Hypocrite!

We'll take another break from hymns for the sake of those who don't find them particularly interesting and think about a few other things for a time.

One of the most common accusations against Christians in general and the church in particular is "I don't want any part of it because it's full of hypocrisy." The charge is that we hold that this and that are bad ... but we do them ourselves. "Hypocrite!"

What is a hypocrite? According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006, hypocrisy is "a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess." Take this apart for a moment. Hypocrisy consists of two components. First it requires the espousing of virtue of some sort. That is, if I espouse no virtue, I cannot be a hypocrite. It is only those who affirm virtue that can be hypocritical. There is a second component. Hypocrisy requires espousing virtue "that one does not really possess." Hypocrisy, then, is about the possession of virtue and lying about it.

The accusation is that Christians are hypocrites. The question I ask is, "Is that true?" While it may be true that Christians can be hypocrites, is it necessarily true that they are? You see, Christians extol virtue. Christians claim that there are moral absolutes, and we say that we should keep them. This means that we meet the first requirement of the definition of "hypocrite". The question is do we meet the second?

It is an easy thing to get into most churches, but there are requirements to get into the Church -- the Body of Christ. The very first thing that must occur to get into the Church is the confession that I am a sinner. It is an admission of guilt. Without recognizing that I am guilty, I cannot have any need for a solution, which is what we call "the Gospel". Without the admission that I am a sinner, there is no Gospel. Therefore, there is a sense in which the Church is a "losers' club". There are lots of people with lots of variety, but one of the things this particular group has in common is that we all agree that we are sinners. Fundamentally, then, it would seem that being part of the Church would prevent being a hypocrite. It's not the espousing of virtue that makes a hypocrite nor is it the failure to be virtuous. Instead, it is the claim of being virtuous when you're not.

This is a common attack without merit with teenagers and their parents. "Son, you shouldn't do ____." "Did you do ____ when you were a kid?" "Yes." "Then how can you tell me not to? Hypocrite!" That's not hypocrisy. The fact that you do not possess the virtue you espouse is not hypocrisy. It is only hypocrisy when you claim to have a virtue you don't have. The answer to "How can you tell me not to?" is simple. "Because I did it and I know it's wrong." It is an answer from experience, not from hypocrisy. It is only hypocritical if the answer is something like, "Well, it was okay for me, but it's not for you." When I justify my lack of virtue while demanding it of you, it's hypocrisy. When I admit my lack of virtue while demanding it of you, it's not.

Can Christians be hypocritical? Sure. Anyone who believes in any kind of virtue has that potential. Are Christians hypocritical? I don't doubt it at all. Most of us want to be perceived as good people. Sometimes we seek that by avoiding admitting our failures. But the accusation that we are hypocrites because we call for virtue while we don't necessarily possess it is not an accurate accusation. It is not hypocrisy to say, "I believe that I should never lust ... and I am working on it even though I haven't arrived." Hmmm ... "even though I haven't arrived." Sound familiar? It should. Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Phil. 3:12). Paul agreed that there was virtue that he lacked. That's not hypocrisy; that's honesty. Let's not confuse the two.