See Hypocrisy in the Church? Lessons from Galatians

Keywords

Paul’s forthrightness, hypocrisy, moral accountability

Abstract

Paul never hesitated to say what he thought. Both before and after his conversion to Christ, Paul forcefully advocated for his views and his understanding of truth. Sometimes Paul’s forthrightness got him stoned, thrown out of a synagogue or a city, or thrown in a jail.

He was not afraid to tell others, in private or in public, that their actions were wrong or hypocritical.

The word hypocritical comes from two Greek words. Hypo means “under” as in the sense of “away from” and critical means “judgement.” Hypocrite is “away from judgement.” Someone who is hypocritical believes they can fly “under the radar,” call out the mistakes and problems of others while they avoid any critical review of their actions. Hypocrites hide their actions from view, or believe that their actions should be hidden from view, hidden under, or hidden away from the scrutinizing eye of those who would call out their hypocrisy.

We may feel a fallen nature surging thrill to watch from the sidelines as one person calls out the hypocrisy of others, such as when Paul calls out Peter for his hypocrisy with the gentiles. As Paul tells the story, Peter was willing to live like a gentile, but then he acted as those the gentiles needed to live like Jews.

Original Publication Citation

See Hypocrisy in the Church? Lessons from Galatians. September 22, 2019.

Document Type

Other

Publication Date

2019

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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