What do you call a male ladybug, a fun-size candy bar, and turkey shaped like bacon (aka turkey bacon)?
HYPOCRITES.
Because none of these live up to the names they possess, do they? If it’s a male how can it also be considered a ladybug? If it means less candy can it actually be considered “fun”? And the turkey bacon needs no further explanation. (For, as one comedian said while walking through the grocery store, “Turkey, just be yourself. You do not need to emulate the other animals.” And it shouldn't; but I digress.)
Hypocrites.
In all seriousness hypocrites (of the more human type of course) are the number one reason, at least in my experience, people do not attend church. The fact that there are people in the pews each Sunday who claim to be and believe one thing and yet live a life totally absent and apart from those beliefs is outright hypocrisy. Some call it a mask, some the fancier term of façade, but no matter what you call it, you know somebody who fits this description.
Hypocrites.
Hypocrites are also the number one reason for why I believe church is essential. It is the very place and only place where we can be reminded of the One who never saw hypocrisy in His own reflection and neither did anyone else who knew Him. You see, apart from Jesus, the line of division is not between hypocrites and non-hypocrites but between those who admit the hypocrisy in their life and those who do not.
A failure to admit the hypocrisy in our lives as Christians causes two main issues. First, it devalues the price that Christ paid on the cross. How can we continue living a life of thankfulness for His sacrifice while simultaneously considering ourselves a perfect example of what it is to keep the law of God? Whether we say those exact words or not, how we live many times speaks louder than our words anyways.
The second issue in Christians not admitting the hypocrisy in our lives is that the day will come when the standard we claim to hold will fall short in the eyes of those around us. In other words, it is not if you fall short but when.
As a Christian my most frustrating days are the ones where my actions fail to reflect the things I truly believe and desire to display. It is in these times that I must remind myself that being a Christian does not mean I will be perfect but the exact opposite. The claim of sinfulness and imperfection is even a first step in becoming a Christian.
Yet while we all walk through the front gate of salvation admittingly imperfect just a few steps into our salvation journey we somehow only see our “righteousness.” Truth is we are not forgiven by God in this life because of our perfection today or any hope for it tomorrow but because of our continual dependence upon His Son who truly was/is sinless.
The admittance of our hypocrisy on any scale is not a license to sin, a reason to “throw in the towel” in becoming more like Christ, or a way to excuse our misdeeds. In contrast, it is a reminder to:
- stay thankful to Christ for our standing with God.
- stay dependent on the Holy Spirit for His continual work in our lives to make us more like Him.
- point others to Jesus as the genuine Savior and not ourselves.
From here until eternity, our sanctification (the process of being set apart unto holiness) will be incomplete and our hypocrisy of not living up to the standards we claim will show. Don’t try to ignore it or reason it away. Let it humble you when it shows. Let it break your heart when it does. My kids need to see it, my wife needs to see it, and, as hard as it is, I need to see it.
We are and will always be honestly in need and humbly imperfect this side of eternity. That’s the banner we should carry for Christ to be glorified for who He is and not us in our make-believe image of which no one is impressed.
We tend to believe we can control our image before those we come in contact with on a daily basis—how good we look becomes, in our minds, how good we are. But when we walk through the doors of church every song, every verse of Scripture, and every taking of the Lord’s Supper reminds us that we are still sinful enough to put Christ on that cross.
That makes church essential to us all…including this preacher.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:10
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
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