5 Signs
of Hypocrisy (Religiousness without
Relationship)
Each person may have their own list or group of people
whenever they take note of the term “Christian hypocrisy”. However, biblically
speaking, the only group of people denoted as “hypocrites” (Greek:
hupokrites—actor) were the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt 6, 15, 23; Mk 7; Lk
12-13), even though not every one of them was evil. For example, Nicodemus was
a follower of Christ (Jn 19:39).
So, in this article, I will present 5 signs of
hypocrisy based on pharisaic characteristics. Although we are exhorted to watch
out for people teaching wrong beliefs (Rom 16:17; Gal 1:8) and to stay away
from brothers and sisters with undisciplined and sinful lifestyles (2 Thess
3:6; 1 Cor 5:11), I hope this article can convict us (including myself) to
reflect on our values and motives so we become more like living sacrifices (Rom
12:1) and honorable vessels (2 Tim 2:21), growing in the grace and knowledge of
Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Let us begin!
#5:
Lovers of Money
“The
Pharisees,
who were lovers
of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed
Christ”
–Luke 16:14
Whenever I read this passage, I find it ridiculously
funny because the hypocrites, out of their love for a worldly, temporal thing,
ridiculed the only One who could give them a heavenly, everlasting thing. I believe
most people would trade something worldly for something everlasting, right?
(Does not Matthew 6:19 tell us to lay treasures in heaven and not on earth?)
Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 writes that we cannot
serve God and money and 1 Timothy 6:10 writes that money is the root of all
evil. Take note that the Word of God does not write that money itself is evil,
but the love of money. On the other hand, please note that this does not mean
we should not care about money at all as we should be good stewards of what the
Lord has given us, including our resources (Luke 19:11-27), and it is written
in 1 Timothy 5:8 that one who does not provide for one’s household has denied the faith and is worse than a
nonbeliever. Since money is needed in order to provide for one’s family, our
capital is important and should play an important role in our lives.
Nonetheless, a good question to ponder on is: how do
we prioritize money in our lives? Do we live for something temporal while
potentially giving up something far greater, like the Pharisees, who took the
time to ridicule the Son of Man to justify themselves before men (Lk 16:15)?
#4:
Tradition Keepers (of man)
“And
why do you break
the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?... So for the sake of your tradition you have made
void the Word of God.. teaching as
doctrines the commandments
of men.”
–Matthew
15:3-9
Not all tradition is bad. And I’m not suggesting that
we go against tradition itself. The problem with the hypocrites is not merely
just about tradition but the use of
tradition to pervert the Word and commandments of God. For instance, back in the Old Testament, the Lord repeated told
His people that He does not delight in sacrifice (Ps 50:6; 51:16; Jer 7:22;
Matt 12:7) but in obedience (1 Sam 15:22), doing mercy, acting justly, and walking
humbly with God (Micah 6:8). However, under pharisaic influence, even healing
on the Sabbath—an act of doing mercy—was condemned (Lk 13:10-17). In fact, the
Gospel according to Mark presents the hypocrites wanting to destroy Christ (Mk 3:6) just because He
broke their tradition, which displays religion and absolutism.
Hence, could we unconsciously try to keep our ways or
preferences while unaware of God’s intentions in our lives? Are there times
where we may grieve the Spirit because of our rigid carefulness to things not
of God but of man? Personally, I think this sign may be displayed by some
churches that highly emphasize tradition, such as those that do not allow
unbaptized Christians to partake in communion (Eucharist) or those that believe
that one is truly saved unless one is baptized. Nonetheless, let us walk in Christ,
be rooted and built up in Him with thanksgiving and not be swayed by human
tradition (Col 2:6-10).
#3:
Condemners (Judging in the place of God)
“They
[Scribes and Pharisees] will receive the greater condemnation”
–Luke
20:47
In short, when Christ famously said: “do not judge”
(Matt 7:1-6; Lk 6:37-42), He was addressing the Scribes and Pharisees. We are called to “judge” – to convict, rebuke, instruct, correct,
and discipline – in love so that our brothers and sisters may be sound in the
faith and depart from sin (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; Titus 1:13; 1 Timothy 5:20;
2 Timothy 4:2). We are not, however, called to condemn others such as tying up
heavy burdens (Matt 23:4) and casting stones on others in the place of God (Jn
8:7-11)
#2:
Attention Seekers
“Beware
of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and
the best seats
in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts”
—Luke
20:46
“They do all their
deeds to be seen by others.”
—Matthew
23:5
According to Luke 20:46 (as shown above), the
hypocrites dressed and acted (does this ring a bell?) in a way
that sought the attention and honor of others. They did everything not to
please God, but man. They even prayed and fasted just to seek attention from
others (Matt 6:5,15). They appeared to “worship” God just so that others may cast
an eye on them whereas they are actually worshiping themselves. This is why it
is written in Matthew 6 that if we practice our righteousness before others—seeking
their attention—we will receive no reward from our Father in Heaven (6:1).
Let us do some self-evaluation. There are certainly
times where we need attention, and in many cases, having others’ attention is a
good thing. However, do we dress, talk, work, use social media, worship, engage
in church activities, teach, serve, do good deeds, do ministry, (you can fill
in the blanks) and ultimately, live just for the sake of getting the attention of
others? In other words, where do we base our confidence and enjoyment in? Are we
satisfied with God alone and His approval (all in?), or do we live in a way
where we “may be praised by others” (Matt 6:2)? If this is the case, then
perhaps we do not live for God but for man, which is idolatry.
If we honor God and live for Him, He will
honor us as well, (1 Samuel 2:30; Jn 12:36). If we give God the attention due Him, He—who can do more than we can
ever think or imagine (Eph 4:30)—will give us divine attention. And the million-dollar
question is, which attention do we crave for?
#1:
Fearers of People
“And
they were seeking to arrest Him but feared the people”
—Mark
12:12
Again, Mark 12:12 is one of those “face-palm”
passages. The Scribes and Pharisees were committed to destroy Christ (3:6), and
in truth, some of the Pharisees—such as Paul—hated Christ and Christianity out
of their religious zeal. This is why Paul writes in Philippians 3:6 that his
zeal was manifested in persecuting the church. Yet, going back to Mark 12:12,
the Scribes and Pharisees, perhaps full of zeal and “righteous” anger, did not
arrest Christ because they feared the people. They did not do what they were
fully convinced as “right” out of insecurity. Hence, this passage shows that,
ultimately, the hypocrites did not truly fear God (or their “god”) because they
cared more about the eyes of men than that of God. (Doesn’t Galatians 1:10 write that one who tries to please man is not a
servant of Christ?)
Hence, the reason why “the fear of people” is ranked
first is because this is the motive that drives one to all kinds of ungodly and
worldly values mentioned above. And one of the main reasons why one fears
people is because of insecurity. When one is insecure, it reflects a
poor relationship with God. Here’s why:
Consider Romans 8 and Galatians 6. It is written that
we are set free (Rom 8:2) to
walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (8:4). One who
lives according to the flesh will set one’s mind on the flesh, such as man’s
attention, money, tradition, sin, and ultimately, death (8:6). On the
other hand, one who lives by the Spirit will set one’s mind on the Spirit, in
which there is life and peace (Rom 8:6;
Gal 6:16). One who is insecure lacks
peace—especially the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). So, when one is insecure, lacking the peace of God—which results in lacking confidence in God—reflecting the fear of
people, it shows that one is not sowing to the Spirit and thus does not have a healthy
relationship with God.
Conclusion:
Hence, if you’re sometimes too caught up in caring about what people think, perhaps out of insecurity, and wondering how you can sow to the
Spirit instead of to the flesh so that you may one who fears God instead of man,
you should engage with the Spirit constantly and consistently. The reason why you need to engage with the Spirit is because the fruit of the Spirit is peace (and 8 others) and all believers are called to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (Col 3:15). And in order to achieve this, you need to pray in the
Spirit at all times (Eph 6:18; 1 Thess 5:17),
asking God to give you a heart that ultimately cares not about what people but
what God thinks. Also, spend time knowing God
more through encountering Him in His Word so that It may dwell in you
richly (Col 3:16). To develop a good relationship with God requires faith. Yet, since faith comes by hearing—by the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17)—one cannot shape a God-fearing character without engaging with God in His Word.
All in all, let
the fear of God be our confidence (Job 4:6) as the friendship of YHWH (God) is for those who fear Him (Ps 25:14), thus
anchoring our relationship in Him alone and departing from hypocrisy and
mediocrity.
-Barnabas
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