Hypocrisy is when you “do not practice what you preach,” or say one thing and do another. In ancient Greece, the word hypocrisies was used to describe actors who used masks to portray characters during performances. This word was used for anyone who pretended to be someone he was not. Therefore, a hypocrite is someone who lives a lie and is dishonest. When it comes to Christians, hypocrites are those who pretend to be more righteous than they really are. 1 John 1:6 reads “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” The Christian hypocrite, or better yet “theatrical Christian,” may be sincere when it comes to trying to be a good Christian, but he deceives others and sometimes himself about how good he really is.
The “theatrical” Christian uses the same important elements found within a theater environment. Elements included are the actors, script, audience, and building. The actors pretend to be people they are not, while attempting to convince the audience they are that person. A good actor is convincing! The script allows the actors to keep control of the events they are acting out.
The audience comes to see a performance and wants to be entertained. The actors seek confirmation from their audience showing that the acting is good. This confirmation motivates the actors to keep on acting. The building in which performances take place keeps the outside out and the performance in. Outside of the building is typically uglier than the setting and atmosphere inside. The building is made up of props to make the stage look attractive and “real.”
When it comes to being a Christian hypocrite, the actors are those professing to be Christians. They claim to be church members but are not doing anything unusual. They basically sit in the pews on Sunday and wear crosses around their necks to go along with the flow of church.
These people are merely acting out a script of carefully orchestrated words, decisions, and actions. Their script must be manageable to keep their lives comfortable, enjoyable, and orderly. The script definitely must be achievable, because the only play worth acting is a successful one.
The audience is everyone who is watching and applauding while the hypocrite is acting. The “building is not an actual building when it comes to Christian hypocrisy. Remember the purpose of the building is to protect the play from the ugly outside world. Therefore the outside is nothing but the ugliness and chaos of sin inside the hypocrite’s heart and mind. Because the hypocrite continues to sin against God, he or she wants to hide from the painful and uncomfortable consequences. This is the “real” world that the script is written to avoid.
EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN HYPOCRISY
If you are a Christian who “prances around telling others to stop fornicating because God is not pleased with that, yet you are doing the same thing, guess what, you’re a hypocrite!
For those of you who want to denote Christians as hypocrites; do know that all hypocrites are sinners, but not all sinners are hypocrites. On the outside, these two types of people can look the same.
For Christians to guard themselves from being labeled a hypocrite:
1.) First do not judge others and condemn them for the same things that you are involved in. Matthew 7:1-5 states “Judge not, that you be not judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in our own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me remove the speck from your eye; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
2.) Do not break God’s commandments and cause others to do the same. Read Matthew 5:18-19.
3.) Do not go back on your word. Matthew 5:37 reads “But let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ For whatever is more than these are from the evil one.”
Jesus calls Christians to the highest standards of conduct. Some Christians may try to lower standards to a level they can keep. They do this to appear clean on the outside as long as they can contain what’s on the inside. Others may continue to believe in God’s high standards, but fail to keep them which leads to a fake and pretending lifestyle.
There are people who have a sour taste about Christianity not because of its teaching, but because of “theatrical” Christians. God has called Christians to bear good fruit, but unfortunately some people’s fruits are rotten. When Christians begin to bear the fruit of the spirit, hypocrisy will not be around and others will taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, how we fear to drop our masks!
We know so well what lies within;
Yet Christ could use our lives to bless
If we would first be cleansed from sin
— Fasick