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Those Two-Faced Christians

Those Two-Faced Christians

Last updated on: August 11, 2025 at 9:11 am by Frank Viola

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Those Two-Faced Christians 2025-08-11T09:11:40-04:00 Frank Viola

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Several months ago, I was sitting in the lobby of a business waiting for an appointment. I could hear a conversation going on in another room between two women. They had no idea I could hear them, but the door was open, and they weren’t whispering.

From the sound of their voices and their vocabulary, I presume both women were in their mid-twenties. During the conversation, one of the women were talking about a friend of hers. She was clearly distraught. The conversation went like this, “Yeah, she stabbed me in the back. I couldn’t believe the things she was saying about me. And she’s one of those Christians. They are so two-faced.”

The other woman responded, “I know what you mean! I’ve had the same experience. And they are the ones who think they are so righteous, judging everyone else for what they’re doing wrong.” The other woman replied, “I know, right?”

Around the same time, a young man in his late twenties was sharing about how he gave his life to the Lord in his teens at a youth group. He was involved in the group for a time, only to leave it when one of his “Christian” friends in the group trashed him with lies behind his back to the others in the group.

When word got back to him, the young man was devastated. He not only left the group, but he stopped following the Lord. He didn’t want to be part of a faith where such vile behavior went on and no one stood against it.

I’m friends with a man in his mid-sixties. He’s not a follower of Jesus, but he’s more upright, kind, generous, selfless, and encouraging than most “Christians” I’ve met. He used to attend church in his youth, but quickly left. The reason – all the gossiping, backstabbing, and defaming by “two-faced Christians” he observed.

I wish I could tell you that these three incidences were exceptions. They’re not. Not by a long shot. This business of Christians gossiping, backstabbing, slandering, and defaming other Christians happens frequently, even by those who are perceived to be Christian leaders.

The motive behind it is usually jealousy. Sometimes it’s vengeance due to an offense taken. Other times it’s the desire to control someone who refuses to be controlled. The fleshly default is to defame them.

“When a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try to control how others see you.”

~ Dumitru D. Coman

This problem is so pandemic that the mantra of modern-day Christianity can be: “Join the family of God. But be forewarned: You’ll be spending a lot of time removing knifes from your back, knives plunged there by fellow Christians!”

That’s all prologue to a direct challenge.

We are living in an hour where God is raising up a tribe of His people who will stand against the tide of this sort of reprehensible behavior. Those who refuse to give an ear to the gossiping tongue … who refuse to demean and degrade others … who refuse to let jealousy and envy enter their hearts … who have chosen to never speak ill of anyone or abide those who do.

When the Scripture talks about the righteous shining like the sun, I believe these are the kinds of souls it’s speaking about (Matthew 13:43).

I invite you to be part of that number.

Tozer’s words are fitting:

“Never pass anything on about anybody else that will hurt him … The talebearer has no place in God’s favor.”

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