What does the Bible say about pretenders? 15 things you should know

The Bible says the following things about pretenders:

• The hope of the pretender is short-lived (Job 8:13).
• A pretender cannot approach the presence of God (Job 13:16).
• Pretenders will remain barren (Job 15:34).
• The joy of the pretender is short-lived (Job 20:5).
• A pretender should not be allowed to rule over the people because he will ensnare them (Job 34:30).
• A pretender uses his mouth to destroy his neighbor (Proverbs 11:9).
• Pretenders do not mean what they say (Jeremiah 42:19–22).
• Pretenders love showing off their ‘good’ deeds (Matthew 6:1-4, 6:5–6, 6:16).
• Pretenders lack discernment of the signs of the time (Matthew 16:1-3).
• Pretenders block people from accessing God’s kingdom while they themselves are not interested in entering it (Matthew 23:13).
• Pretenders devour widows houses in the pretext of prayers (Matthew 23:14)
• Pretenders selectively apply the commandments of God (Matthew 23:23).
• Pretenders are more concerned about the outward appearance of things than the true state of the heart (Matthew 23:25–26, 23:27–28).
• Pretenders honor God with their lips and not their hearts (Mark 7:5-7).
• Pretenders are quick to point out the mistakes of others, but they are guilty of committing similar offenses. Luke 6:41-42

According to Merriam-Webster, a pretender is a person who makes a false or hypocritical show. In short, a pretender is a hypocrite.

Pretenders project a particular personality in public but lead a totally different lifestyle in private. They do so in order to hide their true character from the public and therefore gain some advantage over them.

Their intention is usually to make us believe that they are someone they really aren’t! These make them a very dangerous lot to hang out with because they are never up to any good. I believe that’s why the English say, “Pretenders are worse than murderers!’

In this article, a pretender is defined as a hypocrite. Therefore, the assumption is that scriptures that talk about hypocrites are equally applicable to pretenders.

In the following section, we look at scriptures that talk about pretenders, or hypocrites, if you like.

1. The hope of the pretender is short-lived.

This is according to Job 8:13–14, which says:

“So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust is a spider’s web.”

Pretenders usually take advantage of people in the hope that no one will ever find them out. However, this hope is normally short-lived. This is because, sooner rather than later, people come to know their true character and avoid them altogether.

2. A pretender cannot approach the presence of God.

This statement is recorded in Job 13:16 as follows:

“He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him.”

The Bible teaches that God is truth, and no lie can be associated with Him. It is for this reason that Jesus said God seeks those who will worship Him in truth and spirit (John 4:23–24). Given that a pretender is a liar, he can never be allowed in the presence of God.

3. Pretenders will remain barren.

This statement is according to Job 15:34, which says

“For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.”

This means that any activity that pretenders engage in will never yield profit.

4. The joy of the pretender is short-lived.

This statement is based on Job 20:5, which says:

“The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.”

The joy of a pretender is short-lived because it is based on a lie. We know that every lie has an expiration date. When a pretender is found out, all his joy immediately vanishes into thin air.

5. A pretender should not be allowed to rule over the people because he will ensnare them.

This statement is according to Job 34:30. It says:

“That the hypocrite should not reign, lest the people be ensnared.”

According to this scripture, if a pretender is allowed to reign, the people he rules over will become ensnared. A snare is a trap. Getting trapped implies being stuck at the same point, or stagnation, if you like.

Thus, when a pretender becomes a ruler, the people stagnate economically, socially, and politically, to name but a few examples.

6. A pretender uses his mouth to destroy his neighbor

This is according to Proverbs 11:9, which says:

“The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.”

A pretender uses his mouth to assassinate the character of others as long as it serves his interests. To him, the end justifies the means.

7. Pretenders do not mean what they say.

This is recorded in Jeremiah 42:19–22 as follows:

“The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, your God, or anything that He has sent you by me. Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”

This account features the prophet Jeremiah and the remnant of Judah. These people were stranded because they did not know whether it was safe to flee to Egypt or remain in Judah. So they requested that the prophet inquire from the LORD on what they should do. However, deep down in their hearts, they had made up their minds to flee to Egypt, despite sending the prophet to inquire from the LORD concerning that issue.

8. Pretenders love showing off their deeds.

Two groups of people that Jesus had problems with during his earthly ministry were the Pharisees and the Scribes. This is because their public shows were quite the opposite of the kind of lifestyle they led in private. In short, they were pretenders or hypocrites. This behavior greatly annoyed Jesus, who then taught his disciples how to give, pray, and fast in the right manner.

The information is recorded in the following scriptures:

Matthew 6:1-4

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, WHEN YOU DO A CHARITABLE DEED, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

Matthew 6:5-6

“And WHEN YOU PRAY, you shall not be like the hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogue and on the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Matthew 6:16

“Moreover, WHEN YOU FAST, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father, who is the secret place; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.”

9. Pretenders lack discernment of the signs of the time.

Jesus taught that pretenders cannot discern the signs of the times because of their hypocritical character. This is recorded in Matthew 16:1–3 as follows:

“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.“

10. Pretenders block people from accessing God’s kingdom while they themselves are not interested in entering it.

This is in accordance with what Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 23:13. The scripture says:

“But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

11. Pretenders devour widows’ houses under the pretext of prayers.

This is according to the words of Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 23:14. The scriptures say:

“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense, make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.”

In short, Jesus was castigating the Scribes and Pharisees for pretending to comfort widows by visiting their homes and making long prayers, when in reality the purpose of their visits was to sleep with the widows!

12. Pretenders selectively apply the commandments of God.

Jesus also had issues with the Pharisees for their selective application of the commandments of God. This is according to Matthew 23:23, which says:

“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

13. Pretenders are more concerned about the outward appearance than the true state of the heart

This is according to the words of Jesus found in:

Matthew 23:25–26, which says

“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Matthew 23:27–28, which says

“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanliness. Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

14. Pretenders honor God with their lips and not their hearts.

This is according to the words of Jesus recorded in Mark 7:5-7. The scriptures say:

“Then the Pharisees and the Scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’’”

15. Pretenders are quick to point out the mistakes of others but stand guilty of committing the same mistake.

This is according to the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 6:42, as follows:

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed what the Bible says about pretenders. The article defined a pretender as a hypocrite. We then looked up what the Bible says about hypocrites and applied it to pretenders. I hope the findings will be helpful to the reader who wants to know what the scriptures say about pretenders. May these findings help you lead an honest and truthful life that pleases God. Shalom.

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