Hypocrisy: The Religious Corpse Among Us When a Nation that has been predominantly Christian begins to proclaim faith and service but practices sin and self gratification, it is in danger of losing the preserving divine power that has sustained it. Our society today, from the State House to the Church House is filled with practical hypocrisy. Our high court speaks loftily of the rights of a mother while remaining silent on the rights of the unborn. Our States initiate and administrate gambling in an effort to help the poor get an education while most of the profits comes from the pockets of the poorest among us. Then those same states put up large billboards telling us to gamble responsibly! Giganic tobacco companies tell us that they have now discovered that tobacco is bad for us! Yet, they flood the markets of third world countries tageting a new youthful market. As beleivers it would do us well to do a word study of the word "hypocrite" in the New Testament. You will find that Jesus spoke often on this topic. As you do you will find that his comments were never favorable. As a matter of fact you begin to see a common thread in his discourses about hypocrisy. The one thing that stands out to me is that hypocrisy produces its own reward. Over and over Jesus says, "you have received your reward". This concerns me greatly because if we produce our own reward, we are removing the supernatural intervention from among us. We often think of God punishing us but the worst of punishment would be a withdrawal of his activity among us and leave us to our own devices. Nothing could be more frightening. What can we do? Deal with hypocrisy in our own hearts and lives. Make no provision for it and renounce it when it appears. Luke 12:1-3 (NKJV) 1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.