KEEPING IT 100 ~ EXPOSING HYPOCRISY ~ Part 2

 

Have you ever been accused of being a hypocrite? What was your reaction? How did it make you feel? The definition of the Greek word hypocrite is an actor, stage player, pretender, or dissembler. A dissembler is a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.

 

Today we hear the expressions, ‘keeping it real’, or ‘keeping it 100’. They both mean the same thing. These are slang phrases that mean “stay true to yourself”, “be yourself and live by your values no matter what anyone else says” is the idea. In prison, I had my first encounters with the phrase, ‘for real, for real’. Seems everyone is looking for genuine authenticity and truthfulness. Nobody likes a hypocrite.

As the girls were known to say in prison—for real, for real. Can I ask you why the need to stress the fact that something is ‘real’? Is it because lying is so acceptable or because people have lost touch with reality?

Excerpt: Living Beneath the Tapestry and Within the Veil ~ Karla Podlucky

 

We’ve all watched movies or television shows where the heroin of the story finds herself involved with someone in whom the audience has already witnessed some hypocrisy. We silently scream, “Nooooooo! Don’t fall for it! It’s a trap!” Eventually, the villainess reveals her true character. The mask slips or lays forgotten on the dressing table that day.

True believers need to be known for keeping it real. The difference between them and the world is that they are to stay true to who they are in Christ. They cannot look like the world all week long and Christ on Sundays. 

In my last blog post, I stated that many unbelievers use the excuse for not wanting to hear the truth of the gospel because they perceive many professing believers to be hypocrites. It’s also important to note that true believers can be accused of being hypocritical by unbelievers for the simple fact that true believers are called to a pursuit of holiness but are not perfect. True believers are sinners saved by grace, but they are still being sanctified. They should look as different from the world as light is from darkness. Having said that, Christians are still growing up in Christ and can be at different maturity levels in this growth process. Being made holy, they progressively grow into the likeness of Christ their Lord as they continue to walk with Him in this world.

 

Having made that distinction, there are only two types of people—saved and unsaved. Believers and unbelievers live in different realms, serve different masters, and promote very different kingdoms. Jesus taught that it was important for us to learn to discern between the two as did the other New Testament writers.

 

Corinth was an extremely carnal city. The church there (with many new converts) was still in a very immature state, and Paul dealt with them accordingly. And how do we deal with children? With patience and a lot of disciplined teaching—training in righteousness. When we are discipling someone ourselves, we need to remember this is a process. My oldest and youngest are twelve years apart. You can’t discipline a toddler and a teenager the same way! To do so would be absurd. But lack of discipline is not optional. Paul was dealing with a lot of baby Christians. Yet, he could not condone sin.

 

In one instance, a member of the church was having an illicit affair. With what they thought was a loving, attitude, they were tolerating this member’s sin, but Paul had to correct their false ideas. In 1 Corinthians 5 he is making a clear distinction they need to use as a gauge in learning to discern between true believers and false professors. Why? Even though there will always be the wheat and the tares living together within the church this side of heaven, Paul makes it clear that it is important to distinguish between the two and to practice church discipline to keep the church as pure as possible. This is not a call to disassociate ourselves or separate ourselves from the unbelievers in our lives; we must always keep in mind that we have two different ways in which we interact with believers and unbelievers. With believers we share in mutual edification in Christ. With unbelievers, we evangelize in order that they might be brought into the Kingdom and family of God. Both edification and evangelization sometimes bring conviction but are both always done in love.

 

In Corinthians 5 Paul addresses the need to deal firmly with this sin in the body of Christ in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13­—I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE EVIL PERSON FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

 

Paul says there are sexually immoral people in the world. Sometimes, there are sexually immoral people found inside the church. He says believers need to associate with sinners in the world. It is those who profess to be a brother or sister in Christ living in sin whom we are not to associate with. So-called, or one who professes Christ. So-called literally means one who names the name of Christ. The church is to judge those inside the church. This is a Matthew 18 situation that needs to be dealt with by the church.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:6-7 says: Now we command you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. And in verses 14-15: If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person so as not to associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. And yet do not regard that person as an enemy, but admonish that one as a brother or sister.

 

Here we see the purpose for church discipline. Paul, an apostle appointed by the Lord, has been given authority to speak in the Lord’s name. There are no apostles today because the Word is the authority of the church. The church was to take notice of anyone (‘distinguish by marking’) inside the church who would not obey the apostle’s teaching. To obey was to submit to, heed, or conform to a command or authority. Christians commit themselves to Christ’s Lordship when they are saved. It is the loving thing to do to call a disobedient Christian to repentance. The disobedient will either repent or continue in stubborn rebellion. Church discipline is a process. It is not something that was to happen overnight so as to give the Holy Spirit time to work in that one’s heart. After being called to repentance a number of times, but still refusing to repent, that so-called brother was to be put out of the church. He was not to be associated with unless it was to continue to call him to repentance. Why go to such great lengths? Always first and foremost, to restore the one in rebellion to a right relationship with God and His family. Be put to shame means reverence, regard, be ashamed, to turn about. The Greek word is often used for respect. Church discipline was also instituted to keep the church pure so that its light would not be distorted or dimmed to a dark, lost world.

 

I thought it was also interesting that even while going through the process of calling one back to repentance, that one who is a so-called brother or sister, the church was not to regard that one as an enemy, but to admonish him or her as a brother or sister. Romans 5:10 says we were all enemies of God before He saved us. All unbelievers are enemies of God. Going back to 1 Corinthians 5, believers are to associate with God’s enemies evangelizing them in love leaving their judgment to God. The church judges her own by not associating with those who refuse to repent. Admonish means warn, exhort, to put in mind, to caution or reprove gently.

 

In 1 Corinthians 4:14, Paul uses the same words for shame and admonish as he did in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Admonishment always has a good purpose. It is the heart of the one who is being admonished that makes a difference for its intended outcome. Sometimes admonishment is meant to shame; other times is only meant to encourage and teach.

 

Discipline is good. You see the word disciple in this word. A disciple is a learner. We all are better for having been disciplined as children. For they (our earthly fathers) disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10). We are called to be holy, as His children. 1 Peter 1:15-16 commands us: But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

 

We are called to be a separated people. Why? Because He has sanctified us and continues to do so all the way to glory. We have been set apart by Him, for Him. I have written about this extensively in my book, Living Beneath the Tapestry and Within the Veil ~ God’s Sanctifying Work in the Lives of His Suffering Saints so I won’t go into much more detail here, but I want to leave you with one more passage today.

 

Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

 

“I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;

AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.

“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;

And I will welcome you.

And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Says the Lord Almighty.

 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

 

Believers are not to be mismatched or bound together with unbelievers. This is any instance where there is ministry involved. As John MacArthur always says, believers are not to be bound to unbelievers in any spiritual enterprise.

 

Christian unity is based upon shared life in Christ. But we cannot join in spiritual enterprises with everyone who calls themselves a Christian. Mutual alignment with the true Gospel must be the determining factor for joining in ministry with anyone who professes to follow Christ. Vital to a true profession of faith is that one is justified by grace through faith in Christ alone apart from works. Defining or clarifying the true gospel is a major theme in every one of Paul’s letters. In 2 Corinthians, the apostle presents a clear picture of how an understanding of the true gospel will naturally affect our relationships. The fact that the gospel is so radically opposed to human thinking should naturally cause divisions in the realm of our spiritual enterprises.

 

God’s people have always been called to separate from false teachers and false religious systems. There is no place there to negotiate, for the distinction between truth and error (especially regarding the gospel), is sharply divided.

 

Called to be separate, believers are not to be unequally bound together with unbelievers. We are called to be separated, but not isolated.

 

~ Excerpts from:  Living Beneath the Tapestry and Within the Veil

 

Sometimes hypocrites are easy to discern. When it comes to spiritual matters of the heart, hypocrites are not always so obvious. We will continue looking at exposing hypocrites in the blog posts to come.