making sense of hypocrties

A hypocrite is one who pretends to be something they are not, taking from the root word meaning actor. The normal application is the criticism of Christians who pretend to be something but acts differently than what they purpose they are. "Christians are just such hypocrites", claim critics of God. Even Noah Webster's original English dictionary published in 1828 defines hypocrite in these terms, "one who has the form of Godliness without the power, one who assumes an appearance of piety".

While the word hypocrite is a general sense of one appearing to be what they are not, its interesting that the culture applied it to a specific kind of pretending, one who is not a Godly person but presents them self to be. I think there is a more powerful application for the word hypocrite and its really the reversal of its normal use.

My experience shows me that there are many Christians who are hypocrites, but not in the way the world means it. Christians are adopted children of God. they have every access to the provisions and privileges of the King. BUT, they rarely act like it. Christians who were once orphans, now live in the mansion on the hill, but mainly don't act as if they believe their new found fortune.

The King who has the mansion on the hill wants more than anything for their adopted child to feast at His table and to dress in the clothes He provides. Yet, what does His children often do. They abandon the provisions and privileges of the King, put on their old rags and go back down into the garbage heaps of the world and act like they are still orphaned, living off the paltry provisions of the street. They are pretending to be an orphan when they are actually a child of the King.

I find this form of hypocrite to be more profoundly evident than the cultural application perpetuated by a carnal minded world. Wouldn't it be interesting if when people criticize Christians they would really be saying, "look at those Christians, they are such hypocrites, they are adopted children of the King of this Universe but they act like they are still an orphan. How silly and foolish of them!"

Just imagine that!!!!