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The Christian hypocrite
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As Christians, we sometimes hear criticisms from others regarding the hypocrisy of our faith. In the news we hear of ministers and other Christian leaders being convicted of unspeakable crimes and atrocities that are certainly unchristian. We know many who claim to be Christains who engage in behavior that might be considered immoral. Some Christians get drunk, beat their children, commit adultery, profane the name of God and seem to break every law that their beliefs require they uphold. For some, this blatant hypocrisy sullies their view on Christianity and perhaps even religion as a whole. It is regarded as proof that the Christian way of life is not consistent with human nature and reality, and therefore a false belief imposed upon us by a power-hungry institution that uses guilt and promises of the afterlife as a means of control.
Other beliefs may seem to have more integrity on the surface. The Atheist believes that human nature is animalistic. We are here to compete for resources, procreate and survive. Survival of the fittest seems to explain all subsequent human behaviors. There is no internal struggle for the atheist, he merely acts in accordance with his will for his survival or gain. Perhaps this view is so open that it struggles to explain the goodness in human beings. But for the most part it explains the presence of evil in the world sufficiently. The ends justify the means. And in the end all that matters is survival.
But if we are to be fair to the Christain view we need to examine human nature a little deeper. Humans are not merely animals but we are infused with souls and have a code of law imposed upon us by our creator. However, due to our fallen nature, we have the ability through freedom of choice to follow that law or to not follow it. Atheists have no such freedom. They are required to do that which benefits their survival at all times. Any other choice would be inconsistent. But the Christian has to choose between following the law of God or following his own law as he sees fit to create it. It is in this sense that we possess a dual nature, a mixture of both good and evil that exists within all persons that enables us to serve either God or ourselves. As we grow in our understanding of God and in his grace, we become sanctified, made more pure, and the evil nature has less control over us. As we stray from God the gift of his Holy Spirit is taken from us and we become more lost, seeking fulfillment in other earthly ways just like the heathens do. It is this dual nature in man, the presence of good and evil in all of us, that perfectly accounts for the hypocrisy of the Christian. As Paul said in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not, but what I hate I do...it is no longer I myself who do it, but sin living in me."
Of course we are hypocrites. We are all hypocrites. But through the continued grace of God and his sanctfying work we will become less so, and over time more perfect as he is perfect. To say we are not perfect is not the same as to say we can not improve, and therefore lose hope. For our hope is not in ourselves but in him who is perfect in our place fulfulling the law perfectly where we have failed.
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