THE SIN OF INCONSISTENCY

 

By Connie Giordano

 

"What you are in public will never blind God to what you are in private." - John Blanchard

 

How would you define Inconsistency? Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines it as - "not persistent, lacking firmness of constitution or character, and lacking harmony of conduct and practice with profession."

 

Read and observe once again that last definition of Inconsistency - "lacking harmony of conduct or practice with profession." This reminds us of a very popular adage which says - "Practice What You Preach."

 

Nothing seems to turn people away from Christianity more than Inconsistency - observing a people who say one thing yet do another. This is deadly, yet it is very prevalent in Christianity today and has brought great reproach to the cause of Christ.

 

Yes, Inconsistency in a Christian's walk with the Lord is very detrimental to the cause of Christ.

 

Read what three preachers had to say about this particular Sin -

 

J.A. Motyer is quoted as saying, "The damage of the sin of Inconsistency in the life of the Christian is that it sours even our worship of God."

 

J.C. Ryle said, "The natural man cannot be expected to love the gospel, but let us not disgust him by Inconsistency."

 

Lastly, A.W. Tozer once said, "The glaring disparity between theology and practice among professing Christians is a more destructive evil in its effect upon the Christian religion than Communism, Romanism and liberalism combined."

 

The Scriptures give us several examples of Inconsistency. Let's break them down into three categories -

 

1. SAY AND DO NOT

 

Romans 2:21-23 - "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?"

 

These are the people who have a very substantial knowledge of the Word of God. They can preach like a House Of Fire, teach with great clarity of speech, exegete any passage of the Scriptures, and quote Scripture after Scripture, impressing many with their command of the Word of God. Their sermons are masterpieces of Biblical and literary art. They know right from wrong, yet in all contradiction, they fail to apply all their knowledge to their own lifestyle. Like the Pharisees, They say and do not.

 

How can it be possible for someone to preach and teach to others and not learn himself?

 

How can it be possible to preach against stealing, adultery, or idolatry and yet be guilty of the same sin? How can it be possible to preach the law to others and yet dishonor God by breaking the law yourself?

 

Oh, IT IS POSSIBLE! It has happened, and is even happening today. Sad to say - there are many preachers who are preaching against Sin in pretence, yet living a life of Sin behind closed doors! Man does not see it, but God does!

 

Numbers 32:23 - And the Scripture warns - "...be sure your Sin will find you out."

The Sin Of Inconsistency! How deceitful it is!

 

2. JUDGE OTHERS / EXCLUDE SELF

 

Romans 2:1 - "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."

Matthew 7:3 - "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

 

Here we have two Scriptures which depict Judging others. We want to especially notice the Spiritual Blindness in the one who is passing judgment on others. What gross deception one must be under to be able to criticize, run down, or condemn another for something that he is guilty of doing himself. This just does not make sense to condemn someone for a sin that one is guilty of himself. We must remember though that Sin is very deceitful. It will cause an individual to recognize itself in others yet blind itself in his own life.

 

Read the following excerpts from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS for further illustration of this point - "A family was on its way home from church. The father was criticizing the sermon, the mother was finding fault with the choir, and the sister was running down the organist. They all quieted down in a hurry when little Jimmy piped up and said, ' I thought it was a pretty good show for a dime.' "

 

"We look at our neighbor's errors with a microscope and at our own through the wrong end of a telescope. We have two sets of weights and measures, one for home use and the other for foreign. Every vice has two names; we call it by its flattering and minimizing name when we commit it and by its ugly name when our neighbor does it."

 

The Sin Of Inconsistency! How deceitful it is!

 

3. TALK THE TALK / DO NOT WALK THE WALK

 

Luke 6:46 - "And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

 

Titus 1:16 - "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

 

Here we have the words of the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Both bring out the disparity between some so-called believer's confession and their actions. How can one call Jesus "LORD" which means Ruler, Master, King, and Possessor of All, yet refuse to do what He says? How can one profess to be walking with God, yet have works that are detestable, loathsome, unbelieving, disobedient, disloyal, and rebellious in his life? The only explanation is the Sin of Inconsistency, and believe me - It Is Very DECEITFUL!

 

Nehemiah 5:9 - At this point, the words of Nehemiah ring out loud and clear - "...It is not good that ye do..."

 

Romans 2:24 - The Apostle Paul adds, "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you..."

 

Because of the Inconsistency that is so widespread among God's chosen people, the Name of God is reviled. The Gospel is treated with contempt. The Things of God are scorned, ridiculed, and disdained.

 

What is the answer to this Evil and Wickedness among those professing Christianity?

 

Once again, we refer to Nehemiah 5:9 to find our answer - "...ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?"

 

The answer to Inconsistency among God's people is the Good Old-Fashioned Fear Of God.

 

The answer is for all preachers and teachers of God's Word to preach the Fear of God like never before.

 

Proverbs 23:17 - The answer is for the people of God to "...be thou in the Fear of the LORD all the day long."

 

Proverbs 8:13 tells us - "The Fear of the LORD is to hate evil..."

 

Hence, the Fear of the LORD is to hate Inconsistency; that is, to hate it enough to rid it completely out of our lives.

 

May God Bless His Word.

Connie Giordano
P. O. Box 383016
Duncanville, TX. 75138-3016

Website: www.walkingintruth.org

Back