Part Six:  Conclusion:  What Does Jesus and the New Testament Writers Have to Say about Hypocrisy among Christians?

There are hypocrites in the Christain church. Jesus foretold this and spoke of a day when true believers will be identified and separated from the unfaithful (see Matt. 7: 21-23; 13:24-30) and when all hypocrisy will be revealed (Luke 12: 1-3). Jesus strongly condemns hypocrisy, especially among religious leaders who present a sense of piety but are hypocritical to their calling (Matt. 23:13-15, 23-25).

The Apostle Paul also addressed this issue. In 1 Timothy 4: 1-2, he warns that in “later times” some people will fall away from Christianity due to “the hypocrisy of liars” (NASB). Elsewhere, in 1 Corinthians 5:11, Paul warns Christians not to associate with a professing believer living a life of open and direct sin (i.e., hypocrisy). In other words, Christians need to identify unrepentant hypocrites and remove them from ministering in the Church. It is sad when the Church does this many critics take it as an opportunity to highlight the hypocrisy rather than to congratulate the Church for trying to maintain its integrity.

In His dealings with hypocrisy, Jesus did not show the gentleness He normally exhibited when confronting sinners.  He called them them  “whitewashed tombs,” “snakes,” and “brood of vipers” (Matt. 23: 27, 33). Jesus knew that the evil of hypocrisy would discredit His work and cause countless people to turn from the Church to disillusionment and disappointment. Hypocrisy is one of the most potent weapons in Satan’s arsenal used to weaken the Christian testimony. A non-Christian, hearing the words and observing the actions of hypocritical Christians, is quick to judge all of Christianity by his or her actions. Tragically, many people alive today may enter a Christless eternity because of the hypocrisy they observe in Christians prevents them from seriously investigating the truth-claims of our Faith.

Yet it must also be remembered that hypocrisy is not the product of Christianity. It is the product of sinful people. And like all other sins, the Bible condemns it. It is unfair and illogical to condemn Christianity because some Christians have been guilty of hypocrisy, especially when the Bible unequivocally condemns all hypocrisy. Moreover, in light of all the apologetic evidence outlined in the previous five blog posts—there is no legitimate moral or intellectual reason to censor Christianity because of occasional hypocrites in the Church. If that standard is applied to other areas of knowledge, all science and medicine, for example, would likewise be censored because of a few quacks engaged in those occupations.

In sum, the truth of Christianity does no rest on the behaviors of its adherents. Instead, it rests on the reality of Jesus Christ and the fact that He rose from the dead to demonstrate His deity (Rom. 1:4) and confirm His promise of eternal life for those who receive Him as Lord and Savior Rom. 10:9-10). ©

Next week I’ll begin a new series titled:  “IS CHRISTIANITY A ‘CRUTCH’ FOR WEAK AND INSECURE PEOPLE–AND APOLOGETIC RESPONSE.”

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