Christian Resource Centre Akure: We Don’t Fool God If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. - (1 John 1:8) I think the word “hypocrite” is misused a lot. For example, if you happen to be hammering away on something and suddenly miss the nail and hit your thumb, you might scream a word that you should not have. And if a nonbeliever overhears you, he or she might call you a hypocrite. But are you really a hypocrite? I don’t think so. I think you are a human. I am not excusing sin; I am just explaining it. We are all sinners. And Christians do still sin, unfortunately. The Bible says, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:8–9). It is only a matter of time until we will fall short in some way, shape, or form. We will say the wrong thing. We won’t do the right thing. But that doesn’t make us hypocrites; that just makes us flawed. A hypocrite is different. Originally, the word “hypocrite” simply meant “actor.” In the dramas of early Greece, an actor would hold a mask in front of his face as he was portraying a character. When the mask was in front of his face, he was the hypocrite. It wasn’t a negative word. To call someone a hypocrite today, however, is a criticism—even an insult. Judas was a hypocrite. He pretended to be something he was not. So it is when we act as though we are Christians and we are not. We may fool a few people. We may even fool some of the people all of the time. But we never will fool God any of the time. Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. —Jeremiah 6:16
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:53:32 +0000
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