How To Reduce Hypocrisy

March 2012 – Grace & Truth Magazine

How To Reduce Hypocrisy

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ... Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” — Matthew 7:1-5 NKJV

Many Christians read Matthew 7:1 and conclude that we should not judge one another. But that’s not the case, as 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 tells us to judge sin when we find it among fellow Christians: “Do you not judge those who are inside? ... Therefore, put away from yourselves that wicked person” (1 Cor. 5:12-13).

The verses above are not saying we should not judge; they are warning that when we do judge, we are subject to the same standard we use to judge others. The Lord wants self-examination. His real concern is not with judging, but with hypocrisy – judging another’s speck while overlooking our own plank. He wants honesty. He hates lying, and hypocrisy is a form of lying (Prov. 6:16-17; 1 Tim. 4:2). If we judge ourselves, our hearts will be more tender, our attitude kinder and our approach gentler, because we will know all too well the pain of self-judgment.

Romans 14:13 gives us a helpful starting point: “Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” We should begin by judging ourselves, then by doing everything possible to keep others from falling. But what should our response be when someone does fall? “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). This is what the Lord wants from us.

Want to read more about Matthew 7:1? Turn to this month’s You Asked column.

By Larry Ondrejack