I read an interesting article this morning by R. C. Sproul about the church and hypocrisy. Over the years, I've frequently heard persons complain that they do not want to attend church because it is filled with hypocrites. My basic response (non-verbal) to this is that this complaint is a convenient excuse. None of us is perfect; therefore, the church is filled with imperfect persons. I've also heard it said that if one finds a perfect church, he should not join it since it would then cease to be perfect.
A hypocrite is (in my opinion) one who is commits a particular sin and says he does not, one who lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while pretending he isn't, or lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while criticizing others for living that same lifestyle, or one who professes to be perfect while knowing that he is living a very imperfect life. The explanation could go on and on; however, I am sure you get the point.
Hypocrisy is a sin; there is no question about that, and because none of us is perfect, we sin. We do not all commit the sin of hypocrisy (at least not all the time or all at the same time); therefore, the church (while filled with sinners) is not necessarily filled with hypocrites. Christians are sinners who came face to face with Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and accepted His gift of salvation. This does not make us perfect; however, God now sees us as perfect, since He sees us covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The church is filled with imperfect persons who, if they are genuine Christians (saved by the grace of God and with Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives), join together to worship God, serve others, support and encourage (edify) one another as we grow in our faith and move toward sanctification (something I believe none of us will reach until God takes us home). The church can be a very good place to be, though one has to be diligent to find a church that follows Scripture. The church can be of great assistance to the individual, and the individual has a responsibility to be of assistance to the Church - the body of Christ. Fellowship with true believers, while not without risk since we are not perfect, can be a blessing to us as God (at least in part) intended it to be.
Blessings to all!
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3 years ago
A good article. In the first sentence, second paragraph, we have a lying hypocrite. But, then that is what a hypocrite does. He/she is living a lie. Words and deeds don't match, or we have a skewed view of ourselves. However, we can be forgiven our sins, even that of hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend once, who said that churches were a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.
But, if we become aware of the sin and repent, and still persist in the sin, how genuine is the repentance? And how genuine is the Christianity?