Why are all Christians hypocrites?

Response

Perhaps no accusation is more provocative than that of a “hypocrite.” Unfortunately, some feel justified in their belief that all Christians are hypocritical. The term “hypocrite” has a rich history in the English language. It comes from the Latin hypocrisies, meaning “play-acting, pretense.” Even further back, the word appears in both classical and New Testament Greek with the same concept – to act a part, to pretend.

This is how the Lord Jesus used the term. For instance, when Christ taught about the importance of prayer, fasting, and giving to those in need, He warned against following the actions of hypocrites “Therefore when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.”, (Matthew 6:2,5, 16). By making a show of their charitable deeds, drawing attention to their fasting, and displaying their donations to the Temple and the poor, they only displayed an external devotion to God. While the Pharisees excelled in their public portrayal of religious virtue, they fell short in the realm of the heart where true virtue resides (Matthew 23:13-33;Mark 7:20-23).

Jesus never labeled His disciples as hypocrites. That term was reserved for misguided religious extremists. Instead, He referred to His followers as “disciples,” “children,” “sheep,” and His “church.” Furthermore, the New Testament contains a caution against the sin of hypocrisy “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”, (Galatians 2:13).

From the teachings of the New Testament, we can draw at least two conclusions. Firstly, hypocrites do exist among those who profess to be Christians. They were present from the beginning, and as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the tares and wheat, they will continue to exist until the end of the age (Matthew 13:18-30). Moreover, if even an apostle can be guilty of hypocrisy, there is no reason to believe that “ordinary” Christians will be exempt from it. We must always be vigilant so that we do not succumb to the same temptations «Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. », (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Certainly, not everyone who professes to be a Christian truly is one. It is possible that many of the well-known hypocrites among Christians were actually impostors and deceivers. Even today, prominent Christian leaders have fallen into grievous sins. Financial and sexual scandals sometimes appear to afflict the Christian community. However, instead of using the actions of a few to tarnish the entire Christian community, we should question whether all who claim to be Christians genuinely are. Numerous biblical passages affirm that those who truly belong to Christ will display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus’ parable of the seed and the soils in Matthew 13 makes it clear that not all professions of faith in Him are genuine. Sadly, many who profess to belong to Him will be stunned one day to hear Him say to them, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” «And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. », (Matthew 7:23).

Second, while it should not surprise us that people who pretend to be more holy than they are claim to be Christians, we cannot conclude that the church is made up almost entirely of hypocrites. One surely may concede that all of us who name the name of Jesus Christ remain sinners even after our sin is forgiven. That is, even though we are saved from sins’ eternal penalty (Romans 5:1;Romans 6:23), we are yet to be saved and delivered from the presence of sin in our lives (1 John 1:8-9), including the sin of hypocrisy. Through our living faith in the Lord Jesus, we continually overcome sin’s power until we are finally delivered (1 John 5:4-5).

All Christians fail to perfectly live up to the standard the Bible teaches. No Christian has ever been perfectly Christ-like. However, there are many Christians who are genuinely seeking to live the Christian life and are relying more and more on the Holy Spirit to convict, change, and empower them. There have been multitudes of Christians who have lived their lives free from scandal. No Christian is perfect, but making a mistake and failing to reach perfection in this life is not the same thing as being a hypocrite.