How do I avoid being a hypocrite?

Matthew 5:23-24“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-28So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

To avoid being hypocrites, we must address the wrongs in our lives before representing God in front of others, which includes all aspects of worship in our faith communities.

James 3:17The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

To avoid being hypocrites, we need God’s Spirit to give us wisdom and true sincerity.

James 4:8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Sincerely following God will help us get rid of hypocrisy in our lives.

1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 2:3-4We can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

Confession without a change of behavior is a spiritual charade. It is hypocrisy to confess a sin and then deliberately continue in it. We can easily glibly ask God’s forgiveness with no real repentance. So to avoid being hypocrites, we shouldn’t cheerfully claim God’s promise in 1 John 1:9 without reading 1 John 2:3-6. Confession without a change in direction is ineffective. It is an attempt to escape punishment without really setting out to please God.

Matthew 7:1-5“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Galatians 6:1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

Helping others confront their sins is good. If, however, we have not confronted our own sins, we are in no position to help others. Spouting advice we have neglected to follow ourselves is hypocritical.

Matthew 25:44-45“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”

1 John 2:9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.

1 John 3:17-19If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

1 John 4:20If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

Claiming to love God while hating a brother or sister in Christ is hypocrisy. How can we love Christ while hating someone he died for? How can we sing of God’s forgiveness while holding a grudge against a worshiper sitting next to us? How can we claim to offer God everything while refusing to help his children in need?