By There’s one thing that Jesus been publicly condemned which was prevalent to most of those claiming to be “followers of the Way”. An act which compromised one’s faith to the demands of this world. An idea that if you want to destroy someone, call them a “hypocrite.” The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs but own behavior does not reflect and match up to. Haven’t you not wonder the impact this caused to yourself, to others and to Jesus your Savior? Want to know and conquer this?
If we refer a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion as hypocrite and we say he is a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or moral feelings then we could not refer those violator; person obviously who is not a believer, not spiritual, unrighteous and immoral as hypocrite for they are doomed into it already. Hypocrites could only be applied as description to one claiming to be spiritual, religious, righteous, believers with moral beliefs but does not reflect all that he claims in his actions and words. DARKNESS HAS NO POWER TO PRETEND AS LIGHT , BUT ANYONE CAN DECEIVE AND PRETEND AS BEARER OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. During JESUS ministry, He dealt so much of these people. Here we’ll consider both side: what the world say and the Bible’s dealing with Hypocrisy.
WORLDVIEW OF “HYPOCRISY”
Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not reflect. In moral psychology, it is the failure to follow one’s own expressed moral rules and principles. [1] According to British political philosopher David Runciman, “Other kinds of hypocritical deception include:
CLAIMS TO KNOWLEDGE THAT ONE LACKS, CLAIMS TO CONSISTENCY THAT ONE CANNOT SUSTAIN, CLAIMS TO LOYALTY THAT ONE DOES NOT POSSES, CLAIMS TO IDENTITY THAT ONE DOES NOT HOLD”. [2] American political journalist Michael Gerson says that political hypocrisy is “the CONSCIOUS USE OF A MASK TO FOOL THE PUBLIC AND GAIN POLITICAL BENEFITS”.[3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocris
Crisp and Cowton’s philosophical distinction identified four forms of hypocrisy that should emerge in perceptions of self and others’ hypocrisy: inconsistency, pretence, blame, and complacency. Let us join together these four forms with David Runciman kinds of hypocritical deceptions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
1. INCONSISTENCY: CLAIMS TO CONSISTENCY THAT ONE CANNOT SUSTAIN.
Unstable, changeable, untruthful, dual- self. “The profession of a moral requirement of others that one fails to abide by oneself; instances in which one says or implies something in public and behaves differently in private; examples in which one’s stated or implicit beliefs DO NOT match their behaviour.”
2. PRETENCE: CLAIMS TO IDENTITY THAT ONE DOES NOT HOLD.
Lifting oneself up; pretender! “Any implicit or explicit profession that one has a quality or characteristic that one knowingly does not actually possess or live up to, while hiding one’s true character or motivations, specifically to gain rewards or avoid punishments.”
3. BLAME: CLAIMS TO LOYALTY THAT ONE DOES NOT POSSESS .
Knocking down/ targeting someone else.” Expressing moral indignation by attempting to criticise, derogate, or point out the faults of another person’s behaviour while he too (knowingly or unknowingly) possessing faults that may or may not be related to the fault being pointed out by the blamer.”
4. COMPLACENCY: CLAIMS TO KNOWLEDGE THAT ONE LACKS.
Prideful, self-glory! These people “take morality seriously in very unimportant ways, ignoring its demands where their fulfillment appears costly”. The hypocrite wants to form an impression of himself and truly does have the beliefs he proclaims. However, he is only willing to do the minimum required to make that impression. These individuals want to appear to be adhering to all the principles of their faith while picking and choosing which ones to uphold, often only those that are easiest.
BIBLICAL VIEW OF “HYPOCRISY”
When Jesus was with the disciples He always reminded them of being aware of the hypocrites around and not to be one like them. Hypocrites in the Scripture is best known through the teachings of Jesus:
HYPOCRITES ARE:
“These people are 1. BLEMISHES at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm— 2. SHEPHERDS who feed only themselves. They are 3. CLOUDS without rain, blown along by the wind; 4. AUTUMN TREES without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are 5. WILD WAVES of the sea, foaming up their shame; 6. WANDERING STARS, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude 1:12-13 NIV
Matthew 23:1 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
In the 1st century, scribes and Pharisees were two largely distinct groups, though presumably some scribes were Pharisees. Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe. Pharisees were members of a party that believed in resurrection and in following legal traditions that were ascribed not to the Bible but to “the traditions of the fathers.” Like the scribes, they were also well-known legal experts. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus/Scribes-and-Pharisees
JESUS WARNING: THE SEVEN WOES OF “HYPOCRISY”
1. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”Matthew 23:13 NIV. 14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation.”
It’s a WOE to one who claims to be expert of all LEGAL things but no single consideration to a helpless human being. Their LONG PRAYERS uttered are in vain when they become the hindrance for ordinary people to get near to the Kingdom of God.
2. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Matthew 23:15 NIV
WOE to you if you commit your life for the expansion of God’s Kingdom; being in a mission trips winning people for Christ but your work doesn’t match the motives of your calling. You’re not a blessing to your converts. Being in the ministry just for self gain and self glory.
3. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ Matthew 23:16, 18 NIV
WOE to you leaders who are just after for the gold and gifts. Demanding something in return of their good deeds. These people just serve to be paid. Who wanted to serve while living in a well compensated and worry free life. A service not out of love from the heart but a corrupt blind guides.
4. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:23-24 NIV
WOE to those claiming to be giver, philanthropist and compassionate but actually gives just extras and a pinch of their wealth to the needy. These people forcibly neglect the poor, ordinary and small citizens but eagerly accepted the rich and big known people to favor the justice system on them.
5. ““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:25-26 NIV
WOE to the one who’s just mindful and conscious of his outward appearance and good dealings with people, aiming of pleasing them by any means but the heart was not completely cleansed and owned by the Holy Spirit which is full of greediness and wickedness.
6. ““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28 NIV
WOE to a pretender and self righteous, claiming to be clean yet living totally in darkness. Engaging in a extravagance of life, glamour and beauty, good reputations and leadership but actually the inside is a slave of evil, corrupted and dead to sin.
7. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’” Matthew 23:29-30 NIV
WOE to you who claim to be followers of Jesus but are the ones who persecute the faithful believers of Christ. You are a Deceiver, impostor who is a wolf among the sheep. A false prophet adored by all yet actually lead many astray.
OVERCOMING HYPOCRISY:
Hypocrisy is everywhere they’re easily seeing the bad attitudes and behaviors of people, rather than recognizing their own faults and flaws. Acting as if they knew everything when actually they’re just reasoning out by feelings and own happiness and not from obedience to the absolute Truth of the Word of God. They are everywhere succumbing the vices offered by satan, enjoying these worldly pleasures and when you rebuke and condemn the sin they will aggravate and fight back ruining you. When there’s pride there’s so much of hypocrisy. Once it’s touch the self will easily defend itself with reasons until it triumphs and elevated. Education, status in life, achievements, personality and wealth contributes to the rise of hypocrisy. The enemy is making all to be glued to the things that make them happy and they indulge just to their own self gratification, and replacing God with the “self” as the sole authority for their own happiness this is (HUMANISM doctrine of the 21st century) the deception of the beast.
1. Jesus’ way of overcoming it is by living with EMPATHY. Empathy is your ability to understand, share and feel someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation. Putting yourself to other’s shoes makes owning their struggles and pains. Not inflicting shame in “WORDS” to others must go with loving others as yourself. In this way there will be NO CRUEL ACTS OF JUDGING , CONDEMNING OTHERS WHO ARE AGAINST YOUR MORAL STANDARDS. There will be no CALLOUS HEART TO HEAR THE CRIES IN THIS CORRUPT WORLD. Evil spirit is defeated with LOVE. Empathy is not compromising with sin but a heart that grieves for the consequences of sin. It’s hating the sin but loving and caring the sinner. Welcoming with open arms anyone, offering help in their entanglement in the traps of Satan with a silent judgement and condemnation but of loud message with love towards them. Empathy goes beyond any races, beyond any circumstances, beyond any reasons of commiting sin, it’s embracing the needy, the helpless, the guilty, the hurting and the sinner himself owning all that entrapped their wretched souls, and help them find, offer ways to be freed in Jesus.
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 5:30
2. Jesus wants a CONSISTENCY WITH YOUR FAITH. Being keen and faithful to follow God’s teachings and live by His Words. Exercise Consistency by getting angry with sin but not live with sin. People judge someone who’s angry with those violators, because you didn’t condemn the sin but only the sinner. Never be SILENT IN REBUKING SIN and be like JESUS… “IN YOUR ANGER DO NOT COMMIT SIN”. Being inside or outside the church let His Light within you shine. Consistency comes at ALL COSTS in defense of your True FAITH. Consistency in your FAITH is a complete outward acts bestowed by God to identify you as the CHILD OF GOD.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV
3. Jesus urges all to be CLEANSED AND BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. Hypocrisy runs in the bloodline of humans, and only a divine power can set you free from it. Upon His ascension, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to come, cleanse and empower all over sin. When there’s a SPIRIT OF GOD there’s FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY OF SIN. Self righteousness is replaced by the FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Luke 24: 49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father on you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.”
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:16-17.
Note: pictures credit to David Avocado Wolfe channel.
🎶🎵 God will do it again (music video) …and again to make you conquer yourself and be freed!
iNSPiRATiONALKiN 