Hypocrites and Hypocrisy

The English word “hypocrite” comes from a Greek word meaning “actor.” In ancient Greek, the actor was a person putting on a performance, pretending to be and trying to get others to, at least for a little while, believe him to be someone other than who he actually was. This actor would frequently hold up a mask on a stick indicating that he was not acting or speaking in accordance with who he actually was.

Today, we understand a hypocrite to be someone who acts and speaks differently than who he or she actually is. The difference between our current definition and the ancient Greek meaning is that today’s hypocrites want to portray themselves to people as truly being different than they actually are – deliberately, intentionally.

I doubt that there is anybody today who would advocate hypocrisy. I doubt there is anyone who wants to be known as a hypocrite.

I hate hypocrisy. I hate it in others. I hate it even more in myself. The problem is that every last one of us is a hypocrite. At some point or another, every one of us has said something or acted in a way that is contrary to who we actually are or what we actually believe to be true. Hypocrisy is the ultimate lie.

I have come to believe that hypocrisy is what lies at they root of sin. The reason why sin is so sinful is because it says, “Do this. Think this way. This is who you really are,” when in reality the exact opposite is true.

Sin is often defined as that which is contrary to the nature and character of God. If God were to act in a way that was contrary to himself, that would be sin, it would be hypocrisy.

The Bible says that human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. To “act” hypocritically is to “act” in a way that is contrary to our true nature and character. If we humans have been made in the image of God then sin is not just acting in a way contrary to God’s character and nature; it is an act of hypocrisy.