They were caught red-handed, and had to pay the piper a small fee of $33.3 billion. But you will never guess who the culprits were. It wasn’t an underground mafia or a corrupt corporation from a superhero movie. The villain was Volkswagen—one of the world’s most trusted car manufacturers. They claimed that their vehicles emitted less harmful fumes than other gas-guzzlers, but this turned out to be a bold-faced lie when the EPA hit the brakes on this cunning conspiracy.

In 2015, EPA investigators discovered that millions of Volkswagens were equipped with software that knew when it was being tested, and it would change the engine’s performance to improve results. 11 million Volkswagen vehicles in America and 8 million in Europe were equipped with a “defeat device,” which activated during emissions tests—kind of like how kids pretend to be straight-A students when the principal walks into class! The “Dieselgate” scandal revealed that these cars were programmed to fool regulators into thinking the engines were cleaner than they really were. It was all a performance—a fabrication of cleanliness. They cared more about appearing clean than being clean.

Unfortunately, all sinners are hardwired with a desire to perform and pretend—especially when everybody is looking. Thanks to the Fall, hypocrisy is embedded within our spiritual DNA. We are naturally inclined to care more about looking clean than being clean. We often sit up straight and give our righteousness a “tune-up” when we know we are being watched and when others’ approval is on the line. That is why Jesus warned, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1).

Whether we are really righteous is revealed by who we are and what we do when no one else is looking but God. Our real character is unmasked when there is no audience—when the doors are locked and the curtains are drawn. The Lord is simply unimpressed by external righteousness that pleases the eyes of others. He is looking for internal righteousness that pleases His eyes—a righteousness that cares more about pleasing Him than performing for people. And He promises to reward such done-in-secret righteousness.

There is no reward for hypocrisy—only the high cost of exposure on the day of judgment. Like Volkswagen’s rigged software, a life of pretend piety might fool others for a while, but it cannot delude the Divine Inspector. Synthetic spirituality may earn you smiles from sinners, but you will not receive the smile of the Father. One day, God will expose every person living with a spiritual “defeat device,” for He will “bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5). So, ask yourself: Am I more concerned with being holy or looking holy? Do I care more about private obedience or a public performance?

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.