Defeating Hypocrisy in 2026

Practical Help for a Perennial Problem

J. C. Ryle wrote, “No sin seems to be regarded by Christ as more sinful than hypocrisy.”

Indeed, whatever the merits of discouraging humans from ranking sins, Jesus treats hypocrisy with heightened moral indignation. The scribes who dress to impress and love public greetings and seats of honor but devour widow’s houses will receive “the greater condemnation” (Luke 21:47). The Pharisee offended that Jesus did not wash his hands before eating inspires an entire discourse pronouncing “woe” on those who seek outward righteousness while neglecting “justice and the love of God” (Luke 11:42).

Why does hypocrisy draw such fury? It’s hard to imagine a sin that so clearly violates both tables of the law—the-love-the-LORD-your-God half and the-love-your-neighbor-as-yourself half. To hide inward corruption behind a façade of false righteousness lies to your neighbor in the name of serving God. In fact, hypocrisy seeks to use God to dupe neighbor in pursuit of personal gain. It’s undistilled atheism, living completely before the eyes of men to prop up the illusion that God won’t see what’s really happening.

Jesus surrounds himself with sinners—tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, lovers of money, murderers, and liars. He never excuses these sins and calls all to repent. But hypocrites get the full brunt of his anger. At them, our Lord lashes out.

It’s important to recognize two things about hypocrisy. First, every human being has a little hypocrisy in them. We all live with inconsistencies between the outward person—the one everyone sees—and the inner person—the one visible only to God. Eugene Peterson used to write about the journey toward congruence—the lifelong endeavor to match inner life to outward behavior. When people say, “the church is full of hypocrites,” there’s always an element of truth to it. It’s best to analyze hypocrisy on a scale between two poles. On one extreme, you’ll find repentant hypocrites who are striving in Christ toward congruence. On the other side, you’ll discover brazen hypocrites using pretense to devour others, probably so hardened they don’t even notice the inconsistency anymore.

Second, hypocrisy preys on religious people most. To be effective, temptation must feed on existing desires. Who has the most interest in appearing righteous? Who has the most to gain from moral performance? Church people do. The unrepentant sinner gives up such illusions as soon as he realizes no one is fooled anymore. The person in the church, however, has much to gain from it—respect from peers, positions, power. Plus, the people of God, themselves saved by grace, usually give a lot of rope. Hypocrisy is not exclusively a church sin, but it thrives there.

This brief exploration leads to one obvious question: If hypocrisy is so prevalent and yet also so dangerous, how do we defeat it? How practically do Christians ensure that hypocrisy does not take root in their lives? Here’s a few practical tips.

First, make sure you’re focused on the root before you mind the fruit. Jesus makes this connection in Luke 6:43-45. The quality of the fruit is determined by the quality of the tree. Hypocrites try to make bad fruit look good. They don’t pay attention to the tree, to their inner lives. Jesus’s teaching here calls to mind Jeremiah’s prophecy of the new covenant wherein God promises to change the hearts of his people. To focus on the root instead of the fruit means that the starting point for a life of congruence is the new covenant in Christ. In repenting and believing the gospel, we receive new hearts imprinted with God’s law. Before we can manifest truly righteous deeds, we must first become, by grace alone, lovers of God and neighbor with right motives.

Second, put more emphasis on the inner person than the outward person. In 1 Peter 3:3-4, the apostle warns against overemphasizing outward beauty to the neglect of the heart. Paul makes a similar point about bodily training in 1 Timothy 4:7b-8. Do you spend more energy cultivating your physical appearance than pursuing godliness? Answering this question will help you determine whether you live before the eyes of God or man.

Third, don’t major on minors. Hypocrites look for easy ways to distinguish themselves from others. In our culture, it’s tempting to take great pride in health fads and diets, parenting philosophies, and political opinions. We’re often loud about these minor issues and silent about the important ones because the minor ones are easy and the important ones cost us something.

Fourth, beware social media. Social media is a factory of hypocrisy. It entices us to present the best version of ourselves—often a dishonest version. Social media allows us to see ourselves through the eyes of the admirers of our curated selves. Guard yourself.

Fifth, let your true friends see the real you. Be honest. Dig into real relationships in your local church where you confess your sins and open yourself to real feedback.

Sixth, strive for consistency between public and private. Are you the same person in every setting? Do you notice disparity between your life in private and who you try to be before others? If you need help here, ask your spouse.

Finally, pursue daily communion with Christ. Pray and read his word. Worship him daily. Tell him how much he means to you and ask him to direct your steps. No one sees you in the prayer closet except him, but it’s here where the real heart work begins.