What is the root cause of hypocrisy? According to this verse the culprit is fear. Paul claimed fear of the Judaizers made Peter act in a way that was inconsistent with his personal beliefs. This behavior is called hypocrisy and is common in the church. As one church visitor told its minister, “I will not join your church because it’s full of hypocrites.” The pastor replied, “Why not? There’s always room for one more.”
This sin has serious consequences for leaders. As a result of Peter's hypocritical behavior, “other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray,” (Galatians 2.11a, 12b-13).
Apparently, hypocrisy is contagious.
