Hypocrisy and Reformed Peacocks

How Good Doctrine Can Produce Reformed Hypocrites

A common problem in modern Christianity is our penchant for separating beliefs from actions. We must not do this. All your actions are a function of your beliefs. Good doctrine produces good character.

I do not deny that some people may live immoral lives yet hold orthodox doctrine. The immorality of their lives does not invalidate the truths they believe. In those cases, they make the subtle doctrinal error of sequestering their doctrine in their minds, building a firewall around it such that it does not affect the totality of their lives.

For example, Jesus told us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matt 16:24). Someone who holds to orthodox doctrine could talk about all the various aspects of self-denial, what “take up your cross” might have meant in the ancient world, and how rabbis in those days would have dedicated disciples literally “follow” them around while receiving instruction. He could even tell you that Jesus’ command demands total dedication, a complete commitment to God, and being a “living sacrifice” in God’s kingdom.

He can tell you all those things, which would be good doctrine in that sense, but if his own life does not reflect such a commitment, then he is self-deceived and hypocritical. The intellectual part of his theology is correct, but his theology in the broader sense is defective.

This is a problem in doctrine-rich, reformed traditions.

Good Theology Produces Good Character

We often speak of orthodoxy and orthopraxy as separate categories for the purpose of communicating concepts, but ultimately, orthodoxy and orthopraxy are the same. Good theology will always produce good character. If a man’s character is bad, his theology is also bad, even though he might hold to historic orthodox beliefs.

Put differently, your life is a billboard for what you actually believe. The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s opening question states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Someone may say they believe that, but if they do not live that way, then he doesn’t actually believe it. It’s a proposition in his mind. Scripture calls that man a hypocrite. Genuine faith is lived, not merely believed as an intellectual abstraction.

Ironically, what I’m describing in this article is something I learned from my reformed tradition, yet our affection for big, beautiful doctrines pulls us toward abstractions that can deceive us into thinking we’re living it simply because we believe it.

Hypocritical Christian Leaders

I’ve seen this in Christian leadership circles. When a leader wants to present himself as credible, conservative, and trustworthy, he may mention historic confessions he holds to, expecting that to settle the matter. I’ve seen leaders be accused of drifting into liberalism or going woke, and they’ll defend themselves by saying, “that’s ridiculous! I hold to the historic creeds of the church and the London Baptist Confession of Faith.”

Another way Christian leaders act hypocritically is when they claim to hold a doctrinal position but refuse to apply it or defend it when it will cost him something. For example, at the SBC convention in Dallas earlier this month, an amendment was brought to clarify the definition of “pastor” such that it applies only to biblically qualified men.

When given the opportunity to speak to the matter, Jeff Iorg, president of the SBC’s powerful executive committee, said he’s been complementarian for decades, holding to the biblical requirement that the office of pastor is for qualified men only. And yet, he argued against the amendment based on some far-fetched concern that it would leave the SBC vulnerable to defamation lawsuits. This was absurd, but it was enough pressure from the platform to win the vote in the moment.

Other pastors claim to be complementarian but will invite women to preach sermons on Mother’s Day. They justify it by relabeling it a “message” or a “talk,” but everyone knows what it is. They want to have it both ways. They claim adherence to a doctrine while denying it in practice.

Another problem is doctrinal nit-picking. Reformed guys love to correct error, which is unsurprising since that’s how the reformation originally began. But this ethos has a shadow side. We can use doctrinal nit-picking as a substitute for godly living. We convince ourselves we’re godly simply because we corrected someone else’s bad theology.

And, of course, there’s the all-too-frequent tragedies of reformed pastors who fall into scandalous sin and forfeit their ministries through adultery. The intellectual rigor of their teaching provides ample cover for secret sins, as though doctrinal orthodoxy is a substitute for sanctification.

Steve Lawson is a tragic, recent example. He was a sought after bible teacher in reformed circles, yet it was discovered that he had been having an affair for a long time, during which he pastored a church, spoke at conferences, and published numerous books. That’s hypocrisy, plain and simple. And that’s a vivid example of hearing the word and not doing it. Hypocrisy is the sin of divorcing one’s words/beliefs from one’s behaviors. It’s the sin of pretending to be something you’re not.

These things should not be so. Saving faith is lived faith. Faith is not merely a set of propositions one holds intellectually. Even demons believe that much! In fact, demons probably understand doctrine better than we do, and yet they “shudder” as they await their judgment (James 2:19).

Looking the Part

God’s word exhorts us to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). If we don’t put our beliefs into practice, we’re self-deceived. I fear many such cases in the reformed world, because they’re convinced that faith is merely an intellectual exercise. We value good doctrine, as we should, but limit the definition of good doctrine to simply learning verses, mastering concepts, and believing confessions.

In other words, our love of good doctrine can make us vulnerable to self-deception. Some guy can know Hebrew and Greek, cite church history, and quote all the Bible verses, and everybody will just assume he’s legit. We’re easily impressed with intellect when scripture tells us to inspect the fruit.

If a man shows up at church with a long beard hanging down his chest, quotes Calvin and Spurgeon, and has “Soli Deo Gloria” tattooed down his arm, people will assume he’s legit.

He may be an intelligent man. He may be biblically and doctrinally literate. But is he a godly man? That’s what matters most. He may know Westminster frontwards and backwards, but what is his marriage like? Does his wife respect him? Does he love her? Is he a joyful man that exhibits humility and grace?

Many people would assume he’s godly because he looks the part, but they’re not looking at the right clues. But if you look closely, perhaps you’ll notice that he’s not what he presents himself to be. Perhaps he’s arrogant and contentious. Perhaps his wife and children can’t stand him because he’s angry and cruel. Maybe there’s no joy or love in their home and everyone is miserable. Maybe there’s no fruit of the Spirit. His big-brained reformed theology camouflages hidden sins.

In the reformed world, guys like this are a dime a dozen. They redefine godliness around a handful of externals that look impressive from a distance, but they aren’t truly walking in Christian sanctification.

Reformed women do the same thing. Godliness is defined along narrow lines of being a homemaker, homeschooler, and making pilgrimages to the Ark Encounter. But is she actually godly in her character? She may look impressive by a few in-group life choices, but is she bitter? Resentful? Gossipy? Is she overbearing towards her children or manipulative towards her husband?

Self-Deception

As James 1:22 says, hypocrisy is self-deception. Reformed guys can assume his doctrinal precision, theological sophistication, and depth of knowledge is what makes him godly. Theologically solid Christians often deceive themselves by equating intellectual rigor with holiness. In so doing, they may even compare themselves favorably to less intelligent and untrained Christians who are actually living more faithfully.

In other words, reformed guys can be very arrogant. Pride poisons the heart, and this is one of the most common traps in reformed Christianity. Eggheaded theology guys treat justification like a puzzle to solve, or a mathematical equation dreamt up by a divine engineer. They enjoy looking smart by unlocking the spiritual logic of the gospel, but it’s all in their heads. Good doctrine, truly understood and applied, should always humble us, not puff us up with knowledge (1 Cor 8:1).

True Love of Doctrine

If you know me, you know that I care deeply about correct doctrine. I love reformed theology from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. But I’ll take 100 humble, godly, Arminians over one brilliant, reformed peacock who’s got the WCF memorized but doesn’t live humbly in Christian obedience.

Godliness isn’t measured by checking a few boxes that impress reformed Christians. It’s not hard to impress other Christians with an outward shell of religion that’s hollow inside. Godliness is not a matter of following a preferred social script. The seal of authenticity of saving faith is godly living, which is indicated by godly character, good works, and spiritual fruit.

Saying you’re a Christian is easy. Living it isn’t. Authentic faith will always be demonstrated by doing what God’s word says. True godliness comes from falling before a holy God, repenting, and recognizing our utter need for Him.

Thankfully, this is exactly what the reformed tradition taught me, and I’m thankful to have learned it. And, by faith, I’m trusting God for the grace to live it humbly and not be a reformed peacock myself.

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