Mark #53 The Hidden Sin of Hypocrisy

How does hypocrisy manifest itself in your life and mine? We can go through the mere motions of prayer, singing the psalms, listening to the reading and preaching of God's Word, and our hearts yet be lukewarm, and even cold toward the Lord. We can outwardly profess our love for the brethren, but in our hearts despise and disregard them. We can be a model of moral purity before others, but secretly feed on pornography and every lustful thought. We can receive the forgiveness of sin as a free gift through faith in Jesus Christ, and yet refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us. We can commend the preaching of God's Word, but then neglect to live out the truth of the Lord which pierced our hearts by the Word and the Spirit. When hypocrisy takes root in our hearts, it brings with it a blindness and self-delusion, so that one may think all is well when really all is not well. Hypocrisy deadens the pangs of the conscience and sends one whistling all the way to hell.