Surviving Hypocrisy

Introduction: How to not be a hypocrite in a world full of hypocrites.

A woman who worshiped “holiness” rather than Christ.

A Dangerous Dissection Between Words and Works

Navigating Hypocrisy and Holiness

This event follows the conversations which Jesus just had with the Pharisees and Sadducees following their attempts to trip him up with difficult question. This is publicly in the temple as Jesus is teaching the crowds and the Pharisees are presumably still present. At this time, Jesus begins a section warning the people and his disciples about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the Jews. Next week we will look at seven woes, or seven griefs or curses on hypocrites which we must pay much attention to. Hypocrisy, as we have seen before, is a subtle and deadly disease that can easily infiltrate our lives and our churches.

This is especially true as we walk a fine line between avoiding hypocrisy and living holy lives. 1 Peter 1:16-17 reminds us,

1 Peter 1:16–17 ESV

since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

Holiness is essential to the Christian life. Although we are not justified by our good works, we cannot be saved unless we are holy. This is indeed the Spirit’s work, but it is a work he does through our conscious effort. We cannot sit around and wait for the Holy Spirit to bring holiness into our lives. If we have actually believed, we will pursue that holiness purposefully in the knowledge of our union with the resurrected Christ and a desire for further union with him in obedience and holiness.

But what is holiness? Many people have missed the point of this state of being while pursuing it. Holiness is much more than having a pure and noble life. It is much more than outward actions done or not done for others to see. Holiness is closely tied to our innermost identity. It is part of who we tell ourselves that we are and what we exist for.

Put simply, holiness is complete devotion to God and to his purposes for us. It is a humble submission to his purposes for creating us and his goals for establishing us in his glory. Again we are reminded that Christ does not merely save us from the consequences of sin, from hell and judgement, but from the power and desire of sin. This desire for sin is not simply destroyed, but rather it is replaced with a new desire: a desire for God. A desire for his glory. A desire to be a vessel through whom the person of God shines into the created world. It means to embrace the calling to bear the image of the invisible God in every aspect. It means to embrace our destiny and calling according to God’s will by faith and to reflect that majestic calling in every area of our lives.

So, it is not a legalistic pursuit of perfectionism, it is a passionate and Spirit-motivated calling to be like Christ with our eyes on our end goal: the glory of sharing in his resurrection and an eternal world to come.

When holiness is misunderstood, one of two things usually happen. Either legalism leading to hypocrisy or what theologians have historically called antinomianism. This is just a fancy word for a lifestyle that does not care about following God’s commands to submitting to God’s will.

Antinomianism is the voice that says, “well, since I am forgiven by God, I don’t need to worry about obeying him.” or “focusing on God’s commands only leads to legalism and self-righteousness. It doesn’t matter what I do, God loves me and that is all that matters.”

I might make some of you uncomfortable to name those who teach it, but many who are accepted as good teachers of Christianity teach something like this. Charles Stanley, though I judge only his teaching and not his own status before God, taught something like this. In his book Eternal Security, who wrote,

Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy… believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation, for God remains faithful.

This is a dangerous heresy that can lead someone to throw away their soul in pursuit of sin thinking all the while that they are forgiven when they are not. God is indeed faithful, and faithful he is to save those who persist in their belief and condemn those who turn away. Salvation is a package deal; there is no forgiveness without repentance and no justification without sanctification to follow. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that,

Hebrews 12:14 NIV 2011

without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Now, in the context of both of these passages it is not talking about imputed righteousness or holiness; its talking about the way we actually live our lives. Of course, we know that the guilt of our sin has been laid upon Christ’s shoulders in his death on the cross. We know that we are made children of God, not by good works but by faith in the atoning death of Christ. However, Eph 2:10 gives us a much-needed balance when Paul writes:

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are (Christ’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, we see that holiness is necessary, and any idea that Christian’s do not need to put sin to death and awaken a righteous lifestyle is a dangerous heresy that, if lived out consistently, will bring those who believe it to eternal condemnation and hell. We must live righteous lives.

On the other hand, legalism is also a dangerous heresy. The idea that our salvation is earned by the good works that we do is a distortion of the Gospel to such an extreme degree that it may also endanger our salvation. This is what Christ focuses on in this text today: be careful of hypocrisy!

But what is hypocrisy? We’ve explored this in the past, so I won’t take too much time on it, but in short hypocrisy is pretending to be something that you are not. The Greek word which we transliterate into English as hypocrite was a word often used in the Roman world of actors in the theatre who, of course, pretend to be something they are not. In the sense that Jesus uses the word, it means to pretend to be more holy than you actually are for the sake of impressing others and, in great foolishness, even to impress God. The purpose of the law was to show our inadequecy since the Law brings out our sinful rebelliousness against God. The Apostle Paul explains it well in Romans 7:7-8

Romans 7:7–8 ESV

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

As Paul says, the law brings out sin and this is so that it can be made known. Without the law, we would not know our tendency to break God’s law. We would not know our inability to live in the way that is right and forsake what is wrong. Since actually keeping the law perfectly in our hearts by our own strength is impossible, this leads us to one of two conclusions: either we confess our sins and fall down at the feet of God for mercy in humility, or we pretend that we can keep the law of God. We can either be like Isaiah and confess that we are men and women of uncleanness in an unclean world, or we can put on a show of righteousness before the world to prove how holy we are. This is what the Scribes, Pharisees, and many professing Christians do. I am not like that tax collector! I am not like that prostitute! I am not like that theif, or that liar, or that murdere, or that drunkard, or that idolater, and become like the Pharisee in the temple who did not go home justified. God sees our hearts and even if, by some great effort, we can keep the OT law perfectly, the intentions and desires of our hearts are so corrupt that we show ourselves to break the greatest commandment: to love the Lord our God!

So we see that while holiness truly desire to please God, hypocrisy makes it a show and display that is not genuine or from the heart. Here’s a question: if you could get away with one sin, any sin, and neither God nor man would hold it against you, would you take advantage of that opportunity? Think about it carefully. If you would, than the only reason you do not sin is because you are a hypocrite! You put on a show for God and man rather than embracing God’s truth in faith. His commandments are not meant to be a burden, they are meant to liberate you from the desires that enslave you to the devil and to your own fallen flesh! Believe God and you will believe that holiness is good for you, and so you will pursue it in a faith that is pleasing to God. This is the work the Holy Spirit does through sanctification in the life of a believer. We should never think that a holy life is impossible here, although such holiness will not be perfected until glory. But in his sanctifying work, the Holy Spirit does give believers the ability to live holy lives pleasing to the Father. Perfection is our aim, and in the resurrection we will obtain it. For now, we strive for it, relying by faith on the grace given us by the Spirit through the Son to do the will of the Father. A Christian cannot live a perfect life in this world, the Apostle John makes that clear in 1 John 1:10. But a Christian will live a life of growing holiness leading up to the day when all sin will be cast off and our hearts will be complete in the joy of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Living Among Hypocrites

Now, for those who do seek to live a holy life, there is a problem. Hypocrites do exist. They exist in the world in many different forms, and unfortunately they make their way into the church. There are many difficulties surrounding this. Every Christian struggles with sin to one degree or another. We all fail to live perfectly, and we long to be rid of the flesh which so easily caves into the devil’s temptations. So we cannot reject of condemn each other as hypocrite when we fall into sin. However, the tell-tale sign of hypocrisy is when we keep sin hidden and unconfessed because in our hearts we do not actually want to be rid of it. We want to keep it, just hidden from the world so that no one knows that true evil we desire. This is what must be eradicated from the church without hesitation.

And yet, it persists, and will persist until the return of Christ when he who knows the hearts of all people judges them by their hearts. So what shall we do in the meantime?

This is what our Lord addresses in this text. He speaks to the crowds and says that the Scribes (that is, the religious teachers) and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. This is a gracious stretch, since these men did not occupy any official position, and yet they did take up the cause of teaching the word of God and so Christ commands the people “observe (or do) whatever they tell you, but not the works they do.”

The first part of this statement is probably the most difficult for us to accept. How are we supposed to listen to those who are only pretending to know God, and yet do not actually love him or follow him?

“Moses’ seat” is a metaphor that refers to the place of teaching and authority Moses had over the people of God. Although these men are not at all like Moses in character, they do take up the position as being those who, like Moses, explain the law of God to the people.

Why should we listen to such people? One answer is simply that hypocrites are experts and knowing what to say. They do study the word of God, do they do have their theology neatly put together, and they do know how to sound like someone who has read accepted God’s law. When you watch a film based on a true story, if it is well done you have good reason to believe that the actor is playing the part well. If they are a good actor and the film has a good director, the historic scenes should at least give an accurate idea of what happened even though the actor is not the real person. In the same way, hypocrites spend much time and energy, even if it is somewhat subconscious, in learning how to say the right things. We should never reject something someone says just because we don’t like the person who said it. If the Pharisees and Scribes are teaching the Word of God, they should still be listened to even if their own lives show that they themselves don’t listen to it. I know I have read books and heard sermons by someone who later on left the faith or came to be known as a hypocrite who was doing evil behind closed doors, and yet the things they said still help me to this day. God prophesied through the mouth the wicked man Balaam in the book of judges and it was really his voice, and so it should not surprise us that when God’s word is communicated for human beings to understand, hypocrites can teach it correctly even if they do not know God themselves.

Beyond this, some scholars believe that there is a level of irony here. This is because the “seat of Moses” was something the scribes said about themselves, and so Jesus is taking this title they made about themselves and saying, “well, if they claim to have the authority of Moses, you may listen to them as long as you do not follow what they practice.” We should recognize that there were many things the Scribes taught about traditions that Jesus clearly taught against, and so whatever the case, this is not a command to listen to everything they say and is likely a hyperbolic contrast between the strict rules that they apply and the way they live their own lives.

Avoiding a Hypocrite’s Example

Now, Jesus spends the majourity of this section warning us against the actions of these hypocrites. What is it about their actions that Jesus warns us against?

First, in verse 4, Jesus accuses them for tying heavy burdens on people without lifting a finger to help them. Notice, Jesus is not saying that they are inconsistent with their rules. Instead, they look on those who find their heavy and strict rules difficult without pity or compassion.

Second, they do all to be seen by others. This includes everything from the way they dress. They took the tassels which all Jews wore in keeping with the Law (Num 15:37-41) and made them large and showy. Their purpose is to be seen by others. This also goes for their social policy, where they desire the best and most honourable seats wherever they go. They love great titles and open honour being shown to them. They like to climb the social ladder through their religious teachings and views. This is hardly any different from a politician going to church so that he can get the Christian vote during an election. Their focus is not on the good nature of God and his commands and a desire to seek him and know him, but rather a desire of an earthly nature; to be recognized as a great and righteous person. This has determined the Pharisees conversations with Jesus, as we saw with their refusal to answer the question about John the Baptist.

With both of these Ideas in Summary, they like to lift themselves above others through a difficult standard of works that are manageable for them but not for most people. so that they might lift themselves above the common rabble and recognized for the high standard they impose not just on themselves, but on everyone. Their motivation for setting a high standard is essentially the construction of a race they know they can win. This doesn’t mean having a high standard for your own life is hypocritical, but that standard does come with its own danger and temptation in pride and self-righteousness when lorded over others.

So we see, while true holiness is a means to the end of knowing God and enjoying him more, hypocritical legalism is a means to the end of impressing others and yourself. Holiness is humbling, hypocrisy is proud. Holiness focuses on my sins, hypocrisy focuses on the sins of others. Holiness is for fellowship with God, hypocrisy is for show. Holiness increases love and compassion, hypocrisy increases criticism and judgement. Holiness is consistent in private and in my thought life, hypocrisy is inconsistent with my outward life being different from my thoughts and private deeds. Holiness helps me see God as great, hypocrisy tricks me into seeing myself as great.

Conclusion

When Christ calls us to follow him, he calls us to a life of holiness and service to him. Our salvation is not caused by good works, but rather good works are the sure and necessary outcome of salvation and a part of being saved.

We must take care to walk our doctrine on a fine line between understanding the necessity for holy living and understanding what true holiness is; that it is rooted in a heart to please God and to love our neighbour. What we will see going forward in the actions of the Pharisees is how to live in a world where hypocrisy exists wherever man-made religion or man-made morality exists. But in order to recognize it and know how to live with it around us, and to spot it in the church for her purification, we must first be able to find it in ourselves.

Avoiding hypocrisy doesn’t mean lowering our standards of Christ-like living, so long as those standards are firmly biblical. Legalism can creep in when we begin to treat something which starts as a good idea (or bad one) into a mandatory commandment. This is how the traditions of man, which are not all evil and sometimes can be helpful, but this is how they become a burden too heavy for many to bear, and ripens the fruit of hypocrisy.

Avoiding hypocrisy does mean having mercy and patience on others. It doesn’t mean we shrink away from our firm conviction that without a faith that leads to holy living no one will see the Lord, but it does mean having compassion on those who are weak and heavy laden. Sanctification doesn’t happen over night, and a Christian caught in sin needs love that will pull them out of it, not condemnation which serves only to leave them helplessly drowning in it. Remember the words of Paul in Galatians 6:1-2

Galatians 6:1–2 NIV 2011

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Bring your hypocrisy to the Lord in faith and humility. As we read in verse 12, whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Hypocrisy should make us feel ashamed, but let us take such shame to the cross of Christ that it may be released from us. There is forgiveness even for hypocrites, like the Apostle Paul whose conversion we read about earlier, if we humble ourselves and come before the Lord and before one another in faith.

Building a Hypocrisy-Free Church