I was talking with someone who made the comment that his opinion was that Christians were hypocrites. Though unspoken, the implication was that this indictment applied to all Christians. I asked him was his statement meant to imply that non-Christians weren’t? Obviously, this was not the response he expected. I think he thought that I’d launch into a vociferous defense. After sputtering for a few minutes, he relented and said that no, this was not his point. Which led me to ask what his point was. Needless to say… he never answered this and after my eyes glazed over he simply repeated his comment.
Yes, some Christians do act hypocritical, then again they would undoubtedly act this way and not just about ‘religious’ issues. And yes, some non-Christians don’t appear to be (as) hypocritical in a double standard way. My point would be that we all, at some point, for whatever reason will act (knowingly, and also unaware) hypocritical. While this may sound like a cop-out, intentionality should be the guide. Do we deliberately act hypocritical? Or, is this a self-saving action (which is not an excuse)?
I do believe it is this last question that underscores a hypocritical behavior. Yes, sometimes it is used to mislead but I think the self-saving is the main reason. And no, this is not an excuse nor really an explanation. But do remember what Paul wrote (Romans 7:15-20) – doing the things you don’t want and not doing the things you want. What we need to do is when we realize what we are doing – to stop, apologize if necessary, and change our words and actions.
Stressing is not the remedy for hypocrisy. Intentionality is. We always need to be aware of our own motivations for why we do or don’t do (fill in the blank) and our subsequent behavior. We also need to learn from our experience – we can apply what we learn and know proactively. Learning and application are never only intellectual activities. Actually, the decision is ours. What do we want to do about/if hypocrisy rears its head?
