Are We Sinners Saved by Grace or Just Hypocrites?

If you sin, does that make you a hypocrite? Are all Christians hypocrites? Of course not. We have become too quick to agree with the world when it accuses Christians of hypocrisy.

But what really is hypocrisy? It is very simply pretending to be something you are not. Does being a Christian require us to be perfect? No. However, we must be different from those in the world or the title Christian becomes meaningless.

Sin Versus Hypocrisy and Repentance

Christians, like all humans, sin. Sinning in itself does not make someone a hypocrite. The difference between those in the world and those outside is whether we continue in a sin. A true Christian will repent and turn from a sin. They won't remain in it as if it didn't matter what they did or how they acted.

Hidden Hearts: Judas and the Disciples

Remember, Jesus never called his disciples hypocrites. Needless to say, they were not perfect men, but the image they projected matched what was in their hearts. Jesus did, however, warn them of the dangers of a hard heart (Mark 8:17-18). Only one of them would have matched the definition of a hypocrite, Judas. How closely he walked with Jesus and yet sadly his heart was unchanged. And apparently he kept that heart well hidden from the other disciples. To help us understand clearly what hypocrisy was, Jesus gave us unmistakable signs.

Biblical Signs of Hypocrisy

The Bible tells us how to discern a hypocrite:

• 1 John 4:20 says that if we hate someone, we can't love God. That is a sign of hypocrisy.

• Matthew 6:1 tells us that if we "practice righteousness" in order to be seen, we have no reward from God.

• Matthew 7:5 explains that we can't criticize others for doing sinful things when we are sinning.

• Matthew 23:23 says that the scribes and Pharisees are hypocrites because they are so careful to follow all the rules, but the most important ones, "justice, mercy, and faithfulness, they neglect."

• James 1:26 lets us know that if we can't control our mouth our religion is worthless.

Some of us mothers may have dealt with this. Judith taught young people in Sunday School, where she discussed controlling our anger and our tongues. And yet, at home, her children were on the receiving end of too much anger, too much lack of control over her tongue. This was hypocrisy. It was damaging to them. Through prayer and repentance the Lord helped her overcome that sin. Her relationship with her children improved and their relationship with God was better because they now saw a mother who wasn't just talking about faith but actually living it.

Lip Service Versus Genuine Devotion

These can really all be summed up by Jeremiah 12:2, which says, in part, "You are near in their mouth but far from their mind." It is easy to speak Christian, but are our minds and hearts centered on the One that we are speaking about? Isaiah 29:13 reiterates this, "And the Lord said: Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men." Jesus even quotes Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9 to condemn the Pharisees.

Is the awe and reverence, this "fear of Me", we have for God simply something that we have because our traditions have taught us this, or is it because we are in relationship with Him and realize that He is truly the all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present Creator and Redeemer of us all?

True Salvation Versus Mere Performance

True salvation changes us. That change should be evident to those around us. Many of us have often heard people say, "I don't want to go to church because there are too many hypocrites there." To which the reply is often: "Well, come and join us; you will just be one more." But that can't be true. Why?

Because if church is a "hospital for sinners" where they go to find a cure, how can we say we are just like those on the outside. If we all stay just the same, then why does anyone even go to church? If there is no difference between the healed and the sick then why go to the doctor?

Are We Sinners Saved by Grace or Just Hypocrites?

If I were an unbeliever and heard that, I would say, "Well thanks, but no thanks." Our faith becomes meaningless if we are never changed. Is it not blasphemy to imply that the Holy Spirit is powerless to create a new heart in us? God's grace was costly, not something we should take lightly. When we think that we don't really have to change we become a little lazy about becoming sanctified.

The Bible tells us to be "diligent workers" (2 Peter 3:14). In other words, we are people that work hard at becoming more Christ-like, more loving, and more forgiving. In John 9:4, Jesus reminds us, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work."

So are we sinners saved by grace or just hypocrites? A life of faith calls us to actively pursue Christlikeness—to repent, seek forgiveness, and love one another sacrificially. We are to be diligent Christians. Are we doing good deeds just so others will see them and be impressed? We may all have moments of hypocrisy, moments of failure, but that doesn't mean we live there, in the land of make-believe and play-acting.

The Danger of Spiritual Pride

I love how the Bible speaks so plainly sometimes. Galatians 6:3 doesn't pull any punches when it says, "For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Those moments when we believe we could never be a hypocrite, never sin in a certain way, or that we are better Christians than so many others, those are the moments to beware. Like the Pharisees, we often think we are so much more than we really are.

The Pharisees thought they were better than others because they followed the law, or so they thought. They ignored the will of God. They couldn't understand the true meaning of the Law nor could they see the Savior for who He was. They loved traditional rituals. They were greedy. The people around them probably thought they were holy but Jesus saw past the front they were putting on for others.

Hidden Sins: The Picture of Dorian Gray

That kind of corruption reminds me of the book by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In this book and the film, we see handsome and admired Dorian living his best life, while all the time his decadence and sin are transferred to a portrait he kept hidden away. At the end of his life, he is still quite handsome but the picture looks more like a hideous monster, too ugly for anyone to even look at. Like Dorian, we can fool the world with a polished exterior, while our hearts grow ugly.

Forgiven, But Not to Continue in Sin

Thank God He has forgiven us and we have moved past those dark days without hope and without Jesus. Yes, He still forgives us, but that doesn't mean we take that for granted. We are not to live like those past days. We can share our stories of redemption without continuing in sin. His grace and the Holy Spirit within us expect more. We no longer live as the Gentiles (the unsaved in today's world), we are not to be "living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry" (1 Peter 4:3). But God’s grace doesn’t leave us where it found us, it calls to a life of obedience that proves our faith is real.

Obedience—Not Hypocrisy—Defines Us

Don't misunderstand something important. We are not hypocrites based on our feelings. If today I should work in the church Food Bank but really want to sleep in, going anyway does not make me a hypocrite. Going to church when I don't feel like going doesn't make me a hypocrite, it makes me obedient. Hypocrisy is when the outer you is totally different from the inner you. Hypocrisy is caring more about what others think about you than what God thinks of you.

Perhaps it is good to remember Paul's words from 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" Never assume we are without hypocrisy, but also never assume you will always be a hypocrite!

Call to Self‑Examination and Growth

Examine, test, and realize whether Christ really lives in you. Have the courage to look at the inner you, question yourself, and never be satisfied knowing that all of our lives we should grow to be more like the Savior who pulled us out of the miry mud.

Enjoy, "He Brought Me Out of the Miry Clay" by Gary & Rhev here.