We seem to live in a day and a culture that requires us to accept what people say and not what they do. Well, to an extent and I'll come back to this. However, secular society places a emphasis on "being real" and feels strongly about hypocrisy. In an effort towards integrity, secular society seeks to accept each other "for who they are" so that their choices are not assaulted but are accepted. They want everyone to "be real" so that no one feels shame. In the secular mentality shame is hypocrisy. The secularist would prefer that we not suppress our desires because they are "part of what make us who we are." There has been a perversion of the definitions of hypocrisy and integrity. We are not the sum of our preferences, our desires do not define us.
Scripture says that we (who are in Christ) have two natures. A nature that is bound in our flesh and a nature that is free in the spirit of Christ Jesus (Rom. 7:25). Hypocrisy is unavoidable. Every Christian is a hypocrite in this sense. We claim moral standards and beliefs that we will inevitably contradict in our behavior in this world. We are not perfect, we sin - daily. But we have to look at this from two different sides of the coin. From the view of humanity, we are hypocrites. This is why good deeds in the worlds by Christian so confound the world's thinking. Though we will never measure up to the standards we claim to hold, we live in light of it and act in spite of it. We are selfish people, yet we do many selfless things. To the world, this is "foolishness" (I Cor. 1:18).
Now, the great thing about this scary truth is that scripture also tells us that the grace we've received from Christ is all-sufficient no matter how much sin abounds in our lives (Rom. 5:20-21). We are given freedom from sin (and it's sentence) for the purpose of preaching Christ to the glory of God. We, in our carnality, will surly fail often and will lack purity and integrity, but Christ's blood become our righteous covering, administering grace that is sufficient for every offense we make. But, does this give a license to continue in sin? Paul says, "by no means!" (Rom. 6:2)
Paul accompanies his answer with this statement, "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" Now, before anyone begins to scream at me for being legalistic and preaching that we have to be perfect, reread the last two paragraphs. We cannot be perfect. We cannot be sinless. Paul expresses this example in his own life in the last sentences of Romans, chapter 7. Nevertheless, we are not to be given over to sin. We are not to make a practice of it. One more disclaimer, this post isn't about things we shouldn't do, but the things we should do. If you know the good things you should do and do not do it, scripture says this is sin (James 4:17).
So, just as anyone would test my words in the beginning analogy, we must examine ourselves and each other to make sure that our lives truthfully portray what we say (1 Cor. 13:5). Yes, we will feel like hypocrites and from the view of humanity we will be, yet from the perspective of God, we are clothed in Christ and his righteousness and are found pure. We don't deserve to be seen this way - and this knowledge should break us in our awareness of our sin and overwhelm us at the grace we have been given.
Finally, what do Christians actually do? More. That is the simple answer. We love more (Rom. 13:10), we correct more (Gal. 6:1), we serve more (Gal. 5:13), we give more (2 Cor. 8:7). We should do more of everything that empties us and less of everything that fills us. This is because we, like Paul, should be drink offerings to Christ (Phil. 2:17). We are filled (by the Spirit, through the Word) in order to be emptied again in this world as we "let our light shine among men so that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
For more practical things Christians do, check out this list from William Sekker (17th century preacher). These are from his book, "The Consistent Christian."
What the Christian Does More than Others:
1. He does much good and make but little noise.
2. He brings up the bottom of his life to the top of his light.
3. He prefers the duty he owes to God to the danger he fears from man.
4. He seeks the public good of others above the private good of himself.
5. He has the most beautiful life among the vilest people.
6. He chooses the worst of sorrows rather than commit the least sin.
7. He becomes a father to all in charity and a servant to all in humanity.
8. He mourns most before God for those lusts which appear least before men.
9. He keeps his heart lowest when God raises his estate highest.
10. He seeks to be better inwardly in his substance than outwardly in appearance.
11. He is grieved more at the distress of the Church than affected at his own happiness.
12. He renders the greatest good for the greatest evil.
13. He takes those reproofs best which he needs most.
14. He takes up duty in point of performance and lays it down in point of dependence.
15. He takes up his contentment in God's appointment.
16. He is more in love with the employment of holiness than with the enjoyment of happiness.
17. He is more employed in searching his own heart than in censuring other men's states.
18. He sets out for God at his beginning and holds out with Him to the end.
19. He takes all the shame of his sins to himself and gives all the glory of his services to Christ.
20. He values his heavenly inheritance above all earthly possession.
**For Sekker's explanations of these 20 Do's, click here for the online version of the book.
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