August 18, 2010
Galatians 2
Pastor Wil Mouer
We all have seen someone acting in a way that we would view as hypocritical. This happens when we see someone acting in a way that is not consistent with whom they proclaim to be. Maybe you have heard some people say that they do not go to church because there are too many hypocrites there. It seems to be a big problem in Christian life and in the church.
In Galatians 2, we see that the Apostle Paul picked up on some hypocrisy in Peter’s life. Peter had pulled back from spending time with the Gentiles and this was viewed by Paul as hypocrisy. Paul responded in a good way by confronting Peter personally.
There are damaging side effects to hypocrisy, as verse 13 tells us, “The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.” Others can be influenced negatively when we’re not real.
However, I think there is a good chance that Peter was unintentionally hypocritical. I can see how he could just naturally drift back into hanging out with the Jews and subsequently ignore the Gentiles. It’s the subtlety of hypocrisy. We can do it and not even realize it. Wow! Does this ever challenge us to rely on the conviction of the Holy Spirit!
Take the challenge to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of hypocrisy in your life. When He does, you can take the next step to see collateral damage that is possibly affecting your spouse, children, friends, co-workers, relatives, etc. Another application is to do what Paul did - confronting someone in love that you see being hypocritical.
Let’s live our lives as genuine followers of Christ. This doesn’t mean that we need to be perfect, but that we should strive to be real. Living this way will have a positive impact on others.
Pastor Wil points to Peter as his favorite Bible character due to “his passion for life and willingness to go ‘full throttle,’ yet not afraid to make mistakes.”
