Hypocrites in the Church

Some of the biggest injustices in history have been done in the name of religion.

I cringe when I read in the paper or hear about examples of hypocritical religious leaders exploiting their members financially or in other ways. Members of my congregation ask, "What gives? If that’s what religion is all about, then I don’t want any part of it!"

I think this is one of the more difficult issues to deal with. There are three very important misconceptions associated with hypocrisy that need clarification. These apply to all religions, but let me address the one I relate most closely to.

First is the assumption that "all acting in the name of Christ are Christians." This is not true.

Religious activities, church attendance, even leadership in the church are not synonymous with being a true believer. Some people get involved with the church or synagogue for social, business or family reasons and go through the religious motions "once a week," but the spiritual reality in their lives is ‘nil.’

Many of the misdeeds associated with Christianity are not accomplished by "genuine Christians," but by counterfeiters.

However, the fact that counterfeit money exists does not mean we should stop using money.

Remember this: The legitimacy of anything original cannot be jaded by the qualities of the counterfeit.

A second misconception is the assumption that Christians claim to be ‘perfect.’

People observe church members ‘sinning.’ They reason: "Christians aren’t supposed to sin. That person is sinning, so he is a ‘hypocrite’."

The unspoken assumption is that a Christian is one who does not sin.

The opposite is closer to the truth.

The Christian church is one of the few organizations in the world that requires a public acknowledgement of sin as a "condition for membership."

The church is designated to be a "hospital for sinners," not an organization for perfect people. The real test is not perfection, the real test is progression.

It is unfair to generalize about Christians because we have not all come the same distance.

If we saw someone on the beach with an average physique who proudly told us about the terrific exercise program he had been following, we wouldn’t be impressed.

But if we found out that just six weeks before he had been a 97-pound weakling, our assessment of his exercise program would change drastically.

Genuine faith works from the inside out. Real growth and change take place over a period of time. It is hypocrisy that emphasizes that "overnight change in external appearances," not Christianity.

A third misconception is the assumption that in a true church there would be no hypocrites. If a hypocrite is one who says he believes one thing but lives another, we are all hypocrites.

Most everyone believes "You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself."

However, none of us lives up to that expectation. We all fall short. The difference is in our attitude.

In the story in Luke 15 about two men praying, one claimed to be of "good moral character" and the other simply asked for "mercy."

Jesus commented that the second man was most pleasing to God —not because he had sinned less, but because of his humble attitude.

He was so aware of his own faults that it never occurred to him to be offended by his brother’s faults. When we get upset about hypocrisy, aren’t we like the first man? When we look deeply into ourselves and see how deeply our own hypocrisy goes, aren’t we more like the person Jesus commended?

No one ought to miss out on a relationship with the risen Christ because of someone else’s inconsistencies.

The question I would ask you is, "Are you going to let a few hypocrites keep you from having a relationship with God personally?"

Please don’t allow the failings of a few deny you a vital relationship with the Almighty God!

The Rev. Jon Wilson lives in Calabasas and is the senior pastor of Canoga Park Presbyterian Church, 22103 Vanowen.