THE ISSUE
Why do some Christians act so phony, professing certain convictions, then turning around and behaving in ways that seem hypocritical? A few guys and girls I know even label different activities as sinful, but engage in the very things that they condemn. What’s going on?
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
• “These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction” (Isaiah 30:9).
• “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8).
• “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
ONE GUY’S FAITH LESSON
Let me share with you the strange experience of a Christian guy named Steve. Actually, it turned out to be a cool faith lesson.
One night, this 16-year-old and some of his high school buddies were at their favorite fast-food place. Steve took a big bite out of a delicious chicken sandwich. However, as he glanced down at his meal, he discovered, to his horror, that the center was crawling with maggots. Needless to say, that was the end of dinner—and probably the last time he’ll ever set foot in that restaurant.
How could something that looked so good on the outside be so rotten on the inside? In fact, it looked just like all the other sandwiches waiting to be eaten that did not have maggots in them. It wasn’t until Steve took a bite that the internal rottenness was revealed. But isn’t that just like some of our lives? We look like “good little Christians” on the outside, but if people could look inside they could see that our spiritual insides are rotten. And the same was true in Jesus’ day—in fact, he referred to some of the Pharisees as “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27).
While man can’t see inside another person’s souls, God can and does. Maggots in chicken sandwiches are gross and disgusting, but being rotten on the inside of our souls is an even more serious problem. We may attend church every time the door is open and even give money to worthy causes, or teach a Sunday school class, but if we have never accepted Christ as Savior, we, like Steve’s sandwich, are rotten inside. Is it any wonder then that many of the unsaved rape, murder and do other unspeakable acts of brutality that a committed Christian would not think of doing?
Sadly, even among those who claim to be Christians, it seems that more and more are involved in activities that are not consistent with a dedicated walk with God. Sex scandals and divorces are on the rise within the church. In fact, recent statistics say that professing Christians have a higher rate of divorce than people in the secular world. I have been taken advantage of so many times by businesspeople claiming to be Christians that when someone tells me he or she is a Christian and will give me a good deal, I want to run the other way.
We should not be surprised. In Jeremiah 17:9, God states, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
The good news is that unlike the chicken sandwich, which can only be discarded, we can change. If you are a Christian who could be referred to as a whitewashed tomb, the first step is to confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Then you must make a conscious and continuing choice to live your life as closely to Christ as humanly possible. If you realize you are not a Christian, then why don’t you take time right now to make the most important decision you will ever make in your entire life?
First confess to God that you are a sinner and cannot do anything to save yourself. If we could, then Christ would not have needed to come to earth and die for our sins. According to Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [Christ Jesus] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Next, bow your head and pray and ask for forgiveness for the sins you have committed. Keep in mind that there is no sin too terrible for Christ to forgive. In fact, He has already paid the price for all the sins of all mankind and is just waiting for you to accept His free gift of eternal life. It’s just like a gift you buy for someone. It does not belong to that person until he or she accepts it.
Finally, thank God for sending His only begotten Son to die for you and accept His gift of eternal life in heaven. Now you can rejoice knowing that you are part of the family of God—and that He has removed the maggots. 
