Take Off Your Mask

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My skin crawls when I hear the word "hypocrite." Christians, on social media, get accused of being one all the time. Hypocrisy, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform'" The reason I dislike this word being thrown around is that it is used in the wrong way. If we call out something as a sinful act (I will let it up to your imagination to think of any hotly debated topic in America), we are seen as haters of the very people that participate in those sinful acts when, in reality, we love those people deeply. Just like a parent who wants to keep their child from danger, we want to keep these people's souls from what we feel will be eternal danger. I wrote about this in my blog "Caution! Danger Ahead" on May 4, 2025, if you want to go back and read that post. 

The second reason I dislike this word being thrown around is because although I attempt to live according to a biblical worldview and call myself a follower of God does not mean I will not mess up. I am still a human living in this evil world. I will at times say (and believe) one way but will talk or act the opposite. Yes, that is the definition of being a hypocrite, but I bet if we talked long enough, we would discover that you as a non-Christian have been hypocritical at one point in your life as well. Hypocrisy is a sin. Call me a sinner. I can accept that, try to do better, and thank God that I am saved only by His grace! You can be too.  

The rest of this blog is for the Christian only, the one following the teachings of Christianity (from the Bible and NOT your favorite podcast preacher). Non-Christians cannot be expected to live by the same standards, so you get a pass on this side of heaven. Thank you for reading this far. Fellow Christian, we must be careful with how we speak and act. We are to be set apart from the rest of the world. Family, co-workers, friends and even strangers should be able to look at us and know something is different about us. This should show in our actions, our outward demeanor and on our faces. Are we putting on a mask while around each other to look good in our Christian setting, but taking it off once we leave the church parking lot? Are we professing to be "family," but not caring for those who are struggling within our own church building?

Luke 12:1-3 paraphrased by The Message says, "By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other's toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, 'Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town." Pharisees were Jewish leaders in Jesus' time who strictly followed the law of Moses, which was inspired by God. So, they were doing a good thing, but the motives of their hearts were in the wrong place. They walked around with an outward appearance of righteousness and importance, but Jesus actually called them out as hypocrites in Matthew 23:25-26 (CSB), "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside of it may also become clean."

We must do more than put on our spiritual masks and look good. We must let the Word of God change our hearts to be good. We should desire to be authentic, not phony, in every aspect of our Christian walk. Our true selves will be exposed eventually anyway, whether it is on earth or in heaven, we will be held responsible for the condition of our heart. Take off your mask and be real with God because He sees your true face anyway and He wants to mold you into His likeness. 

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