Last week, we answered the objection of some who say, "Nobody is perfect," as an excuse to not obey the gospel. Their reasoning is, since no one is perfect, they are no worse than anyone else and can be content, living in their sin. We saw the fallacy of that excuse and gave an answer for those who might try to use that as a roadblock to further Bible studies. Remember, we are not trying to force anything on anyone, but we are trying to get others to see that mere excuses will not justify anyone and will seem pitifully ridiculous when we stand before Christ in Judgment. Let us never forget that the words He has spoken will judge us in the last day (John 12:47,48).

    This week, we consider the following excuse and how we should answer: ''The Church Is Full of Hypocrites!'' Let me first point out that this excuse is often offered up immediately following the previous excuse we considered, and only after their first excuse did not end the conversation about spiritual matters. I have heard it several times, personally, and I have to make it a point to be careful with my next words because it is obvious that the ones using this as an excuse do not see the immediate redundancy. All true disciples of God's Word realize that we are not perfect and, since we admit this, what is the value of pointing out particular faults as further excuses for not obeying God's will? We could spend a lifetime listing particular faults of Christians, but the ability to enumerate and identify the various sins of others will not endear us to Jesus Christ and will not make our entrance into heaven any easier -- or even possible!

    And, it is amazing how much some people know about others whom they have never met. I say this 'tongue-in-cheek' because many of the people I have heard say this have never darkened the door of any church, much less the one of which I am a part. People of the world will often use one particular example of hypocritical living and paint the whole of Christianity with the same broad brush of hypocrisy, content that they have 'answered' for themselves when they have done nothing of the sort. When Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart were exposed for their hypocrisy, I had several people use them as an excuse for not wanting to hear anything I said about spiritual matters for months afterwards. When it comes down to it, though, what someone else does has no bearing whatsoever on my standing before God. And therein is the answer!

    Answer: I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10) and so will the hypocrite! You will not have to answer for him, and he will not have to answer for you. In the same sense, his sins will not excuse you from obedience any more than your disobedience will excuse him! This is not far from the old grade-school excuse given to the teacher when we are caught doing something wrong: "Well, he did something worse than me!" It didn't get you out of trouble then, and it won't absolve you of the responsibility to obey the words of Christ, either. Remember, the words of Jesus will judge us in the last day -- it will not be a worldwide comparison of who is better or worse than the next guy!

    But let's address this particular objection of hypocrites in the church. First of all, let us admit that they may be right. I imagine we have all seen people professing faith in Christ who were notoriously hypocritical and I mean among our own brethren. We do not have to look to the denominational world and note people like Bakker and Swaggart when we have problems within our own numbers! In fact, we should be all the more diligent to root out the problem if it does exist. Hypocrisy has never been a favorable trait in the sight of God, and we should not make light of it any more than any other sin. If one is guilty, they should be told face-to-face and given an opportunity to correct the wrong. Just like any other sin, we must deal with the guilty in hopes of turning them back to the right path. Ignoring it and hoping no one will notice is never the solution.

    Hypocrisy is a dangerous thing, if only for the fact it is often a cause for blaspheming the name of our Lord and bringing reproach upon His holy name. When Paul wrote the Roman brethren, he began by speaking about the sins of the Gentiles in times past and how they had rejected God to follow the pleasures of the flesh (Rom. 1:18-32). Immediately following this, though, he turned to the Jewish brethren who had heartily condemned such behavior, only to be named as guilty of doing the same things they condemned so strongly (Romans 2)! Within that portion of his letter, Paul wrote to the Jewish brethren who apparently thought themselves "a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law" (vv. 19, 20). But because they did the very things for which they condemned others, Paul said they had dishonored God and "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (vv. 23,24).

    Dishonoring God and being the source of the blaspheming of God's name is not high on the list of any Christian's goals in life, I can assure you. Many of those who are acting hypocritically simply do not see their own hypocrisy! [Sadly, some do but they do not care.] As their brethren who care about their souls, we should point out the hypocrisy when it is evident, and then give them a solution to their problem. Let us never forget that the Word of God is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Let us not just rebuke them; let us also correct them and give them instruction necessary to helping them live righteously.

    Now, with that said, let us turn again to the objection of 'hypocrites in the church.' I have a couple of questions for those who make this their excuse for not obeying God's Word. I believe if it is offered as a 'legitimate' excuse, it should stand a 'legitimate' question or two, right? If the one who says this is sincere, then I will be just as sincere in asking a couple of questions, too. [1] Are there hypocrites where you work? Where you shop? At the baseball or football stadium when you go to a game? At the lake where you go on Sundays while avoiding the 'hypocrites in the church'? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions, I want to ask a follow-up question: Does the fact of them being there prevent you from going? If not, then you are being hypocritical and inconsistent! If 'hypocrites in the church' prevent you from going, then why do not hypocrites at the lake also prevent you from going? Just wondering, [2] would you rather spend a little time where hypocrites may be and learn about God and Christ, worship Him in spirit and in truth [not hypocritically], and be built up in the faith, or would you rather spend an eternity with them in a place of torment?

    You see, you really cannot avoid hypocrites at all; either we live for and serve God faithfully here on earth, in spite of the hypocrisy of others, or we spend the rest of eternity wallowing in darkness and torment with them (Matt. 24:48-51). So, if you really dislike being around hypocrites, what will you do in eternity when you are surrounded by them with no means of escaping? The choice is yours -- for now.

    Even if the whole church was full of hypocrites, it would not excuse one person from the responsibility to obey the words of Jesus Christ. Every individual must give an account for himself, hypocrite or not (Rom. 14:10,12). What will you say to Him then? No excuses accepted!