True Saints and Hypocrites

Posted by Nathanael Szobody on

True saints have their minds, in the first place, inexpressably pleased and delighted with…the things of God. But the dependence of the affections of hypocrites is in a contrary order: they first rejoice…that they are made so much of by God; and then on that ground, he seems in a sort, lovely to them.

— Jonathan Edwards

Nathanael Szobody

https://paradoxicalmusings.com/author/admin/

Husband, father, and working for Christ's kingdom in Chad.

Comments ( 5 )

  1. Erzsebet
    When first reading this quote early this morning, I got this unsettled feeling in my gut and the thought of it consumed me much of the day. And then it became all to clear to me---this quote, (as a new christain)is one of my greatest of all my sins!!
  2. Erzsebet
    I am a hypocrite..
  3. Nathanael

    I am certainly a hypocrite, Erzsebet. We all are, of course, we seek to get what we want even from God and do not give our bodies as living sacrifices, as it says in Romans 12:1. Romans 7 is all about that; not being able to do and be what we know God wants us to be, and what we tell ourselves we are; that's hypocricy! But then Romans 8 follows with the greatness of who we are in Christ! Not what we think or say we are, but who God promises us that we are in Christ; that's grace!

    Therefore let us put on the new self "which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, [5] free; but Christ is all, and in all.12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

    It's not my self; it's the self being created by God in Christ.
  4. Rob
    When you take the most technical definition of a hypocrite, then who of us aren't?

    We are constantly "saying" we believe one thing and then our the way we live out our lives proves that we truly believe another thing.

    But, as Christians, we are constantly striving to increase in faith, to be convicted by God's Word, and to conform to His will.

    Whoot! I wanna conform! :-)

    I'm gonna put a trackback here from the post I wrote tonight regarding Living What You Believe.
  5. Nathanael
    And I would recommend that ya'll go read it; it's a great application of faith defined as works of the Spirit.

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