Saturday, July 12, 2008

• Christian Hypocrisy and Forgiveness

  by vwagenjetta

      There are some who say that the most hypocritical people are those who sit in  church every Sunday. This relates to the Brennan Manning quote used by DC Talk (and War of Ages), "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is simply what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable." Although some believe this statement goes against everything Jesus taught, I do believe it holds some truth in today's world.

      In today's society, being the kind of Christian God wants you to be can be extremely difficult. Around every corner is an opportunity, if not a legitimate reason, to sin. Sex has lost it's sacred value and become an acceptable pastime for "people who love each other" (see 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8); in some circles knowing the personal lives of others (e.g. celebrities) as well as you know your own has become necessary to retain a feeling of acceptance, or popularity (see Romans 1:29); and sharing the word of God with a non-believer will often get you the response, "religion is so yesterday." That being said, I believe Christianity, in its intended form, is the most difficult faith to be a part of in this, the age of "absolute freedom."

      I myself have been a hypocritical Christian. I've engaged in premarital sex, drunkenness, lying, cheating, and stealing, among other things. I do of course try my best to stay away from such things, and the weight of the guilt that follows them is crushing to say the least. God forgives our sins, but that doesn't give us a reason to keep on sinning, as so many so-called Christians do. Sins are mistakes, and like any "mistake maker" (sinner), Christians can learn from their mistakes, or sins, and reap the benefits of the guilt that follows by making sure the same mistake is not made twice. Suffice to say, I have learned my lessons, and I'm extremely thankful for God's forgiveness of my sins.

      Just like every human being in existence, I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). I've done things so horrible in the eyes of God I deserve eternal death in Hell. But thanks to Jesus, who died in my place, God can forgive my sins, washing my slate as clean as freshly fallen snow (Isaiah 1:18). People, Christians even, seem to have lost the ability to truly forgive. We've all reluctantly said "I forgive you" to someone, only to hold a grudge against them afterward. Matthew 6:14-15 says "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if your refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." This verse alone proves that truly forgiving others is a very important part of being a Christian.

      Sometimes truly forgiving someone over and over for the same thing can get annoying. Sometimes truly forgiving someone seems out of the question because we feel they've wronged us in a way that couldn't possibly be forgiven. Sometimes we reluctantly forgive someone only because we're forced to. There are many ways we can avoid truly forgiving people. But no matter how many times we have to forgive someone, no matter how unforgivable we feel the sin to be, as Christians we must forgive and forget in order to get on with our lives, and draw nearer to God. Because if we don't forgive others, it would be hypocritical to ask for forgiveness ourselves.

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