HYPOCRITES
By Timothy Glover
Webster defines hypocrites as “insincere people”. Vines says that the Greek word primarily means one who answers; then a stage actor. A hypocrite is one who pretends to be someone other than he or she really is. Peter was acting as a hypocrite in Galatians 2:11-13 when his Jewish brethren arrived in Antioch. He put on his mask pretending to believe what he did not believe in order to please men.
Another illustration of hypocrisy is seen in Matt. 23 when Jesus describes the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership. They put on a front that has an attractive appearance but inwardly is full of wickedness. The hypocrite has the ability to hide his true character from others. He may even have a good reputation among people. Thus, a hypocrite is someone who is more concerned about what men think of him than what God thinks of him..
God is not fooled. Someday, they will be exposed for who they really are. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known... whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Lk. 12:1-3).
The dangerous threat of hypocrisy is the way it may take over lives without being aware of it. The reason for this lies in the fact that our service is man-centered instead of God-centered. Hypocrisy is most often associated with the individual who thinks he or she is better than anyone else (Isa. 65:5, Lk. 18:11). Here is the individual who compares himself with others instead of the word of truth. Thus, hypocrites may be religious. God’s people of the Old Testament gave an outward show but because their heart was not in it, they were play-actors or hypocrites (Ps. 78:36, Ezek. 33:31, Jer. 7:9, Micah 3:11, Isa. 1:2-15). Hypocrites may pray (Matt 6:5-6), give for religious purposes (Matt. 6:2), or do evangelistic work ( 23:15).
We should end by reminding our readers that not everyone who claims to be a Christian but fails to live perfectly are hypocrites. We are not yet perfect (Phil. 3:12) and in many things we stumble (Js. 3:2). The person who is trying to “perfect holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1) despite failures is not a hypocrite. In this case, rather than putting on a cloak of righteousness to cover failures, he or she openly admits guilt and seeks God’s forgiveness. In this case, the focus is not on trying to retain the respect of God’s people but the approval of God.
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