colorful words than “hypocrites”?
We first need to remem-ber the
complexity of the question. People
ask it for a variety of reasons from
a variety of vantage points. If we
treat all situations the same, we’ll fail
to respect people as individuals. To
be sure, some people act like jerks
themselves in their attacking. We
would be wise to respond carefully,
remembering to “not answer a fool
according to their folly, lest we be
like them” (Proverbs 26:4). At the
same time, we must “answer a fool
according to his folly, or he will be
wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 26:5).
appropriate, we should empathize
with pain and agree with the
offense of unrighteousness.
• We should remind ourselves and
our conversation partners that
our problem is far worse than
hypocrisy. It’s sin. It’s evil. It’s
idolatry. Sometimes I say, “Oh,
my problems are far worse than
hypocrisy. Sometimes I am a
hypocrite. But it’s far worse than
that.”
• We should ask questions to discern
why they’re asking the question.
Different postures deserve different
responses. Sometimes Jesus
gave direct answers to questions.
Sometimes he answered questions
with questions. And sometimes he
refused to answer questions when
he knew people were insincere or
trying to trap him.
But not all askers are fools. Some
have experienced great pain
because of horrific sin perpetrated
by Christians. Some are genuinely
confused. Some ache for relation-
ships that are not tainted by sin, and
some live on the razor edge between Finally, we must remember and, at
despair and hope. The gospel is