Premise 1 : Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a true follower of Christ

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” “An enemy did this,” he replied. “The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up? “No, he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters : First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”

Matthew 13:24-30

This is called the Parable Of The Tares. Tares are a variety of darnel weed that so closely resembles wheat it is almost impossible to distinguish from it until the wheat ripens and bears grain.

The implication Jesus makes is that the church has authentic members, and unauthentic members, and they often look externally alike. Jesus also spoke a little later of how the appearance of religion can be deceiving. It’s not appearance that indicates authenticity, but what the heart produces in actions and words that are the marks of a true follower of Christ.

“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

Matthew 7:21-23

Once again Jesus is saying that there are many people in the world who claim to be Christians, many may be heavily involved in a church yet He calls them “evil doers”. In other words ” They do not practice what they preach”. He also indicated that there would always be these types of pretenders even until the end of earthly time and the judgment.

Yes, there is sometimes hypocrisy in the church, one primary reason is that some people professing to be Christians are really not. There are some people sitting in the pews on Sunday, wearing crosses around their necks, or preaching loudly on TV that are counterfeits. They are participating outwardly for reasons other than a saving relationship with Christ as their Lord and Master. Many have allowed the culture to mold them, rather than the reverse, as Christ commanded.

Discussion Question 1: Doesn’t Jesus’s prediction that a substantial number of people who claim to be Christians might not really be, indicate that a large part of religious hypocrisy we may witness is not indicative of true Christianity, but of a false Christianity ?

Premise 2 : Christians should not be the only people held accountable for the sin of hypocrisy

The term hypocrite came from the world of Greek drama. It was used to describe the masks that the players used to dramatize certain roles. Even today, the theater is symbolized by the twin masks of comedy and tragedy. It is where the term “two-faced” comes from.

In antiquity, certain players played more than one role, and they indicated their role by holding a mask in front of their face. That’s the origin of the concept of hypocrisy.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines hypocrisy as follows:

One who falsely professes to be virtuously or religiously inclined; or one who pretends to have feelings or beliefs of a higher order than his real ones

Psychologist call moral hypocrisy “The Construct with a Thousand Faces”—in other words, it comes in many forms. Their definition, to be precise, is to break from your own moral standard, whether you state it publicly or not.

Isn’t it true that people everywhere, in almost every stage of life sometimes pretend to be something they are not ? Today’s Social Media provide many examples of this.

The Psychology Department at USC made the following observations in a study on moral hypocrisy in human society:

• Either consciously or not, people deceptively claim to adhere to a set of principles, but do not act (or even necessarily think) in ways consistent with those principles.

• Almost all people are guilty of hypocrisy that fits into three categories—moral duplicity; moral double standards; and moral weakness.

Moral duplicity is what you probably think of when you define hypocrisy. It’s when people falsely claim their motives are above reproach, but in fact they are not. For example, a coworker may sign a statement attesting that he has no outside conflict of interests with your company, but you know for a fact that he does. Of course, now you are faced with your own moral dilemma—whether to be loyal to your friend or be a whistleblower for your company.

Moral double standards, people are fairer with themselves for immoral acts than they are other people. You may become irate at a driver who doesn’t stop for you at a crosswalk. However, when you slip through a crosswalk because you’re in a hurry, you excuse your behavior because you were rushed.

Moral weakness, people’s behavior conflicts with their attitudes. For example, an individual signs a petition agreeing with the importance of not texting while driving, then text while driving. Or you may espouse the position that everyone should vote, but on voting day, never make it to the polls yourself.

All humans are hypocrites; the biggest hypocrite of all is the one who claims to detest hypocrisy

Peter Wastholm, Author, Cultural Linguist

Ask yourself these Questions:

• Have I ever spoken one way to someone’s face, then said something different behind their back?
• Have I ever made excuses for doing or not doing something?
• Can you think of times where you haven’t been the son or daughter, student or worker, friend or partner you promised you would be?

Discussion Question 2: Isn’t hypocrisy a common failing of humanity in every walk of life? Is it reasonable and non-judgmental to expect Christians to not fail?

Premise 3 : Becoming a Christian does not eliminate the sin of hypocrisy

Hypocrisy or moral duplicity has been proven to be common personality trait in all walks of life, both religious and non-religious.

The entire field of social psychology could be called the science of moral hypocrisy

Jesse Graham, Professor of Psychology, USC (Psychology Today)

To investigate the phenomenon of moral hypocrisy specifically, Graham and his department conducted a comprehensive study that asked three simple online questions. The researchers wanted to know what people’s most important values are; what actions they had taken either consistent or inconsistent with those values; and what actions they had recently engaged in that made them feel guilty.

A majority in this study cited honesty, care, fairness, and loyalty as their most important values. They were most likely to violate their values of honesty and loyalty when they lied to their friends and loved ones—and also felt the most guilty about these two types of moral failing.

Hypocrisy is a life long sin issue similar to pride, selfishness, and other forms of dishonesty that never completely go away for anyone. Even when humble, truly God fearing people become Christians that person’s lifelong battle to not try to appear better than they really are does not end.

We are given the freedom to choose. We have the ability to sin—to make choices that are against the teachings of God. Church is not a meeting place for saints, but a hospital for sinners. The worst sin you can commit is to say no to God. It is a “Son” issue, not a “sin” issue. You will find hypocrites in the church because we are all sinners. You will also find people who are trying to live their life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Greg Laurie, Pastor, Founder Harvest.Org

Discussion Question 3: Is it hypocritical to expect a perfect standard of humanity from someone (Christian or otherwise) that you yourself struggle to meet ?

ThinkCube Truth Veracity Grid:

Have I considered the issue carefully, honestly, and with an open mind?

Does what I think conform to the rules of logic and avoid contradictions?

Is what I believe influenced by my own bias, presuppositions, or desires?