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What Does The Bible Say About Hypocrites

Extend Grace And Forgiveness

What Does The Bible Say About Hypocrites And Hypocrisy? | Christian Hypocrisy | Ephesians 5:15-20

We fail to extend grace for several reasons:

  • Fear. We fear well be taken advantage of or corrupted by others actions.
  • Performance. We focus on actions and the appearance of goodness instead of focusing on Christs message of love.
  • Pride. We dont think others deserve grace like we do.
  • Unforgiveness. Were hard on ourselves when we mess up; therefore were hard on others.

But what good does it do if someone makes a mistake and you point the finger? Dont you think theyre already frustrated on their own? Dont take on the role of the accuser when someone messes up. Focus on Jesus character, not your performance. In turn, youll be able to love by extending grace and forgiveness not only to yourself but also to others.

If you keep your focus on God and remember that Hes the standard, it wont threaten you when someone messes up. You know mistakes happen. And you know that when they do, youre meant to encourage others. Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend .

Lesson 1: What Hypocrisy Does

A pastor had been preaching on the importance of daily Bible reading. He and his wife were invited for a meal at a parishioners home. While there, the pastors wife saw a note that the hostess had written on her kitchen calendar: Pastor/Mrs. for dinnerdust all Bibles .

Hypocrisypresenting ourselves as something that we know were notis one of the most subtle and dangerous of sins. Seven times Jesus thundered against the religious leaders of His day, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites . He warned the disciples , Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Leaven spreads subtly and pervasively, until the whole lump of dough is affected. So does hypocrisy. It is a perpetual danger for the religious, and especially for religious leaders. It is the root sin that Paul confronts in our text.

The Jew thought himself exempt from Gods judgment on three grounds: He was a son of Abraham , not a Gentile dog! Unlike the pagans, he had Gods Law, revealed to Moses on the holy mountain. He was circumcised, again in contrast to the defiled Gentiles.

Paul shows how being a Jew by birth cannot save anyone ; how having the Law cannot save those who do not keep it ; and, how being circumcised in the flesh is of no avail if the circumcised man does not keep the entire Law

Hypocrisy deceives the hypocrite, damages unbelievers, and dishonors God.

Bible Verses About Hypocrites

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

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What Does Being Left Handed Mean In The Bible

Biblical narrative Left handedness is significant because the left side of the body is often associated with deception or darkness, it is a tactical advantage in war against the majority who are often right-handed, and is symbolic for being outside of the culturally accepted social norm of leadership in ancient Israel.

Get Rid Of The Hypocrisy

What the Bible Says About Hypocrisy and Deception

Just as there are today, there were people in the Bible who honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from him . On the outside they gave the appearance of being righteous, but on the inside they were full of hypocrisy and wickedness . These people are instructed to rid themselves of their hypocritical ways .

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The Bible And Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy or variations of it appear 17 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Often it is Christ calling people hypocrites . You hypocrites! in fact is a recurring phrase.

Was Jesus guilty of pointing out the speck in someone elses eye when in fact he had a plank in his own? Not at all. As Josh McDowell and Don Stewart write:

Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus, and Jesus was not a hypocrite. He lived consistently with what He taught, and at the end of His life He challenged those who had lived with Him night and day, for over three years, to point out any hypocrisy in Him. His disciples were silent, because there was none. Since Christianity depends on Jesus, it is incorrect to try to invalidate the Christian faith by pointing to horrible things done in the name of Christianity.Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith , 128.

Biblical Examples Of Hypocrisy

Jacob deceived his twin brother Esau by pretending to be him when his father Isaac was losing his sight. His deception caused his father to give him Esau’s birthright that technically belonged to Esau who was born first .

Later, Jacob received a dose of his own medicine. He worked seven years to marry Rachel. Leah covered herself and pretended to be her sister whom Jacob loved .

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Jesus taught about people who have a large plank in their own eye but they can barely see the little speck in someone else’s eye. What the hypocrite has pointed out is much less than what he himself is guilty of. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

The same idea is pointed out in the story about the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees and teachers of the law brought the woman to Jesus because they accused her of committing adultery while the men themselves pretended to be innocent. Someone in the group must have been guilty because the woman could not have committed adultery alone. Jesus said, “Let him without sin cast the first stone.” All the men walked away because they were hypocrites .

Any person who has studied the Gospels knows the Pharisees were the ultimate hypocrites because they pointed out everybody’s faults except their own. Jesus said six times, âWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites” .

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A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23;Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:2;The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat.3;So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.4;They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peoples shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5;Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;6;they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;7;they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called Rabbi by others.

8;But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.9;And do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.10;Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.11;The greatest among you will be your servant.12;For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The Judgment Of Hypocrites

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In the next eleven verses , Jesus announces that condemnation was awaiting the Pharisees. This condemnation is not just for the religious leaders; it is also for everyone else as you soon discover. But Jesus point in this section is that the Pharisees will be judged. Every one of their secrets will be known act or word. This section is divided into four parts: 1) a description of the coming judgment , 2) why they should fear the Father , 3) why they should fear Christ at the judgment and 4) why they should fear the Holy Spirit at the judgment .

But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 12:2-3

In verse 2 Jesus tells the disciples that there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed. Now this raises two questions: 1) what is the meaning of covered up, and 2) how are these hidden things to be revealed? The Greek word that is translated as covered up is synkalypto. The word means much more than just covered up. It also has the sense of to cause something to be unknown by intentionally concealing it. It is the idea that you or I are intentionally hiding something from others and maybe, you think, God.

Earlier Jesus had said that your every word will reveal your heart.

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Seven Woes On The Teachers Of The Law And The Pharisees

13;Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in peoples faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.;

15;Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16;Woe to you, blind guides! You say, If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.17;You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?18;You also say, If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.19;You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?20;Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.21;And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.22;And anyone who swears by heaven swears by Gods throne and by the one who sits on it.

23;Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesmint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the lawjustice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.24;You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Footnotes

Hypocrites Preying On Impoverished Widows

The Jewish religious leaders were supposed to be actively aiding impoverished widows in various ways. Most leaders were not; they abused them. Sitting across from the Templetreasury, Jesus told his disciples,

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows houses, and for appearances sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. Luke 20:46-47 NASB

Immediately after saying this, Jesus observed a destitute widow giving her last 2 cents to the treasury of these hypocrites who probably deceived her. He then revealed that this entire oppulent, godless Temple would be utterly destroyed, a Divine judgment that used the Roman army for His purposes in 70 AD, dissolving the hard-hearted Jewish nation for 2,000 years. The vast majority in Galilee and Judea rejected their Messiah who fully verifed his identity with thousands of miracles. Instead of believing and following God incarnate, they caused His execution.

After listening to another example of their rewriting of Gods laws for selfish purposes, Christ said to the Pharisees and scribes,

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiahprophesy of you, when he said:

This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me;in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:7-9 ESV

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What Does The Bible Say About Hypocrites

What does the Bible say about hypocrisy and hypocrites? Quite a bit as a matter of fact.

A hypocrite is defined as someone who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, or principles that they do not actually possess. Someone who is guilty of being a hypocrite will say they believe one thing, yet their actions prove otherwise.

Hypocrites are nothing new. These type of people were obviously easy to find back in the Bible days based on the number of times the words hypocrisy and hypocrite can be found in the Scriptures. So what can people do to qualify themselves as a Christian hypocrite? Lets take a look in Gods word and find out.

The Church Is Full Of Hypocrites

What does the BIBLE say about hypocrites

At the top of many peoples list of excuses as to why they wont to go to Church is, in their opinion, the Church is full of hypocrites. Yes, of course you will find some hypocrisy in Christianity. A Church is made up of people. Anytime people are involved, there will be a certain percentage that are not what they claim to be. As one pastor said, Its better to go to Church with hypocrites than to go to hell with them. They will have their reward.

He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Hypocrisy Deceives The Hypocrite Because He Knows The Truth But Doesnt Obey It

James 1:22 states the principle: But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers, who delude themselves . These Jews that Paul confronts felt secure before God because of their religious heritage as Jews. They had Gods Law; they could confidently teach it to others. But they were deluded because they were hearers of the Law, but not doers of it.

At the outset, we need to understand that this is not a racial attack on the Jews. Paul was not being anti-Semitic. He himself was a Jew. He loved the Jewish people so much that he said that he would be willing to spend eternity in hell if it meant the salvation of the Jews ! Any form of racism against any race is sinful. If were honest, as we read Pauls indictment of the Jews here, we will see ourselves, because were all prone to hypocrisy. We all easily fall into the trap of trying to impress others with how spiritual we are, while our hearts are far from God. So we need to apply these verses carefully to our own hearts! Paul shows five ways that the hypocrite is deceived:

A. The hypocrite is deceived because he may know the doctrine of election, but he misapplies it.

Paul first hits the Jew for taking pride in his birth as a Jew . When Jesus confronted the Jews with being enslaved to sin, they arrogantly pointed to the fact that they were Abrahams children and even made the ridiculous statement, we have never been enslaved to anyone . They knew that they were Gods elect, but they grossly misapplied it!

Does The Bible Say Not To Be Like Hypocrites

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

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Faith Forum: Is Hypocrisy A Grave Sin

We apparently are all hypocrites occasionally and many of us might fail the hypocrisy test depending upon where the morality bar is set.

Cheating website Ashley Madison, whose tagline Life is short. Have an affair and which claims to have about 37 million members , recently was hacked and the hacker/hackers threatened to release its personal information, sending shivers through many spines, according to reports.

Ashley Madison, launched in 2001, claims to be worlds leading married dating service for discreet encounters, most famous name in infidelity and married dating, most successful website for finding an affair and cheating partners and Thousands of cheating wives and cheating husbands signup everyday looking for an affair. It has an Affair Guarantee Program.

Noted French author François de La Rochefoucauld reportedly said hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.

We frown upon sexual misconduct publicly, but privately many of us indulge in it. Our moral perimeters are many times whippy.

We asked our panel of distinguished religious leaders of the region the following question: Is hypocrisy a grave sin?

Here is what they have to say:

SICKNESS NEEDING CURE

Stephen R. Karcher, St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church presiding priest

GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

Justin V. Deverse, Baháí teacher

SIN IS SIN

Stephen B. Bond, senior pastor of Summit Christian Church, Sparks

A MIDDLING SIN

Kenneth G. Lucey, UNR philosophy/religion professor

SEVERELY PUNISHED

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