1.) Everyone is a hypocrite. I’ve never met a single
human being who did not, at some point, do something that contradicted
their value system. Most people believe we should treat others as we
wish to be treated, but I’ve never met a person who didn’t (at some
point) demean another person, slander another, or ignore someone who
they found to be annoying. Many people believe in “tolerance” and
“coexistence” among any and all religions, but those same people often
discriminate against those particular religions whose beliefs they find
disagreeable. I’m not wagging my finger at those who don’t live up to
their ideals: that’s to be expected from human beings, as we’re all in a
battle between our values and our selfish nature. I’ve been a health
nut for a long time, but when I was in college I had several episodes of
eating an entire half gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream
in one sitting (indian style on my kitchen floor). In every area of our
lives, we fail to live up to our ideals—all of us.
2.) Christians have never claimed to be above hypocrisy; we’ve claimed to be loved in the midst of our hypocrisy. We
have never claimed to be morally superior to others; we’ve claimed to
have a remarkable Savior who embodied perfection on our behalf. We
believe that every human being has missed the mark, we’re all
self-absorbed and hypocritical—and that God offers grace freely to those
who recognize their inability to pull themselves up out of the abyss
we’ve fallen into.
Christians are constantly shamed into keeping silent about our
beliefs for fear that others will call us out on areas where our actions
are inconsistent with our ideals. This has to end! When we miss the
mark—and we most definitely will—we should be quick to acknowledge that
we’re flawed, imperfect people. But that shouldn’t negate the truth that
we believe about a God who lavishes unending love upon us in spite of
our imperfections. Our imperfections and inconsistencies should be
presupposed by our claims that we’re sinners saved by grace.
If someone is actively engaging in a hidden behavior they outwardly
deny, that should be addressed. If someone is lying or deceiving others
on an ongoing basis, they should be corrected and own up to the
particular nature of their imperfection. And if someone claims to be
morally superior to others or to live a perfect life, then let it be
known that they’re completely misrepresenting the whole of the Christian
faith. But genuine Christian belief acknowledges our inabilities and
insufficiencies in the very act of pleading for a Savior, so I struggle
to understand why “hypocrite” is the label spewed in the spitfire
condemnation from so many.
If you ever find out that I made a royally stupid decision that
contradicts my beliefs, don’t be surprised. I’m in the company of saints
like Peter and Paul, who openly acknowledged they often found
themselves doing things that didn’t align with their values. It grieves
me when my actions don’t line up with those modeled in the Scriptures,
but I’m side-swiped with gratitude every time it happens because it
reminds me I’m loved in the midst of my ongoing failures. Are you sick
of hypocrisy running rampant everywhere you turn? Then look to the one
and only man who’s ever walked the earth without a hypocritical streak
in his character—He’s the one we’re identifying with when we say we’ve
found something better.
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