Hypocrites. Charlatans. Insincere people. These are often the reason given for why a person does not go to church or why they have left the church. And it is certainly true that as you get to know us, we Christians have been known to have a few warts, and sometimes those who call themselves Christians are anything but! It can be tempting to just give up on the church and pursue our spiritual life as independent contractors. But in chapter 4 of The Happy Christian David Murray warns that this is nothing other than “the successful satanic strategy of turning our attention away from Christ and directing us instead toward Christians.” Instead of giving in and following the devil’s playbook, we need to learn to approach the problem of hypocrisy with Christ in the forefront of our analysis and our solutions.
CHRIST > CHRISTIANS = POSITIVE+
Like so many things in life, we must learn to analyze the problem correctly before we can apply the right solution. In this case, Pastor Murray shows us how to see this problem from Jesus’ perspective. We begin by noting that Jesus hates hypocrisy. How many times in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, did Jesus send a prophet to rebuke his people for being hypocrites? And nothing changed in the New Testament, did it? He reserved some of his harshest criticism for religious hypocrites who professed to love God but never showed love to other people. This should encourage us, though, because we know that as much as hypocrisy bothers us, it bothers him even more. He understands how it makes you feel.
Secondly, Jesus experienced hypocrisy. In his earthly ministry, he was daily confronted with groups like the Pharisees and Sadducees who had perfected the art of hypocrisy. Even his own disciples whom he had chosen often revealed by their words the hypocrisy that was in their hearts.
Third, Jesus predicted hypocrisy.1 Knowing to expect hypocrisy, at times even from professing Christians, ought to help us temper our expectations, so that we can avoid future disappointment.
But we must also remember that Jesus uses hypocrisy. Why would he do that? Why not just fill the church with perfect Christians? Murray answers, “Because He can use it for our good. He uses trials such as these to test and prove our faith.” And suffering hypocrisy may also spur us on to deal with our own sins. As Murray puts
1 At this point Murray makes what I consider to be an errant point, albeit one which has a lengthy history. He refers to the parable of the wheat and the tares from Matthew 13:24-30 as proof that the church will always have a mixture of believers and unbelievers until the final judgment. The parable is not referring to the church but to the world (see Jesus’ explanation in v.36-43). At the same time, the fact that sin remains in us as believers (see Paul’s discussion in Romans 7 for example) means that we are all tempted toward hypocrisy.
it, “If so many people are so blind to their faults, there’s a good possibility that I’m blind to mine too.” We should really examine ourselves before we check to see if someone else is living up to the Christian faith they claim, or else we will become hypocrites ourselves.
Finally, remember that Jesus will put an end to hypocrisy. There is coming a day when, as the apostle Paul put it, Jesus will “present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.” This is the guaranteed end of the process which Christ has begun in us as individuals and also in his church.
Church- & Christ-centered Solutions
Let’s get practical for a minute. How do I stop getting so frustrated by the failings of other Christians, even pastors and church leaders? And how do I start lifting up my mind and heart and find happiness when there is so much to be sad about in the church? Murray offers a series of Christ-centered solutions followed by a church-centered one. Here are just a few.
We need to look for Christ in every Christian, even the worst ones. While it may be difficult to see evidence of Christ’s work in some people, we should try to find it rather than being critical of those places where the evidence is lacking. Murray suggests, “Today, as we survey our fellow believers, let’s make the happy choice to major on Christ’s positive work in them rather than on all the Devil’s negatives.”
Another solution that is definitely Christ-centered is to pray for hypocrites. There does seem to be some short-term satisfaction that comes from pointing out all their failings, but those thoughts and words end up inflicting deep damage on ourselves. How much better for us to lift them up to heaven than to pull them down?
It can also be helpful to spend time with them. Now why on earth would we do that? Because as we get to now them better, we will see that they are human after all. We may even find out that we have misjudged them completely.
The ultimate Christ-centered approach is to keep our eyes focused on him, rather than on others. Murray encourages us to “Suck in the bright light of Christ; let Him and His Word dwell in you richly….Above all, consider what Jesus will yet do for all His people.” Look forward in the hope of Christ, that he will finish his work in others, just as you hope he will do in you!
Finally, consider the church-centered solution to hypocrisy. “I can’t conclude this chapter without coming full circle and encouraging you to commit yourself to the Christians in your local church, yes, even those faulty, failing Christians.” He warns that if you decide to avoid church or settle for a virtual gathering, “You are losing valuable opportunities to learn from the chance meetings with other Christians…You are undermining trust and unity among Christians. And you are sapping vital energy from the demoralized body of Christ.” Lean in and trust the Lord to bless you with a more positive church.