– The Tough Questions Series –
WHO’S RIGHT? . UNFAIR! . SCIENCE > CHRISTIANITY? . HYPOCRITES
*WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Raul is a friend of yours. He says he would never become a Christian because he knows too many people who say they’re Christians but who are hypocrites*. How would you respond to Raul?
Hypocrites: Those who tell people to do things they themselves don’t do (Urban Dictionary); those who act like they live by a certain standard when they don’t.
People are not hypocrites just because they have certain standards (like those that go with following Jesus) and invite others to the same. The problem arises when people act like they don’t have faults but actually do, failing to live in a humble way that admits they’re as messed up as the next person.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?
*1. Read John 8:1–5. Describe what is happening.
*2. Read John 8:6‒9. What does verse 6 say about the motives of the religious leaders?
*3. What is Jesus’ point in verse 7?
*4. What do Jesus’ words and the response of the religious leaders show about the hearts of these people (verses 7‒9)?
5. Read John 8:10–11. How does Jesus handle things with the woman once the religious leaders leave?
HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
*6. What do you think people mean when they say they don’t want to follow Jesus because so many Christians are hypocrites?
7. Based on what you’ve read in this story, how would you respond to someone who says he or she doesn’t want to follow Jesus because so many Christians are hypocrites?
*8. Based on this story, how does Jesus challenge the hypocrisy in your own life?
9. What is good about following a God like Jesus who doesn’t condemn you and who also doesn’t leave you stuck in your sin (see verse 11)?
10. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. How does Jesus’ perfect life and death for our sins pave the way for him to accept us and call us to leave our sins behind us?
*11. What’s an area in your life where you need Jesus’ acceptance and the power of his Spirit to rise above the hypocrisy you struggle with?
What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community by clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.
