Matthias_Finch

"My husband once said the moment we get baptised we become hypocrites," I would extend this comment even further. Any moment we are aware of a truth and knowingly don't adjust our lives to follow it, we become hypocrites. Inconsistency is a good word for all of this. Just as I have just stated, to know a truth and choose not to follow it makes our lives inconsistent with truth, thus we are hypocrites. To preach a truth and not live by it is an inconsistency, thus hypocrisy. These only count if it is a truth and it is known to be true. Truth applies to all people in all places, thus the preacher and those who have knowledge of it are not exempt from it. And of course, to put on the appearance of being a virtuous and righteous individual but not being so(but not necessarily preaching it), that is an inconsistency, thus hypocrisy. It may be more along the lines of deceit, but Christ put down such actions as hypocrisy(praying aloud on street corners and making their almsgiving seen before everyone). It is not hypocrisy to be imperfect followers of the law. There is always room for improvement. That is why we are told to regularly analyze our lives and see where we could make greater improvements. What may be our greatest weakness today, if we start to work on it now, will not be our greatest weakness later on. Something else will become our greater weakness at that time, in which case, we start to improve our lives along those lines. It is those people who know the law and make no effort to improve their following of the law that are the hypocrites. If you know what you are doing is not consistent with God's law and are making steps, even if they are small ones at first, to be more consistent, than you are not a hypocrite. Otherwise, anyone who is repenting or has repented is a hypocrite.

I come from a family that was born and raised in the church, thus I am a lifelong member. Church has played a very important part in my life and I am very outspoken on my thoughts and beliefs. I love to study and research anything I don't know as fully as I could. I am joining this site with the hopes of answering questions, giving input, and learning from others as well. Thus I love to be challenged to find answers.