HYPOCRISY IS ONE THE DEVIL'S MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS
God clearly wants sons that will be different from Satan. A characteristic, bad or good, is developed over time. Hypocrisy is pretending to be someone that you are not. The Bible states that Satan wants to be worshiped like God and wants to be thought of as righteous, even though he is evil incarnate. This is where the hypocrisy comes in. He is also known as Lucifer, the “light bringer.” Satan is determined to undermine mankind and lead us into self destruction, yet he wants to be worshiped.
2 Co 11:14-15, “And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.” (ASV)
Historically, many of the most evil leaders claimed to be serving “the little people” or “the children” as they oppressed and killed millions. Some did evil in the name of a man-made religion like Communism or various nature oriented pagan religions. Some of these evil men even used their political power to force people to worship them. This is an unbelievable level of hypocrisy, wow!
PAUL GIVES A STERN WARNING ABOUT HYPOCRISY & OBEDIENCE
HYPOCRISY REFERS TO THE ACT OF CLAIMING TO BELIEVE SOMETHING BUT ACTING IN A DIFFERENT MANNER, THE ACT OF WEARING A MASK. The word is derived from the Greek term for “actor.” It means one who is wearing a mask. They used lots of masks in ancient Greek theater which enabled actors to pretend they were something or someone that they were not.
Romans 2:11-13, “For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified…” (KJV)
You are deceiving yourself when you judge others without realizing that your problems could be so much greater than their problems. People can mask themselves from the truth when they think they are so much better than others. Paul further warns:
Romans 2:17-21, “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. 21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?”
The Apostle Paul vigorously defends obedience to God's Laws over outward appearances only!
Romans 2:23-26, “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," as it is written. 25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?”
The author of most of the New Testament further elaborates again.
Verse 27 “And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who Is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart…”
A true believer is then, not one who outwardly looks righteous but does not really try to obey God. Does he keep the Sabbath in a worshipful and joyous manner to God? It is our actions that count. The Pharisees were hardhearted toward God in spite of THEIR appearances.
Some assert that Jesus taught grace only for salvation and that the law was done away. They are so deceived that they believe Paul taught that salvation was by grace alone. It is true that we cannot save ourselves with our own religious efforts. But being saved by grace is no license to sin or to ignore the laws you do not like among the commandments.
Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
Christ will not justify anyone who is not trying to obey God as Paul bluntly explains. One cannot honestly read Romans chapter two and come to any other conclusion. Paul vigorously compares obedience to the law and hypocrisy! He elaborates further in the next four chapters.
JESUS CLEARLY CONDEMNS THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES
Jesus for instance, said THESE LEADERS were so much worse than most.
Matt. 7:3-5, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Matt. 23:3, "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.”
The key indictment of Jesus is the accusation that it is all done to be “seen of men.” They wear a mask of righteousness but their true motivation is not service and worship of God but the image they project.
GOD IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH OUR HEARTS.
A hypocrite will pretend that he wants to be more like God, but a true believer will really try and be obedient to God's Laws and wish to thereby be more like God.
Hebrews 8:7-10, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…’”
The fault was not in the Law, but was in the people:
“…because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 ‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
