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The sin of hypocrisy in the church (2)

Hypocrites in the Church are very scrupulous about points of politeness. They genuflect, prostrate or kneel to express special deference to leaders in the Church but they conveniently backstab the same leaders. Hypocrites in the Church will be very careful not to offend an acquaintance with a harsh phrase, and yet they will ruin him if they can outwit him in a business transaction.

 

Hypocrites in the Church are persons of strict Puritanism, who forbid even innocent forms of recreation for children in the Church and yet are self-indulgent, ill-tempered, uncharitable and covetous. Such people swallow many a huge camel, while zealously straining the gnat out of their children’s cup of childlike recreation. The hypocrite insists on rigid standard of orthodoxy but neglects living faith and bats his eyelid at the preservation of lives.

They punctually perform Church Ordinances but totally disregard the will of God and Obligations of obedience. Hypocrites appear to pray and indeed pray. But they did not desire to have the things of for which they prayed. They never make efforts to live as they prayed. The hypocrite reads the Bible but he never strives to  regulate his life according to Gods Holy Words. The hypocrite is inconsistent. He is an unbeliever, he does not believe in God’s omniscience, that He needs the hearts of all men.

 

There is something theatrical (Drama like) about this life of the hypocrite. He is more than a pretender. His actions, looks and conducts are just a garment for show, a mask.

 

The hypocrite cares only for the appearance of piety; he had no desire to be really holy. He does this to earn an office in the Church. It can be safely said that a hypocrite is more damaging to the cause of Christ than the backslider or vilest sinner. Why?

 

It is because they are tares growing with the wheat and in the process destroying some wheat. None can detect them. John Milton in Paradise Lost said: “For neither men nor Angels can discern hypocrisy.

 

The only evil that walks invisible, except to God alone.” How often is this true!. If one is a good actor, a good hypocrite, he can fool anyone – anyone but God himself who sees right through the Façade of pretense and spurious labels for what they are. Of the hypocrite in the church, the Bible says he is self-righteous (Isaiah 65:5); he is vile (Isaiah 32:6); he glories in appearance only (2) Croatians 5:12); he is covetous (Ezekiel 33:31); he loves preeminence (Mathew 23:6-7) and he is unsparingly dogmatic (Mark 7:3-5).

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