SHALLOW CHRISTIAN

Anyone in religion who prides themselves in the fact that they do not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes yet always looks for how they can be dishonest in their work or business to make more profit is not a True Christian.

The above assertion is conscientiously made based on the clear verdict and command of the Lord Jesus Christ on religious people (including and particularly addressing religious leaders) in Matthew 23:25-26, where He spoke these words, as veritably recorded by His First Disciples, Eye Eyewitnesses and Foundational Apostles: 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

Earlier on in the same Book of Matthew the ex publican (public servant and tax collector), while speaking to His Disciples, Christ gave them the clear teaching below, as recorded veritably in chapter 15:11-20, as follows:

“It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that makes him unclean and defiled, but what comes out of the mouth; this makes a man unclean and defiles [him]. 

Then the disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were displeased and offended and indignant when they heard this saying? 

He answered, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be torn up by the roots. [Isa. 60:21.] Let them alone and disregard them; they are blind guides and teachers. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch. 

But Peter said to Him, Explain this proverb (this maxim) to us. 

And He said, Are you also even yet dull and ignorant [without understanding and unable to put things together]? Do you not see and understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the abdomen and so passes on into the place where discharges are deposited? But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him]. For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech. These are what make a man unclean and defile [him]; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean or defile [him].” (AMPC)

Now for completeness, this is not to make a case for drinking alcohol or smoking cigars or any such as those things are obviously not superb for the physical heath especially if abused, and they can lead to obvious sins or may even be emanating from hidden sins of the heart such as greed and self-indulgence. 

However it should be clear, given the context of the Scriptural citations, that the state of the heart must take priority and then the outward display should follow suit. 

Hypocrisy in religion happens when the heart or spiritual condition is totally different from the mouth profession or bodily presentation; or when shallow and non-critical parameters or indices are ignorantly and erroneously used to adjudge deeper metrics of true salvation or spiritual life, while ignoring or downplaying the critical indices of true spiritual life and Christlikeness.

This is one way false religion gains ground subtly in the hearts and lives of professing Christians even without all the loud false miracles and false gospels, thus deceiving many into spiritually unfruitful empty religiosity, having and holding onto a form of godliness but denying the Spirit power or true life therein.

Dishonest people end up deceiving their own souls because even with all their religious projection they have actually refused to come to terms with and surrender to Christ in reality. In essence, they have rejected the life and teachings of the Lord even though they identify with one religious denomination or another and use the Name of Christ for solely personal and self-serving reasons. 

However, to know Christ is to love Him and  to love Him is to obey Him or surrender to Him. If you know Him, you cannot but love or hate Him, depending on what spirit is in you. 

Grace and peace to all true Christ lovers!