The Big Turn Off

Paul tackles the one thing that turns people off to the church and the gospel message of Jesus Christ more than anything else. It’s when we tell others how to live, but fail to live up to these same standards ourselves.

It is called, “Hypocrisy.”

Paul says to them, “(You) who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” (Romans 2:21a).

They preach, “Do not steal, do not commit adultery, and don’t worship idols,” but in the end do it themselves, maybe not physically, but mentally and spiritually. They steal from God by giving to something or someone else what rightfully belongs to the Lord, which is nothing less than spiritual adultery and outright idolatry.

To these false professors, these religionists, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28).

Paul says that all who practice hypocrisy are actually breaking the very law they say they uphold, and in the end they dishonor God.

“You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law” (Romans 2:23).

But as bad as this is, it isn’t the worst; hypocrisy on the part of Christians is the biggest turnoff by those outside the faith, and one of the major reasons people avoid church. And it’s this hypocrisy that blasphemes God to the unbeliever.

The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24).

And so the one thing that turns most people off to church and the gospel message of Jesus Christ are Christians who say one thing while doing another. They share the good news, but break God’s law in the process.