Why is there so much hypocrisy among Christians and in churches? This is one thing that many people have against Christianity and its followers, and one thing that I feel very strongly about, though I would not dare say that I am not a hypocrite. I believe it is especially important for Christians to face up to the causes and implications of this problem; Jesus intended for us to be the salt and the light of the earth.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that man is perfect, or can ever be perfect. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Many people have the false conception that Christians are supposed to be perfect, but the truth is that those who believe so are looking for a utopian world which will never exist. Christians and non-Christians are both born the same, with a sinful nature that begins to expose itself as the years go by.
Even those who have tried their best to be good have invariably faced difficulties- a tinge of jealousy here, a spot of malice there; a surge of lust here, a splash of hate there.
I believe one reason why hypocrisy seems to be present in Christians is due to this- our inherent human weakness. If every person could practise what they preached or unerringly follow what they believe in, the world would be a very different place. Take for example sports. If a sportsman could uphold his virtues of discipline and vigour in every minute, every second that he is training, world records would be shattered every week. But if you have been in sports you will know that as sportsmen we often let our guard down and do not give the best that we can give. Or we are affected by our own fear, lack of confidence, or the pressure that we are placed under. Christians know what they should do, but often are unable to do it due to their weakness. I'll be frank. Many a time I've walked by an erotic poster of sorts, knowing well where my eyes should be, but they simply wander to the wrong place. Many a time I have come back home tired after a long day, and burst out in unwarranted irritation at my brothers. And deep inside, the sinking feeling that it is so wrong. Paul faced this struggle, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." I am not offering an excuse for the bad behaviour that Christians sometimes exhibit. I am saying plainly, confessing, that Christians cannot be perfect, no matter how hard we try.
But I believe that those who can grasp this are closer to the truth than they believe, because in understanding the vain futility that people face in trying to be perfect, one can understand much more clearly the essence of the Gospel. "for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Matthew 9:13. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Christ brings forgiveness. God recognises even better than we do how we sin helplessly again and again. And out of love He sent His Son to die for us. As far as I know the religions of the world are built around man's efforts to reach God, or become like God. Christianity goes one step further- it is God, reaching out for man, in love.
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish." Luke 14: 26-30
I believe there is another reason for the hypocrisy that we see- that Christians do not understand the importance of "counting the cost", as Jesus put it, of being a disciple. Many people are drawn to Christianity the same way they are drawn to a free lunch- forgiveness for the wrong things they have done, eternal life, and all for "free". It is free in the sense that we have done nothing to warrant or earn our salvation. Christ has already died for us, and risen; it is up to us whether we want to put our trust in Him and accept Him as our saviour. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8. But Christ makes it clear in the above verses that there is a price, a cost, to being a disciple. Here the word "hate" is not meant to mean literal hatred but to "love less". We are called to put everything that is dear to us, even our own lives, complete with our selfish desires and sinful tendencies, beneath the will of Christ. It sounds harsh, but it is part of the Gospel, nonetheless. The famous philosopher Bertrand Russell said in his book Why I am not a Christian, "All these, I think, are good maxims, although they are a little difficult to live up to. I do not profess to live up to them myself; but then after all, it is not quite the same thing as for a Christian." He was referring to principles that Jesus preached. The point is, yes, as Christians we are called to live up to the principles that Jesus devoted the three years of His ministry on earth to teaching. We are! It is the cost of being a Christian.
It sounds like bad news to most people, even Christians. Perhaps that is why this portion of the Gospel is often ignored, while the "gift of God" is talked about freely. I confess that when I try to share my faith with non-Christians, the first thing I talk about is God's grace and forgiveness. And, God forgive me, I often never get far enough to talk about the cost of being a Christian. But what I have learnt is that it is not bad news at all. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and that means that this part of Jesus' teachings is part of the good news as well. How can it be? A simple example- the same Jesus that tells us to "hate" our father and mother and brother tells us to honour our parents, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. C.S. Lewis writes in his book The Four Loves , "Many people do not find it really difficult to hate their wives or mothers. M. Mauriac, in a fine scene, pictures the other disciples stunned and bewildered by this strange command, but not Judas. He laps it up easily." While of course we do not hate our parents and siblings, we often find it easy to disobey them, be rude to them, and be cold towards them. For those who don't have this problem, please bear with me. But what Jesus really meant was that though we love our parents dearly, we are to love Jesus even more, and in the process of loving Him more we learn to love our loved ones even more, as we seek to live out His teachings. I have personally experienced this, thank Jesus.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that man is perfect, or can ever be perfect. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Many people have the false conception that Christians are supposed to be perfect, but the truth is that those who believe so are looking for a utopian world which will never exist. Christians and non-Christians are both born the same, with a sinful nature that begins to expose itself as the years go by.
Even those who have tried their best to be good have invariably faced difficulties- a tinge of jealousy here, a spot of malice there; a surge of lust here, a splash of hate there.
I believe one reason why hypocrisy seems to be present in Christians is due to this- our inherent human weakness. If every person could practise what they preached or unerringly follow what they believe in, the world would be a very different place. Take for example sports. If a sportsman could uphold his virtues of discipline and vigour in every minute, every second that he is training, world records would be shattered every week. But if you have been in sports you will know that as sportsmen we often let our guard down and do not give the best that we can give. Or we are affected by our own fear, lack of confidence, or the pressure that we are placed under. Christians know what they should do, but often are unable to do it due to their weakness. I'll be frank. Many a time I've walked by an erotic poster of sorts, knowing well where my eyes should be, but they simply wander to the wrong place. Many a time I have come back home tired after a long day, and burst out in unwarranted irritation at my brothers. And deep inside, the sinking feeling that it is so wrong. Paul faced this struggle, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." I am not offering an excuse for the bad behaviour that Christians sometimes exhibit. I am saying plainly, confessing, that Christians cannot be perfect, no matter how hard we try.
But I believe that those who can grasp this are closer to the truth than they believe, because in understanding the vain futility that people face in trying to be perfect, one can understand much more clearly the essence of the Gospel. "for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Matthew 9:13. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Christ brings forgiveness. God recognises even better than we do how we sin helplessly again and again. And out of love He sent His Son to die for us. As far as I know the religions of the world are built around man's efforts to reach God, or become like God. Christianity goes one step further- it is God, reaching out for man, in love.
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish." Luke 14: 26-30
I believe there is another reason for the hypocrisy that we see- that Christians do not understand the importance of "counting the cost", as Jesus put it, of being a disciple. Many people are drawn to Christianity the same way they are drawn to a free lunch- forgiveness for the wrong things they have done, eternal life, and all for "free". It is free in the sense that we have done nothing to warrant or earn our salvation. Christ has already died for us, and risen; it is up to us whether we want to put our trust in Him and accept Him as our saviour. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8. But Christ makes it clear in the above verses that there is a price, a cost, to being a disciple. Here the word "hate" is not meant to mean literal hatred but to "love less". We are called to put everything that is dear to us, even our own lives, complete with our selfish desires and sinful tendencies, beneath the will of Christ. It sounds harsh, but it is part of the Gospel, nonetheless. The famous philosopher Bertrand Russell said in his book Why I am not a Christian, "All these, I think, are good maxims, although they are a little difficult to live up to. I do not profess to live up to them myself; but then after all, it is not quite the same thing as for a Christian." He was referring to principles that Jesus preached. The point is, yes, as Christians we are called to live up to the principles that Jesus devoted the three years of His ministry on earth to teaching. We are! It is the cost of being a Christian.
It sounds like bad news to most people, even Christians. Perhaps that is why this portion of the Gospel is often ignored, while the "gift of God" is talked about freely. I confess that when I try to share my faith with non-Christians, the first thing I talk about is God's grace and forgiveness. And, God forgive me, I often never get far enough to talk about the cost of being a Christian. But what I have learnt is that it is not bad news at all. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and that means that this part of Jesus' teachings is part of the good news as well. How can it be? A simple example- the same Jesus that tells us to "hate" our father and mother and brother tells us to honour our parents, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. C.S. Lewis writes in his book The Four Loves , "Many people do not find it really difficult to hate their wives or mothers. M. Mauriac, in a fine scene, pictures the other disciples stunned and bewildered by this strange command, but not Judas. He laps it up easily." While of course we do not hate our parents and siblings, we often find it easy to disobey them, be rude to them, and be cold towards them. For those who don't have this problem, please bear with me. But what Jesus really meant was that though we love our parents dearly, we are to love Jesus even more, and in the process of loving Him more we learn to love our loved ones even more, as we seek to live out His teachings. I have personally experienced this, thank Jesus.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
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