The Law of Perception of Hypocrisy

There are two laws: the law of sin and the law of God. The flesh, because of sin, battles between the two. Actually it's the temptation to sin which is the stressor because without temptation, sin lies dormant. It's much like shingles. The chicken pox virus is always there, but something aggravates it to allow it to manifest itself. Time, particularly age, is what reactivates the varicella zoster virus, although the mechanism is not fully understood.

Why do people sin? Original sin is the chicken pox with which we're born. We inherited it from Adam because he is held accountable for the first sin. We now all have that Adam's pox. It lies dormant in new born babies, but with time, it manifests itself in behavior and thoughts, and grows worse with time. Pleasure incubates it's growth. Shingles are painful when they becomes obvious. Although sin seems pleasurable, once it peaks, it can hurt terribly the bearer and those around, because misery begets misery.

Likewise, we can have pleasure even though we have original sin. However, as time goes on, our nature manifests itself in hurtful actions. The result is that the flesh is pained. It wants to be healthy, but it is inflamed. Paul spoke on this inflammation of the flesh to the Romans who probably knew that he did wrong (even a murderer before he came to Christ), but preached righteousness. He appeared to be one of them, but was one of God's, a dichotomy which he endeavored to explain!

Romans 12:21 (ESV) "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature, a slave to the law of sin."

Because Paul was no different than any of us at times he still sinned, but he preached righteousness. This law is the conflict between the law of sin and the law of the Spirit. Allow me to propagate  a name for this conflict: because others call Christians hypocrites, I'll call this the law of the perception of hypocrisy!

The character of the law of the perception of hypocrisy is "Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. (verse 21)" The world calls this law: "He claims to do good, but evil he does!" Thus we seem to be hypocrites. I know that I'm seen that way and you are too, because we all have "thorns in our sides". They are the barbs which Satan shoots between the crevices in God's armor.  Because we pleasure in certain things, they become our strongholds, and are the last defense against righteousness.

Even as Christians, we all still sin. We don't have to, but we do because we want to pleasure ourselves. The self-righteous person, the true hypocrite, will rationalize: "I am good, even as that person is keenly aware of the sin inside." We, just like others with an addiction, must first admit the addiction, because sin is addictive! I do that as I pray, and ask for forgiveness. What the world sees is me doing sinful things, not being aware of the forgiveness for which I request of God.

Satan can use the law of the perception of hypocrisy against even the best Christian, even more so! Calloused Christians can sin without remorse because they take little time to reflect on their disobedience. Dutiful Christians seek to do what is right and when they fail, it seems that they may as well give up. This is a deception of Satan. He doesn't speak that to us directly, because he doesn't have to waste his time on us; that feeling of doubt was sown thousands of years ago and is part of our sinful nature. It's part of the virus to doubt.

Right now I doubt that I will ever get shingles. I tell myself that I will be the lucky one. Although the pox virus lies dormant in me, and I chance extreme pain, I sit here and do nothing about it. That's a gamble on my part because I can get shingles tomorrow and be sorry for my negligence. There is a vaccine available for about $300, but yet I cherish the paper money so much that I gamble a gamble which I am likely to lose!

The same goes with the sin in the lives of people: they know that unless they are inoculated they will surely die. The death sting,  more painful than the sting of shingles, and for eternity for some rather than for only four weeks, is dreaded by all, but something all must face, not just a few. However, when death occurs, the second death, a spiritual death ensues without the inoculation. It's sting is forever!

On the other hand for those inoculated with the blood of Jesus, the sting of death is for a moment only, and when the heart ceases to beat, the spirit lives forever... a joyful and peaceful forever!

Although the $300 insurance against four-weeks of shingles pain may seem extravagant, the inoculation against an eternity of damnation is free for the asking. When we come to realize that we can't save ourselves, but Jesus can, and trust him to do so, that is being born-again with the Adam's pox no longer there!

When we walk around, even though we're inoculated with the blood, and we desire to be good, because the pox is still there, we continue to do wrong. With shingles, if we stay healthy and maintain a good immune function, the virus may lay dormant. With the virus of Adam's pox, if we endeavor to live spiritually healthy, it will lie dormant as well! What God sees is the desire not to sin... what the world sees is the sin! We all fail the world's law of hypocrisy, but inside, we are striving Christians who at times fail.

Hopefully, you non-Christians will now better understand the hypocrisy which you see!