I’ve mentioned in previous articles and audio messages how many professing believers in Jesus Christ are saying a lot of things but their actions indicate that they’re doing something entirely different. In this article, we’re going to deal with hypocrisy and it’s going to be a challenge for many of us who classify ourselves as believers but something that needs to be addressed, especially during our time.

Are you a believer that says that you follow the Bible and actually do follow the Bible? Do you tell others that heterosexual marriage honored by God and yet you can’t keep your marriage together? Do you tell others that they shouldn’t be fornicating with others and yet you do the same thing yourself? Do you tell others not to lie only to deceive others yourself into getting what you want? Does your walk really testify to your talk?

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
(2 Samuel 12:1-7 - KJV)

Are you that man? Are you like David in that you have a sense of self-righteousness and are quick to speak about others without properly examining yourself? Notice that David is declaring that someone should die based on what Nathan told him in this parable but David, the very one who committed adultery and murdered, excluded himself from this judgment. Many professing believers do this today and so many ways and it needs to stop.

We’ll revisit 2 Samuel 12 and examine David’s response after Nathan told him that he was the man he was referring to in the parable. But we need to take seriously what it means to try and be a witness for Jesus Christ and yet not have any regard for what we are doing in the world. But there are consequences for us taking this type of attitude, seeing as unconditional eternal security or Once Saved, Always Saved does not apply to the Bible. Consider these scriptures:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 - NKJV)

There are many interpretations of this scripture but let’s just take what Jesus is saying at face value. The ones the Lord are talking about are those who refer to Jesus as their Lord and even do some good things but yet they still practice lawlessness, aka sin. It is not enough to confess Jesus, we must live Jesus. We must be genuine believers whose actions back up our confession. Otherwise, like Jesus points out in Matthew 7, our words will mean nothing to Him and the He who we claim to know won’t know us.

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,
‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
(Revelation 3:1-5 - NKJV)

We can fool others and we can even fool ourselves but we can not fool the Lord as the church in Sardis found out. It’s not a matter of whether we or other people think we’re great believers, it’s whether the Lord confirms that or not. Are you that man like David was in what we read in 2 Samuel or are you like this man in the gospel of John:

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
(John 1:45-49 - NASB)

Nathanael is one of the lesser regarded disciples in the Bible but what Jesus says about him is huge! The Lord refers to Nathanael as a true Israelite without deceit, meaning that Nathanael was a true follower of God. And notice that Nathanael also has one of the first confessions about Jesus being the “Son of God” recorded in the gospels. We should be like this man.

But He gives a greater grace Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
(James 4:6 - NASB)

To really take a look at ourselves and examine ourselves from God’s point of view takes humility and it is something that we as believers must possess. If we really saw ourselves from a humble perspective, we would realize that we don’t deserve to wake up each morning and be showered with all the blessings that God provides us. We would realize the reality of who we really are with Jesus in our lives.

I identify with the type of attitude David had because as I was growing up, I despised people who did evil things. But a funny thing about that is that years later, when God decided to break me, I realized that I had become the very thing that I despised. I can’t even begin to describe how that felt but I realized that I had been too busy pointing the finger at others without pointing it at myself. And since, God has done a work in me and my very conversion was part of this humbling process. And it’s helped me to become more an encouragement to others because I’m no longer a person who is trying to remove a speck from somebody eye while having a plank in my own eye.

Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye? You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.
(Matthew 7:3-5 - AMP)

Even though I’m in a different place with God than I was several years ago, I still need to examine myself to make sure I still don’t have that beam in my eye. As I’ve grown in Christ, when I see others do wrong, I reflect on my own life to see if I’m doing the same. While many people are comparing themselves to others, we must understand that God holds us to His standard, not whether we consider ourselves better than the next person (which is arrogance).

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