Hypocrisy is pretense , when a person hides his true identity behind a mask. Hypocrisy leads people to have contradictory attitudes, not practicing what they teach. Jesus condemned hypocrisy.
The hypocritical person lives in deception. His life is full of contradictions between:
- What you teach and what you do
- Your outward actions and your heart
- Your judgment of yourself and your judgment of others
- God’s Law and its own rules
Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day – the Pharisees and the teachers of the law – for being hypocrites. On the outside, they seemed to be very spiritual people, because they followed all the rules of Judaism to the letter, but on the inside, they were not truly dedicated to God ( Matthew 23: 27-28 ). They followed the rules but not for the love of God. Therefore, their religiosity was hollow .
The Pharisees had created several rules that were unnecessary or that contradicted the word of God. In following these rules, they thought they were obeying God but were actually ignoring His commandments ( Matthew 23: 23-24 ). They deceived themselves!
Some Pharisees thought they were superior to others, because they followed all their rules. They did not recognize that they were also sinners who needed forgiveness, just like the people they despised. They demanded that everyone obey all the rules (human and divine), when they could not do it themselves! – Matthew 23: 2-4
See also: who were the Pharisees and Sadducees?
How to fight hypocrisy?
It is very easy to fall into hypocrisy. Almost everyone falls into this error in some situation. Therefore, it is important to recognize hypocrisy and seek to change.
The first step in combating hypocrisy is to admit your own faults . When you try to hide your mistakes, you fall into hypocrisy, deceiving yourself ( 1 John 1: 8-9 ). Honesty is the best medicine for hypocrisy.
But recognition without repentance is useless. Try to change what is wrong in your life. To do this, ask for God’s help.
Cultivate a humble attitude. Arrogance and a feeling of superiority are signs of hypocrisy. But those who have humility have a balanced view of themselves and others.
Find out here: what is humility?
Above all, have love. A lot of hypocrisy comes out of fear of what other people will think if they see who you really are. Love drives fear away ( 1 John 4:18 ). Whoever loves his brothers does not want to deceive him or feel the need to show himself superior. Love is the cure for many ills, including hypocrisy.
ypocrisy is pretense , when a person hides his true identity behind a mask. Hypocrisy leads people to have contradictory attitudes, not practicing what they teach. Jesus condemned hypocrisy.
The hypocritical person lives in deception. His life is full of contradictions between:
- What you teach and what you do
- Your outward actions and your heart
- Your judgment of yourself and your judgment of others
- God’s Law and its own rules
Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day – the Pharisees and the teachers of the law – for being hypocrites. On the outside, they seemed to be very spiritual people, because they followed all the rules of Judaism to the letter, but on the inside, they were not truly dedicated to God ( Matthew 23: 27-28 ). They followed the rules but not for the love of God. Therefore, their religiosity was hollow .
The Pharisees had created several rules that were unnecessary or that contradicted the word of God. In following these rules, they thought they were obeying God but were actually ignoring His commandments ( Matthew 23: 23-24 ). They deceived themselves!
Some Pharisees thought they were superior to others, because they followed all their rules. They did not recognize that they were also sinners who needed forgiveness, just like the people they despised. They demanded that everyone obey all the rules (human and divine), when they could not do it themselves! – Matthew 23: 2-4
See also: who were the Pharisees and Sadducees?
How to fight hypocrisy?
It is very easy to fall into hypocrisy. Almost everyone falls into this error in some situation. Therefore, it is important to recognize hypocrisy and seek to change.
The first step in combating hypocrisy is to admit your own faults . When you try to hide your mistakes, you fall into hypocrisy, deceiving yourself ( 1 John 1: 8-9 ). Honesty is the best medicine for hypocrisy.
But recognition without repentance is useless. Try to change what is wrong in your life. To do this, ask for God’s help.
Cultivate a humble attitude. Arrogance and a feeling of superiority are signs of hypocrisy. But those who have humility have a balanced view of themselves and others.
Find out here: what is humility?
Above all, have love. A lot of hypocrisy comes out of fear of what other people will think if they see who you really are. Love drives fear away ( 1 John 4:18 ). Whoever loves his brothers does not want to deceive him or feel the need to show himself superior. Love is the cure for many ills, including hypocrisy.
