Humility and hypocrisy

Ephesians 2:3  "All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

Paul writes about the inherent sinful nature all human beings possess.  A Christian believer does not have any less of a sinful nature than a non-believer.  None of us are immune to our own basic sinful nature as human beings.

One of the most common criticisms of the church, expressed by believers and non-believers alike, is hypocrisy.  There is a belief (and sometimes a reality) that those who show up at church on Sunday morning judge those around them while committing the same or worse sins than those whom they have judged. 

The second part of this is absolutely true.  While the specific sins may differ, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  It doesn't matter where we are or are not at on Sunday morning.  It's the first part of the definition of hypocrisy that is the heart of the issue- judgment.  Be it real or perceived, it is the feeling of being judged by others that we all want to avoid. 

I believe there are two sides of the issue to be examined within ourselves.  First, when we feel we are being judged, is that by definition a bad thing?  Is it really the judgment of other humans we feel, or is it conviction by the Holy Spirit?  When we feel judged, it might be useful to pause and see if there is any validity to the feeling.  Ask God to help you sort through the feeling and see if there is anything He is trying to communicate to you.  Make no mistake, perceived feelings of being judged by others is a scheme of the devil to weaken our self-image and destroy our relationships with others.  If our examination of the feeling with God's help reveals nothing of substance, it may be an attack from Satan.

The second side of hypocrisy is to examine yourself for feelings of judgment against others.  Judgment of others can reflect a lack of humility within ourselves.  We need look no further than Jesus Himself for a perfect model of humility.  I think the temptation to judge others is stronger when we feel judged.  Judging others can be a self-defense mechanism to shift the focus away from the judgment we feel. 

Judgment is a useful exercise, because we have all be judged guilty by the one true judge- God.  But He has provided perfect atonement for our guilt, and we can all walk in humility before God as a result.  Humility is the sword that slays hypocrisy.