The Dangers of Hypocrisy

Mike Wencel

                                              

Definition of Hypocrisy:  Websters 1828:  Simulation; a feigning to be what one is not; or dissimulation, a concealment of one's real character or motives. … the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or religion; a deceitful show of a good character, in morals or religion; a counterfeiting of religion.

 

Definition of Hypocrite: Strong: an actor under an assumed character (stage player) 

Mounce: a stage player, actor; in NT a moral or religious counterfeit.

 

 

What Does God Think About Hypocrisy?

 

Psalms 50:15-17 ─ Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.  But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,  Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?

Isaiah 1:15 ─ When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

 

Proverbs 28:9 ─ One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

 

Isaiah 29:13 ─ Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.

 

Malachi 1:7-9  ─ You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?' By saying, 'The table of the Lord is contemptible.'  And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the Lord of hosts.  "But now entreat God's favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?" Says the Lord of hosts.

 

Matthew 21:12-13 ─  Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a 'DEN OF THIEVES.'"

 

u  Jesus teaches a master class on hypocrisy:

Matthew 23:1-12 ─ Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,  greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.   And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 

 

 

Matthew 23:25-28  ─  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 

 

Luke 18:10-14 ─ Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

 

How Should I Respond When Others Are Hypocritical?

 

Psalms 26:1-4 ─ A Psalm of David. Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.  Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.  For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.  I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites.

 

Galatians 2:11-14 ─ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;  for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.  And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.  But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

Galatians 6:1 ─ Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

James 5:19-20 ─ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

 

How Can I Avoid Being A Hypocrite?

 

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ─ Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

 

Romans 12:9-10 ─ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

 

1 John 1:8-9 ─ 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.

 

Matthew 7:1-5 ─ Judge  not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

 

1 John 2:9-10 ─  He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.  He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1 John 4:20 ─ If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

 

1 John 3:17-18  ─ 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?  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

 

 

​Questions to Ponder

1.   In what ways might my actions contradict my words, and what steps can I take to align them more closely?

 

2.   How can I cultivate a heart that genuinely seeks to please God rather than impress others?

 

3.   How does prioritizing men’s approval over God's approval lead to hypocrisy in my life?

 

4.   In what areas of my life am I tempted to put on a show for others, and how can I avoid these?

 

5.   How should I respond when I encounter hypocrisy in others, and how can I do so with grace and humility?

 

6.   How can I be a source of encouragement and accountability to others in their journey toward authenticity?

 

7.   If I am in a leadership position, how can I ensure that my actions align with my words, and what impact could hypocrisy have on my effectiveness as a leaders?