Jesus warned: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)
Jesus makes it clear that in our lives as believers in and of Him, we therefore carry a responsibility that we must understand: we become, or I say we should become, living examples of the one whom we serve. It is a true statement that in the eyes of the world, in the minds of those unregenerate, as disciples we are the only Jesus they may ever see.
Therefore, we have to take our calling very seriously: Our witness, our lives must exhibit a genuine representation of Jesus in our lives. As believers, we must understand what Jesus warned against: being a hypocrite. We must avoid giving to be seen by others. Our prayer life has to be developed in the closet, to be heard by the Father, rather than by men.
As believers, we are given an object lesson that our acting righteous only for show is empty and separates us from the Father’s approval. With this reality being fully ingrained in our lives, we have a greater understanding of why Jesus gave His warning and rebuke to the Pharisees of His day.
Jesus said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” (Matthew 23:25)
From this verse of scripture we gain the revelation that:
- True faith requires inward transformation.
- There must be honesty and genuine faith in our hearts through the right motive and action.