Hypocrites In The Church

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares and the Parable of the Net help us to see that we can expect to find hypocrites and apostates in the church.

This is alarming to many because they feel that if it really is God’s remnant church it should be close to perfect and not so flawed. And what if its pastors or those in leadership positions that are perceived as the hypocrites or apostates? 

The parables mentioned above help us to not to be so stressed about sinners in the church, even among the leadership. This is not to suggest that this problem should be taken lightly. Yes, our hearts should grieve over the hypocrisy, unfaithfulness, and lukewarmness that we see, but we surely must not lose our own faith over the faults of others, even leaders.

In this devotional we will just look at the Parable of the Net found in Matthew 13:47-50. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew it to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

The casting of the net into the sea represents the preaching of the gospel. When the gospel is preached what kinds of people are gathered into the net? According to the parable, the net catches both the good and the bad.

So, what is the lesson for us in the church? We shouldn’t be completely shocked that there are bad, phony, or false Christians in the church. And, we should be on guard not to be led astray by their potential influence.

“Christ saw how the existence of false brethren in the church would cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of. The world would revile the gospel because of the inconsistent lives of false professors. Even Christians would be caused to stumble as they saw that many who bore Christ’s name were not controlled by His Spirit. Because these sinners were in the church, men would be in danger of thinking that God excused their sins. Therefore, Christ lifts the veil from the future and bids all to behold that it is character, not position, which decides man’s destiny.” (Christ Object Lessons, pp. 122-123)

How is the problem of the good and bad that were caught together in the net to be solved? They were separated on the shore, which Jesus said in v. 49 represents the work of the angels separating the wicked from the just at the end of the world.

This requires tremendous patience on the part of the faithful because our human tendency is to want to fix it now and assume the work of the angels. If we do that, we will likely make things worse instead of better.

“When the mission of the gospel is completed, the judgment will accomplish the work of separation.” (ibid. p. 122)

“When the work of the gospel is completed there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each class is forever fixed.” (ibid. p. 123)

The test for us is to remain faithful in the midst of unfaithfulness around us. To have love for the wayward in spite of our deep concern and frustration. To speak out with tears in our voice rather than in self-justification. This is the time to ask God to search our hearts and thoughts to show us if there be any wicked way in us and lead us in the way everlasting.

Fred Dana, Associate Pastor