Church: Will you find one without sinners and hypocrites?
I suppose you’re aware of how very often people use this as their justification for not attending one. But is it really justification? Don’t people do all kinds of other things where there are sinners and hypocrites? Surely they do! But then they’ll often say but that’s different. Is it really? How is it different? As I heard it said a long time ago—A church is not to be a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners. Haven’t disobedience and hypocrisy always been a problem? Didn’t Jesus have to deal with it in the time of His earthly ministry? We have a whole chapter of our Bible dealing with that. Jesus had stern words of rebuke about this to a group called the Scribes and Pharisees—
Matthew 23:1-39
1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Here we’ll see that the main problem was not their teaching but their unwillingness to apply their teaching to themselves.
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they SAY, and DO NOT.
He then gives the specifics of His charge.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Then there were other problems as well.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
The phylacteries were small strips of parchment fastened either to the forehead or to the left arm over against the heart to remind the wearer of his duty to obey the commandments of God contained in the Mosaic Law in both his head and his heart. As per our passage, much of this was done to impress observers with what might appear to be representative of their high degree of spirituality [Matthew 6:1].
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
But then note our Lord’s command about this sort of thing.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Don’t we have both large and small churches today where there are people who are guilty of all such things?
9 And call no man your FATHER upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Of course He’s not talking about physical fathers, but “spiritual” ones. Don’t we have certain churches authorizing the practice of such things today.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
Then He speaks of the need for genuine humility in all church leaders and others. He also follows this up with a stern warning about it.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Peter speaks of this in his first letter.
1 Peter 5:6
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: [Emphasis added]
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for YE NEITHER GO IN YOURSELVES, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
So, does that verse teach universal reconciliation, the belief that everyone’s going to Heaven or that everyone will end up in “a better place” of blessing? I think you know the correct answer to that.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye FOOLS and BLIND: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye FOOLS and BLIND: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Like so many churches today they practiced a lot ceremonial nonsense for which there is no biblical authorization.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres [TAPHOS = tombstones], which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that YE ARE the children of them which killed the prophets.
Meaning they all thought the same way.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel [murdered by his “religious” brother, Cain] unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say [at the time of His return (His Second Coming)], Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. [Emphasis added]
FIVE times Jesus accuses them of being spiritually blind. Isn’t this a common problem with all unbelievers, especially “religious” ones?
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath BLINDED the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [Emphasis added]
So, won’t you find sinners and hypocrites anywhere you go and not just in churches? Won’t you find them in stores, banks, schools. recreational facilities, and ANY and EVERY place you go? This doesn’t seem to deter you from going to all those places. Why should this deter you from attending a local church? Could this not just be an excuse for not attending? Yes! It is just that! An excuse! Again, you’ll find sinners and hypocrites ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE you go!
Didn’t the apostle Paul confront even Simon Peter for his hypocrisy?
Galatians 2:11-14
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I [Paul] withstood him to the face, because he WAS to be blamed [for his hypocrisy].
Paul then cites the specifics of Peter’s hypocrisy—
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he [Peter] withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision [“Religious” unbelieving Jews].
13 And the other Jews dissembled [HUPOKRISIS = were hypocrites] likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation [HUPOKRISIS = hypocrisy (where we get the English word, hypocrisy)].
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly [ORTHOPODEO = in a straight path] according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? [Emphasis added]
There should be no doubt that all of us have been guilty of this sin at one time or another. But shouldn’t we seek to avoid it? And haven’t the actions or the conduct of certain churchgoers been a source of distraction for many people, often serving as a form of justification for their own foolishness?
The Apostle Paul strongly condemns hypocrisy, emphasizing its detrimental effects. He highlights hypocrisy as a lack of genuine love, a disconnect between words and actions, and a form of self-condemnation, particularly when judging others. Paul highlights how judging others for their sins while committing the same ones is a form of self-condemnation.
Romans 2:1-3
1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [Emphasis added]
All this serves as clear divine condemnation for such. Shouldn’t we heed the warning and seek to please our Lord in all that we say and do? Will we as God’s people be disciplined of Him for such conduct? I’ve fully addressed that in another article. I hope you’ll take the time to read it. Here’s the link to it—
Discipline: Does God punish Christians for their sins?
Because there are always consequences to everything we say or do we need to make sure we’re complying with our Lord’s commands.
Romans 15:4
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. [Emphasis added]
Meanwhile I hope you’ll be faithful to a local church, a website ministry, or some entity to help you fulfill these commands we’ve all been given—
2 Peter 3:14-18
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering [MAKROTHUMIA = patience] of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
Please note that Peter directs us to Paul for a full understanding of God’s principles and policies that were new then and hard for even him to understand.
16 As also in all his epistles [13 of them], speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [STREBLOO = twist or distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
For more understanding of Paul and his role in our lives today, please see my articles about that. Here are links to a few of them—
Paul: Do we make too much of him?
Paul: Was he the rightful replacement for Judas Iscariot?
Paul: What’s so special about his teaching?
Paul: Who exactly is this man to us?
Peter & Paul: Did they proclaim the same message?
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware [PHULASSO = beware or guard] lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Isn’t that exactly what has happened in nearly all of denominational Christianity today?
18 But GROW in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. [Emphasis added]
Then we also have Paul’s comment about this same thing.
2 Timothy 2:15
15 Study [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [Emphasis added]
For more information about the right division of Scripture and what is called Dispensational Theology, please see my articles. Here are the titles and links to a few of them—
Bible: What is the Dispensation of Grace?
Dispensation: How is this defined in the Bible?
Dispensation: What does this term mean?
Dispensational Theology: What should everyone know about it?
Dispensations: What is this about?
Dispensations: When did ours begin?
Dispensations: Why do so few churches teach about this?
No matter which dispensation we’re talking about, they all consisted of sinners and hypocrites. No exceptions! There’s only been one person in all history who didn’t need a Savior—the Lord Jesus Christ. Among other things this means that if you’re looking for a church without sinners and hypocrites, there isn’t one! Certain principles are true today just as they’ve always been—
Romans 3:23
23 For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [Emphasis added]
Furthermore, there have been times when man was even more sinful than he is today.
Genesis 6:5
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that EVERY imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [Emphasis added]
Man will always be in need of his Savior. It is extremely important that we always realize this because we will always have sinners and hypocrites populating the earth even in the best of churches. And always realize that if you ever find a church that doesn’t have any sinners and hypocrites, YOU won’t fit in.
