By Emeka Odogwu
A Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Ven. Onyeka Egwuonwu, PhD yesterday spoke on pastoral admonition and danger of hypocritical life.
According to Ven.Dr.Egwuonwu:
“To pretend to be what you are not is a form of wickedness because it is a deliberate departure from truth, sincerity, and integrity.
“A person who lives by pretence may deceive others for a season, but cannot escape the judgment of God, who searches the heart and knows the truth about every person.
“It is unfortunate that some people preach what they do not believe, proclaim what they know to be untrue, and say one thing in one place while saying the opposite elsewhere.
” Others are so desperate to belong, gain favour, or please people that they quickly abandon their convictions and change their positions to suit whoever is present. Such a life is not merely inconsistent; it is a dangerous form of hypocrisy that undermines trust, destroys relationships, and weakens Christian witness.
He continued: “As Christians, and especially as leaders in the Church, we are called to live truthfully, speak sincerely, and stand firmly for what is right, even when doing so is unpopular. Our words must agree with our convictions, and our public declarations must reflect our private lives. Jesus strongly condemned hypocrisy because God desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6; Matthew 23:27–28).
“Beloved, do not sacrifice your integrity on the altar of acceptance. It is better to stand alone in truth than to stand with a crowd in falsehood. Do not preach what you do not practise, defend what you know to be wrong, or change your convictions merely to win human approval. Remember: people may be deceived by appearances, but God cannot be deceived. Let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37). A sincere heart that stands for truth is worth more than a thousand words spoken in pretence.
‘May God deliver us from the spirit of hypocrisy and give us the grace to be truthful in speech, steadfast in conviction, and consistent in Christian character. Amen”.
