Does Hypocrisy Invalidate the Truth of Christianity?

In his helpful book Christianity Cross Examined, philosopher Kenneth R. Samples challenges the notion that self-proclaimed Christians who live in a hypocritical manner somehow call the truth of Christianity into question.  He writes:

"As bad as hypocrisy is, it does not invalidate the truth of Christianity...Historic Christianity is ultimately all about Jesus Christ - and he was by no means a hypocrite.  [Huston] Smith says of Jesus, 'The most impressive thing about the teachings of Jesus is not that he taught them but that but that he appears to have lived them.'

Nobody except Jesus lives out the virtues of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) perfectly.  Jesus's moral perfection is one of his most intriguing and shocking characteristics.  The very people who knew him most intimately insisted he was without sin.  Even his opponents and enemies, who rejected his claim to divine authority, could not point to a single fault in his character.  The apostle Peter said, 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth' (1 Peter 2:22).  The apostle John stated, 'In him is no sin' (1 John 3:5).  Even his fierce Roman judge Pontius Pilate declared, 'I find no basis for a charge against him' (John 18:38).

Near the end of his public ministry Jesus proclaimed, 'I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love' (John 15:10).  Jesus further astounded his critics with this interrogative, 'Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?' (John 8:46).  Imagine any other human in the world standing before his harshest critics, if not outright enemies, and conveying what Jesus said here?  How about standing before your family at a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal and trying to get by with that line?

Christian think Michael Green concludes, 'The character of Jesus is immensely attractive.  It embodies all that we ourselves would, in our best moments, like to be...And the claims of Jesus are so startling that they stop us in our tracks and challenge us to make up our minds about this most remarkable person.'  At the end of the day, the truth of Christianity rests on Christ alone.

The truth of the gospel rests not on the acts of Christians but rather on the life, death and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ.  Because of original sin, Christians are wounded and broken people undergoing the lifelong process of sanctification.  Their sinful and hypocritical behavior shows why they need a Savior int the first place.  Nevertheless, Christians and especially their leaders should take hypocrisy seriously and address it in accordance with Scripture."1

So does hypocrisy invalidate the truth of Christianity?  No.  Should it be dealt with in a scriptural manner and minimized as much as possible?  Absolutely.

For more on the question of hypocrisy and Christianity, see Chapter 11 of Dr. Samples' aforementioned book.

Courage and Godspeed,

Chad

Footnote:
1. Kenneth Richard Samples, Christianity Cross-Examined: Is it Rational, Relevant and Good?, p. 220-221.

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