Hypocrisy is useless. After all, who do you think you’re fooling? God knows your innermost thoughts. (Psalm 139:1-4; Jeremiah 17:10) You can hide nothing from Him. (Psalm 139:7-12; Proverbs 15:3) To be a hypocrite, then, means you are living your life for someone besides the Lord. And we know that is the most futile thing you can do.
Hypocrisy is only pandering to fellow sinners in hopes they may esteem you as better than themselves. You are the same as them, and perhaps a little worse because you refuse to believe that truth. That is the height of arrogance and pride. Both are detestable to our King. (Proverbs 16:5; James 4:6) So, what is the point of being a hypocrite?
Knowing we can hide nothing from the eyes of the Lord, why do we pretend otherwise? (Hebrews 4:13) We cannot hide from God. No matter where we go, He is there. (Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24) Think about that the next time you engage in any sinful activity or thought. God is there. He sees you. (Proverbs 5:21; Proverbs 15:3) He knows the truth about who you are. It’s a crushing and terrifying thought. No matter how much we profess to love Him, He knows the true extent of that love. (1 Samuel 16:7) To pretend otherwise is silly. Hypocrisy is useless.
Borrowing from the wisdom of J. C. Ryle, “Let it be our daily aim to say nothing we would not like Christ to hear and do nothing we would not want Christ to see.” Imagine how much more like the Lord we would be if only that was our determination. Unkind words would fall away, sinful thoughts would dissolve, and our hands would be busy only with the work God privileges us to do on His behalf. (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 2:10) That’s the life I want to live. That’s a life that will be pleasing in the eyes of God and count for something when we meet Him at last. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10; Colossians 1:9-10)
We need not pretend Jesus is present everywhere we go, because He is. If we recognize that truth, it will make sinning of any kind much more difficult. Would we do or say the thing we’re about to if Jesus were standing beside us? Too often the answer to that is ‘no,’ which means we are saying we believe one thing but living like the opposite is true. As followers of Christ, we should never desire to engage in sin. (Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 3:6) We know where it leads, and we know God forbids it. (Romans 6:23; James 1:14-15) Living a double life won’t get you into Heaven; it will send you to eternal Hell. (Matthew 7:21-23; Titus 1:16)
I hope we now understand that hypocrisy is useless. Being authentic to the person the Lord desires us to be is such a worthwhile way to live. You’ll never have to look over your shoulder, worry about someone catching you in a lie, or finding out the truth about who you are. They will already know because your life will be one of integrity, honor, and without deceit. (Psalm 15:1-5; Philippians 2:14-15) Isn’t that a simpler and better way to live? God knows who you are anyway, and He is the only One we should ever desire to please. When we please Him, everything else falls into place. Don’t waste your life pretending to be someone you are not. Let Jesus consume you and live only for Him. (Galatians 2:19-20; Philippians 1:21)