The whole point of becoming a Christian is to be saved from an unrighteous life to that of a righteous one. We leave our sins behind us. We repent of our sins. We no longer live a worldly life. We now live a life in the image of God, living in His holiness. We have changed our way of living. We have transformed from the world. But it doesn’t come easy. We are in a battle against sin to make sure we do not conform to the world again.
There is a danger we face as Christians in our efforts to be transformed from the world. It is the danger of HYPOCRISY. Hypocrisy in this case means that we can appear to be godly when really we are living in ungodliness. It is saying one thing and doing another. It is a false perception. It is putting up a front. This comes about when we really don’t want to give up all of our sins. We still want to be “religious” and appear to be a godly person but we also want to still be able to live in worldliness. It is about pretending to live for God when really you are just living for yourself.
This was a big problem in the days of Jesus. Especially with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were to be great religious leaders. They knew the law and would make sure people were obeying God’s laws. They put on a big show of righteousness and elitism in front of the people but really inside they were sinful. This led to an important teaching Jesus gave in Matthew 5:20 when He said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was teaching the people that they couldn’t live like their “religious leaders”; they couldn’t pretend to be living a righteous life while they were living a life of sin. Their righteousness had to go far beyond hypocrisy. It had to be true, sincere, and pure.
This is a big lesson for us. Where is our righteousness at right now? Is it nonexistent? Is it in hypocrisy? Or is it true and faithful? Are we exceeding the Pharisees? Are we exceeding worldliness? Our righteousness must exceed to the level God has called us to. God sees right through hypocrisy. You’re either righteous or you’re not. It’s that simple. God has called us to His Heavenly calling. By His grace we can reach it. But it’s up to us to maintain it. Let’s excel in righteousness. Let’s be transformed from the world. Don’t let hypocrisy in. Let your righteousness be full, sincere, and constant.
A Cord of Blue 