical view of the depravity of the human heart doesn’t imply that every part of man’s nature is as evil as it could possibly be. People often do good and generous things, and although they behave wickedly, they could be much worse. The devil, perhaps, can be characterized as totally evil, but people aren’t. It isn’t that every part of our nature is completely evil, but that every part of our nature is tainted with evil. This means that our potential for evil is much greater than the evil we actually commit. But it also means that we do nothing out of entirely pure motives. Evil taints everything we do.

Since all of our good works are contaminated, none of them can suffice to bring us favor with God. This is why, even though no one is completely evil, no one is capable on our own of seeking God, or pleasing Him. Even though we aren’t as evil as we can be, we all depend upon the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to make us aware of our desperate need for salvation.Back To Article

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As Depraved Sinners, How Can We Have Good Self-Esteem?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:09:50 +0000

Some Christians actually reject the idea of “good self-esteem,” identifying self-esteem with arrogance and sinful pride. They think the idea of wholesome self-esteem will encourage people to be “lovers of their own selves” in the sense condemned by 2 Timothy 3:1-5. But what if self-esteem is really just another way of expressing appropriate respect and care for the personhood God has entrusted to us? In that case, the issue becomes very different. People who don’t properly care for and esteem the body, emotions, and mind God has given them, will suffer loss (Matthew 25:14-30 ).

It’s true that the Bible teaches us that from God’s perspective our works are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:21-23 ).¹ But it’s also true that through faith-prompted obedience we are called the friends of God (John 15:15). We are His dear children whom He cares for deeply (1 John 3:2). A lack of biblical self-understanding can keep Christians from being effective servants of God. The apostle Paul himself refers to a proper way in which we should think of ourselves:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

A person with sober self-understanding is painfully aware of his inclination to sin and of the selfishness and rebellion that contaminates his heart. But a biblical view of human nature doesn’t focus entirely upon our “dark side.” We are the crown of God’s creation (Psalm 8), crafted in His image (Genesis 1:26). Although fallen, He made us the objects of His redemptive love (Romans 5:6-10), taking human form so that we might know His love and accept it (Ephesians 1:3-10) Therefore, a biblically based self-understanding tempers consciousness of human depravity with the awareness that God died for us and thereby established our infinite worth (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Having an understanding of ourselves based on God’s love for us makes it possible to live honestly, courageously, and lovingly. Without a biblically based sense of self-esteem/self-understanding, we are helpless when faced by the pressures and temptations of sin. We do things that are destructive to ourselves and other people. Wholesome, biblically based self-esteem views life with gratitude, seeking to live in obedience to the Holy Spirit, but realizing that perfection is impossible in this world. Counterfeit self-esteem, the kind that is spiritually destructive, isn’t based on gratitude to God, but on the approval of this fallen world and its values. Spiritual freedom is based on honest appraisal and appreciation of the truth.

See the ATQ article, How Can Christians Believe that the Human Race Is Depraved? Back To Article

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Were Pagans Persecuted by the Church as The Da Vinci Code Claims?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:07:49 +0000

Under the code of law that existed at the time, being accused of wrong-doing made a person “semi-guilty.” This permitted the use of torture, and torture was applied not only until the people confessed their crimes, but until they described (imaginary) circumstances and accomplices.

The letter of a condemned burgomaster (to his daughter) still survives. He wrote:

Now, dear child, here you have all my confession, for which I must die. And they are sheer lies and made-up things, so help me God. For all this I was forced to say through fear of the torture which was threatened beyond what I had already endured. For they never leave off with the torture till one confesses something; be he never so good, he must be a witch. Nobody escapes, though he were an earl. . . .,

Dear child, keep this letter secret so that people do not find it, else I shall be tortured most piteously and the jailers will be beheaded. So strictly is it forbidden. . . . Dear child, pay this man a dollar . . . . I have taken several days to write this: my hands are both lame. I am in a sad plight. . . .

Good night, for your father Johannes Junius will never see you more. July 24, 1628. (Klaits, 130)

Klaits mentions a witch hunt in the German village of Ellwangen in 1611, in which the torture of one unpopular 70-year-old woman led to the torture and execution of over 400 people. A contemporary observer of the Ellwangen “trials” wrote:

“I do not see where this case will lead and what effect it will have, for this evil has so taken over, and like the plague has affected so many, that if the magistrates continue their office, in a few years the city will be in miserable ruins.” (Klaits, p. 144)

There may have been genuine witches who were prosecuted during this chaotic time, but the relatively abundant historical evidence available to researchers implies that the overwhelming majority of those executed for witchcraft were innocent people caught up in a tragic hysteria.

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What’s So Dangerous About Hypocrisy?

Our Daily Bread — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:07:45 +0000

The word hypocrite originated when a Hebrew word with a general meaning of “godless” and a root meaning of “corrupt” or “defiled” was translated into Greek with a word having the meaning “to play a part.” Religious hypocrites corrupt themselves by concealing their true nature beneath an outward show of uprightness.

“”But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, “greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:5-12 NKJV)

Jesus was especially concerned about hypocrisy (see Matthew 23). He condemned it more vehemently and frequently than any other sin. He described how hypocrites are more interested in appearing good to other people than seeking true inner goodness. There are several reasons that hypocrisy is a very serious matter.

Hypocrisy hates the truth. Because a hypocrite’s self-worth is based on maintaining an illusion of righteousness and godliness to himself and to others, he must continually deceive himself and others that his righteousness is genuine. However, since his righteousness is not genuine, he must be on constant guard against facts, circumstances, or people that might expose him. Instead of truth being the foundation of his life, values, and hope, it becomes a enemy against which he must always be on guard. (Matthew 6:23; Luke 11:34-36; John 3:19-21)

Hypocrisy excludes healthy relationships. Once a person’s self-worth is based on appearances and role-play rather than genuinely held inner values, he only associates with people who confirm his carefully-guarded illusions of self-righteousness and superiority. He shuns genuine relationships with people who care enough about him to confront him with things he needs to know about himself. Since love is founded on honesty and genuine relationships on heart to heart communication, the fact that a hypocrite isn’t in touch with his heart makes him incapable of a genuine relationship. He is frightened to know or acknowledge what his heart really is like. He avoids the very people who might bring love and light into his life. (Luke 6:42)

Hypocrisy makes self-knowledge impossible. Although it is a terrible thing to live without loving relationships, a hypocrite not only forsakes relationships with other people, but loses his relationship with himself.

Seventeenth-century Welsh poet George Herbert said: “The best mirror is an old friend.” How could someone know what he looked like if he refused either to look in a mirror or to pay attention to the honest reactions of others to his appearance? Spiritually, a hypocrite is in precisely this condition. He is a stranger to his own soul. In spite of all the evidence he sees to the contrary, he willfully clings to an idealized image of himself while ignoring his inner corruption. (Matthew 16:24-26)

Hypocrisy turns others against the truth. A person who is obviously evil is dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as someone who appears to be good (Matthew 7:15; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Hypocritical exploitation of the truth for evil purposes is profoundly harmful. The initial damage occurs when the innocent are misled (Isaiah 32:6; Matthew 23:1-13) Further damage occurs when victims of hypocrisy come to realize what has happened to them.

A man or woman wounded by a hypocritical spouse in a heart-breaking divorce may never risk marrying again. Unloved children may despise family relationships and unleash their rage against society.

This is why Jesus overturned the tables of the money-changers and drove them out of the temple. (Matthew 21:10-14) This is why He said:

If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

It is a serious thing to reject the truth. But it is much more serious to cause others to reject truth by misusing it for our own evil and hypocritical purposes. This is why each of us must always be on guard against this most serious of sins.

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