Harsh words from Romans 2:21-24, but important to keep in mind:
“You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written.”
So, we see here that part of the importance of us following G’d’s Torah is not just so that we may be blessed, but so that His name may not be cursed among the nations. We, as His followers and His chosen people, represent Him. Time and again, I’ve heard anti-religious people reference the way that Believers act as the reason why they don’t believe anymore. Sometimes, these anti-religious people rejected any authority telling them they can’t do whatever they want. Other times, they were pointing out true hypocrisies.
Yet, I fear that we are all hypocrites to some degree. If you believe in a moral code and still fail to fully uphold it, one might call that hypocrisy. A person may rail against the evils of a certain kind of sin because they themselves are suffering from it, and need to give constant reminders to themselves and others to avoid it. It is entirely possible to find a certain kind of behavior abhorrent, and yet fall to temptation to engage in that behavior.
This is what repentance is for. May we be washed again and again, and each time feel a bit less tempted to give in to such behavior next time an opportunity arises.
Bad as it is to be a hypocrite, when all’s said and done, it’s better to have a strong and G’dly morality that one repeatedly fails to fully live up to, rather than an easy and weak moral code that is all too easy to keep. Therefore, let us strive to be perfect, just as He is perfect.