Hypocrisy in religion is rampant worldwide- it’s the epidemic that has plagued the Church since the beginning and has been an excuse often cited for those who don’t assemble. 

While debating the topic, we can’t talk about the institutions without speaking of the individuals who represent the Church to the world. 

We are the representatives of Christ to those around us with words and deeds, and we mar His image to the fall of others.

In a world increasingly focused on the individual, how do we know if we are falling into the enemy’s trap? What does Jesus say about hypocrisy, and once faced with our reality, how do we deal with it?

Let’s jump into the conversation.

What’s a Hypocrite?

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a hypocrite is a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion; although this is pertinent, its origins are even more interesting.

The word hypocrite originates from the Greek hypokrites, an actor or stage player. The compound words that comprise hypokrites are translated as “an interpreter from underneath.”

To provide some context, actors in the ancient world would wear large masks depending on what character they were playing, “interpreting” the story from underneath their covers. 

It’s easy to see how this seamlessly translates into our everyday lives, where we wear many masks, presenting a façade to friends and family for fear of rejection, isolation, or shame.

What did Jesus Say About Hypocrites?

The Bible is full of hypocrites in both the Old Testament and the New. 

Jesus walked daily with two disciples- Peter, denying him three times (Matthew 26:31-35), and Judas, eventually betraying him(Matthew 26:15). The word hypokrites appears 17 times other times in the New Testament alone, so plenty of that going around in those days. 

To His credit, Jesus was very clear regarding this behavior, repeatedly calling out the Pharisees (the prime culprits) and those like them. 

In Matthew six, Jesus warns us not to announce our charity with trumpets like the hypocrites do, pray loudly in public, or make a spectacle out of our fasting- our generosity and worship should be kept quiet for the glory of God, not our own. 

In Matthew 23, he calls the Pharisees children of hell, pointing out their rotten inner core and even promising a place for them where there would be gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:51).

Such behavior has hefty consequences, and although we may not be Pharisees or teachers of the law, we are in danger of becoming like them if we are not careful. 

Here’s what to look out for.

3 Signs You’re Two-Faced

1.You focus on the external. The phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” has been in the American lexicon since the early 1900s.

Fast forward to today, many of us are consumed with trying to have a life that mirrors the ones we see online: lavish lifestyles of the young and influential.  

While social media is not inherently wrong, when we start focusing on presenting a façade that doesn’t reflect our true selves, Satan gets a stronghold to corrupt us from the inside. And when we don’t live up to the life we present, we become the very people we have been warned not to become.

 

2.You harshly judge others. Matthew 7:1 tells us not to judge, or “you too will be judged.” Jesus, in His ministry, was full of grace, even to the most despised people of Israel. Yet many Christians are critical and judgmental to all.

But ‘judgment,’ from the Greek word krino, was the prerogative of kings and rulers, and when we pronounce an opinion over the lives of others, we take upon ourselves a right that only belongs to God. 

We are all flawed, and while Jesus grants us grace in our sins, we don’t always reciprocate the same to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

 

3.You prioritize rules over relationships. Legalism is a slippery slope that can easily trap us, and individuals and churches are guilty of prioritizing practices over relationships.

 

Whether it’s hyper-focusing on the way someone dresses or their attendance to Sunday services, fixating on rules of religion puts a condition on God’s love, it was never meant to have. 

 

The sacrifice on the cross was all needed to save us. When we prioritize convention over people, we negate the calling we were given to love our neighbor and make disciples of the One True King. 

Why Does Being a Hypocrite Matter?

We are called to be holy, as our Father is holy (1 Peter 1:15), yet somewhere in the centuries, that verse was perverted from a call to submission to our God to pretending to be the perfect Christian. And when we failed to live to such a high standard, we not only pushed people away but became a stumbling block for those who need Christ the most. 

If you see yourself in any of the above signs, there is always time to make things right.

How To Deal With Being Two-Faced?

Being a hypocrite is not unique to some individuals, all of us at one point or another become this person, because at the end of the day hypocrisy is not a religious issue, it’s a sin issue. 

So what do you do?

1.Confess what you’d rather cover. James 5:16 tells us “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” What Satan wants most is to keep isolated and ineffective.

If you’ve been living a double life or withholding grace from your brothers and sisters, you are keeping a life of fellowship and accountability at bay. Confess your struggles with judgment and grace, and let God’s healing power break those bondage chains.

2.Have confidence in God’s grace. We often think we have to have our ducks in a row before coming to God. The Bible tells us that if “we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Johns 1:89). Struggling with sin is the very essence of the human condition, one that God is not surprised by. So be confident that when you lay your sins before God, he will fill you with love and grace.

3.Repent.  It sounds simple, but hardly ever is. Repent means to turn back from the sin that keeps you from loving your neighbor and living in purpose. Turn back from being a stumbling block to people who need Christ, and turn back from letting the Enemy drive a wedge between you and your witness.

Two Faces Don’t Make a Right

We were all called to be holy, but no one was called to do it alone. 

In our pursuit to follow Scripture, we have donned a sanctimonious front that has repelled unbelievers and has stained the reputation of a loving God- meanwhile denying our need for His presence and power to accomplish the sanctification that only comes from the blood of Christ. 

Focusing on the external, judging others, and standing on legalism rather than love dilutes our effectiveness as followers of Jesus and keeps us from fulfilling the mission we were left with. 

But God is faithful and to wash us of our sins and make in us clean hearts (Psalm 51:10) that glorify Him and lift our fellow man. 

So confess your struggles to see others as God would see them, and stand in the grace He has given you to become the image bearers you were meant to be.