Hypocrisy

[*Zion*]

Hypocrisy:

 

hy·poc·ri·sy [hi-pok-ruh-see]

noun, plural hy·poc·ri·sies.

1.

a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.

2.

a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.

3.

an act or instance of hypocrisy.

 

 

Opposite of integrity:

 

in·teg·ri·ty [in-teg-ri-tee] 

noun

1.

adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2.

the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3.

a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

 

 

 

I am seeing this theme reoccur in topics of late.  How should we deal hypocrisy, both within ourselves and when we see it in others?  How should we respond whilst maintaining our integrity?

[Guest shiloh357]

Actually, the definition of hypocrisy you offer doesn't really go far enough.   To many peoplly hypocrisy simply means you don't practice what you preach.   But hypocrisy when applied to our lives amounts to condemnng a fault in others that we justify in ourselves.  

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Zion

      Ahh,good question......I think about this many times,especially that it is so easy to see others faults or the spec in our brothers eye while we have a log in our own....

       But as the Word of God tells us that by removing that log in our own eye we could see much more clearly to remove our brothers "speck"......I do believe we ought to pray without ceasing & in our prayers we should always be asking &  willing for the Lord to reveal our own flaws so that we can submit to Him to change these "flaws" in us.........we live to His righteousness,none of our own

       I believe even integrity is His,these things can only be achieved by walking in spirit & in truth.....the Holy Spirit alone can respond & uphold integrity as all these matters will be addressed with love & a higher Wisdom

                                                                                                                                        With love,in Christ-Kwik

 

I can tell you this,very recently I was shown something about a very dear brother that was in secret(I could have no way of knowing these things had the Holy Spirit not revealed them)......he fails to acknowledge the real issue at hand & will only acknowlede a by product of it,of course I am the bad guy now-lol.But I will trust God to work on his heart & help him to surrender ...............as for me,sometimes you just have to trust God & be hated for Christs sake

[*Zion*]

HI Shiloh, I actually got the definitions from google dictionary but I do agree

 

Hi Kwik, I understand and agree.  Is it always good to point out hypocrisy even when we feel we ourselves have none?

[Guest shiloh357]

All of us have been hypocrites at some point in our lives.  No one is beyond that.    I think when we keep in mind that we can point it out as long as we condemn it in ourselves too, we don't run the risk of violating our own integrity.  Never point out hypocrisy as if you have never been a hypocrite.  The only person who could do that was Jesus.

[Guest man]

I am seeing this theme reoccur in topics of late.  How should we deal hypocrisy, both within ourselves and when we see it in others?  How should we respond whilst maintaining our integrity?

 

 

Because of the "plank in the eye" passage, I tend to ignore it, or try to. 

 

When we point out hypocrisy, we're making a judgment of an individuals character. Passing judgment is a serious matter, because whenever we judge someone we are basically judging ourselves. The emotions and motives we use to make those judgments toward another individual are the same ones used in the judgment toward ourselves. Because we are either justified or condemned by our words, I try not to point out another individuals hypocrisy. God's keeping track. He doesn't need me down here pointing fingers.

 

What we say in these forums should not be taken lightly because there are spiritual consequences to our words and actions. When we react to what we see on a computer screen, it's the same as if we were interacting face to face in the real world. There are real people attached to these screen names and God knows who each and every one of them are. We may be able to hide from our neighbor but we can't hide from God. 

 

Our witness carries over from one thread to the next, from one forum to the other. We shouldn't say one thing in one forum and say the exact opposite in the next. Our behavior and attitude should be uniform regardless of our location within these forums.

 

Hypocrisy is a serious issue. It can destroy an individuals witness and be a stumbling block for others. 

 

[*Zion*]

Is it possible to speak the truth in love without passing judgement?

[Guest shiloh357]

Is it possible to speak the truth in love without passing judgement?

Pointing out when some one  is enagaging in hypocrisy isn't judgment.   It is simply pointing out a flaw in their argumentation.   Some people want to relegate everything to "judgment" so they can pull the rug out from anyone's feet when someone reveals an error in their line of thought.  

 

Accusing someone of "judging" is a manipulation tactic. It is an attempt at intimidating someone else into silence.   It's what weak people run to when they can't really defend their position. 

[Guest man]

Is it possible to speak the truth in love without passing judgement?

 

 

I think it's possible as long as "You should" isn't included in the conversation. But even if judgment is passed, it doesn't have to have negative repercussions. It all depends on the frame of mind of those involved.

[OneLight]

Is it possible to speak the truth in love without passing judgement?

 

Yes, but it takes practice to answer in this way.  If we could not, scripture would never of instructed us in Colossians 4:6 to "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."