Opportunity after Death?

Q. Does the following passage mean those who died in sin before Christ also had a chance to receive salvation when Christ preached to them after He died?

• 1 Peter 3:19-21 After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. Only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water. And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not removing dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.

1. No. First, who are the “imprisoned spirits”? Some link this to:
2. Eph 4:8-9 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

They proposed that after His death but before His bodily resurrection, He descended into Hades and preached to the OT saints waiting there for His resurrection, then led these “captives” and ascended on high. However, the text clearly stated that the imprisoned spirits were those who were disobedient in the days of Noah, not OT saints, nor anyone who died in sin before Christ.

Others link them to:

• Gen 6:1-5 Now, it came about when men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. And they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever because he also is flesh. Nevertheless, his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• 2 Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
• Jude 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

They proposed that the imprisoned spirits were either fallen angels (“sons of God”) who did not keep their own domain and took human wives (“daughters of men”) or the spirits of wicked men who did evil continually. Either way, they cannot be generalized to mean all who died in sin before Christ.

Secondly, the Greek word for “made proclamation” is “kēryssō,” to proclaim after the manner of a herald, not “euangelizō,” to bring good news. There is no need to assume the Lord preached the gospel to them. It could be to announce judgment or condemnation.

Third, the Bible clearly teaches that there are no second chances after death to receive salvation:

• Heb 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
• Lk 16:26 And besides all this, between us there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ There is no crossing from Abraham’s bosom to Hades or vice versa.
• Rev 20:12, 15 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. … And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
• 2 Co 6:2 for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—

Each person will be judged according to their deeds after their death. All opportunities to repent and be saved are in this life. There is no second chance to cross over after death.

J’s Baptism

I baptized our daughter’s father-in-law with both joy and sadness. We are joyful because:

• Lk 15:7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

J had been angry with God since his first wife died from cancer. We tried to share the good news with him, but he declined and asked us not to talk to him about it again.

We are sad because he was diagnosed with cancer last year but decided against chemotherapy due to his age. Initially, he was mobile, but his condition deteriorated rapidly over the last couple of months. Last week our son-in-law Chris visited him and shared the gospel with him. God softened his heart, and he received Christ as his Lord and Savior. Chris asked if he likes to be baptized, to which he agreed. Since he was confined to his bed, I confirmed his faith and administered baptism by sprinkling. His daughter cried joyful tears as she witnessed her dad’s confession of faith.

All of us have only one life to live. Some live to their eighties and nineties, while others have only a short sojourn on earth. But all of us, without exception, eventually pass away. Some are wise to recognize that the visible is only temporary:

• 2 Co 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

They realize that their decisions in this life affect not just the here and now but have eternal consequences too. They choose to put their trust in Jesus like J and are received into His kingdom.

Unfortunately, despite their being smart in worldly things, others reject the invitations from their Christian friends and relatives to follow Christ. They ignore the only way that would save them from eternal punishment. J repented in time, but some of our family members, friends, classmates, and former colleagues have yet to do so. God is gracious and gives opportunity after opportunity, but only during this lifetime. I pray that it will not be too late for them.

Reflections

Three of our friends died from cancer within the last nine days. Two were seniors about our age, wife of university classmates. The third was the daughter of our former pastor, with children ten and eight years old. Two were committed Christians, the other received Christ while she was still alert in her dying moments.

We have been praying daily for family members and friends in need, and the list is getting longer and longer. At last count there were more than forty names: eight with cancer (including the three who passed away), three have other physical ailments, three with mental health issues, two have marital troubles, two have spiritual problems, and over two dozen relatives/friends/former colleagues who need to know the Lord.

What can we do in times like these? We do not have the abilities, boldness, or determination of leaders or the charisma and eloquence of influencers. We are just average folks living ordinary lives in these uncertain times. What should we do with the limited skills and resources available? One passage from Paul comes to mind:

• 1 Co 9:19-23 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 
• To the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 
• to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 
• To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some. 
•  I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Five times Paul stressed, “so that I might win.” We do not have the “five talents” (Mt 25:14-30) others have, but we can make use of the “two talents” we do have to save more. Evangelise and make disciples. I hope we can be “good and faithful servants” who will win more.

God’s Mysterious Ways

Sometimes God sends opportunities even when we are not looking for them. And He works things out in such mysterious ways that we know it could not be our own doing, but solely His plan.

Last Sunday, I received a text from sister A and her husband B (all names disguised), whom we have not seen in the last two years, asking whether I can help her friend C get baptized. We chatted on Monday to get more details. It turned out that C has cancer relapse and wants to complete one of her bucket list wishes before starting chemotherapy. We said we will help wherever we can but need to determine her spiritual condition before deciding what to do next. To make a long story short, we talked with C at length over Zoom on Tues., at the end of which she committed her life to Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and rejoiced as she commenced chemo on Wed. But actually, God had been working in the background all along! Let me fill you in on the drama in four acts.

Act 1. Twenty years ago, C’s friend invited her, her husband D, and their teenage son to “try out” our home church M to learn more about Christianity. There C met with A and us for the first time, but only as acquaintances. C had attended a Christian school as a child and is familiar with popular Bible stories. Although she believed in Jesus in her heart, she never found the courage to respond to a gospel invitation and never decided to follow Christ. Then SARS came, and her family dropped out of the church.

Act 2. Fast forward eighteen years, sister A hosted a small group meeting at her home to reach out to new friends. One member brought her friends to the cell group, lo and behold, it was C and D!  A thought C looked familiar, but it was D who reminded her that they met at church M. They came for only that one meeting but did not respond to subsequent invitations.

Act 3. Another year passed. A and B went on a cruise, but who do they meet on the ship? C and D! Sister A got to know C more and found out that C and D had not been to other churches ever since they left M.

Act 4. Out of the blue, A received a message from C, inquiring about the possibility of baptism during the pandemic. Sister A considered asking her current pastor, but C had never attended their church and did not know anyone there. Then she thought about us. At least C attended M for about a year and a half and recognized me as a deacon there at that time. C readily agreed, and the rest of the story unfolded over the last few days.

We never thought we would have the privilege of leading one of the Lord’s lost sheep back to Him after twenty years. But God had planned our paths crossing each other’s at critical points along the way. All we can marvel about is God’s amazing grace and the Holy Spirit working on hearts in the background, like the parable of the growing seed in Mark 4:26-29:

²⁶ And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; ²⁷ and he goes to bed at night and gets up daily, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. ²⁸ The soil produces crops by itself; first the stalk, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. ²⁹ Now when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Hallelujah!

Witnessing and Repentance

Q. When should I talk to the person I am witnessing to about repentance?

• As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent. (Rev.3:19)

Here is the conundrum. The gospel to gentiles is one of salvation by grace alone. People do not have any incentive to believe and accept Christ as Savior if they do not believe that they are sinners in need of a savior. Some people refuse to believe or accept Christ because they do not want to forsake their sinful lifestyles. What should I say to a stranger?
Ray Comfort of Living Waters says that if Christians do not repent, they are like the seeds fallen on shallow ground, grow up but wither in a hurry. Matthews 5:4 comes to mind. Might I say mourning means mourning for one’s sins? 

A. When John the Baptist and Jesus preached to crowds, they started by saying:

• Mt 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
• Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

But look at Jesus’ examples of speaking to individuals:

• Jn 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• Jn 4:7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
• Mk 10:17 And Jesus said to him (rich young ruler), “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

His opening line is different in each case, but it piqued each one’s interest to pursue further.

What should you say to a stranger? I suggest you listen first. Find out where they are at. Speak on what interests them to arouse attention or curiosity, then transition the subject to the gospel. You need to talk about sin and repentance and faith, but not necessarily when you first open your mouth. Be natural, and be friendly, as people will shut you down if they sense you are out to corner them. Your interest in them earns you the right to share what is in your heart. Sure, there are plenty of people who refuse to accept Christ because they do not want to give up their sinful lifestyle, but conversion is the Holy Spirit’s work, not ours. Our job is to witness faithfully. The result is up to God.

I agree with what Ray Comfort said. The seeds that fell on rocky places are nominal Christians:

• Mt 13:20-21 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Their refusal to repent shows that their “faith” is superficial, hence they withered away.

Read

• Mt 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

in the Amplified Bible:

• Mt 5:4 Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].

Your interpretation is valid.

Witnessing

Q. The synoptic gospels were written for us but to the Jews before Jesus’ crucifixion. John’s gospel and Acts 10 onward were written to all people.
What should I say to a non-believer?

• Matthew 4:17 “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• Acts 16: 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
• Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is LORD,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
  
  

A. There is no one answer fits all, as non-believers come with different backgrounds, beliefs, concerns, experiences, values, etc. All the verses you mentioned above are useful, depending on the circumstances, as they talked about repentance, God’s love, and believe.

Christians have used different tools in their witnessing, such as Evangelism Explosion, Gospel Bridge, Steps to Peace with God, Four Spiritual Laws, etc. There are variations in Bible verses and illustrations, but essentially the gospel presentation boils down to just four things:

1. SIN – Man is a sinner and cannot save himself,
2. GOD is just and must punish sin, but He is also loving and wishes to save us,
3. CHRIST – God’s solution is to send His Son Jesus to pay the penalty on our behalf. He proved that He is indeed God the Son and can save us by His resurrection three days after His death.
4. FAITH – To receive God’s gift of eternal life we have to repent and put our trust completely in Jesus alone. We show that our faith is genuine by following what He teaches and doing what He commands.

Some want to start on a positive note by saying that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives, or heaven is a free gift from God and cannot be earned or deserved. What we need to share with a non-believer are these five points. You can elaborate on these to clarify the gospel to the inquirer, but it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict hearts so that people may trust in Christ and be saved.

Do not worry about having a perfect formula for all cases. Our Lord used a different approach each time when He spoke to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and the rich young ruler. Always pray and the Holy Spirit will guide you.

Remembering Mr. Wu Sr.

Enjoying balloon ice-cream!

Mr. Wu Sr. was our friend’s dad. We’ve known him for several years but talked with him most last year when we visited him at his assisted living home.

We always knew him to be a gentleman with a sense of humor. For example, Ellen makes crafts with balloons as a hobby, and always brings him something for fun when we visit. One time she made him a balloon sundae.  He took a spoon & pretended to eat it. Another time she made a basket of fruits. He picked one up to bite it. His care-provider burst out laughing.

As his age went up, his health went down. While we were concerned about his physical well-being, as a pastor I was just as much interested in his spiritual welfare. So each time we visited we aimed to do two things: cheer him up by talking about his past, to jog his long-term memory, and make sure he knows God.

He said he used to attend a Baptist church in Taiwan seventy years ago, when he was in his 20s. No one had invited him; he just felt he should learn about Christianity. He went for about two years and led a group of young people who asked many questions. Later on, he took his wife along and they were baptized there.

During our visits, he would read Bible verses with us, sang hymns he could recall, and even recited the Lord’s prayer. To ascertain his faith, we brought a large-print evangelistic booklet for him to read. I asked him, “When your life’s journey comes to an end, are you sure you would go to heaven?” He thought he would but wasn’t sure.

We went over the gospel with him, then tested his understanding by asking: If you are at heaven’s gates, and the angel guarding the door asks you, “Why should I let you into heaven?”, what would you say? He thought and said, “Because I trust in Jesus.” We were very happy for him as he understood the gospel and was a believer! But at the same time, he was a little sad as he said his family was not yet Christian.

We assured him that if they become Christians, they will see each other again in heaven because that’s what God promised in the Bible. Everyone who trusts in Jesus as Lord & Savior will have eternal life in heaven. So even though we’re sad to see Mr. Wu Sr. leave, we’re glad that he’s going to a far, far better place, to be with Jesus and reunited with his wife. For that we are thankful.

Taking Advantage of God?

We shared the gospel with a senior. She hesitated, feeling that if she trusted in Jesus at her age, it’s tantamount to taking advantage of God’s kindness. She had tried to be a good person all her life, and moral by human standards, but readily admitted that she has her faults. However, if she takes up Jesus’ free offer of salvation by trusting in Him so late in life, wouldn’t it be like exploiting God?

We assured her that while she may feel that way, God doesn’t:

• Isa 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Jesus’ promise is:

• John 3:15-16 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Man’s way is based on performance. The premise of all religions is that if you try hard enough, if you work at it long enough, you earn your way into heaven. And if one life is not long enough, go through as many cycles of reincarnation as you need till you are good enough to deserve heaven, based on your merit. As much as this appeal to man’s pride, over-estimating his abilities to perform while under-estimating the sinfulness of his heart measured against God’s perfect requirements, it simply does not work. This is because no matter how hard we try, we can never be perfect. None of us are, or ever will be. We can never save ourselves.

God’s way, on the other hand, is based on faith. Performance is not a just system. Some are born with innate qualities and abilities that they start out in life not on the same footing. The world values intelligence, strength, speed, looks etc. While part of these can be developed, some are born smarter, stronger, faster, or more handsome or beautiful than others. To demand the same performance from all is not a fair system. However, everyone can believe, everyone can trust, regardless of whether you are young or old, smart or ordinary, strong or weak, fast or slow, pretty or plain. Because what’s important is not what you can do, but on what God had done for you in Christ. All God asks is that you put your faith in His Son, who sacrificed Himself to save you. Salvation is based on this trust relationship. You can accept or decline God’s free offer, and, depending on your choice, either Jesus pays the penalty for our sins, or we bear the consequences ourselves.

Let me close with a biblical example and an analogy. In John 3 Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus to ask about how to enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). As quoted in the Jewish Encyclopedia, “the qualifications of the members of the Sanhedrin are as follows: they must be tall, of imposing appearance, and of advanced age; and they must be learned and must understand foreign languages as well as some of the arts of the necromancer (Sanh. 19a). We can therefore infer that Nicodemus was learned, respected by his fellow men, and elderly. Jesus did not tell Nicodemus that based on his achievements, he can enter God’s kingdom. On the other hand, He told him, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

John 3 did not record Nicodemus trusted in Jesus at that time. But as we can deduce from John 7:50 and 19:30, he became a disciple subsequently, late in life. Those who trusted in Jesus early in life has many years to follow Him and serve Him longer. Those who trusted in Him late in life has a shorter time to learn from Him and serve Him, but He welcomes both. Whether you board the “Jesus plane” early or you got on at the last minute, you still arrive at the same destination. Don’t ever feel that trusting in Jesus is only for the young who can do a lot for God. It does not depend on work at all!

Heaven and Hell

Q. Show me proof that heaven and hell exist and I’ll believe you. Otherwise it’s just fairy tale for those who fear death and want a crutch to stand on.

A. Many non-believers have asked this or similar questions. They say they’re not superstitious. They want scientific evidence before they believe. Fair enough. Any thinking person should believe with their mind, not just a blind leap of faith. But we need to think through what type of evidence are we asking for.

Heaven and hell are spiritual entities, not material things. Science, however, operates in the physical realm. It makes observations, proposes a hypothesis to explain the phenomena, designs experiments to test the theory, then takes measurements to see if its assumptions are valid. Spiritual things are beyond the scope of science, which is simply not equipped to measure spiritual realities.

As such, the quest for evidence must follow a different path. There are two primary approaches – personal testimony from witnesses, and evidence from the Bible.  The former comes from people who have died and came back to life, who claim they have been to heaven or hell. The latter is historical because several books in the Bible describe heaven and hell (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Revelation).

While books from contemporary authors who had near-death experiences (NDEs), or seen visions, are quite popular, personally I have reservations about them, for two reasons. The first consists of direct statements in the Bible:

• John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God (God the Son) who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
• John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.

I will explain why I believe the Bible is true in a moment, but essentially these verses state that only Jesus had descended from Heaven and can explain God. There were no other eyewitnesses. Since current authors are after NT times, couldn’t they have ascended into heaven after the Gospel of John was written? Technically yes, but their claims are not verifiable, so the validity depends on the trustworthiness of their character.

My second reservation relates to the reaction of contemporary versus Biblical authors when they see heaven. Current writers talk about amazing beauty, seeing departed loved ones, some of whom tell of things on earth that they (the writers) didn’t know before. Biblical authors uniformly write about their fear, falling prostrate because they recognize their uncleanness in the presence of the Holy One:

• Isa 6:5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
• Ezk 1:28b And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
• Rev 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

Why are the descriptions so different? Have contemporary authors really seen the Lord, or Satan disguised as an angel of light (2 Co 11:14)? For these reasons I read such testimonies with caution, accepting only those portions that are consistent with the Bible.

Not so when it comes to evidence from the Bible. Although skeptics disregard Scriptural evidence on heaven and hell, they do so at their own peril because the reliability of the Bible had been attacked throughout history and had stood the test of time. I will present a more detailed explanation in a later post, but several strands combine to form an irrefutable argument that the Bible is true, that Jesus is in fact who He claims to be, the Son of God incarnate, and what He said about heaven and hell will definitely be fulfilled. These include:

• The uniqueness of the Bible in its internal consistency, despite being penned by over 40 human authors, from many different walks of life, over a span of 1,600 years.
• The Bible’s accuracy as confirmed by archeology and extra-biblical historical records.
• The hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, some written hundreds of years before the events happened, in minute details, not generalities. Mathematicians have used probability to test whether such predictions are mere guesses and have rejected the possibility that they’re random conjectures.
• The testimonies of millions upon millions of changed lives, which would be incontrovertible evidence in a court of law.

So, my suggestion is don’t take my word for it. Search out the truth for yourself. God’s word is up to the challenge. Then place your trust in Him who loves you so much that He gave up His life for you. You’ll be glad you did. I did that 47 years ago, and never regretted it. My prayer is that you’ll find Him too.

Hypocrites

Q. One of the reasons why my husband refused to believe in Christ is that there are so many hypocrites in the church. They are two-faced, acting very pious in church but no different from us when they are in the marketplace. This really puts him off Christianity. I know we’re not to judge but how should I respond?

A. This is one of the main hurdles hindering people from receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior – the inconsistency between what they proclaim and what they do. First, I want to point out that not only is this a problem to many unbelievers, it is an issue with the Lord Jesus as well. Of all the people He chastised, He reserved the most severe rebuke for the hypocrites. In Matthew 23 alone, He pronounced “woes” to the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites eight times. Read them for yourself in Mt 23:13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27 and 29. The Lord is full of compassion and merciful towards sinners, but He disliked hypocrites the most.

Secondly, why should it surprise anyone to find hypocrites in church? Many people assumed, wrongly, that everyone in church should be holy. While it is true that those who are in the universal Church, the Body of Christ, are separated unto God and made holy, this is not necessarily the case in the local church. The Lord Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mt 9:13; Mk 2:17; Lk 5:32), so it is natural to find sinners in church until they come to know God personally and repent. Even after a sinner repents, sanctification (being made holy) takes time. We don’t expect everyone who confess faith in Christ to be a “saint” (in our common usage of the term) instantly. You may see flaws in a person’s life and look down on him, but maybe compared to where he had been, he had already made great progress, so don’t be so hasty in our judgment.

Third, closely related to the above, not everyone who professes to be a Christian is necessarily a genuine follower of Christ. In the parable of the Tares and the Wheat, the Lord’s enemy (Satan) purposely sowed tares (darnel, a weed resembling wheat) among the wheat. The devil sowed the sons of the evil one to confuse people and to cause the sons of the kingdom to stumble, but their separation will be in the time of the harvest at the end of the age, not now. So, the hypocrites you see may not be Christians at all; they are tares, not wheat, but people assume they are Christians and their behavior give Christians a bad name.

Fourth, the One who examines us is the Lord:

• Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 
• 1 Co 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

Judgment belongs to the Lord alone. We are in no position to judge our brother or those outside. We don’t know the things hidden in darkness, nor the motives in men’s hearts, only God knows. So, don’t try to usurp the Lord’s role as judge.

How should we respond, besides withholding judgment and praying to leave the matter in the Lord’s hands?

• Gal 6:1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

“Any trespass” would include hypocrisy. So, if you consider yourself spiritual, our responsibility is to restore the trespasser in a spirit of gentleness. Let me borrow from

• Mt 18:15 If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

The context is a brother sinning against you, but the principle is the same. Confront and warn the hypocrite in private. If he listens and repents, good for him. Even if he does not listen, good for you, because you have warned him. It’s a difficult task, but that’s the job of mature Christians, not just pastors.

Lastly, don’t be hypocritical yourself. The essence of hypocrisy is saying but not doing, so do what you say:

• Mt 23:3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.
• Mt 5:37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
• Jas 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.