C A R L B. G A R N E R

'THE HOMAGE VICE PAYS TO VIRTUE'

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote:
"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally being bewildered as to which may be the true."

We may think we are fooling others with our hypocrisy, but it is the most visible sin in the eyes of others. When we engage in some form of deceit, we think no one can see through it. When we tell someone how great they are in order to gain some advantage with them, we are often surprised to find that the hidden purpose in our words is more obvious than we thought. Jesus saw such behavior in the actions and words of Jewish leaders. To those listening, He said plainly, "All their works they do for to be seen of men." They "talked a good game," or as Jesus said, "they say and do not," Matthew 23:3-5. They cared more for the praise of men than the praise of God.

The word translated "hypocrite" in the New Testament is hupocrites, defined as "one who plays a part; a stage actor." W. E. Vine says, "It was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word came to be used metaphorically of a dissembler, a hypocrite."

No one can be sure, but many believe Nicodemus' words in John 3:2 were motivated by hypocrisy. Tertullus, Paul's prosecutor in the court of Felix, began his speech with flattery, Acts 24:2-4. In Luke 20:21, the same men who were rebuked in Matthew 23 began their questioning of Jesus with flattering words. So, Jesus knows what flattery looks like and sounds like, and He doesn't like it any more today than He did then.

On the other hand, the Bible also discusses the antithesis of hypocrisy, sincerity. More than one word is used to instruct us in this matter, but they all reveal a person whose speech and actions are pure, unsullied, free from falsehood or deceit, unfeigned. Old Testament words like perfect, undefiled and unfeigned portray this same idea.

In the New Testament we read the following:
€ "That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ," Philippians 1:10.
€ "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently," 1 Peter 1:22.
€ "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth," 1 Peter 2:22.
€ "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good," Romans 12:9.
€ "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby," 1 Peter 2:1-2.

Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of hypocrisy when they lied about a contribution they made, Acts 5:1-11. Paul had to rebuke Peter and others who exhibited hypocrisy, and did so publicly, Galatians 2:11-14.
However, it is one thing to know that hypocrisy is wrong, but another thing entirely to recognize it in our own actions. Please consider some illustrations of this problem.

IN OUR WORSHIP
Israel was merely going through the motions of worship to Jehovah, and He rejected it, Isaiah 1:11f. Our worship must be from our heart, not just our mouth. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth," John 4:24. When you sing, do you sing to the Lord, or just to enjoy the melody and the harmony? What about your prayers...your thoughts while taking the Lord's Supper? Are they mere hypocrisy?

IN OUR GIVING
Christians in Corinth had been talking about making a contribution for the poor, but they never did anything but talk. Paul told them that when you give to the Lord's work, you "prove the sincerity of your love," 2 Corinthians 8:8. The amount and attitude of your giving prove whether or not you are sincere in your profession of love for God.

IN OUR EXAMPLE
To see a person profess to be a Christian on Sunday, but live during the week as though he/she had never known Christ is a tragic, yet familiar sight. If you are not a Christian on Saturday, you are not a Christian on Sunday either. It is a 24-hour-a-day profession. The surest way to limit the power of the Gospel is to play the hypocrite. That is exactly what is meant by the words of Revelation 3:15-16: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Lukewarm! Truly, hypocrisy makes God sick! La Rochefoucauld was right when he said, "Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue." Will you join me in trying to eliminate this defect in our lives? If we are ever to lead others to Christ we must avoid all hypocrisy.