The Greeks had a term used in classical language called hupokrites. It usually meant "an actor," and derived from the idea of one who expounded or interpreted poems on the Greek stage. So, the hupokrites took the stage to act out the meaning of what the poets had written. He played a role on stage that differed from who he was off the stage.
As language goes, the word began to develop additional nuances. Some of the Greek writers found it useful to describe a deceptive person; the world became their stage and they acted or pretended to be one thing when in truth they were another. The Greek translators of the Old Testament and Apocrypha, known as the Septuagint, used it as a verb to describe the evil pretension of Apollonius, a Mysian captain appointed by the wicked king Antiochus Epiphanes, who in a ruse, pretended to be peaceful with the Jews only to lure them into a mass killing. Later, one of the Jewish scribes, Eleazar, was urged to participate in a mock ritual ordered by Antiochus. But he refused hypocrisy, stating, "Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life…lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age (cf. the story in 2 Maccabees 5-6).
So the word developed from an actor to a pretender to the literal rendering that Jesus used quite often, hypocrite. While Apollonius intentionally pretended or played the hypocrite in order to deceive, many of those that Jesus upbraided were hypocrites by self-deception. The crowds could discern the weather by the changing of the wind or the sight of a cloud, but in hypocrisy, they could not discern something more important, the kingdom of God in their midst (Luke 12:54-56). The religious leaders would lead their ox or donkey to water on the Sabbath but hypocritically, would not acknowledge the rightness of Jesus healing a demonized woman on the Sabbath. In other words, they acted very religious by preserving the Sabbath but actually showed more concern for a donkey than a woman in need (Luke 13:10-17). In the most blistering attack of Christ on the scribes and Pharisees, He declared seven "woes" in regard to the contradiction between what they said and what they did. In each, He called them "hypocrites" (Matt. 23:13-33). The hypocrite is concerned with outward appearance rather than true, inward life. Sometime he does this intentionally, knowing that he is a fake; at other times he is self-deceived, perhaps unwittingly playing the part of the hypocrite while confidently thinking that he is right with God [U. Wilckens, TDNT, VIII, 559-570].
Hypocrisy is not relegated to the ancient Greek world or to the first century. It's part of daily life. It's a temptation that we face—to hear the demands of the gospel, to pretend that we're in sync with the gospel, while in reality, we're covering up the real practice of our lives. It's so subtle that sometimes we slip into hypocrisy without realizing it. Becoming comfortable with our apparent success, we convince ourselves that we're in the right, and refuse to make any real examination of our lives in light of God's Word. We think that the preaching and exhortations we hear are for someone else. We read the Word or hear it read, and think of others that need it; but not us. The great danger comes when hypocrisy keeps us from Christ by trusting in anything but Him. It is a false confidence. Confidence before God that relies on anything but Christ's righteousness remains deceptive and destructive, regardless of how good we may feel about it. Are you a religious hypocrite? Consider with me how the Apostle Paul exposes the danger of hypocrisy in order to point to the sufficiency of Christ in the gospel.
Built into the conscience by the Creator is that gnawing reality of judgment. One may be without much understanding, thinking little of God or eternal things. But the conscience still gnaws from time to time, kindling the consciousness of divine accountability. Since God makes Himself known in the creation and the conscience, man is without excuse for failing to repent of sin and turn to the Creator (Rom. 1:18-23). Yet man will try any number of gods to keep from relying upon the righteousness of Christ in the gospel.
Some ignore God or pursue another god. Living in disbelief of God's revelation in Holy Scripture, they substitute other gods that are more to their liking and that accommodate their sin. Others repudiate the Lord God, arguing against His existence or defying His warnings. They think that their repudiation delivers them from the Lord's wrath. Still others rely upon some type of works righteousness. They build in their minds a great confidence due to either a stated standard that they follow or their own self-understanding of the moral law or the ceremonial law. Though they would never admit it, their guiding principle would be, "It's all about me." Thankfully, by the grace of God others rely upon Jesus Christ and Him crucified as their only righteousness before God and the ground of acceptance by God.
Paul's focus in verses 17-24 is on those who rely upon the moral law as their standing before God. It's a tricky position because it seems so right and appropriate; it's readily accepted by the world as true spirituality. But unless one is clothed in the righteousness of Christ, God will not accept him. Whatever works of righteousness he offers will always come up short of God's glory. In verses 25-29, the Apostle addresses another aspect of works righteousness by considering those that rely upon the ceremonial law for righteousness—in this case, circumcision. We'll consider that next week, Lord willing.
How can we fall into the self-deceptive trap of confidence in our works? We must not think of the mass of Jews that did so as vile, worldly, and wicked people. They were religious, very religious, and very conscientious about how they lived before God. They were respectable and concerned with doing what God had commanded. Therein lay the danger: they thought that by what they were doing they were accepted by God. Though higher than the average person, their view of God remained low enough, so that they could feel comfortable offering their deeds to God as sufficient measure of righteousness. Notice how Paul explains their confidence and then dismantles it.
The first aspect of their confidence before God was in what they had been taught: "being instructed out of the Law." 'We're not like others, going about life without moral instruction; we've heard from God! Unlike other people, He gave us His Law. We've learned it from birth.' This did distinguish the Jews from other people groups. God had chosen them out of all the nations and deposited His moral Law with them so that they might bear testimony to the other nations concerning the Creator. The Law, while a perfect moral guide, was not the end-all. It was not the Law but the Giver of the Law that was to be the focus of love and loyalty and affection. When the Psalmist declared, "Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day," he loved it for how it helped him to follow after the Lord. "The law is God's law," wrote Spurgeon, "and therefore it is our love" [Treasury of David, III, 330]. Because He gave it, because He reveals His own holiness and wisdom in it, we love it. Yet loving the law itself is no substitute for true love for the Lord, though many of the Jews had fallen into that trap. Notice how Paul explains this.
First, their affection for the Law reminded them of their heritage. "But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law." The name "Jew" is first mentioned in 2 Kings 16:6 and became common for the people of Judah during the period of the exile and post-exile. It likely arose as short-hand for the people of Judah. It was a precious title of these people who had received God's promises, witnessed His mercy and grace, and found both His favor and discipline. So, it is clear that Paul is addressing Jewish people at this point in his explanation of human sinfulness. Some of the Jews thought that they were exempt from God's judgment because of their heritage.
Second, this inward reliance is specified as those who "rely upon the Law." The word is intensively active (middle voice) and refers to finding comfort in the Law or putting confidence in the Law. It was the practice of their lives and the source of their confidence before God. It became part of Paul's own confidence before He encountered Christ on the Damascus Road. "If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the Law, a Pharisee [which implied that he strictly observed it in detail]; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless" (Philippians 3:4-6). Saul of Tarsus thought himself to be in a good position before God because of his reliance upon the Law. But he soon found out, "Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:7-9).
Third, his reliance on the Law gave him such confidence that he could vocally profess his confidence as one that could "boast in God." We would commend boasting in God or glorying in Him, as totally appropriate. He knew when to offer praise to the Lord; and he was good at doing it! Fourth, so confident and self-assured was he that his life was on the right track with God, that he could assert, I "know His will." He had been instructed out of the Law and relied on the Law. He could string together a list of do's and don'ts, rules and regulations that he surmised as God's will. He had an answer for every situation, lifting some phrase from the Law as his proof-text. Finally, this led to his ability to discern the truly worthwhile things in life, so that he could "approve the things that are essential." He lived life under the magnifying glass. He could spot just what was needed to be righteous, whether that meant tithing his garden herbs or restricting his steps on the Sabbath Day.
In all of these things, the Jew felt good about himself. He thought that his heritage, confidence in the Law, boasting in God, knowledge of God's will in every setting, and his ability to sift through the fine details of how to live gave him an edge with God.
To add to his righteousness, the Jews that Paul addressed did not keep their religion to themselves. They saw "in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth." The very form or substance or framework of knowledge and truth, for them, was found in the Law. Here was what life was about: instruction in the Law and diligent observance. Yet all the while, he could not see that the Law as the means to righteousness was vain; not because of a problem with the Law. "The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12). "For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified" (2:13). As Paul explains in his next argument against dependence upon the ceremonial law: "if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision" (2:25). In other words, that which you depended upon in the Law, if transgressed at any point, leaves you condemned by the Law. How does one offer outward confidence in the Law?
First, you "are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind." You consider yourself to be enlightened, to know the way of God; so you are assured that you can show others the way. Those spiritually-blind need not fear as long as you are leading the way! Any of us can slip into this self-confidence. We attend a class on evangelism and suddenly think we're an expert. We get a seminary degree or take some on-line courses or attend some seminars and conferences, and we think that we're now experts in guiding others to God. Yet, my brethren, if our confidence is in any of these things and not a confidence in the gospel alone as the power of God unto salvation, then we have misplaced confidence. We're in danger of leading the spiritually blind into the abyss!
Second, this self confidence also considers oneself to be "a light to those who are in darkness." Not content with silence, this self-confidence boldly strides forward to vigorously assist others. Yet here is the subtle danger: he helps others so that he does not have to face the reality that he is still in darkness. Here was precisely what happened to John Wesley. With great confidence, he visited the prisons and poorhouses in London; he traveled to the American colony of Georgia to preach to them; he thought that he was bringing light to those in darkness. All the while, Wesley remained in darkness. Not until he came face to face with his need for Christ's righteousness did he find life.
Third, this kind of self-confidence spurs one to consider himself as "a corrector of the foolish." That word, "corrector," carries the idea of an educator or instructor or a disciplinarian for the unthinking and ignorant. Quick to recognize the faults in others, he's just as quick to point them out and show them the "right way." He finds correcting others as a confidence booster that he's in better standing with God. Yet that is self-deception.
Finally, he sees himself as "a teacher of the immature." He quickly asserts his understanding of spiritual things so that he can bring others along. He carries himself with an air of superiority toward those not as schooled and articulate as he is.
Do you get the picture? Inwardly, he fancies himself as right with God because of his knowledge of the Law and self-assurance that he knows the way of God. Outwardly, he buoys his confidence by correcting, guiding, and instructing others in his knowledge of God. But where is the righteousness of Christ in all of this? Such a person is in the most dangerous situation imaginable because his confidence is actually in himself and not in Christ alone. Without realizing it, he is a hypocrite of the first order, pretending to be super spiritual while actually living far from God.
In another era, during the days when you could leave your car unlocked and the keys in it while parked on the street, I encountered a deluded man. My friends and I had just walked out of church on a Sunday night during the summer, when we walked toward one of the guy's car. In the driver's seat, to our shock, sat a man that we had never met! His frumpy clothes and scraggy look, along with the distinct odor of whiskey, alarmed us. He had soiled his clothes and began to talk out of his head as we approached. When we asked his name, he told us and then added, "God's gift to women!" He said it with great confidence! But we realized with one look and one sniff that he was deluded! His self-confidence belied reality.
Hypocrites do the same. They think that because of their perceived righteousness and superiority over the religious practice of others, that they are in fine condition with God; they have no need for correction or instruction as they've given to others. Paul makes his point through four questions that go to the heart of the hypocrite's self-delusion.
The religious hypocrite fancies himself as an excellent "guide to the blind…teacher of the immature." He's quick to correct others and offer pronouncements on how life is to be lived before God. Yet, his unteachable spirit reveals his false spirituality. "You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?" He teaches others but not himself; he examines others but not his own life; he corrects others but fails to deal with his own sin.
You see precisely what Paul has in mind. Such a person can point his finger in another's face and tell him how he is wrong. He can offer counsel to direct someone in a course of action. But he really doesn't know his own heart. He cannot see his own sin. He does not realize how far from God he is because of his self-righteousness. He has approved himself for so long that he cannot imagine that God would find anything wrong with him. It would be surprising if he was not waiting for God to consult him on some divine action!
Are you teachable? Do you seek to correct your life according to the gospel of Christ? I'm intentional in referring to the gospel because we can use the Bible to guide our steps in family, business, social life, and political life, yet still be under condemnation before God. We can pick out Bible verses as a code of conduct and moral guide. However, it is only when the gospel informs us, corrects us, changes us, and directs us that we have life; for the gospel shows us our vanity and pride. The gospel reveals our lack of righteousness before God, our hopelessness apart from Christ. The gospel points us to the only refuge before a holy God—the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel hangs all of our hope on the crucified and risen Christ! "Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling."
Paul moves to specifics in his next questions—specific moral issues. "You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" He doesn't list all of the commandments, only the eighth, seventh, and then intimates the first and second. They are a sampling of the whole. Hypocrisy can preach and teach others while indulging in the very sins it condemns.
Did Paul mean the Jews blatantly stole or actually engaged in immoral relations? Perhaps that's what he had in mind. There's an example of one ancient rabbi bemoaning the adultery, thievery, and corruption of the Jewish people [cf. John Stott, Romans: God's Good News for the World, 92]. Or more likely, he's exposing the common problem among the Jewish religious leaders who followed the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. They may not have taken someone's personal property; but they coveted it or they twisted things so that they could "legally" take something that belonged to another. They may not have had outright sexual affairs but they were adulterers in their hearts, indulging their minds and desires in sexual impurity. They condemned idolatry yet would find ways to profit from perhaps selling idols to Gentiles [cf. Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, 136-137]. Here's the issue: they preached the Law but didn't practice it. But so confident because of their knowledge and ability to instruct others, they did not even see their own sin and separation from God.
The whole purpose of man is to live to God's glory. Sin violates God's glory; it enthrones man and glorifies man while denying glory to God (Rom. 3:23). The hypocrite, in particular, defies and denies the glory of God.
Verse 23 in the NASB is posed as a question whereas the Greek seems better rendered as a statement: "Whoever boasts in the Law, through the transgression of the Law you dishonor God" [my translation]. He brags on his knowledge of the Law; he talks about how wonderful the Bible is and how it is the great source of his life. He can talk about principles and minutia without stopping to breathe. Yet his reliance upon the Law for righteousness dishonors God. How is that? Why doesn't God just be happy that someone is morally upright before others? First, the issue of our existence is not to be morally upright before others but rather to live to the glory of God. The goal of the moralist is ultimately self-righteousness—not a reliance upon God's provision of righteousness in Christ. Second, God is never glorified by partial-obedience or partial-righteousness. Only perfect righteousness meets the approval of the perfectly righteous God. And only Jesus Christ has that kind of righteousness. Unless His righteousness is ours through faith then we cannot glorify God. Third, any claim to righteousness apart from the gift of righteousness through Christ, denies God's assessment of man's sinfulness and denigrates the cross of Christ. Fourth, to boast in the self-generated righteousness in the Law rather than to boast in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31) reveals the folly of self-glory and self-trust, demonstrates a failure to understand the Law as a pointer to Christ, and denies that the Law ultimately condemns them for their transgressions (cf. Gal. 3:19-24).
Israel's folly with idolatry that led to their capture by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, ultimately slandered the name of God. Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:5 as well as alludes to Ezekiel 36:20-21 that captures this slander of the Lord by Israel's hypocrisy. "'For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' just as it is written." How did they slander God's name? The Gentiles thought that their gods were mightier than the God of Israel since they had captured the Jews. Their folly made the Lord appear helpless before their enemies. All that they knew of the Lord was what they saw in those professing to be His people—and they did not learn much about Him through them.
That's what hypocrisy does. Instead of presenting a clear picture of life in dependence upon the Lord, it masquerades as Christian while living like a non-Christian. It causes the world to question what is so worthwhile and important about Jesus Christ and the Christian gospel. Martyn Lloyd-Jones offered this insightful thought.
People seem to think that the masses are outside the Christian church because our evangelistic methods are not what they ought to be. That is not the answer. People are outside the church because looking at us they say, 'What is the point of being Christians?—look at them!' They are judging Christ by you and by me. And you cannot stop them and you cannot blame them…They not only judge God and Christ by this, they judge the truth of God in the same way…And…they judge the salvation of God by what they see in its representatives [Romans: The Righteous Judgment of God, Exposition of Chapters 2:1-3:20, 149].
What do others think of Christ and the gospel by looking at your life and listening to your speech and seeing the way you conduct your relationships and watching the way you work? Is their view of Christ diminished by hypocrisy on your part? If we're truly Christians, we're called, by our text, to evaluate ourselves in light of the gospel of Christ's righteousness. Live to His glory and not your own.
If you are one that considers yourself right with God because of your morality and your ability to influence others, then I call you to repentance. You are under God's judgment because you trust in yourself rather than in God's only provision for righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ.
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