Why Are There So Many Hypocrites in the Church? - Clint Leiter

Question: What would you say

to a lost person who says

the reason I'm not a Christian

is because there's so many
hypocrites in the church?

Clint: Well, I would say to that person

what they're calling the church is wrong.

I would say to that person,

what you're calling the church

is not the true church.

It might be a religious organization.

It might be a denominational gathering.

It might be some religious institution,

but it's not the true church.

The true church of the Bible

is not populated with hypocrites.

That's not to say that a true Christian,

a true believer can't
be caught in hypocrisy.

Peter - when he denied the Lord Jesus,

that was an act of hypocrisy.

He had said earlier,
"Thou art the Christ."

You're the Christ.
The Son of the living God.

Jesus confirmed that statement

and said He would build His church on it.

And then later you have Peter

caught in an act of hypocrisy

denying the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's an act, but
Peter was not a hypocrite

in his lifestyle.

There's a big distinction there.

Later on in Galatians 2,

you have the Apostle
Paul confronting Peter

over an act of hypocrisy

that had the tendency
to lead others astray.

But Peter was not living
a life of hypocrisy.

So the true church is not
populated by hypocrites.

The local church, local denomination,

or some religious institution -

that might be the case.

So first I would counter
with that thought.

What you're calling the
church isn't the true church.

And then I would say secondly

to that individual,
you're not being honest.

The reason you're not a Christian

is not because of something
somebody else is doing.

That's just an excuse.

The reason that you're not a Christian

is because you don't
want to submit to God.

That's everyone's problem.

They're proud.

They don't want to bow the knee to God.

They don't want to yield to free grace.

They don't want to receive

from the hand of someone else salvation.

They want to earn it on their own.

They want to love their sin.

They want to keep their sin.

They don't want God on His terms.

That's why they're not a Christian.

So I guess that's how
I would approach that.

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