Working Out What’s Been Worked In

Did you watch any of the Winter Olympics? Even though I know absolutely nothing about figure skating, skiing, ski jumping, bobsledding or speed skating – I’ve never done any of them – it was enjoyable to watch some of the events. Especially the ones in which USA athletes were expected to do well.

 

The one thing each of them had in common was the “USA” proudly emblazoned on their uniforms. They not only were from the United States but also had devoted countless hours over many years to earn the right to represent their country.

 

As the Games went on, ads and commercials started popping up offering replicas of the uniforms and other memorabilia so fans could show their pride in the team’s accomplishments. Those are fun, but there’s a truism about buying copies of team uniforms and jerseys: They show who you’re passionately rooting for, but don’t make you an official part of the team.

 

Years ago, I bought an Ohio State football jersey that I still have. I’ve rooted for the Buckeyes for many years. But even though I often wear OSU attire, I’ve never gotten a call asking me to suit up for the Scarlet and Gray. (Good thing!)

 

In a far more profound sense, this principle applies to being a member of God’s “team.” As has been wisely observed many times, going to church doesn’t make one a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you a car. 

 

There are numerous external indicators that followers of Jesus Christ might display, attending church on a regular basis being just one of them. Others may range from reading the Bible; attending a Bible study; going on a mission trip; being able to recite some Scripture verses; even wearing Christian-oriented T-shirts or jewelry. But as we’ve all learned, outward appearances can mislead.

 

In His interactions with the Pharisees, who were about as religious and pious as anyone you’d ever meet, Jesus spoke about this in particularly stern terms: “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.” 

 

But Jesus wasn’t done with His rebuke. He added, “Woe to you…! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:25-28).

 

To put it into today’s vernacular, the Lord was saying in effect, “You guys like to wear the team jerseys, but you don’t even qualify to serve as waterboys on the real team!”

 

There’s an interesting verse in the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi that applies here. He exhorted believers to “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). At first glance, one might think it concerns working to attain one’s salvation. However, that’s not at all what it means. Rather, it’s about striving to work out what God has already worked into us.

 

Many Scripture passages make clear it’s impossible to earn our salvation. Theologians sometimes use the Latin terms “sola gratia” (grace alone) and “sola fide” (faith alone) to explain this. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

 

In a letter to Titus, one of Paul’s spiritual sons, the apostle also asserted, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

 

Then what is “working out your salvation” all about? If we’re not working to gain our salvation, what’s this mean? It helps to consider some of the things we receive from God when we become “born again,” as Jesus said to Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees. 

 

We could present a long list, but Galatians 5:22-23 gives some traits that every disciple of Jesus Christ should exhibit in increasing measure: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….” Each of these is a quality that the Lord demonstrated in abundance during His earthly ministry. As Christ followers, we should exhibit each as well – through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

As you look at the world around you, do you see evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? I don’t see much of it. If anything, it’s clear there’s a tremendous shortage of each. Why? Because non-believers – and they’re in the majority, sadly – haven’t allowed God to work them in. So how can we expect them to work them out?

 

Jesus emphasized that His followers aren’t to judge others, “For with the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). However, He did not forbid them from being “fruit inspectors.”

 

Judas Iscariot was perhaps the best example of all. Like the other disciples, Judas had spent the better part of three years with Jesus, 24/7. He heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles, and observed His example of how to live. And yet at the very end, Judas’s greed and quest for power were his undoing. For years he had worn the ‘team jersey.’ He had looked the part. But ultimately, he betrayed the Lord – for 30 pieces of silver. 

 

Studying the Scriptures we see no evidence of love, joy, peace, etc. on display in Judas’s life. And certainly not in his death, hanging himself from a tree in remorse – but not repentance.

 

That’s a cautionary tale for us all. Are we genuinely on Jesus’ team, or do we just enjoy wearing the team jersey when it’s convenient and doesn’t interfere with how we want to live our lives the rest of the time?

Hypocrisy Everywhere We Look

One of the most common criticisms of the Christian church is “it’s full of hypocrites.” Duh! I want to ask people making that statement, “Have you taken a good look at the world around you lately? The world is filled with hypocrites. Why should the Church be any different?”

Certainly we indulge in hypocrisy when our actions don’t equate with our high-sounding words. In fact, the root of the word means to play a part or to wear a mask. If you’re fond of the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do,” chances are you’re quite adept at hypocrisy.

We all like to hide behind masks that
conceal our true inner selves.

We show how hypocritical we can be when we pleasantly greet people, only to sneer at them or talk about them as soon as they’re beyond the sound of our voice. Or when we drive to a friend’s home for a dinner party, arguing with our spouse the entire way, but the moment we step out of the car we’re all smiles, as if we’ve just been selected happiest couple of the year.

The news media go on lengthy, holier-than-thou diatribes about prominent people caught uttering offensive comments, such as Donald Sterling, the mean-spirited, loose-lipped former owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, or other public figures. Generally such attention is warranted. But I wonder how many of those same news people, if a tape recorder had been available at some critical time in their past, could be revealed as guilty of making similar statements or even worse (maybe more than once)?

Hypocrisy seems especially abundant in that great bastion of self-righteousness known as Hollywood. Every so often we see or read about movie stars and entertainers speaking out on behalf of the poor and needy around the world, some oppressed group of people, the disease-of-the-month, or some other noble cause. Then we read about some of these same celebrities spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions, on lavish, self-indulgent events to entertain fellow rich people. Seems to me if they were so concerned about the cause célèbre, their money could be put to better use than wasting it on themselves.

Then we have the content of TV programming and movies the Hollywood elite foist on the public, all in the name of “entertainment.” Violent crime shows and films with body counts that challenge even the most sophisticated calculator. Salacious comedies and dramas that demean the virtues of genuine love, treating sex as casually as a handshake and of no more social or emotional consequence than a quick trip to the restroom. Even hyper-violent video games that make mayhem look like tons of fun.

These are for entertainment only, the Hollywood honchos argue. Everyone knows they’re not real, they insist. So these perverted, mind-numbing productions have absolutely no impact on the fragile and formative psyches of younger viewers. They deny any culpability when a deranged individual with a history of wallowing in such material carries out horrendous acts of one form or another, similar to those witnessed on the screen.

Funny thing is, many of these same film studios create TV commercials costing millions to air, along with advertising to promote their uber-violent, super-sexed movies. These commercials have powerful persuasive influence on the consuming public (justifying the high cost of producing and presenting them), but the “entertainment,” we’re told, does not. How exactly does that work?

During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ often addressed hypocrisy. In fact, at times He confronted it directly. In Matthew 23, Jesus used the term “hypocrites” repeatedly, denouncing religious and community leaders for their overt displays of piety while concealing their deceitful inner motives:

“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…. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:25-28).

Wow! Jesus obviously wasn’t taking a page from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Concluding hypocrisy is a universal human trait, do we just shrug our shoulders and offer the excuse, “I can’t help it. That’s just the way I am”? Not at all. In fact, the Bible instructs us to be intentional in rejecting this sin by pursuing a changed heart and changed mind.

The apostle Peter exhorted followers of Jesus, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:1-2).

Another apostle, Paul, offered similar sentiments when he wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

Proverbs 23:7 states, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” So a key for overcoming our seemingly natural hypocritical tendencies is to “reprogram” our thinking and concentrate on things good and uplifting, not the cerebral garbage that bombards our minds every day.

As for those that complain about hypocrisy within the institutional Church, I would say, “Come join us – you’ll fit right in.”