A Believer in Need of Grace?

 Often when I write, I am sharing with you all the things that I feel the Lord is teaching me. Some are for my growth, other for my understanding, still other things that lead me to having grace on the people I meet in my life who are struggling just as much as I am but in a different area. Grace is a powerful thing, much needed but often overlooked.

I usually approach what I am saying from the perspective of being a believer in Christ Jesus. Not everyone who reads this is (or maybe even wants to be?) a believer but since I am, that is the basis of my beliefs. Another thought is that many, many Americans say they are Christians yet over 52% do not even understand the core beliefs of salvation according to what I heard quoted in our Sunday morning church service. I do not have the time to repeat everything Pastor Wilson spoke on, but there was so much truth shared that I came home with 3 pages of notes. If you are interested in understanding the basics of Christianity, want to be challenged to share truth, or are unsure how works plays into salvation, please go find my shared post from church this morning. It is worth the listen!

Today the Lord was laying on my heart the word hypocrisy. Have you ever heard someone say “Why would I want to be a Christian? They are the biggest bunch of hypocrites!” What a sad statement. Would an unbeliever give up on Christ because of me and my behavior? God Forbid!

The dictionary says hypocrisy is: The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.

That is a straightforward definition… if you claim to believe something but do not do it, you are a hypocrite. Seems like a very black and white issue, but is it? Like most things in life, is the first glance always accurate?

The Lord impressed upon my heart how I can believe something, but not always live up to my belief without being a hypocrite. This deals a lot with thoughts and actions. Stepping away from the scriptural aspect for a moment, lets consider some of my beliefs and then my action or lack of.

1) I believe that I should eat healthy. However, I often will give in and eat junk food. Am I a hypocrite?

2) I believe that I should be polite to my family. Yet how often do I fail and resort to a snarky answer or look? Am I a hypocrite?

3) I believe that each day is precious, so then why do I waste them doing frivolous things that often include neglecting the very things I want to value? Am I a hypocrite?

In Romans, the apostle Paul talks about his failures to do the things he believed in, even going so far as to do the very things he detests…. he admits to failure!

Romans 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”

Is HE a hypocrite?

I believe no, he is not. My understanding of a hypocrite is someone who SAYS they believe one way to influence other to respect them, when in reality they have no intention to live like they say. That is not the heart of most Bible believing Christians. Most of us have the best intentions, often falling short of the mark, having to ask for forgiveness and starting again.

There is a big difference between a Christian who makes mistakes and needs grace and a deceiver who simply want to trick you into believing they are something they are not. So, if you hear someone being accused of being a hypocrite, I challenge you to think “are they a deceiver or simply a believer in need of grace?”