Theme:
The Difference Between Hypocrisy and Liberty
1)
Hypocrisy
is self-motivated, Liberty is God-centered
2)
Hypocrisy
helps yourself, Liberty helps others
Psalm 125:1-2 Those who
trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides
forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people
from this time forth and forever.
The Lord
surrounds us with His Word today from Galatians 2, as we continue in part 2 of
our series. Those words for study and consideration this morning were read as
our second Scripture reading.
Dear
fellow believers in Christ -
Residents
of our Seattle metro area have long wrestled with traffic issues. Our area
continues to rapidly expand. Roads are packed with cars at all hours of the
day. Summer construction projects, which seem to be endless, only serve to
further congest the flow. In such as a setting, there will inevitably be times
when angry and stressed out drivers come into contact with one another, whether
literally or figuratively. We call it “road rage”, and I’m sure we all have
interesting tales to tell in that respect.
No doubt,
we all have also been on both the giving
and receiving end of road rage. It
never feels good either way. Sometimes, when I’m overcome with frustration at
someone else’s driving incompetency, I think of a memory from my childhood.
When I was in high school, I spent a summer helping construct a home. I worked
closely with a construction professional who would pick me up every morning for
work. He was an older man, from a small town, who was slow to anger. One
morning, we were on our way in his old pickup truck when another driver pulled carelessly
pulled out right in front of us in a busy intersection. It was completely their
fault, and we easily could have gotten into an accident; and with his truck
just destroyed their vehicle. I fully expected my boss to lay on the horn and
yell something at the other driver, for surely in those moments we all feel
justified to do that very thing. But, he didn’t. He stopped to avoid the
accident, waiting for the person to react and keep going, and gave them a
polite and forgiving wave with his hand.
As we got
going again he commented. “I’d honk the horn if I never did that myself.” If
only more people could have such an attitude with road rage.
That
story reminds us that we should be careful about how we treat others, because
things can change quickly. We could quickly find ourselves on the receiving
end, rather than the giving. We shouldn’t look down on those in need, because
one day we might need something. We shouldn’t make fun of those who struggle
because one day we might not have all the answers. And as we see in our text
for today, we should be careful about what we say we believe, because we could
easily be exposed as a hypocrite.
Hypocrisy
is despised by all people. The world sees it as a main hindrance to faith in
Christ. After all, there’s all these Christians talking such a good game, but
none of them actually live it. Hypocrisy can really push people away from
Christ and we should always do our best show sincerity in our faith. But, what
most people ignore is that there has always been a connection between pride and
hypocrisy. Pride, although it is really at the root of hypocrisy, is often
considered a virtue in our society. People see it this way because pride flows
right into liberty. We are encouraged to take pride in who we are because we
have the right, or the freedom to. But, what does that mean for sinners? Should
we be proud about who we are? Should we ignore God’s calls to repentance just
because we are free to ignore them?
God calls
us to something different, something higher. Peter wrote: 1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a
cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Paul
wrote to the Corinthians: 1 Corinthians
8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to
those who are weak. 1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I
have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.
The way
the world practices freedom more often mirrors hypocrisy than it does true
liberty. People use their freedom to sin when God calls them to use it to serve
others. People look down on others because they are free too, not realizing
that we all suffer from the same thing. Paul tackled this very issue in his
letter to the Galatians, and it becomes the focus of our thoughts today.
Part 1: Hypocrisy is self-motivated, Liberty is
God-centered
In this
letter, Peter was playing the hypocrite. He was abusing his freedom and
knowledge as a more mature Christian, and in so doing, was also leading others
astray. When it suited Peter’s desires, he would live with his Jewish heritage on
display and compel other Gentiles that they too live that way. But, in other
cases it suited his desire to forgo the Jewish traditions, and so he would.
Paul pointed the hypocrisy out.
But,
wasn’t Paul just as much to blame? Chapter two begins with his explanation of
how he did not compel Titus to be circumcised. But in Acts 16 Paul commanded
Timothy, another young pastor, to be circumcised. Wasn’t Paul simply playing
both sides like Peter was? How could he point out hypocrisy, yet pick two
different paths to follow himself? In fact, the word for compulsion in verses 3
(describing Paul) and verse 14 (describing Peter) are the same word. They were
literally doing the very same action.
The
difference, as it is with many specific cases of applying the Word of God,
rested in the intent. Paul’s focus
was to preserve the “truth of the
gospel.” Peter’s focus was to preserve his own interests. Timothy was in a
situation which involved fellow Christians, who were Jews and who didn’t yet
understand that circumcision was no longer a requirement of God. The knowledge
of the gospel truth that Christ had fulfilled this command of the Old Testament
had not yet had time to sink in. And so, Paul practiced the advice he gave to the
Corinthians – take all stumbling blocks away from the gospel. Sacrifice your
freedom for the betterment of others.
Titus’
situation was much different. He was dealing with false teachers. Actually,
they were hypocrites themselves. Paul calls them “false brothers,” people who professed to be Christians but wanted
to also hang onto certain restrictions of the Old Testament. In the context of
Galatians these individuals are often called Judaizers. Their mission was to
mix Christianity with Judaism and retain elements of both as necessary to
salvation. It was, as Paul warned, a direct attack on the gospel. In this case,
Paul blatantly stood for his, and Titus’, liberty in Christ and did not compel
him to be circumcised.
Paul was
dealing with circumcision in both circumstances, yet he came away with two
different results, and each one was the right call. This was not hypocrisy,
rather it was exercising Christian wisdom when it comes to freedom. In each
case, you could say that Paul was helping each side out. With Timothy, he
helped the weak brothers. With Titus, he helped the false brothers, by exposing
their error. To allow them to continue living in their lie would not be a
loving thing.
The
impetus for Paul’s public admonishment of Peter was the necessity of the gospel.
What Peter was doing on the surface was not unscriptural. The Bible doesn’t
give us a command about who we should eat with. It is absolutely a matter of
personal choice. But, that also means we can’t point the finger at others and start
making demands. Peter went even further than this when he started making it a
matter of God’s command. Essentially, he was adding to the Word. Paul’s basis
for the rebuke is in the latter half of the chapter. What’s ironic is that Paul
provides some of the clearest explanation of the direct gospel in the entire
Bible. Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a
person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ,
so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be
justified.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with
Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
Peter was
leading people away from Christ, Paul was trying to bring them back. The same
is true of hypocrisy versus true, Christian liberty.
Part 2: Hypocrisy helps yourself, Liberty helps others
It’s in
this same vein that we see the second part of our theme. Hypocrisy helps
yourself, Liberty helps others. Peter probably thought he was doing a good
thing by trying to play both sides. Surely the argument could have been made
that he was just trying to preserve the peace between Jews and Gentiles. But,
as soon as he went beyond the Word of God, his reasons didn’t matter, it was
the wrong choice. The same is true of anytime we go against the Word of God.
Don’t we often convince ourselves that one or two teachings here and there
aren’t all that important, especially if they don’t involve the gospel. God’s
point is clear – everything in His Word is connected and to change anything is an
attack on the gospel truth. Remember, Peter was simply choosing who to eat
with. These matters can start as non-religious things. They can attack the very
foundation of our faith much faster than you think. Don’t try to outsmart God.
What He says is true, take His Word for it and don’t try to change it.
Paul’s
rebuke of Peter further pointed out its seriousness. In verse 11, Paul says
that he condemned Peter. Peter’s hypocrisy was not to be taken lightly. It was
a sin that separated him from God and marked him as a condemned person. Here’s
where pride reared its ugly head. Even if Peter may have been trying to help,
he was doing the opposite. In this way, it’s even possible to be a hypocrite
without even trying to. At the core of the two actions, we always see the same
lesson, hypocrisy helps yourself, Liberty helps others. As soon as Peter
deviated from God’s truth, it no longer mattered what his intentions were. That
action was condemned by God.
Our flesh
does not naturally promote unadulterated freedom. Sinful pride seeks to
preserve the self, first and foremost. Because of this, our attempts at freedom
are often laced with sin. We use our liberty, both as Christians and as
citizens, to demean others, to get what we want at all costs, to keep our
sinful pleasures intact. This is not the way of Christ. True, Christian liberty
seeks to help others. As Paul practiced it, at times that may mean foregoing
what you have every right to do. In other circumstances, it means standing for
the truth in the face of evil. Either way, you will need Christ to help you out,
if you want the prefix of your liberty to be “Christian” then you need Christ.
It’s only
the crucifixion of Jesus that destroyed the old barriers of sin – the sayings
that tell you:
· “You’re not good
enough, you have to do this.”
· “You have to be just
like that person or God isn’t happy with you.”
· “It’s okay to do it
differently than what God says, follow your heart.”
These are
all traps that lead us further into bondage of sin and away from serving God
and others. Peter had been so careless in this regard that our text describes
the effect of his actions in unique ways. In verse 13 Paul states that part of
his rebuke of Peter was because he led the rest of the Jews to “act hypocritically with him.” This
phrase is all contained in one Greek word and it is the only passage in the
entire Bible that uses it. This was a serious action. In verse 18 Paul likened
the hypocrisy to rebuilding something that had previously been torn down. In
anyone did that literally, with building supplies, they’d be called crazy. That
is the same for hypocritical Christianity. It is completely devoid of all
logic.
What we
need to remember is that it is hypocritical to use our personal freedom to
attack God’s truth. When we take a stand for our own desires, instead of God’s
will, it rebuilds what Christ destroyed on the cross. When we make faith about
requirements and piety of character, instead of the work of the Holy Spirit, it
constructs a dwelling place for Satan, not God.
As
grievous as Peter’s sins were and as grievous as ours have been, the gospel
truth that we strive to protect heals all. That’s precisely why we strive to preserve it! Christ
crucified is the antidote to all our sins. Paul didn’t correct Peter because of
a power struggle in the early Church. He was looking out for Peter’s well-being
before God. He was doing the most loving thing he could do for Peter. The same
is true when we speak out against our own sins, and when we take the time to
show the same care for fellow Christians that we see straying from the truth. Sharing
the freedom of forgiveness in Christ is the best thing we can do for others.
No one
likes being shown to be foolish by failing to uphold what they require of
others. But, as Christians, we will always make mistakes that betray our
confession. Let us not cover up our hypocrisy by changing the word of God to
fit our lifestyle, but rest confidently and humbly in the forgiveness of Christ
and have that be an example of faith in action for others. Amen.
The peace
of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
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