Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. – 1 John 2:4

Lip Service. The act of committing your words to a cause when your heart is not in agreement, and you do not take significant action. People who do that often think of themselves smart, and they genuinely believe others will be unable to see through the facade. Lip service is a form of hypocrisy, which the Bible strongly rejects. Scripture tells us that a hypocrite is someone who puts on a mask and pretends to be something he is not. It is to claim to know and follow certain beliefs but to behave in a way that counteracts those beliefs.

Jesus mentioned hypocrites in several chapters of the Bible. In Mark 7:6, He says of them “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” He goes on to warn against hypocrisy again in Matthew 6:1, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” In our verse for today, John tells us that you cannot claim to love God if you do not obey Him. You cannot be a chorister, instrumentalist, preacher, protocol executive at church or even an ardent church-goer, and live a divergent life outside of the church.

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law during Jesus’s ministry are the perfect example we can all learn from. In Matthew 23, Jesus calls them glory hunters who do not practice what they preach, He says that “Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;  they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;  they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.” In subsequent verses, Jesus pronounces judgement against them, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Clearly, God takes a strong stance against hypocrisy, and it is important that we view hypocrisy with all the seriousness there is, and that we do all we can to avoid it. I am sure a lot of us have been hypocrites at some point in our lives, I have. And I ask that the Lord will empower all of us not only to avoid it, but to walk in His light therein. In Jesus name, Amen.