Christians are hypocrites. As much as I would like to defend our honor and suggest that's not the case, the more I'm around a group of Christians (or even just alone in the car), the more I'm convinced that people who dismiss us as hypocrites aren't too far from the truth. It seems there's no getting around it, and while I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that's it's a noble trait, by any means, I do think some good can come from our failings as long as we can be honest and humble.
One thing I think we have going for us is the fact that we aren't alone in our hypocrisy, and I think this is key. Not because it allows us to start throwing stones back at other people or mentioning rubber and glue in the same sentence, but because I think it opens up the opportunity for dialog much like Paul's on Mars Hill. Except instead of identifying the unnamed god, I think we can take a look at the misunderstood foible, and echo Francois de La Rochefoucauld's pithy analysis: Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.
I would contend that hypocrisy is a near universal trait. Everybody, it seems, is guilty of failing to live up to the standards he esteems. Common solutions often involve changing the standard to a conveniently contextual one (at least as it applies to us and our situation) or slipping a subtle thumb on the scale when it comes to self-evaluation.
But this raises the inevitable question: If we're able to manipulate morality with such ease, then why are we hypocrites in the first place? If I am free to simply live by my own codes and doctrines, then why in the world, would I choose rules that are hard for me to keep?
The answer is that deep down we know we are obliged to a higher authority. We don't always agree with that higher authority, and we do what we can to kick and fight against the rules...trying to redefine them to fit our lifestyles and wants. The funny vanity of our vanity, though, is that even in defining a morality specially-crafted for ourselves, we overestimate our own discipline and end up having to tweak things from time to time, because we're not nearly as noble as we thought we were. Even according to our own definition of what it means to be noble.
The Christian recognizes and understands the authority of God, and -- at least on good days -- yields to the fact that it's not always agreeable to us. We have the potential to be the biggest hypocrites of all, because we proclaim such a great standard...and yet we're such great sinners.
The universal condition of sin pitted against the high standards of a holy God explains hypocrisy of man, but it doesn't excuse it. And this is why we need to also proclaim the message of the beautiful grace of a substitionary atonement. The standard is high, but it's been kept...not by us, but by Jesus. The penalty has been paid for the breaking of the law...not by us, but by Jesus. Our message, then, is not one of judgement and condemnation, but of hope.
We preach a message of perfect love...any yet we fail to love like we should. We preach a message of grace...and yet we're quick to treat one another harshly. We still proclaim a message of high standards, and we still fail to live up to those standards. So we're still among the greatest hypocrites around, but that can be ok...as long as we are honest in our self-awareness, and remember that the message we're proclaiming is for people just like us.
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