Be On Guard

July, 2004

by: Brock Bolde

This month I wanted to use my space in the Calvary Review to address an issue that has plagued the people of God for thousands of years. It is an issue that seems to grow and flourish no matter how much it is talked against; an issue that was rampant in Jesus' day, as evidenced by His warnings to the Scribes and Pharisees; an issue that still rears its ugly head in far too many homes and churches within our culture. The issue that I am referring to is hypocrisy! And when left unchecked, it will utterly destroy the witness and testimony of all who succumb to it.

Hypocrisy is something that we all must be on guard against because when left to our own devices, we fall short of the glory of God. A classic example of this can be seen in an illustration entitled Hymns and Heart:

1. We sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” and are content with 5–10 minutes a day.
2. We sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and wait to be drafted into His service.
3. We sing “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and don't use the one we have.
4. We sing “There Shall be Showers of Blessing” but do not come when it rains.
5. We sing “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” and let the least little offense sever it.
6. We sing “Serve the Lord With Gladness” and gripe about all we have to do.
7. We sing “I Love to Tell the Story” and never mention it at all.
8. We sing “We're Marching to Zion” but fail to march to worship at church or school.
9. We sing “Cast Thy Burden on the Lord” and worry ourselves into a nervous breakdown.
10. We sing “The Whole Wide World for Jesus” and never invite our next–door neighbor.
11. We sing “O Day of Rest and Gladness” and wear ourselves out traveling, cutting grass or playing golf on Sunday.
12. We sing “Throw Out the Lifeline” and content ourselves with throwing out a fishing line.

Hypocrisy is when we pretend to be something that we are not, especially in regards to spiritual matters. When at church we are all smiles, but on the car ride to and from we are bickering and arguing. We tell people that we'll pray for them even though our personal prayer lives are virtually nonexistent. We fervently affirm that the Bible is the very Word of God and yet never take the time to open it except on Sundays — at church — and only because the Pastor told us to!

Hypocrisy is a deadly disease, and perhaps the most dangerous thing about it is the fact that the person who is infected by it doesn't even realize it! But for those who are around this individual, their hypocrisy is as evident as an elephant sitting in the room. As a result, it often repulses those within its vicinity and causes them to stray away from the very thing that the hypocrite thinks he is promoting. Nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to our children. Children are like skilled doctors in that they can detect the infectious disease of hypocrisy very quickly. It doesn't take long for them to notice when our actions and words are not lining up. As parents, we must never fall into the trap of thinking that our children will do as we say, not as we do! Like the Apostle Paul we must labor to follow Christ's example so that we can tell our children to “be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Let each of us do some serious soul searching to see if there are any hypocritical ways within us. If so, let us resolve to turn from them so that we might draw all the more — especially our children — before the throne of grace.