I believe that there’s nothing worse than pretending to be somebody you’re not. Integrity is a quality that is deeply meaningful to me, and when someone lives in hypocrisy, it angers me. I get angry, because not only are you a fraud, but you affect those who were vulnerable enough to trust in you. My walk with Christ spans over twenty years, and throughout those years I’ve come across many who weren’t as they seemed. I’ve heard even more from others who’ve experienced hypocrites in church as well, to the point that they left the church and are angry at God.

God also has a huge problem with hypocrisy, because of how it prevents others from knowing God as He truly is, since those who claim to represent Him don’t. He purposely shows us who He is through His people, and when hypocrisy is so obvious in professing Christians, it’s a stain to His name. His name is blasphemed by those who don’t believe because of it, just like how Paul described the hypocrisy of the Jews causing blasphemy from the Gentiles.All of that said, I want to challenge your thinking concerning the hypocrite. I’m fully persuaded that Jesus died for the hypocrite. I believe that hypocrites need Jesus too; and they are victims in need of deliverance and freedom to love like Christ, be true to themselves, and be true to others. This is not an easy thing to say, because when someone is victimized by religious hypocrisy, those affected by hypocrites need protection and hypocrites need to be exposed. In fact, God is intensely angry at hypocrisy, and speaks of it heavily in the Old and New Testament. But the reality is that there are different levels of hypocrisy, and even though God will expose those with double lives, God loves to restore people. Since Jesus reserved His harshest words for religious hypocrites, because of how dangerous they are, it’s easy to give them the harshest response alone. What’s not easy is praying for their freedom. There are many motivating factors when it comes to hypocrisy, I’ll list a few below.

1. Pride and insecurity
2. Try to work for their salvation/ignorance
3. Selfishness

Even though God will judge hypocrites if they don’t repent, the hypocrite is also someone who God will shower with kindness if they do. The question then becomes, will you be an instrument of His kindness to those who are hypocrites? Or will you only pronounce judgement on them and long for their downfall?

Pray for anyone you know who lives hypocritically, and also pray that God enables you to love on them when you have the chance. Pray that they’re freed from their pride, ignorance, and selfishness. You also should confront hypocrisy as well, prayer is not a reason to be silent when hypocrites are destroying people’s trust in God, do it for love’s sake. Pray for wisdom when confronting them, as well as telling others for their protection from the hypocrite. If hypocrites are unrepentant, God has appointed the time to judge them, and reveal their sin publicly.

But don’t forget that there’s freedom and salvation for the hypocrite, God’s grace reaches much further than we could’ve ever imagined.