Romans 2: You Hypocrites!

^"17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; ¹⁸if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²²You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?²³You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (Romans 2:17-24 NIV)

This passage is a punch in the gut for a Stumbler like me. It just reminds me of what a hypocrite I can be sometimes. I'll go to church, be the image of an upstanding Christian woman, and yet I go home and it doesn't take long for me to slip into some form of sin... insulting my husband in a fight, lying about something, gossiping, etc. While I am working on myself by letting God work on me, I'm still prone to mess up.

My situation is, obviously, not an uncommon one. Romans 2 specifically addresses the sinful nature of people--even people who think quite highly of themselves...people who are proud of their "religiousness". Not only is this kind of behavior dangerous for the person doing it, we are also putting the souls of others at peril.

Yes, sinning sets us a part from God... every single one of us. While some of us have found salvation, we still need to be extremely careful in how we live. As this passage makes extremely clear, our hypocrisy can condemn those around us. People watch how we act. You might not feel like your friends and acquaintances pay that much attention to you... but believe me, people watch Christians closer than any other group of people. When we mess up, these people take note of it. They use it as a reason not to believe in our God.

I find, as Christians, we're all very good at "talking the talk". We know our Bible. We know the steps to Salvation. We know the ten commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the deadly sins... but despite all this knowledge, we're still painfully inept at "walking the walk". This is why those around us are quick to "blaspheme" (fancy word for "speaking slanderously or irreverently of") our God and our religion.

After all, why should they believe our religion is the "real deal" if we act like it isn't? Pretty words and eloquent phrases are all well and good... but they aren't worth anything without the actions to back them up. How can I convince a person of God's love when I'm rude or cruel to someone (husband/sibling/waitress/co-worker...)?

This blog's namesake was conceived because of my apparent inability to "walk the walk" with 100% consistency. I am a self-admitted hypocrite. I have said many times I am not perfect. However, this passage inspires me to do more than admit that... it inspires me to try harder to "get it right". I'm not living a Christian life for the sake of my soul alone. I'm living a Christian life to the sake of those around me. Every time I mess up, my God loses credibility with my non-Christian acquaintances. That is a scary thought to consider.

The good news is, I don't have to do this on my own. God forgives me for my trip-ups. Beyond that, God also helps steady my feet so I don't stumble anymore. My responsibility is to allow Him to support me. As soon as I try to do this on my own, I fall flat on my face and look like a fool to those around me.

This Stumbler is praying God helps her become more steady on her feet. I don't want to take others down with me when I fall down.