“But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” (Romans 7:23)
Do you ever have those times when you can’t believe what you just said, or worse yet, what you just did? Sure you have.
We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect Christian, but I hate those looks I get from other believers when they realize I’m not as perfect as they are. I wonder sometimes if they know how silly they appear when the look down their noses at me.
But don’t lose heart. Jesus surrounded himself with people just like you and me. They were great men and women of God who accomplished much for the Lord in their lifetimes; yet they said and did some pretty stupid things.
Take Peter, for example. Peter preached with boldness, never appearing to be ashamed of the Gospel. Yet, just a few weeks before one of his greatest sermons, he was so afraid for his life that he wouldn’t even admit to knowing Jesus. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he once said to a servant who recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples. (Luke 22:57)
The Apostle John was no different. It’s hard to believe that he once looked God right in the eye on behalf of his brother and him and said, “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.” God looked back at him through the eyes of Jesus and said, “Ye know not what ye ask.” (Mark 10:37-38)
We all know how stupid John probably felt. But Jesus didn’t give up on him. He allowed him to grow from his mistakes. In fact, John is later described in the Bible as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
There’s someone else Jesus loved dearly: John the Baptist. In fact, He once said of him, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.” (Luke 7:28)
The irony is John the Baptist was about as weird as they come. He was a Nazarite, a religious sect, which insisted that its members avoid cutting their hair and fingernails, or touching a dead body. On top of it all, the Bible records that John the Baptist wore clothes made from camel’s hair and lived largely off of the land, eating locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4) I often think of him when I look at my daughter’s boyfriend (and both of his earrings).
The truth is the Bible is full of characters that said and did some foolish things from time to time, but in the end, their faith in Christ won out.
So keep your chin up. God’s love for us will always extend beyond the stupid, crazy things we say and do. Don’t give up and Him because His Word promises that He’ll never give up on us. At least that’s what I believe the psalmist meant when he said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalms 37:25)
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I have been searching for the answer to the complex question of: Can we be perfect Christians? Is it possible to be perfect in a sinful world? When I came across your site in which you wrote, “We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect Christian….” Is this really true?
Where else can we find answers other than in the divine source of wisdom through God’s word? I’ve found some powerful Bible passages that clearly says otherwise, that yes, we CAN be perfect through Christ.
In the words of Jesus, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)
And as an example and proof from the Old testament that leaves us humans with no excuse, “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9)
As Christians, part of who we are is stated in our name. To be a Christian is to be Christ-like, plain and simple. Jesus has made it clear that we CAN be perfect, meaning we can have victory over sins through our dependence on God. Isn’t that freeing? No more struggling with sexual immorality and impure thoughts. No more saying hurtful words through uncontrollable anger and negative emotions. No more crying over poor decisions and impulsive outbursts… You can conquer your greatest challenges by relying on God!
Notice these words in Phillippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Not a little, not some, ALL things. Not by yourself or through the help of mere mortal humans but through CHRIST who himself conquered sins by his sacrifce on the cross.
So you see, if we cannot be perfect Christians, if there is no hope for having victory over sins, that leaves us with the question of: what’s the point of even being a Christian?
So if a christian cannot be perfect,my question is…how can we then get to heaven?The Bible asked us to be perfect in Math 5:48.It says be ye perfect even as your father who is in heaven is perfect.Perfection for me it is not possible if God grace is not with u,but if God grace is with u,i thing u need to be perfect.If u say perfection is not possible for we the christian,it means that what the Bible says in 2 cor 5:17 is not true.
If pecfection is not possible,i want to ask you wether Holiness and to be pure as a christian is it possible?
If God knows our heart and mind, then He knows whether we are genuine in our walk, and striving to do His will or not! We are told in the Bible, that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3: 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.) So if this is so, then Christians and sinners are on equal footing, with the exception of if a Christian turns AWAY from God, or neglects to try and change their way of life as the result of growing in their relationship with God. We are in no place to judge one another if this is so, but admonishment is encouraged in many passages of the Bible, which is very different from judgment. God ultimately has the final say, he knows your heart and mind. The heart does not lie. Here’s a sermon with passages about God knowing your heart: We are in no place to judge one another if this is so, but admonishment is encouraged in many passages of the Bible, which is very different from judgment. God ultimately has the final say, he knows your heart and mind. The heart does not lie. Here’s a sermon with passages about God knowing your heart: http://www.bibleanswer.com/godknows.htm
http://www.bibleanswer.comWe are in no place to judge one another if this is so, but admonishment is encouraged in many passages of the Bible, which is very different from judgment. God ultimately has the final say, he knows your heart and mind.
The heart does not lie. Here’s a sermon with passages about God knowing your heart: http://www.bibleanswer.com/godknows.htm
We all fall short and it by God’s mercy, forgiveness and grace that we as true believers will make it to heaven. We fall short and we ask for forgiveness. It is not possible to be sinless and human at the same time and therefore we can not be perfect.
Without Jesus dying on the cross this would not be possible, The blood of Jesus covers us and makes us appear perfect in God’s eyes, When we accept Jesus, he makes that all possible, in our walk of life we are to try and be like him, forgiving and loving, non judgemental, etc