Understanding True Love, Hypocrisy, and Self-Reflection According to Jesus
Let’s talk honestly: you can’t say you love God if you turn around and hate your neighbor. That’s straight from 1 John 2:9. Real love—the kind that matters—isn’t just for show. It’s not about putting on a nice face for the world while feeling something different inside. Romans 12:9 puts it simply: love has to be genuine, without any pretending.
You see, it’s easy to act good on the outside. We can follow rules, go to church, and even do nice things for people, but if our hearts aren’t changed—if we’re just doing it to look good or get approval—then it’s not the real deal. True goodness, or righteousness, comes from the inside, from letting God’s Spirit change us, not just from following a bunch of rules (see Matthew 23:5 and 2 Corinthians 3:8).
Jesus talked about this “fake-it-til-you-make-it” attitude in His Sermon on the Mount. He used a funny picture: imagine noticing a tiny speck of dust in someone else’s eye when you’ve got a whole plank of wood stuck in your own. Jesus wasn’t saying we can’t help others do better, but He was warning us not to be so focused on what everyone else is doing wrong that we forget to look in the mirror first. His point? Deal with your own issues before you go around pointing out everyone else’s flaws (Matthew 7:3-5, see also Romans 2:1).
Back in Jesus’ time, there were religious leaders called Pharisees. These folks were experts in knowing all the rules in the Bible and made sure everyone knew just how “good” they were. The problem? They sometimes found sneaky ways to bend the rules to suit themselves, missed the heart of what God wanted, and weren’t very kind or fair to others. They loved the spotlight more than showing love, mercy, and faithfulness—even though that’s what God really cares about (see Matthew 23:23; 23:2-3; Luke 18:11).
Because of this, the word “Pharisee” now pretty much means “hypocrite”—someone who says one thing but does another.
But here’s where things get practical for us. Hypocrisy isn’t the same as standing up for what’s right. If you believe something is wrong, it’s not hypocritical to say so—unless you’re also doing the same thing in secret. For example, teaching that getting drunk is wrong isn’t hypocrisy unless you’re out partying and getting drunk every weekend yourself.
As people who want to follow God, we’re called to live with integrity—to genuinely try to do what’s right and avoid what’s wrong (1 Peter 1:16; Romans 12:9). We shouldn’t pretend to accept bad habits, especially in our own lives. What we say, what we do, and even what we think, should all line up with who we claim to be as followers of Jesus.
In the end, acting is for the stage—not for real life. Real faith, real love, and real change start with us being honest—with God, with ourselves, and with others. That’s how we show the world what loving God really looks like.
Minister A Francine Green
August 2025
afrancinegreen.com 