There’s a common complaint about the Christian Church that I’m sure you’ve heard too.  It’s possible that you even have voiced that complaint yourself: the church is full of hypocrites!  Or maybe for you it came across just a little differently.  You invited someone to church but they replied that there were too many hypocrites in the church.

There are two replies I am tempted to make when people complain about hypocrites in the church.  Part of me wants to say to such people: “Well, come on in, we’ve got plenty of room for one more hypocrite.”  Of course that’s not the way to win friends and influence people so I’ll probably opt for my other favoured reply: “Yes, I plead guilty as charged.  It’s hard for people to be consistently non-hypocritical.”

The word hypocrite comes from a Greek word meaning an actor – or someone who wears a mask.  So a hypocrite is someone who is not genuine, someone who lacks integrity.  We Aussies would say that they are not fair dinkum.  Hypocrites are people who say one thing but do another.

Hypocrites feature prominently in the Bible.  Jesus was very outspoken about hypocrisy.  He called the very religious people of His day, the Pharisees, a bunch of hypocrites.  They said one thing but did something else and Jesus told his listeners to do what they say but not to do what they do.

I think the apostle James, in his letter, also had hypocrites in mind when he told people that faith without works is dead  He was writing to people who went around saying, “I believe!  I believe!”, but they didn’t show it in their behaviour and in their lifestyle.

James says two things to these people who were quick to say, “I believe!  I believe!”  First he says, “Big deal, even the demons believe and they tremble!”  That raises some questions doesn’t it?  Who is the real hypocrite?  I’m very hesitant to even ask that question.  Hypocrite is a label that doesn’t sit comfortably with anyone.  One of the worst things you can call someone is a hypocrite.  I’m very hesitant to even insinuate that someone is a hypocrite but the apostle James in his letter forces us to face the issue.  Remember, he’s writing to people who claimed to have faith but who didn’t show it in their actions.  And now he’s saying that people who claim to believe in God but who do nothing about it are inferior to demons because at least the demons tremble at the thought of an almighty, holy God.  So the question I have to ask you is this: If you claim to believe in God, what are you doing about it?  Does it really make a difference in your life?

The other thing that James does is to show us that faith and deeds belong together inseparably.  He gives some powerful examples of people who showed their faith in their actions.  Those who claim to believe need to be fair dinkum; they need to be people of integrity.

And that’s the rub isn’t it?  That’s where the rubber hits the road.  It’s hard for us human beings to be one-hundred percent consistent.  There are times when a little hypocrisy breaks through in all of us.  James mentioned the blind spots that we have.  We condemn people that break the law that says, “You shall not kill!” but we easily lie to get us out of a tough spot.  James reminds us that the same law that says, “You shall not kill!” also says, “You shall not lie!”

I began by saying that I’m tempted to answer those who complain about hypocrites in the church by saying, “Well, come on in, there’s always room for one more!”  The point in saying that is that it’s difficult for all of us to be fair dinkum all the time.  A little hypocrisy is never far away from any of us.  We are so easily caught out at times.  But that’s the beauty of the gospel message.  Jesus came and died on the cross for us hypocrites and he is the one who empowers us so that our deeds will match our words.

John Westendorp