Are There Hypocrites in Church?

This is one of the main reasons people give for why they don’t go to church or believe in God. I have been told that, “You have people that sit in church on Sunday and look all perfect and honest, and then they go to work on Monday and they are completely different than they were at church.” To that I answer, “You are right!” I guess I need to ask the question about where they heard that Christians are perfect. The Apostle Paul wasn’t perfect... he killed Christians, at first. Peter wasn’t perfect... he denied Jesus three times. Moses wasn’t perfect... he disobeyed God and wasn’t allowed to enter the promised land. Adam and Eve weren’t perfect... well, they were when they were created, but they disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. As a matter of fact, the Bible is full of imperfect people. That is the whole point of Jesus coming into the world. I want to share a quote I read recently... “You say that church is full of hypocrites, but you train in gyms of unhealthy people, sit in hospitals full of sickness, and work with broken humans daily. The church isn’t for the perfect; it’s for those honest enough to admit they need God.” According to the Bible, are we to hate sin? Yes. Unfortunately, there is no one who is without sin, except Jesus. Are there people too comfortable with their sin? Sadly, Yes. Why don’t we kick them out? Does a hospital kick out a patient who disobeyed the doctor’s orders and ended up in the hospital again? No. They give them what they need and encourage them to follow the instructions. Does a gym only take healthy and fit people? Some may try, but most offer the tools to get back in shape. If the person chooses not to go or not to train hard, they will likely continue to be out of shape. We accept failure in every other field except the church. Why? Maybe they’ve experienced a pompous Christian who expects others to shape up even when they don’t. Maybe they don’t want to change and so if they can cut down the church so they feel justified not going. Maybe they know they need a Savior, but are afraid, embarrassed, or overwhelmed and lash out. We come before our Gracious God just as we are with all our sin, but our prayer is that God transforms us and strengthens our faith. Merciful Father, we confess to You that we are sinners in need of a Savior. You are our only hope. Transform us. Amen