Vile Hypocrisy

Read Romans 2:2, 3
 
Did you know the church is filled with hypocrites?  You may have heard someone say, “Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites!”  Unfortunately they are right. 

The Greek word for hypocrite is defined as one who is an actor, stage player or a pretender.  In other words a hypocrite is a person who tries to be someone he/she is not. The truth is that all humanity is guilty of hypocrisy.  It's interesting to me how humans are weirdly wired to be something or someone we are not. 

Have you ever judged someone for certain sinful action but forget that you are just as guilty of other sins?  Jesus mentions in the Gospel accounts that our sins are not just physical acts, they are also internal (sins of the mind and heart).  He speaks to the outwardly “righteous religious leaders” as hypocrites.  Jesus tells them that their hypocrisy was going to lead to more harsh judgment or condemnation.

As Christians we fail to acknowledge our own personal sins (internally and externally).  We like to hide them or pretend they are not there.  We have the tendency to focus our attention on the sins of others while ignoring our own.  Jesus spoke about this, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matt 7:3)  These people he calls hypocrites.  The hard truth is that if we are guilty of pointing out other peoples sins and imperfections while proclaiming to be righteous we are in fact hypocrites.