Hypocrisy
Living Liberty Today with Charlie Earl
Judy Collins and, more recently, Joni Mitchell crooned the anthem for hypocrisy:
My often reliable and generally correct buddy, Merriam-Webster, defines ‘hypocrisy:’
: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not : behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel
Free speech … depends on our ability to see through the hypocrisy of those who claim to defend it while working to suppress it.—Andy Craig
His hypocrisy was finally revealed with the publication of his private letters.
especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
… our conventional morality often serves as a cover for hypocrisy and selfishness
Clearly, hypocrisy is a necessary requirement for many who seek elective political office. Although they self-identify as public servants, service is rarely a part of their day-to-day goings-on. Power usually trumps service. I didn’t plan for this piece to be a politician-bashing screed, so obviously old habits are difficult to escape. Just like many sinful practices, one needs help to leave them behind. As a former political office holder and candidate, I reflect on my experience when describing many of my cohorts. There are some straight-forward honest people in politics, but sadly, too few to impact the political culture in a favorable way.
Now that I have left my political, broadcasting, and academic worlds behind, and have become a preacher of the Gospel, I am painfully aware of the insidiousness of hypocrisy within the church…beginning with me. We seek to impress our fellow believers with our faithfulness and piety when we should be focused on pleasing our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate judge. He is the standard for our path toward holiness. He is the perfect model of sacrifice and devotion.
Our sanctification walk is to follow Him, copy Him, and grow closer to Him each day. I pray every day, but not enough. I study His Word each day, but not as deeply as I should. I seek to obey His commands and His Law every day but frequently fail. I am weak, but He is strong (Philippians 4:13) The fact that I am a believer who benefits from the mercy of Mighty God, and the grace with which He covered me after my confession, repentance and statement of faith should endow me with a glorious luster for all to see. Unfortunately, that’s a rare occurrence.
As a believer on the walk, I have strayed from His path too many times. The wider path is more easily traveled than the narrow one. It seemed at times as I sought to follow Him; I lost ground and lingered far behind. The Holy Spirit would jar me, and I would hustle to catch up. Now that I have a role as a preacher and teacher, 1 Timothy 3: 1-2 has become my beacon as I listen to the Holy Spirit, follow Jesus Christ, and honor God the Father. The Word is my guidebook, but I still fall short. I pray that I’m honest about my weaknesses, transparent about my shortcomings, and open about my failures.
Judas, the ultimate hypocrite, spent more than three years walking and learning from the Son of God, yet betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver!
Finally, as an aside…if ‘hypo’ signifies low, then exactly what is a “low crisy?”
If you haven’t yet begun your walk with Jesus, I encourage you to do so. It may seem difficult and challenging, but the final result is indescribably marvelous!
I love Steve Brown’s definition of personal evangelism, ‘one beggar helping another beggar find bread.’ It reminds me of my abject need and Christ’s abundant provision.
According to etymonline.com, "Hypocrisy" originally comes from the Greek "hypo-" (under) + "krisis" (acting on the stage, pretend). The Greek meaning of "hypokrisis" went from "gradually separate" to "play a part."
Jesus attacked the blatant hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees the way you noted the hypocrisy of most politicians. When atheists point fingers at Christians for being hypocritical, I own it and remind them that Christians aren't perfect -- we just seek God's grace and with His help, we try to do better.