The Church is Full of Hypocrites: Is it a Wonder Why so Many Want Nothing to Do with Christianity?

"The church is filled with hypocrites. I don't want anything to do with a bunch of hypocrites. That's why I won't go to church." How many times have you heard this pat answer when you attempt to talk to a person about needing Jesus? Maybe it's an answer you've given or has been a personal opinion, possibly never voiced, but has kept you from pursuing a relationship with the Messiah.

Hypocrisy in the church is a serious matter. I'm not going to attempt to deny that it exists. It not only exists, but it is prevalent. It is a turn off to people who are looking for something genuine to believe. Many professing followers of Messiah don't live a life that epitomizes a follower of the One True God.

I know some of you will immediately take me to task for saying that Yeshua (Jesus) is the One True God. That's fine. I expect it. But what would you have me do, be a hypocrite? If I profess to follow the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, YHWH can I legitimately say anything different. How can I say I am a follower of the One True God, as portrayed in His Word, and not seek to live according to His Word? It's much like a professing basketball player coming to the game, walking on the court with a football and kicking off. You would say that's crazy. Basketball is not football, and you would be right. The Way, as outlined in the Scripture, is specific in who and what it is and how to follow Him. To be one of those who are in the Way - a professing Christian - necessitates living like one. Otherwise I would be a hypocrite - a pretender.

Sectarianism

In today's professing church there are many different camps of thought. Paul dealt with it in his epistle to the Corinthians. It is sectarianism. Yeshua also dealt with it. Each Rabbi had his own school of thought and his own disciples. Instead of making disciples of the Living God they made disciples of themselves. Sound familiar? There were different sects in Judaism and there are different sects in the church. We call them denominations. But within the denominations there exists various sects. We call them local churches. And even within local churches we still find sects. What is that all about? Why do we have these various levels of sectarianism in the professing body of Messiah? It is because we gravitate to the flesh. We like to follow a charismatic individual that we can see and touch and that makes us feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We take comfort in a group, therefore a sect is born.

We have sectarianism because we have decided that the Word of God is up to private interpretation. You will not find in Scripture, anywhere, that God has left the interpretation of His Word up to weak humans. The Bible tells us that His Ways are far above being grasped by mere men. But we are told that by God the Spirit, who indwells the life of a believer we can understand. The caveat them becomes, "the Spirit told me to do this."

But the Spirit Told Me

There are those who will say that the Spirit told them to do thus and thus. We are told we can't question them because the Spirit told them to do it. When you are first faced with a statement such as this you might be quite intimidated. After all, how can you or I know what the Spirit is saying to another individual? In some cases we can't. If the Lord tells my brother that he is to stop partaking of coffee, how can I know for sure if it is from God? There is no prohibition in God's Word concerning coffee drinking. This falls in the category of a personal conviction. Maybe drinking coffee was harming the health of the brother or was in some way hindering his walk with Messiah. But in other cases we can know, with certainty, whether it is from God, by way of the Spirit illuminating the Truth. Thy Word is Truth. We must judge righteously. There is only one righteous standard; the consistent Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.

So what if someone says the Spirit has told them to do something that the Word of God specifically addresses as prohibited or believes the Spirit told them to abstain from that which is commanded in Scripture? Well then the response usually turns to "that's what the Bible says to you, but what it says to me is this" argument. It's like a merry go round and thus we migrate to our own little camps with those who are like minded and we've lost our basis for fellowship and unity. But is that God's plan for men? Who is right and who is wrong? Is anyone wrong? Is everyone right? After all, each group says they love Jesus. Isn't that all that is necessary? What does the Word say?

Divisions and Factions - Heresies

1 Corinthians 11:17-19 says, "Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you." The word "divisions" is the Greek word "schisma" which means to sever or split. Paul says this is not a good thing. There is supposed to be unity in the body of Messiah. Here's where most say, "Yeah! Why can't we all just get along? Quit being divisive and don't ever bring up any subject that would cause another to become uncomfortable." Unfortunately that usually means compromising the Word. Actors and pretenders - hypocrites compromise the Word of God.

Now notice what is said in Verse 19: "For there must also be factions among you." The Greek word for factions is "hairesis" which is where we get the anglicized word "heresies." It is from a root Greek word "haireomai" which means "prefer" or "take for ones self. In essence what Paul is saying is the disunity in the body is not a good thing. Since there is disunity there must also be heresy. Heresy is the root cause for disunity. Heresy has at its root what an individual prefers to take as doctrine to fit their particular persuasion in life. Heresy is in opposition to God's Word which calls for a totally selfless life. A godly life has at its core loving God supremely with all your being and since He is the Living Word, loving His Word equally. Alongside loving God supremely you will find loving your neighbor as yourself. That means that the selfish love we naturally have for ourselves is to be turned outwardly with a protective love for others -based upon the love for and actions rooted in God's Word. Because of the heresies (factions) those who are approved will be recognized, or seen to be approved among the congregation. How will they be seen as approved? It will be because of their love for God and His Word, by the faith, and the work of grace being shown forth in their love for the body, based on a commitment to God's Word. The dividing factor is always rooted in the varying takes on the Word of God. But the Truth is there. To see it one must not be a heretic; one who prefers to take on that which seems best to them. You have to begin asking "How does God see this" instead of saying, "I don't see it that way" or "To me it means this or that" or "For me, I prefer to focus on this or that." That is all heresy and is rooted in self-centeredness instead of being God centered and others centered. For an understanding of this read Isaiah 58. The issue, as I've stated in previous articles, is whether we are committed to God's Way or man's way.

God's Way or Man's Way - Torah Observant or Lawlessness

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is not darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

First John 4:4

"Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

God is light. In Him is no darkness. Yeshua is the Living Word. Psalm 119 says "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119 is speaking specifically of Torah. Walking in the light - the Truth of God's Word, specifically Torah, is a prerequisite for being cleansed from sin (lawlessness) by the blood of the Father's own dear Son, Yeshua. We all commit lawless acts - we all sin. If we say we don't we are a liar and are not walking in the light. The light shows us what the Law of God is and shows us our transgression that we might come to Him for cleansing forgiveness and to be placed back on the road of obedience. But we must first acknowledge that the Law is the mark to hit. Torah, the Decalogue (Ten Commandments - literally Ten Words) and the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible - Torah in Hebrew) is the mark to hit. Consider the Hebrew word "Torah" and it's root word, "yarah."

H8451

tôrâh

to-raw', to-raw'

From H3384; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch:-law.

H3384

yârâh yârâ'

yaw-raw', yaw-raw'

A primitive root; properly to flow as water (that is, to rain); transitively to lay or throw (especially an arrow, that is, to shoot); figuratively to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach:- (+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach (-er, -ing), through.

The Greek word, "harmatia" is the word our English word, "sin" comes from. Its root is the Greek word, "hamartino" which means "to miss the mark." It is a term used in archery for missing the target. Yarah is throw or shoot, point, aiming, and teach. Pay careful attention to these words. In essence, the concept of Torah and sin is, is this: Torah, the Decalogue and the first five, foundational books of God's Word, is His instructions to His people. We are to be taught that these are the marks we are to aim for and strive to hit. We sin - miss the mark - all the time. But the main point is that we accept them as His mark and, by faith in Him, we want to hit the mark. Who shoots an arrow, with any seriousness, and does not want to hit the mark. If you are of that mindset you are not really an archer. You are simply an actor, a pretender - a hypocrite. We become an archer with the ability to hit the target by trusting in God's work of grace in our lives - the New Covenant - causing us to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments. For Scriptural authority for these statements, see Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:24-27, Ephesians 2:8-10 and Hebrews 8:8-12. We have been set free from the bondage to sin (Romans 6) and have become a willing slave to God and His righteous standard (Romans 6 and Romans 8, especially Verse 7 and 8).

A Willing Slave to God

God is very explicit in His instructions to those who will choose to give up their own headship over their lives and give that headship to Messiah. The Apostle Paul referred to himself as a "bondservant" of Messiah Yeshua in Romans 1:1. The Greek word, translated as "servant" in the King James and "bondservant" in the New King James Version of the Bible, is "doulos." It means a slave. Paul was a willing slave to Messiah. In Romans 6 we receive further clarification from Paul; "but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members (hands, arms, feet, legs, mouth, ears, eyes, etc) as instruments of righteousness to God." Paul says, in Romans 6:14, that we can do that because sin no longer has dominion over us. We've been set free from sin so that we can become willing slaves to God. But that needs further clarification. God's way is for a true convert, one who is born again of His Spirit to no longer serve sin and to serve God. We've been set free from being in bondage to sin and now we are to be in bondage to God. "What," you ask?" We are not in bondage. We've experienced grace, a free gift. We're completely free! Interestingly enough that is what the Pharisees said to Yeshua in John 8. When He told them if they would abide in His Word that they would be His disciples, and they would know the Truth and the Truth would set them free. They told Him they were Abraham's descendants and had never been in bondage to anyone! A quick reading of Scripture shows their delusion. They had been in bondage many times due to their straying from a faithful Torah life. In fact they were in bondage to Rome when Messiah was talking to them. But He was talking about bondage to sin- lawlessness, which is the reason for their physical bondage at that time and every time in their past, even until today. He told them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin." You must remember that John told us explicitly that "Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." Keep in mind the subject of this thesis; hypocrisy in the church. Being a hypocrite is being a pretender or an actor. You can't hide hypocrisy from the Lord ever, and you won't be able to hide it from those who are really born again for very long. Living out the Word of God necessitates selflessness and pretenders will show their true colors before long. The pretenders don't have a real love for God and His Word. They have a love of self. They are not willing slaves to God. They are still slaves to sin - lawlessness and the demands of lawlessness will overpower the actor sooner or later.

Set Free to be a Slave to God

In Verse 18 of Romans 1 Paul says, "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." The Greek word for slaves, used in Verse 18, is douloo. It means "being enslaved, under bondage, being made a servant." Isn't that interesting? Paul is saying that a born again person has been liberated from sin and now is under bondage to righteousness. But the popular thought is that we're free to do what seems best to us. At least that is the way many live their "born again" lives. Being set free to become under bondage is a very foreign thought to most professing believers. What can Paul mean by this statement?

Paul, always laying his case out like a legal brief, becomes specific in describing what he means by being set free from sin and becoming a slave to righteousness. In Verse 19 Paul says, "I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness." We must take a careful look at what Paul is saying here. He is further clarifying what we were enslaved to before being born again by God the Spirit, and what we have become a slave to post new birth. We are no longer slaves to sin but are now willing slaves to God.

Lawlessness - Sin

Paul tells us what sin is. But the Lord did as well. Do a search on Messiah's references to lawlessness and the rebuke for making His commandments of no effect. Paul says we were formerly in bondage to sin and now we've been liberated. He says that we were in bondage to uncleanness and lawlessness. If you do a New Testament search for lawlessness you will find that it is straightforwardly defined by the Apostle John, in his first epistle, as sin. In fact his words echo Paul's in that he says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." You will also find that the anti-Christ is identified as the "man of lawlessness." Another place you will find it said, "because of lawlessness the love of many will grow cold." Sin is, by Biblical definition, transgressing God's Law. You see, God, being a just God, will not hold anyone to an undefined standard. He tells us explicitly that the standard of righteousness is His instructions. His instructions are contained in Torah, which means instruction. In the Greek it is translated "nomos." That makes it tough to sort out in the New Testament because it is not a specific word for God's Law. It is used in other applications so context dictates when it is speaking of Torah. Nomos is translated "law" in English. Sin is transgressing God's Law. The very concept of uncleanness is from Torah. And Paul says that, prior to being born again we were in bondage to uncleanness and lawlessness - sin. This is a clear concept throughout the Scriptures.

What is Righteousness?

Paul is contrasting lawlessness and uncleanness to righteousness in Romans 6. Lawlessness and righteousness are polar opposites. So if sin is lawlessness then righteousness is law abiding. God's standard of righteousness is Torah. Paul goes on to say in Romans 7 that the Law - Torah - is a delight, good and holy and is spiritual. This is very interesting in light of the professing church teaching that the Law is of the flesh. That can't be the case when Paul says specifically that the Law is spiritual. Either it is spiritual or it is of the flesh. Torah is from God and God is Spirit. Therefore the Torah is spiritual. Consider Romans 8:5-8. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh (man-made things), but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit (God's established written Word - Torah, the Prophets and all of Scripture- the Spirit's job is to write God's Law on our hearts). For to be carnally minded is death (the wages of sin - lawlessness is death), but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it not subject to the Law of God, not indeed can be." Consider the carnal or flesh oriented mind. It is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be. The word carnal is the same as the word flesh. It means the "human nature."

Human nature is contrary to God's nature. It is at enmity with God's nature. God's character and nature are embodied in His Word, specifically in Torah. How can I say that? Because it is consistently what the prophets called the people to return to.

When we read that the carnal mind cannot be "subject" to the Law of God we need to really consider what Paul is saying. The Greek word that we get "subject" from is "hupotasso." It means to "subordinate." So what Paul is saying that the one who has his mind on the things of the flesh is not subordinate to the Law of God and the reason is because they cannot be. You cannot serve two masters. So, conversely, to have one's mind fixed on the Spirit and the things of God will cause one to become subordinate to the Law of God - bondservants, willing slaves to righteousness. It is really a very clear picture, if you are willing to set your mind on the things of the Spirit and take them off the commandments and doctrines of men. But the professing church teaches just the opposite; we are free in regards to God's Law. We are no longer subordinate to it. Jesus did away with it. The Scripture tells us an entirely different story. Scripture is Truth. Let God be true and every man a liar. So the initial question of this thesis was "Is the church - the professing body of Messiah - full of hypocrites? Are the pews filled with those who are mere actors and pretenders concerning faith in Him? In light of the Scriptures, what is the answer?

A Wide Smooth Road to Destruction

Sad to say, it is true. The church is full of actors and pretenders. Messiah had much to say about it in Matthew 7. In Verse 13 He said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." Hypocrites love the wide gate and the broad way. It is subjective to their preferences and not subject to the Law of God. Yeshua is saying that the gate and way that leads to destruction is easy, there are no obstacles. You will not be uncomfortable or have feelings of guilt and conviction. It's easy and everyone is on it, as He said, "there are many who go in by it." The church says, "We are very comfortable with what we believe and practice because the church fathers taught it and after all the vast majority of the church believes it. How can they all be wrong?" My question in response: Do you think the Scribes and the Pharisees and those who followed them said the same thing in response the Master when He confronted them about their traditions that He said made His commandments of no effect? Is the church somehow superior to those men? How arrogant to think that? And how do you reconcile the Words of Yeshua that the way to destruction is wide and easy and the majority are on it, while the road that leads to Him is narrow and difficult, filled with obstacles, and there are a puny few traveling that road?

A Difficult and Narrow Road Leads to Eternal Life

Yeshua went on to say in Verse 14, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." These are sobering words. The word for narrow is "stenos" which means narrow and with obstacles. In other words it is not an easy access way. Then he says that the true way is difficult. This word means tribulation, to feel crowded. It builds on the word "narrow" to show it as very confining. Then Messiah makes a very frightening statement; "and there are few who find it." The word "few" is the Greek word "oligos." Oligos means "puny" as in a puny number. Consider what He is saying about the narrow and difficult way, when you feel like you have safety in saying that the whole of the church has believed this way for years and after all the great teachers of our day teach this and their churches are filled. Yeshua is saying, "Don't find comfort in the numbers of people who see something a particular way. The fact is that a very puny number of people who say they are my people are really my people. You will know them by their fruit. If they say they love me they will show it by keeping my commandments." This is a serious matter. I implore the reader to consider what Messiah is really saying.

Saying You are a Follower of Messiah Does Not Purchase Your Entrance

Finally, in Matthew 7:21-23, Messiah says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into 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 then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness."

A Warning

At the risk of being accused of being arrogant and a self proclaimed prophet, among some of the nicer things I've already been called, I implore you to hear the voice of the Lord. Please listen carefully. I don't understand all of God's Word. No one on earth understands Him completely as His ways are beyond our comprehension. How can one fathom the love of God that would send His only begotten Son to die a cruel death on a cross as a sacrifice for the lawlessness of people who hate His ways and Him? But we can know some things about God. He is a holy God who hates lawlessness. He hates lawlessness because it goes against who He is and it has taken His creation away from Him. He is a just God and He has not left us orphans and enslaved to lawlessness. God has given us His Word and is very explicit in it how we are to worship Him - live for Him. We must live for Him as living sacrifices, worshipping in Spirit and Truth. It is His Spirit writing His Truth - Law on our hearts and causing us to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments. We cannot pretend or act like we are a believer. One who pretends is not a believer and you will know them by their attitude towards the Word of God. To reject any part of it as outdated or not for us, or to see it from a human perspective and discount it says that you are a pretender.

But God is merciful toward those who confess Him as their Lord, submitting to the Truth of His Word. Such a one may not understand it all but is willing to do all that He can, by faith in Messiah, to be obedient to God's commandments. That is a real believer. A real believer says that "God is true and every man is a liar." A hypocrites says, "You see it your way and I'll see it mine and we'll both get there anyway." A real believer says, "God I see your commandments and I don't understand them all and I don't think I can get them right, but I'm trying. Help me, and help my unbelief." The hypocrite says, "God, I see your commandments and I don't understand them and I can't do them so I'm not even going to try. You will understand, won't you God?" That line of thinking is subject to man's interpretation and is a wide easy way that a lot of people who profess to follow Messiah are traveling on. Try standing before a holy and just God with that line of thinking. Those negative attitudes toward God's Word are hypocritical.

Please, consider your attitude towards God's Word. Instead of getting angry and spending inordinate amounts of time trying to disprove the very Word you say you believe, simply believe it and do it. Put the Lord to the test. See if He is not sweet. See if His burden is easy and His yoke light, just as He promised.

Please consider the Words of Messiah in John's Gospel, Chapter Three. Remember what we've already learned from the Scriptures in considering this portion of text. Yeshua is the Living Word. The only Word in existence at that time was the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, etc.). Keep in mind that the Scriptures tell us that His Word (from Psalms and had to be speaking of Torah) is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Please, remember Messiah's prayer for us, to the Father, "Sanctify them by Your Truth. Your Word is Truth." With this in mind, please consider what Messiah says in John 3:16-21.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light (Torah) and does not to the light (Torah), lest his deeds should be exposed (Torah reveals sin - lawlessness). But he who does (an action on the part of the believer) the truth (Torah is Truth) comes to the light (Torah - Scriptures), that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." A real believer is one who does the commandments. A hypocrite is one who does not even want to consider the Torah (light) because it exposes his deeds as lawless. Paul said, "I would not have known sin except through the Law. Let him who has ears to hear, hear what God has said and is still saying.