Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy can be defined as claiming to hold beliefs that your behavior doesn’t match. Your kids may have already encountered Christians whose behavior doesn’t line up with what God calls us to do. This week’s Brite lesson about Samson is a great example of how all humans are flawed. Even the “great heroes of the Bible” were just people and made mistakes. They were also hypocrites at times. We can help kids understand that it is definitely disappointing when people don’t act like they should, but we can remember everyone sins and seek to show grace.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss it at home: 

Discuss: Have you ever met someone who didn’t follow their own rules? How did you feel about that?

Discuss: What would you say if someone said followers of Jesus don’t act like they say they believe?

Discuss: What do you think God has to say about that?

Say: You may have heard someone say, “Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites.” Being a hypocrite means the way you live doesn’t match what you say you believe. As believers in Jesus, we know God gave us laws to follow, and the reality is we all mess up. Many people think being a Christian is about following a list of rules, but that’s not what following Jesus is about! None of us are perfect. Romans 3:23 says: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. God’s law shows how much we need a Savior. We can’t be good on our own. God sent us that Savior: Jesus. When we see followers of Jesus mess up, it is disappointing. But we can remember only Jesus is perfect. All people are human and make mistakes. People may let us down, but we can show grace and trust Jesus will never disappoint us.