People often think that Christians should be perfect people. Spend a few minutes talking to almost anyone outside the Christian faith, and you are almost guaranteed to hear tons of complaints they have about Christians. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” True enough, just like any precious object like a diamond, when genuine diamonds exist you can be sure there will be fake ones. Let’s dive deeper into this common misconception of people about Christians—that Christians should be perfect people
This misconception makes us Christians cringe when somebody asks us about our identity in Christ. Without a shadow of a doubt, we are born of God, and thus we are children of God. We have to say it with extraordinary confidence to ourselves and everyone around us that we are indeed, children of God!
The truth is, when I say that “I am a Christian,” I am not shouting that “I am clean and perfect in all of my ways.” I’m whispering, “I went astray and lost my way, but now I’m found by God’s grace. I have received forgiveness through Jesus’ death as a righteous man because he washed me clean and lives within me”.
When I confess that “I am a Christian,” I don’t brag about my love for God, because I fail him every day and I am certainly not happy about that. I am not perfect, but Jesus believes I am worth dying for. Do you know the ONLY thing I can brag about? It’s God’s love for me…because it never fails, never gives up and runs out on me.
When I say that, “I am a Christian”, I don’t mention it to amplify that I am strong and have it all together. I’m simply saying that “I am weak, and I need Christ’s strength to carry on.” Lastly, when I mention that “I am a Christian”, I’m not saying that I am holier than anyone else. I’m just a simple sinner who genuinely pleads for her forgiveness daily and receives GOD’S GRACE which is ALWAYS BIGGER than all my sins combined! (“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” Romans 7:18)
IS GOD’S SUFFICIENT GRACE AN EXCUSE FOR ME TO LIVE IN SIN? The answer is a big “no!”. In Romans 8:12-14, we have a clear picture of who are the real heirs of Christ. “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The mark of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life shows that I now belong to God; thus, it becomes natural for me to hate sin and flee from it. In other words, to know that I am a Christian I must know how sinful I am and detest it! I must choose to be led by the spirit and make war on my sin!
We must learn not to hide our struggles in life. We should be open with people about our struggles, but also let them see how Jesus is changing and growing us. Don’t try to make people think you are perfect. Help them see that even when you fail, Jesus is there is forgive you and restore you. Let them know that they can experience his love too!
6 Responses
Good one Racquelle!
Thanks, Rosemary! What an AWESOME God we serve!!
You explained the situation so well, thank you.! I look forward to reading my Time with God every morning and the blog on Common Misconceptions weekly. Great food for thought !
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Ingrid! 🙂 We are very pleased to know that we are able to inspire you through our resources. All glory to our awesome God!
Blessings!!
Hi. I have been battling sin for many years now. I am fighting homosexuality and hate my sin. I am in a very personal relationship with God, and every night I worship him and end up in tears because I am full of the Holy Spirit. I know that God hates my sin, and I do to, but he’s the only one who knows. My family would hate me forever if I told them about my sexual attractions and homosexual sin. They are very homophobic and I always hear them making nasty comments about gay people. I am so ashamed to be like this, and it’s so hard to resist temptation. Every day I live in fear that if my parents found out, they would discriminate me. They are ashamed of the most mild things in me, but if they found out this, they would no doubt throw me out of the house. Do I need to tell them, or can I work side by side with God and resolve my sin. God has been amazing with helping me overcome so far, but the last thing I want is to be hated and discriminated against by my parents. Do I have to confess it to the only people who I really know and sacrifice my relationship with them. My dreams and hopes would be crushed.
Dear Anonymous,
The first thing you need to do is recognise how much your Father God loves you. He doesn’t love you only if you overcome this struggle. He doesn’t love you because of anything in you. He loves you because that is his own nature and because you are his dear child. The second thing is something we all have to come to grips with in our struggle to live God’s way in life, and that is the reality that we don’t have the strength to overcome our sin nature or to live out God’s plan for us. The only person who can live the life God wants you to live is Jesus Christ. The great thing is that Jesus is very much alive and wants to live his life through you. His strength is the only thing that can enable you to live God’s way in any area of your life. I encourage you to get the book “The Indwelling Life of Christ” by Major Ian Thomas. It is available in paper or as an e-book.
I can’t tell you whether or not you should tell your parents about your inner struggles with sexual attractions. But I do know that you need friendship and accountability to overcome any spiritual struggle in life. I encourage you to pray very specifically that God would bring a Christian into your life that will walk with you in this difficult journey you are on. I’m praying for you right now.