Sinful Pasts, Evangelism, And Hypocritical Christians

One of the hardest parts of being a Christian is telling other people about Jesus. We don’t want to be judged by others or come across as “crazy.” Not to mention, we fear that someone may ask us a question we cannot answer. Quickly, let me ease your worries on that last concern. You will receive a question you can’t answer. Tell them you don’t know, but you’ll look it up. The biggest worry for some of us, though, is that others will think our histories make us hypocritical Christians.

Sadly, many people, even Christians, think that believers ought to be perfect. Maybe that’s why so many of us hide our struggles and faults or suffer from imposter syndrome. We silently wonder, “What if they knew what I was like before Christ? Will they think I’m a hypocritical Christian?” Hmmm. Good question. Is a Christian who struggled with alcohol abuse before salvation, for example, a hypocrite for speaking against drunkenness now? Do these kinds of pasts us hypocritical Christians?

Sharing The Gospel Does Not Make Us Hypocritical Christians

I’m not going to get into my history all that much today. My testimony is readily available to anyone who wants to read it. It does, however, leave a lot out. I don’t particularly want to share everything because it’s private. Also, it’s shameful and easier to share one-on-one in the appropriate conversations. That’s a long way to say it’s just none of your business.

The thing is, though, a lot of people already know that business. They had front row seats to my sin and sometimes debauchery. But something changed one day. I was made new, and I was suddenly repulsed by the lifestyle I had led for so long. The people closest to me noticed it, and I had a choice to either act as if nothing had changed or tell them that I finally knew Christ…and they could, too.

I didn’t want to evangelize. I rationalized that it might just be for the super spiritual men and women who become missionaries or pastors. Everyday people like me couldn’t be expected to have awkward conversations with loved ones about Jesus. I mean, had He met my friends and family?!

Much to my own dismay, I found evangelism was prevalent in the Bible. Below are just a few examples of verses I found convicting on the subject.

Five Times The Scriptures Encourage Us To Be A Gospel Witness

1. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1 Peter 3:15)

Believe it or not, there are times when someone will ask you about your faith rather than you having to find a way to work it into the conversation. Someone may notice you seem different than most people he or she knows, or maybe you will encounter a person who is genuinely interested to learn about Christianity. So, be ready!

Don’t say, “My pastor says…,” or “It’s just blind faith.” These are not good answers. They don’t help explain Jesus to anyone, and, honestly, your walk will look more like a sloppy stumble if your faith is based solely on what Pastor So-And-So says and a completely blind and uneducated faith.

Be able to share the gospel, Christian. A great place to begin when explaining why you hope in Christ is your own testimony of salvation. Tell what He did for you personally.

2. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Great Commission. You had to have seen that one coming from a mile away, right? The final thing Jesus said to His disciples before returning to the Father was, in part, to evangelize.

Taking a closer look, however, we might notice the instruction is even harder than sharing the gospel. The Lord expects us to invest in people, baptize believers, and teacher them His commands. Frankly, sharing the gospel is just the first step in the Great Commission, and yet how many of us struggle to do it? If we’re really worried about being hypocritical Christians, then we should all consider how hypocritical it is to believe Jesus can save and not share that good news with others so that they might, too, receive salvation.

3. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)

The Apostle Paul speaks here to address an issue concerning baptism, so it isn’t the first verse we think of when discussing evangelism. First, Paul knew that his primary role assigned by the Lord was to preach the gospel. Why might that be? Well, “faith cometh by hearing” (Romans10:17), and Paul told everyone he could.

Second, baptism is not the gospel. It doesn’t save. In fact, no work can save. Only Jesus Christ can offer us salvation. This reminder from Paul should bring to light how essential evangelism is to Christianity.

Third, Paul was referring to eloquent speech when he said “wisdom of words.” Essentially, he didn’t want to win people over with beautiful words, impressive sayings, and expressive language. We should be encouraged to know that sharing the gospel doesn’t require a degree in language arts. The gospel is simple, and it is all right to share it simply with others.

4. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Does shame of the gospel ever hold us back from sharing it? I think it might. Those times we feel fear of how others will receive us after we tell them about Jesus may very well relate to some shame. But who said being a Christian was never going to make us seem different or embarrassed? It absolutely will. And it will almost definitely come with a heaping side of discomfort.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is nothing to be ashamed of. We should be proud of our God and thankful for His perfect love that offers everlasting life to all who believe (John 3:16). We should be desperate to share the gospel not ashamed of it.

Hypocrites say one thing and do another. Hypocritical Christians will say Christ came to save all who believe but then not be willing to share that information. How can we believe in the gospel and withhold it for any reason? Having no witness to the world is antithetical to true Christianity.

5. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

OK. Not a verse on evangelism. However, we need to look at Scripture as a whole, and this verse strongly supports the importance of Christians sharing the gospel. It’s clear. No one can have eternal life without Jesus Christ. So, can we choose to keep that to ourselves?

Yes, we can, but there are two problems with this. First, why would we want to? As Christians, we should long to help others hear about God’s grace and the sweet gift of salvation. Second, if we don’t share the gospel, we’re in disobedience. We have looked at the Great Commission, but Second Corinthians also supports that believers’ have an obligation to witness to others about Christ.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Christians are ambassadors for Christ meaning we represent Him. We must tell others about Him, and we should want to.

There is plenty more where that came from. Christians are called to share their faith. Not just the missionaries and pastors! And not just those with a squeaky-clean background.

Sinful Pasts Don’t Make Us Hypocritical Christians

Some Christians can get hung up on their pasts. They know they should share the gospel. They agree with and understand the Scriptures listed above, but they feel like they don’t have the right to talk to people about sin because their past is so “bad.” Sharing the gospel has to include a discussion of sin, but how can someone once caught up in “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” dare to approach anyone else with this conversation? The Bible has a couple of examples I’d like to look at more closely.

The Woman At The Well (John 4:4-42)

The story of the woman at the well features a Samaritan woman who comes to a well to draw water. Jesus was at the well, also, and he asked the woman to draw him a drink of water. She was surprised by the request because he was a Jew, and the Jews despised Samaritans. Then, he told her he could offer her living water, but she was confused about how seeing as he had no way to collect water from the well. Jesus explained his living water offered everlasting life, and she asked him for it. His response, though, changed the course of the conversation and relates to our topic today.

Jesus instructed her to get her husband, but she honestly reported she had no husband. His reaction was to tell her that He already knew she wasn’t married to the man with whom she currently lived. In addition, she had also had five previous husbands. Simply put, she was known as an immoral woman who had a string of lovers in her past.

The woman at the well recognized Jesus as the Christ and understood her sin. She thirsted for spiritual healing, and the Lord, being merciful and loving, gave that to her. She was saved!

Our Takeaway

The woman at the well had an immoral past. She had lived a shameful life, however, she was not beyond saving. Nothing she could have done could preclude her from receiving the salvation offered by Jesus. But there was more.

She didn’t keep it to herself, afraid of people bringing up who they had known her to be before encountering Christ. Not at all! She immediately told others about Him.

“The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

John 4:28-29

Her past didn’t stop her from telling others about Jesus, and it didn’t stop others from believing, either.

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.”

John 4:39-40

The woman’s testimony was not received as hypocritical or not in keeping with her character because she was known as immoral. The men of the city took her testimony seriously and investigated her claim about Jesus. For her part, the woman was so amazed by Jesus that she couldn’t keep it to herself.

The Man With The Unclean Spirit (Mark 5:1-20)

The man with the unclean spirit is also known as the lunatic or the madman by some. When Jesus entered the country of Gadarenes he encountered this man living in a graveyard. He was bound with shackles and chains, but the man was so strong he was able to break the shackles. No one could subdue him.

This man lived among the tombs while crying out and cutting himself with stones. Anyone who saw him, heard him, or heard of him would have believed he was completely out of his mind. When he ran to Jesus, however, the Lord showed great mercy and called out the demons that possessed the man.

Others heard what Jesus had done and came to see for themselves, and they found the man with the unclean spirit sitting, appropriately clothed, and in his right mind. The people were frightened, and Jesus instructed the man to go home and tell others of what He had done (Mark 5:19).

The madman does as he was instructed, and “all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20).

Our Takeaway

The madman presented like some people do today. Specifically, I am referring to individuals who inflict injury upon themselves and/or are not working within their “right state of mind.” Jesus didn’t abandon the madman to his suffering, and He won’t abandon us either if we understand our need of Him.

Yes, the people were afraid of what Jesus had done. Sometimes people are more comfortable with us steeped in our own troubles and sin than with the miraculous changes that can occur in Jesus’ name.

Jesus would not allow the madman to accompany Him on his travels. Instead, He told the man to go home and share the good news. Despite the shame that man may have felt about his past, he obeyed.

We don’t know everything that happened to the madman, but we know Jesus returned to where the madman proclaimed Christ’s work. When He arrived, the people were eager to see Him and asked for His healing (Mark 7:31-37). The witness given by the madman and his incredible change prepared those he encountered to receive and accept Jesus.

We can do this, too. We are not hypocritical Christians when we preach what Christ has done in our lives, even when our lives were once marked by patterns of living that come with a stigma such as struggling with mental illness or involvement with the occult. Those are strong testimonies and speak of spiritual healing, not a hypocritical spirit.

Your Past Does Not Define You

If you are a born-again Christian, then you are different than who you once were.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

You are new and you are His. A believer no longer needs to be under the bondage of the sin that defined her life before salvation. So, that history can be just that…history.

 A life drastically changed by Jesus doesn’t make you a hypocritical Christian. It makes you saved! You aren’t being false. Rather, you are being sanctified.

All Christians Have A Past

We all seem to think we’re the only ones who have done certain things or had particular feelings, but deep down we know that is not true. That “perfect” Christian you know has a history. Maybe she was a liar or thief. She could have been into drugs or been promiscuous. No matter what her past includes, Jesus’ blood covers it all. And she can be sure that her past isn’t the only one that looks a little sketchy.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (emphasis mine)

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

That is quite a list of sins, and Paul ends it by reminding believers that they, too, were once these kinds of people. Your past is yours. Mine is mine. But, Christian, we all have one.

Final Thought

It doesn’t matter if we were saved at five years old or fifty years old. We were all dead in our trespasses with no hope outside of Jesus Christ. We were unrepentant sinners in need of a Savior. Folks, we all came to the cross with the same thing. Sin. We could offer nothing, and God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice was gifted to us.

So, what happened to that history? It’s there. It lives in our past, but it doesn’t need to haunt us in our present. We can boldly proclaim the gospel with no shame of who we once were. We aren’t hypocritical Christians for once loving our sin. Rather, we are living testimonies of what Jesus can do in the lives of wretched sinners.

The gospel is bigger than your history. There’s nothing you have ever done that can diminish what Jesus did for the world. So, go ahead, and brag about what He did for you and can do for them, too. Let the world see that you once were lost but now are found!

Do you ever feel like a hypocritical Christian because of how you used to live?

Image courtesy of Hadija Saidi via Unsplash.