Hypocrisy is the Rule, not the Exception

Whether believer or unbeliever, hypocrisy seems to rule in the heart of everyone.

I was reflecting this morning on how so many of us professed Christians live their lives as if God doesn’t actually exist. What I mean is that although we mentally or verbally acknowledge that God exists and that he is the King over all creation – that fact doesn’t make much of a difference in our lives. In other words – if you compared our lives to those who do not profess to know God – you would be hard-pressed to distinguish the difference. The professed Christian living next door to the avowed atheist lives a life barely distinguishable from his neighbor (not counting the obvious things like Church attendance). That is what I mean by hypocrisy. We say we believe in Emmanuel (God with us) and yet others have difficulty seeing him. Surely if God is “with us” then someone would notice?

But that doesn’t leave atheists off the hook as being hypocrites. They are the equal of most professing Christians in the hypocrisy Olympics. While claiming to live in a world with no ultimate meaning or purpose, they live their lives in ways that are logically inconsistent with a purposeless existence. Usually polite and law-obeying, they generally act as if morality is real. Most unbelievers that I know are quite concerned with ethical matters. They care deeply about societal responsibility, environmental stewardship, and compassion for those in need. But this too is hypocritical. To deny God – but then act as if he is real is just as hypocritical as affirming him but living like he’s not real.

Which is a more significant indicator of what we really believe – what we say, or how we live? Are we as a matter of practice living consistent with our stated beliefs? If not, then couldn’t someone truly question the authenticity of our statements?

Only grace can overcome our self-deceiving hypocrisy.