Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." (12:15)
Jesus penetrated the Pharisees and Herodians’ hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means to decorate the exterior. People decorate the exterior in order to deceive others. In this point, hypocrisy is the technique of camouflage.
There is much hypocrisy in a religious life. It might be stronger than the worldly life. It is because worldly people live without hiding their selfish value system as they have while the people in the religious world try to hide it. They camouflage themselves pretending love others though they hate them inwardly. They disguise themselves as not having any problem in their life though they are struggling inwardly. If such life style is repeated then they will be captured by the doctrine of good and evil or a moral purity.
It doesn’t mean let Christian live whatever they want. The ascetics of moderation are necessary. However, hypocrisy and moderation are different. Hypocrisy has a high possibility to be a dual personality for it decorates the exterior in order to hide inner part. But moderation induces sublimation of life by recognizing inner part as it is but control it.
The core finally here is the inner part of man. Unless and until our inner part becomes new it is useless no matter how we decorate the exterior. As we change it as theological term, it means ontological change is prior to the exterior change. Some insist we already have being justified by faith (justification) we have to try to live like Christian. (Satisfaction) This insistence is not wrong but precisely incorrect. Sanctification cannot be achieved by our effort. It may improve our life style a little bit but we cannot say such improvement as a real change. The life attitude attached to ontological change may be faith. Freedom from hypocrisy!
Jesus penetrated the Pharisees and Herodians’ hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means to decorate the exterior. People decorate the exterior in order to deceive others. In this point, hypocrisy is the technique of camouflage.
There is much hypocrisy in a religious life. It might be stronger than the worldly life. It is because worldly people live without hiding their selfish value system as they have while the people in the religious world try to hide it. They camouflage themselves pretending love others though they hate them inwardly. They disguise themselves as not having any problem in their life though they are struggling inwardly. If such life style is repeated then they will be captured by the doctrine of good and evil or a moral purity.
It doesn’t mean let Christian live whatever they want. The ascetics of moderation are necessary. However, hypocrisy and moderation are different. Hypocrisy has a high possibility to be a dual personality for it decorates the exterior in order to hide inner part. But moderation induces sublimation of life by recognizing inner part as it is but control it.
The core finally here is the inner part of man. Unless and until our inner part becomes new it is useless no matter how we decorate the exterior. As we change it as theological term, it means ontological change is prior to the exterior change. Some insist we already have being justified by faith (justification) we have to try to live like Christian. (Satisfaction) This insistence is not wrong but precisely incorrect. Sanctification cannot be achieved by our effort. It may improve our life style a little bit but we cannot say such improvement as a real change. The life attitude attached to ontological change may be faith. Freedom from hypocrisy!
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