An Imperfect Christian.......

What a corny title, isn’t it? And yet it is one of the truest phrases I can use to describe myself – an imperfect Christian.

On the one hand, Christians ought to seek perfection. Jesus said; “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” On the other hand, with my upbringing I have learned that we are all sinners, Proverbs says; “the just man sins seven times a day,” and the need for forgiveness and reconciliation, were and is always emphasized. I suppose I was lucky in that respect; my upbringing kept me from thinking that I am “holy enough.” The word “holy” is said with either a lot of apprehension or a lot of contempt in everyday conversation. It’s a word many Christians would rather keep in-group, almost as much as that other word. You know the one – sin.

What is sin? I could make a list but ultimately sin is anything that separates us from God. When we know to do right, tell the truth, follow the Ten Commandments, put God first and choose to do the opposite, lie, cheat, break and make anything other than God a priority in our lives, we sin.  Sin comes in many shapes and sizes; it’s active, it’s passive, it’s overt, it’s covert, and ever present at the intersection of all the choices we make.

Believers and non-believers alike think that if someone is a Christian then they are not drawn to sin, or that they cannot sin. Becoming a Christian does not make us any less vulnerable to sin, matter of fact, it makes us more vulnerable. Being a Christian is as difficult as trying to be someone you are not. I was born a sinner, not a Christian, which one comes more naturally?

When an alcoholic decides that they are not going to drink anymore, it does not change the fact that they are an alcoholic, it only means that they have chosen to take the necessary steps to turn away from that life style. The desire to drink remains no matter how much time passes.  The same is true of the sinner who decides to turn away from the sinful nature. In either case there will be set backs, you will fall from time to time, but in the journey changes will take hold and then one day you look back and realize that the victory is not in the win but in never giving up the fight.  

If you are not a Christian, I want to apologize to you if either I or another fellow Christian has given you the impression that we think we are better in some way, rather with our words or actions, because we are NOT! Just like you we struggle daily, and sometimes we fail miserably and do anything but reflect the love of God. Forgive us for being a poor representative of what being a Christian should be – like Christ.