Hypocrisy
The sin of pretending to virtue or goodness; also “an imitation of a person’s speech and gestures,” from the Greek hypokrisis (ὑπόκρισις ) “acting on the stage; pretense,” and from hypokrinesthai “play a part, pretend.”1 The words hypocrisy and hypocrite appear in scripture over 60 times. A hypocrite is “an actor, stage-player, in Biblical Greek a dissembler [one who tries to make himself appear to be what he is not], a pretender.”2
In the Lord’s scathing denunciation of the rejection of His own dispensation only days before Passover, He singles out two groups, calling them hypocrites seven times. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, for you are hypocrites (Matthew 10:28). “The very people [the scribes and Pharisees] who should have accepted [the Gospel of Jesus Christ] are the ones who have scorned it and rejected it and caused all the others to reject it as well… The scribes are those who study the scripture and teach it… Because they preach the gospel, they are the very people that should be most ready to welcome the Messiah. And the Pharisees are ‘those who are set apart — meaning consecrated, chosen, sanctified’… They should be the ones expecting the Messiah and the first to welcome him. They were the ones who didn’t. They would have absolutely nothing to do with him, and they turned the people away from him… So every time He refers to them as hypocrites. They play a good role; they talk good talk….Hypocrite is simply the Greek word for actor, a person who is playing a role which is not his real role, who is pretending to be somebody he isn’t….They do all these things simply for appearance.”3 This is especially evident when we realize that Greek actors on stage wore masks. And just as He did at the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon at Bountiful, the Lord provides a list of things the hypocrites value or do that shuts them out of the kingdom of Heaven.
In 1831, early in the Restoration, the Lord warned that there were already hypocrites among the growing body and warned against being deceived: Behold, I, the Lord, have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the church which professes my name….But woe be unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for thus says the Lord: I will bring them to judgment. Behold, truly I say unto you, there are hypocrites among you and have deceived some, which has given the adversary power….But the hypocrites shall be detected and shall be cut off, either in life or in death, even as I will (T&C 36:2).
Christ rebuked religious hypocrites and admonished His followers to do not after their works, for they say, and do not (Matthew 10:25). The Lord wants all men and women to keep His commandments and use them as their support. Otherwise, they are just like the hypocrites who think they are saved because of their status alone, without having a clean and pure heart. This is a concept that is as relevant to modern day Christians as it was to those in Christ’s day.4 The humble followers of Christ will conclude “…we must live our lives in conformity with the truth as we understand it so that we gather light and truth from heaven. We cannot live hypocrisy and expect divine aid. We cannot abuse our neighbors and expect divine favor. We are helped by God as we are clean before Him. He (and we) know if we have clean hands and a pure heart.”5 The path of discipleship requires one to realize that “believing in the words” is not enough, because the Lord adds action to the belief. The intention and inner meaning are everything; the outward act confirms the inner change which has taken place.6 Simply put, action is married to belief and intent; both are necessary. The instructions of the Lord are intended to change lives. Change is repentance, and repentance leads to redemption. He expects men’s behavior to mirror their beliefs, because if behavior does not model the professed beliefs, then men are hypocrites, not converts.7
The Lord requires action, but He rejects acting. The Answer to Prayer for Covenant states, Each of you must equally walk truly in my path, not only to profess, but to do as you profess (T&C 157:19). In another latter-day scripture, the warning against hypocrisy shows up again: No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood; only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned, by kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul; without hypocrisy and without guile (T&C 139:6). The most powerful tools in the priesthood are “kindness and pure knowledge.” In this power, the priesthood holder acts utterly without hypocrisy because this power forbids it and cannot be used in that manner.8 If a man has something true to proclaim, let him persuade. If none are persuaded, let him use long-suffering, gentleness, and meekness to show — by his example — his unfeigned love. Such kindness is required of any man who would claim to follow Christ. The greatest sign of truth is when a man proclaims “pure knowledge,” because it always greatly enlarges the soul of those who listen.9
The hope and dream for all anticipating a future in Zion is that its return will be “in accordance with the original, first phase restoration given to Joseph,”10 for that’s where only the pure in heart will dwell. The Lord declared in the strongest terms a warning against all modern-day scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites: For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion, and all liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they which are not apostles and prophets shall be known. And even the judge and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardship, shall be condemned, and others shall be planted in their stead (T&C 51:10).
1 Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. hypocrisy; www.etymonline.com.
2 Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), s.v. “ὑðïêñéôήò,” 643. See also Strong’s Concordance, G5273.
3 Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Pearl of Great Price, Lecture 25, 1–2.
4 *Nephi’s Isaiah*, 83.
5 “The Search,”June 25, 2015, blog post; see also *From the Desk of Denver Snuffer,* 8 vols. ed. Brent Edward (Restoration Archive, 2022), 7:2684.
6 “3 Nephi 12:2,” October 2, 2010, blog post; see also From the Desk of Denver Snuffer, 3:1147.
7 Ibid., 3:1147–48.
8 “Power in the Priesthood, Part 3,” May 22, 2012, blog post; see also *From the Desk of Denver Snuffer,* 5:1828.
9 “Equality, Part 3 of 3,” September 22, 2016, blog post; see also From the Desk of Denver Snuffer, 7:2888.
10 Passing the Heavenly Gift, 498.