“UNFIT”

16 “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

Titus 1:16

One time, I was talking to a man who shared his church experience. He mentioned that he grew up going to church and attending Sunday School, but didn't really believe in God or Jesus. He went to church simply because he felt good being around believers. What can we say about such a person?

In our previous blog, we learned that as Christ-followers, we have a responsibility to uphold God’s holiness and give His name its due reverence.

Here’s another mark of hypocrisy you and I should be mindful of:

You don’t affirm Jesus’ teachings and life.

Unbelievers call many Christians hypocrites because we don’t know how we came to the Christian faith, to begin with. I know it hurts, but can we really blame them if we didn’t do our homework and get to know our God?

A true Christian knows what he believes and why he believes it. He has a burning desire to know God more and spends tremendous amounts of time discovering how to live in a way that pleases God. On the other hand, others don’t affirm Christian doctrines.

Why is biblical illiteracy a sign of hypocrisy? Here’s how the American Heritage Dictionary defines hypocrisy: “the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.”

In other words, you claim to be a Christian but don’t necessarily affirm the doctrines of Christianity. You don’t have a personal relationship with Christ but love to be in the company of Christians.

Consider today’s verse. The false teachers claim to have personal knowledge of God while their conduct clearly disproves them. Their words and deeds do not meet the standards of godly living expected of every true believer. They enjoy the fellowship of the saints but are not part of it. According to Paul, they are detestable (loathsome), disobedient (insubordinate to God’s word), and unfit for anything good (unable to do anything morally acceptable to God).

Likewise, if you’re someone who does not know or affirm the teachings of Jesus or follow His way of life, but calls yourself a Christian, the word “hypocrite,” as bad as it sounds, just might be an apt description of you.

But it’s not too late. God wants you to turn from your ways and turn to Christ. He wants to save you. Will you let Him?

Pursue the Savior today!