Key Verses: Romans 2:21-22 “You, therefore, who teach another, do not teach yourself? You therefore who preach that a man should steal, do you steal? You who say, do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” Every now and then, I believe we all, and this includes me as your pastor need a blunt reminder about hypocritical living. Here in Romans 2, Paul gets real with some of the Jewish hypocrites in the church at Rome. They were being very judgmental of the gentiles, and Paul seeks to remind them that God is not pleased with hypocrisy. I have spoken to a great number of nonbelievers over the years that have told me that the reason they do not attend church or believe in God is because of hypocrites. While this excuse will not do them any good on the great day of judgment, it does serve as a reminder to us that we must guard our hearts and actions against hypocritical living. We are often far too quick to judge others when we are actually committing the exact same sin, or a at least a very similar one. When we choose to live like this, we are pushing people away from God. This was already happening in Paul’s day as well which is why in V.24 he quotes the Old Testament verse which reads, “the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you.” Today I challenge you to make sure that you are not guilty of being a hypocrite and turning people away from the Lord. Your actions among nonbelievers matter!!
