THIS MATTER OF HYPOCRISY

ROMANS, Chapter 2 – Verses 1-4

By David Woodbury

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?  (Romans 2:1-4 – NLT)

Here Paul is addressing Jewish Christians living in Rome. He wants these Jews to realise that they do not hold a privileged position before God; they are just as greater sinners as those he identified in the final verses of chapter 1. Consequently, when he condemns the non-Jews he is also condemning himself and his fellow Jews. In the final analysis, he will not be judged by his racial qualifications but rather than the kind of lifestyle that he has chosen.

There was a sense in which the Jews believed: It can’t happen to me! The Jews, because of their heritage to Abraham, believed they had special privileges. They erroneously presumed on the mercy of God and we see a parallel today with people who feel that they are church members and observe certain rituals they have a special place in the mercy of God. Not only is there a sense of hypocrisy in their lives there, is also a presence of arrogance.

In the previous chapter Paul has defined people whose lives manifest the chosen, sinful lifestyle that will result in their abandonment by God. People, who wilfully continue to practice a lifestyle that incurs his anger; those, to put it colloquially, thumb their nose at God. Now he addresses the hypocrisy that is often present within the Christian church. You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse. When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these same things. (Romans 2:1 NLT)

One of the great failings of the Christian church is that of a judgmental attitude; the rush to quickly see and denounce the faults of others. It’s probably within the nature of humanity to intentionally seek out and judge those whose behaviour is perceived to be worse than theirs. Jesus knew that this would become a problem in the church that had its foundation on him and warned against it; And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  (Luke 6:41 – NLT)

Paul’s indignation against those whom God has abandoned may well give grounds for a quick and condemnatory judgement but that is not the way of the Christian. The rush to judgment needs to be replaced by the law of love and compassion. A quick judgmental response will, in most cases, result in a defensive reaction and inevitably resentment and isolation, and any possibility of a redemptive conversation will be lost.

In reality, it is difficult at times not to fall into a judgmental frame of mind and there are circumstances in life where we have to evaluate certain circumstances that border of a judgment. In Matthew 7:1-2 Jesus states a crucial element of the Gospel; that of passing judgment on others and the resultant personal implications. He said that this matter of judging others has serious consequences for us personally.  Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. (Matthew 7:1-2 – NLT)

If Christians were to keep this teaching of Jesus constantly in their minds as an ever-inclusive benchmark, two things would follow:

(a)   they would be a happier and more contented since they are not continually scrutinising and being upset by the behaviour of others,

(b)  They would have better relationships with the rest of humanity since others would not be aware and sensitive to being continually judged.

Jesus warns about judging

Confronted by the Jewish leaders in a matter of judgment on a woman caught in the act of adultery  (John 8:1-11), Jesus not only turns the tables on her accusers but refuses to condemn the woman. He said to her, Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you? “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” He does not condone her sin or even indicate to her that it is of little consequence, but rather refuses to condemn her and also offers her counsel she cannot miss; go and sin no more. Here is the pattern for the Christian when faced with a situation in which they feel they must pass judgment on another.

This concept of a judgmental attitude in the Christian is to do with an ongoing mindset rather than a specific occurrence. All of us fall into judgmental positions at certain moments, but this is more to do with a lifestyle attitude; one that intentionally looks for the faults in others.

Paul’s emphasis here is directed to Christians who are not only judgmental but also live by a double ethical standard. They are quick to condemn others while at the same time excusing questionable behaviour in their lifestyles. It may well be that judgment on the Christian could be harsher for as Paul suggests; and you have no excuse (Romans 2:1 NLT) While there must be always tolerance within the church, the matter of hypocrisy needs to be rigorously addressed both at a personal and church management level. Hypocrisy is an ever-present problem within most church communities and needs to be acutely and sensitively monitored and addressed.