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Are Sinning Christians “Hypocrites”?
By Watchman | August 20, 2010
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (I John 1:6-10)
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:4-6)
Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:6-9)
To one who has not yet been born again, this message from the first of John’s three letters must sound so contradictory as to be foolish. In one breath John tells the church that Jesus has cleansed us from our sins and we are to live righteous lives; in the next he says that if we say we have no sin then we are without truth. If sin is “of the devil” does that mean that if we sin we have forfeited our right to call ourselves by the name of Christ? The charge of Christian hypocrisy keeps many people away from the truth of God’s word and has become almost a mantra of those who wish to remove God’s word from the public arena. John was not fooled: he knew he was a sinner, which is why, in both instances, he used the pronoun “we”. John was privy to the real truth: that Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin–continually. It is not a one-step deal: Jesus cleanses us from all sin and we never sin again; but a continuing process of forgiveness for those who try hard to live in the light and love of God and to do His will.
I wish I could say that I live a sinless life, but I cannot do so with any honesty at all. I love God with all my heart, mind, soul and spirit, yet I frequently do or say things that directly contradict what God has said in Scripture that He demands of me. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don’t think so. When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit began to work immediately on my sensitivity to my own evil nature. He never destroyed my capacity to sin, nor did He remove my free will to do so; He did put within me the ability to identify quickly those areas of my life, personality and spirit that needed to change. He honed my conscience so that I become aware of, and therefore can repent of, sinful behavior when I commit it. Each day I must offer up my sinful self to the Father and ask for His forgiveness and for His help in correcting my nature. I have a tendency towards anger (hence all the posts I’ve written on anger, resentment and forgiveness!), and I’ve been known, when in a tantrum, to turn the air around me blue with language that should never come out of a Christian mouth. Current psychological thought calls this being human and puts it down to childhood traumas, environmental stimulations and the stress of daily life; God calls it sin and says I must have no part of it. I have a T-shirt which says “Lord, keep Your arm across my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth.” It should also read “Wash out my brain with soap.” Though the Lord has been working on me so long that I have more or less learned to keep my temper in check and to grant forgiveness much more freely than I ever would have before, my thoughts still tend at times to follow a path He does not want me to walk. Remember, what is inside your head and your heart is just as important as what comes out of your mouth. Jesus condemned adultery, but He also said that he who looks with lust on another has already committed adultery in his heart; those who hate or are angry without cause are committing spiritual murder. I was told of a bishop who said that he had a member of his church with a beautiful wife, and he idly wondered what it would be like if neither of them were married and could see each other. The Holy Spirit brought him up short, showing him that he had just “idly” sown the seeds of adultery and murder. Taken to their logical conclusion, Jesus’ words show us that theft, blasphemy, the dishonoring of parents, and all the other sins contained in the Ten Commandments can be conditions of the heart as well as sins of commission.
Is it possible for Christians to be hypocrites? Absolutely. Any Christian who condemns sin in others and refuses to acknowledge his own sin is a hypocrite. Although there are many pastors on television who are good and righteous men, there are others who preach more for the fame and fortune it brings than for the salvation of souls. Don’t even get me started on churches that preach that God hates sinners. God loves sinners. He hates sin, but he loves sinners and sent His only Son to die a horrible death on a cross to pay for the sins of all who will accept His sacrifice and His grace. He will follow the sinner all the way to the gates of hell in order to try to get him to choose life over death, heaven over hell. A person who loudly proclaims the word of God in order to convict others of sin and then fails to repent of his own adulteries, abuse of others or pettiness of spirit is a hypocrite. A person who claims to love God but refuses to try to love those whom He loves is a hypocrite. (Note that I said “try” to love. None of us have reached that pinnacle where we can freely love in the same measure as God does.) He who says he is without sin is a liar and a hypocrite. John asks the question (1 John 3:17): “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” The Christian who says he loves God but refuses to help his fellow man is a hypocrite.
There used to be a popular bumper-sticker: Christians Aren’t Perfect, Just Forgiven. I don’t really care for Christian slogans as they tend to sound a bit smug, but it actually is true. Paul said (Romans 3:23) that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Like Paul, I have sinned and could be considered amongst the chief of sinners! Praise God, for my Savior who continually cleanses me of all sin, and for my Father who promises to remember my sins no more!
What is the best way to avoid hypocrisy? As is the case with most questions pertaining to the will of God, the first step is to be knowledgeable about the word of God–in other words, read the Bible often and store up His words in your spirit. Try daily to “put off the body the sins of the flesh”, remembering that you were buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Him through faith in the working of God. Seek those things which are of God; put on the “new man” and strive to put off all anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language; replace the bad with tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering , forgiveness and love. (Colossians 2 and 3) Pray without ceasing.
God be with you all, my dear friends, and may He grant you an ever-deepening knowledge and love of Him.
Maranatha!
Melissa
Topics: Kingdom Living, Salvation | 2 Comments »
August 20th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Wow! This poured from the page into my mind and heart like “sparkling, clean water”….washing and renewing. The Word of God does that. It was so refreshing! Thank you for writing what God placed on your heart.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Excellent!