Sometimes when I meet a fine Christian, a wonderful believer

I... 😢
Sometimes, when I meet a truly admirable Christian, a wonderful believer...
I wonder if my own faith is a fake... 😥
...Jesus...
He spoke about "whitewashed tombs"
and about hypocrites and false believers.
In Jewish society at that time...
It seems there was a custom of painting tombs white with lime to prevent them from being touched and defiled...

A white tomb... outwardly beautiful and neatly maintained,
but inside lurks the reality of death (the corpse), decay and defilement.

While outwardly maintaining piety and righteousness, spiritual death—hypocrisy, greed, and the desire for power—festers within their hearts... This was a scathing warning to religious leaders.
...Verse 28 says,
"They appear righteous in human eyes,
but inside they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

The crucial point here is that the dependence on "what is visible" and the "desire for approval" have led to the problem of using God's law not as a means of keeping it, but as a tool for self-aggrandizement and authority.

Faith begins with a humble response: "listening to and obeying God's word."

...Faith that is merely for show, faith that is pursued for the sake of praise from others... leads to corruption and is dangerous.

...Have we turned our faith into a "whitewashed tomb"?

Even while attending worship and offering prayers... do we harbor a heart that judges and does not forgive others?

...It is necessary to check our faith from time to time.
Shalom 😄

This page archives a Morning Word message shared by Pastor Peter Sunagawa on LINE. The English prose is a translation of the Japanese source message. For Scripture wording, use the BSB link above.