Written by Dawn Rutan
Since Sunday’s sermon on hypocrisy from Mark 7:1-13 I’ve been thinking about some of the evidence of hypocrisy in our world. This week it’s Starbucks cups, glaciers in the malls, and “Merry Christmas” being debated by many who honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. I’m not going to get into that discussion, because I think there are more important issues closer to home, like within our own hearts. It’s so easy to go through the motions and act like a Christian when Christ is the furthest thing from our minds. On an average Sunday, I wonder how many church-goers tune out in the middle of the announcements and don’t tune back in until the benediction? I’m sure we all have occasional mental lapses, though for some that is a weekly occurrence.
It’s also easy to give others the wrong impression by what we say and do. We arrive at church dressed decently and smiling even though we’ve just been fighting in the car, lost a job, or got drunk last night. We may know all the Sunday school answers and can quote chapter and verse but struggle to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
We are all careful to edit what we say to fit the proper social expectations of the church, small group, friendship, or work environment. Sometimes that’s okay because some things just don’t need to be shared outside a select few relationships. James said “confess your sins to one another,” not to the whole church. Jesus’ guidelines for confrontation in Matthew 18:15-17 don’t go immediately to the whole church either. However, we do need to give careful thought to whether we are being hypocritical by misleading others either intentionally or unintentionally. Gossip usually arises because someone is found to be hiding something that is inconsistent with their public character.
Discerning what to say in what contexts makes for a hard path to follow. I can think of plenty of things that I would not want revealed to the vast majority of people. And as a result, I know I probably give false impressions by the things I choose not to say. I think where the distinction of true hypocrisy comes in is whether we’re trying to put on an act for God. For myself, I am very much aware that God knows my every thought and word, and He understands my conflicting motivations and desires far better than I do. I know that nothing is hidden from His sight. I want to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, but I know that I often fail in many ways.
While there are times when I wish I could be more transparent in certain areas, I know that would not be wise at this point. One day all things will be made known, and we’ll all be surprised at what we learn. Thankfully, God’s mercy and grace are abundant for those who trust in Him. As David told Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV), “Know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
The true hypocrites are those who think they can deceive God with their words and deeds while their hearts are focused on self rather than God. They may be deceiving others, and they definitely are deceiving themselves if they think that God can be influenced by outward actions without the heart motivation.
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3).
© 2015 Dawn Rutan. The views stated may or may not reflect the beliefs of the pastor or leadership of Dulin’s Grove Church.
