We are all familiar with the term two-faced. It is a person who pretends to be nice and friendly to you but at the same time saying unfriendly things about you to others behind your back. The dictionary describes a “two-faced” person as deceitful and dishonest. Back in the day the O’Jays had a hit song called “The Backstabbers”. The song said backstabbers smiled in your face while all the time they were trying to take your place. In other words two-faced people are hypocritical, deceitful, insincere, and dishonest. These people pretend to be for you but at the same time they are working against you. This sounds like the work of satan and his demonic spirits. We call them two-faced but the Bible calls them hypocrites!
“So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28)
“Do not take me away with the wicked, And with workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.” (Psalm 28:3)
“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)
Two-faced people may fool some people sometimes, but they can never fool God. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do before he did it. Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve Apostles. He is known for betraying Jesus. He claimed to love Jesus, but he turned around and betrayed Him with a kiss. Judas was a two-faced backstabber for certain!
“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” (Matthew 26:14-16)
The worst thing Believers can do is be hypocritical (two-faced) towards God. This type of behavior is not acceptable to God and it makes us terrible disciples for the Lord. One of the major complaints of non-believers is that the church is full of hypocrites. They are not talking about the church building, they are talking about God’s people. And unfortunately this is true, especially in these times. The Lord expects the ones He has redeemed by the blood of His Son to set the example for the rest of the world. If the church is not in pursuit of holiness, the world sees no need to change. So judgment begins in the household of God, with His own children, as He teaches us to live like Yeshua. We are supposed to bring people to Christ, not run them away because of hypocrisy. Of course all Believers should not be judged on the basis of those who claim to be Believers, those who practice the opposite of what Yeshua taught and how He lived. Yeshua had a lot to say about two-faced people and hypocrites. The scribes and the Pharisees hated Him because he directly confronted the religious hypocrites of His day. Modern day hypocrites are no different, they conceal their true feelings or motives, and adopt certain religious rituals to impress the world. We are not here to be liked, we are here to be light in a dark world. If we profess belief and love for God but in our hearts and in our actions our agenda is still our own and not Gods will, scripture says we are hypocrites. God is never fooled because He sees right through to the two-faced heart!
“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,” (Isaiah 29:13)
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” (Matthew 23:1-3)
A hypocrite is not a person who commits sin occasionally, because we all have fallen short. However, hypocrites practice sin on a regular basis while pretending to be sinless and judging others at the same time. God does not get angry and turn His back on us when we fall short to sin as the enemy wants us to believe. God’s anger for our sins fell upon His son, Yeshua on the cross. He became the lamb of God, who died and rose for our sins. It is His gift to us, but we have to accept it, all of it! We don’t get to accept it and then hide it away in the closet while we accept and use the gifts of the world. That is hypocritical(two-faced)!
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)
“ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
It is impossible to live for God and live for the world at the same time. Scripture tells us that it cannot be done. But don’t take my word, look at God’s Word. James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” As God’s people, we are called to think and live differently, shaped by His truth rather than by worldly culture. We are either one hundred percent for Him or we are against Him. Jesus stated: “He that is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). We simply cannot walk with God and hold hands with the devil!
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
We don’t want hypocrites (two-faced people) in our lives, and we definitely don’t want to be one ourselves! We must ask God for discernment to see through hypocritical hearts and help us not be corrupted or tempted by satan to turn our face from God. We must pray that we don’t fall into the trap of saying one thing but thinking another in our hearts. Brothers and sisters, if you are straddling the fence, being two-faced with God, choose now to turn your face toward Him, when we keep our focus on Him, the things of this world grow dimmer in the light of His glory and grace. We cannot face both ways! As for me and my house, we will face the Lord! Love and Blessings…
EMMANUEL 