A lot of times we define hypocrisy as sa...
A lot of times we define hypocrisy as saying one thing and doing the opposite, when in reality that is not the true meaning of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means believe one way and acting (including the action of speaking) in another way; a disparity between true beliefs and actions. That means that someone can consistently act and talk in one way, but believe something different. If we look at this passage from that point of view, we can see that Peter's beliefs were in the right place (v. 14). He had after all approved Paul's message. He did believe that the Jewish laws and customs were no longer binding. But it seems like Peter had difficulty carrying out his convictions to their logical end. That was his hypocrisy. He believe one thing, but didn't have the courage to act on his beliefs. But Paul was different. Paul, like Peter, believed the rules were to be broken, but unlike Peter, Paul broke them!! It doesn't matter what we believe, if we don't live them out, its pointless. If we aren't radicals, maybe we're hypocrites. Just a thought.
Created over 1 year ago
