Are Christians a Bunch of Hypocrites?

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I grew up in a divorced home. My mom took us to church when I was 10 and got we fairly involved in church activities shortly thereafter. I still remember the phone conversation with my dad when I offhandedly mentioned going to church. “Son,” he sighed, “please don’t become one of those Bible-thumping hypocrites like the rest of them.” His sentiment of hypocrisy in Christianity is shared by so many others, but is it accurate?

The perceived hypocrisy

There’s no denying it; there are horrible people who fly the Christian flag. Whether it’s sexual abuse, manipulating entire congregations for money, or writing “I give God 10%, why should you get 18?” on a restaurant receipt, the news is ripe with stories that show how what we say is at odds with how we live.

When this discussion comes up, a quote attributed to Ghandi is rarely far behind. “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” This idea gets to the very heart of hypocrisy – we say we follow Jesus, but do we only follow in word alone? Will we meet Christ and hear the words “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23)?

First, it’s important to ask what areas we’re seen as hypocrites. Consider the marks of a true believer, as well as how Christians are often seen:

Do Christians like this fit the picture of a hypocrite? The dictionary accurately defines “hypocrite” in two ways: someone who puts on a false appearance of virtue, and one whose actions are contradictory to their beliefs.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27)

The Bible would agree with that definition. Yes, these are examples of hypocrites. And for many, that’s where the conversation ends. Christianity holds no merit because we can point to these people who don’t practice what they preach.

Except that we’re ignoring one crucial point: do these people represent Christians, let alone Christ?

Sneaky wolves

But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. (Deuteronomy 18:20)

God has never been lax when it comes to preserving His word and character. The command “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain” isn’t just about using His name as an expletive. It deals with a deep matter of someone claiming to speak in God’s name, to insist that their words represent the will of God. Death was never far away from those who invoked the name of God to serve their own ends.

Although we no longer give false prophets an early punishment alongside their eternal one, the reality of their danger is no less real. The Old Testament is filled with warnings for Israel to flee idolatry and false teachings. And because false teachers never go away, neither does the warning.

“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Talk is cheap. A representative of Christ is known by their works, not just their words. And once again, God is calling us to use reason and discernment when evaluating whether someone genuinely represents God or merely claims to.

Whenever we see “Christians” being blasted in the media, we need to ask ourselves who they represent. Do their actions rightly represent the God we see in the Bible? Is their life marked by the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Often times we’ll realize that many hypocritical Christians are little more than wolves making the sheep look like carnivores.

Choices and lifestyles

However, we can’t excuse everything by claiming false representation. There are absolutely true Christians out there who, sadly, have fallen in to sin or heresy. Personally, I’ve had 3 pastors I enjoyed listening to fall to a point that I could no longer listen to their new or old sermons. Of those, I’m confident 2 of them are genuinely covered by the blood of Christ. So how do we rationalize what they say and do?

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

The most important thing to consider is that Christians are human beings living in a fallen world. We are all terribly broken, and pride is a wonderful way for us to fall deeper into our sin. Pride enables us to justify all manner of sin and chase all sorts of new and innovative ways of thinking about God and the Bible. Without surrounding ourselves with others to confide in and keep us focused on our true calling, it’s easy to pursue sin over Christ.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)

When we’re trying to determine if someone is truly a follower of Christ, we should examine their actions in context. Are they making a foolish choice at the moment or is their life a pattern of sin without repentance and growth? Wisdom demands that we examine this before making hasty judgments.

Living up to the stereotype

Again, we aren’t off the hook. What about when we really are hypocrites? If people know we go to church yet see us get angry at a coworker, it can feel like we’ve utterly failed Christ. We feel like a fake because that’s how we’re seen by others. Fortunately, our walk with Christ isn’t determined by our works.

Remember that the Pharisees spent their whole lives appearing to be perfect, yet Christ had little tolerance for their pride. We don’t represent Christ by showing how much we have it together, but by recognizing our wretchedness apart from Him. Our lives don’t need to be seen and remembered by how good we appear to be, but by how much we relied on our savior.

The key is repentance while continually seeking wisdom. When we find ourselves sinning again, how do we respond? A hypocrite says “Stop sinning and repent!” yet continues sinning without repentance. What does God call us to do?

If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

Repentance isn’t just feeling bad about how our sin negatively affects us. It’s an understanding of how much God detests it, how much we hate it because of Him, and having the humility to put that sin before Him because we find Him far more desirable.

Sinning isn’t what makes us hypocrites. Foolish choices don’t make us hypocrites. Our knowledge of the truth constantly reminds us that our thoughts and actions often belong to those who are sworn enemies of God. Yet it’s through the Holy Spirit that we can have the humility not to brag about our goodness, but to display the awesomeness of our savior.

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

As we found in the dictionary, hypocrisy is putting on a false sense of virtue. It’s posturing ourselves above others, assuming that we are so much more righteous. It’s our pride that creates hypocrisy and leads to our fall.

How do we respond?

The Christian life isn’t about saying “You should do this if you don’t want God angry at you!” as we go off and commit that very sin. A life of pursuing God is marked by the humility to say “God expects holiness, yet without Christ I have no hope of it.”

Are Christians hypocrites? We certainly can be. God promises that He will judge us in whatever way we choose to judge others, and we’re so very good at finding ways in which we’re more righteous than someone else. Yet we must remember the difference between a true Christian in sin and a wolf simply doing what wolves do.

When someone claiming to represent Christ finds themselves on the news next week, we have a wonderful opportunity to use discernment. While we always need to exercise great caution, we can sharpen ourselves and those around us by understanding what their actions, not just words, tell us about whom they truly belong to. Are they a believer in repentance to God, or a wolf who just got caught? Or perhaps they’re an imperfect person doing what they are convinced is right. What a wonderful opportunity to tell someone about the true Christ.

Likewise, we can be encouraged when a genuine believer sins because of what follows. We mourn for the destruction caused, but we can glorify God for the grace He still extends to that person. It’s the same grace that we experience every day as we choose our own desires over those of our God.

When anyone is caught in sin, hypocrisy or not, we have an opportunity to see how great our God is. We can hold up the truth of God against the darkness of the world, showing that we’re all lost without Him. We can’t outdo God’s love and grace with our sinfulness, and we praise God for that.

This article is part of the series “65 Theology Questions People Will Ask You.” Click the link to read more articles like this one!