We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. Psalm 79:4
Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, I’d be a Christian but there are too many hypocrites in the church”? Now in absolute honesty, perhaps, you have thought that too. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to have something he doesn’t really possess. He’s a fraud, a fake, a pretender.
A young man I once knew grew up attending church. In high school, he took a part-time job in a shoe store owned by two of the deacons in a church. The young man watched the lives of those two men. He noticed they took offerings in church on Sunday, stood at the doors and greeted people, smiles pasted on their faces, and pretended to be saints, but left it all behind on Monday as they became shrewd and sometimes dishonest merchants. After a while, he got his fill of it. One Sunday morning he stormed out of the church, slamming the door behind him saying, “If that’s Christianity, I want no part of it.” I will always wonder if his life could have been different if those two deacons had not been counterfeit Christians.
The sad thing is that the failures of these two men loomed up like a dark cloud and obscured the reality of those whose lives have been authentically changed by God’s power. He only saw failures.
First, notice the mere existence of counterfeit Christianity is proof positive the real does exist. Never forget that though the imitation is often spurious, the genuine and true article exists. Because some people counterfeit Christianity, you can be sure that authentic Christianity does exist and is real. Do you remember that as a child you may have been content with fool’s gold because of its sparkle and glitter? But when you became old enough to realize it was only an imitation, you would never be satisfied with that which looked real but was not. So is it with counterfeit Christianity. Regardless of the superficial, insincere Christian faith you may see, the genuine does exist.
Second, notice that people never counterfeit that which is not valuable. Money is counterfeited because real money has value. I’ve often said nobody counterfeits brown wrapping paper. Why? It’s almost worthless. Only that which is valuable is worth counterfeiting. So, if the model of faith that you have seen in others is lacking, don’t let that make you come to the conclusion all Christianity is phony. When people tell me that a hypocrite stops them from entering the door of faith, I usually ask, “Have you ever known just one real, authentic Christian? I mean one person whom you knew was the real thing? If so, disregard the fake and seek the kind of faith you saw in the one that you knew was genuine.”
Third, notice that a hypocrite is not what a Christian is. Sometimes people try to copy Christ’s life—to live as He lived without ever inviting Him to come into their lives. The only way you can live a genuine Christian life is by having Christ in your heart.
The Bible, God’s Word, tells us a Christian is one who with sincerity of heart has confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Not a perfect person, but a new creation in Christ. Therefore, whatever may be the faults of others, remember it is your actions for which you’re responsible—not theirs.
Resource reading: Acts 5:1-11
