Dealing with Christian Hypocrisy, Part One

In this blog post I'm going to argue that it's a virtue to be somewhat hypocritical. Later in this series, I'll write about the ugly types of hypocrisy and how, as a Christian, I'm to deal with it. Webster's defines hypocrisy as, "the professing of publicly approved qualities, beliefs, or feelings that one does not really possess." At the

outset I'd like to accuse every human being (except Jesus) throughout history as being a hypocrite. All of us, to some degree, have tried to make ourselves appear better than we really are. Certainly my posts on social media reflect a better me than actually exists.

So here's my argument for a good type of hypocrisy. We should aspire to be better than we are, and we should take concrete steps to "put on" our better self. Part of maturity is recognizing flaws in my character and then doing my part in overcoming those flaws. As a Christian, I know that true change happens inside my heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. Typically, the Spirit transforms us by first showing us our flaws and sins. We are to respond to this "conviction" by being honest with God and confessing these flaws and sins to Him. Not only does this create a more honest and open relationship with Him, but it gives God the go ahead to change us. Of course, change is often painfully slow.

Let's look at a hypothetical guy named Joe. He's a recovering anger addict. In the past, Joe has had many verbal outbursts and owns a permanently flat nose thanks to many fisticuffs and bar fights. The good news is that since he's been a Christian, God has taken away much of the anger. However, some of the anger is still there and Joe occasionally has intense desires to cold cock rude people. He's managed to resist that temptation and has even stopped cussing people out. Joe has taken steps to "put on" his new self even when the old temptations flair up. Similar to the Webster definition of hypocrisy, Joe is professing "publicly approved qualities, beliefs, or feelings" that he doesn't completely possess. And slowly but surely he's possessing from the heart the positive qualities that are the antithesis to anger.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "Lead with the body to open the heart to the Spirit." This means that we should take steps to embrace a mature character trait that we may not yet possess. God rewards this outward step of faith by making it an inward reality in our hearts.

So, in a way, Christians are appropriately being something they are not, believing that God will eventually make their aspiration a reality in their heart. If there were such a thing as good hypocrisy, this is it.

Future posts will deal with ugly hypocrisy, and why I'm still a Christian despite the failures of Christians throughout history. Blessings.