Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the worse state one can be in. One that does not profess to be a Christian can have "peace" in the fact that they can be what they will apart from any pretense. There are secular hypocrites but they really do not have to be such. By contrast there are religious hypocrites. These are not true believers. They take on a nominal title but are not true believers at heart. These are not sinful or backsliden believers. They are outward by show as if playing on an actor's stage. They desire the praise of men. True spiritual fruit is nonexistent. They are easily persuaded by influential people because they want a pat on the back by them. They dance the dance of life as if at a masked ball. They are eager to dance to whatever tune is set by the orchestra of the evening. When it comes to making decisions that will cost them in life but will glorify God they hide behind their mask. They are always ready to cast stones or crucify the one that would follow the will of God. Holding to what is true and just in life is not as important to them as their social status. They sound a loud trumpet of Christian profession (Mat. 6:2) but make a louder blast to get the praise of their friends. They disfigure their faces as if they would be appalled at the thought of not doing the Christian thing (Mat. 6:16). Their heart is far from God (Mat. 15:8). Hypocrites love to be a follower of men but it is not long until they want to make disciples of their own to turn them into two times the child of hell that they are (Mat. 23:15). "They make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion" (Mat. 23:25). "they are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones" (Mat. 23:27). "They honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Mk. 7:6). They shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. They will not go in themselves neither will they allow those that would enter to go in (Mat. 23:13).