Perfection Not Necessary

I’m going to tell you something shocking right now. Hold on to your hats. Go ahead scoot to the edge of your seats and lean forward so you can hear me well. Are you ready for this? Ok, here goes. I am not perfect. Sigh. There now you know. Now, I know that it may not have been a surprise to some of you that I am not perfect, but there was a point to me telling you like I did. When the world hears the term “Christian” many of them automatically think of the word hypocritical. I’ve heard it many times before. “I can’t go to church. It’s full of hypocrites” “Those Christians are all hypocrites!” For some reason, the world is under the impression that Christians are perfect, or at least have to be perfect. The truth is that Christians, just like anyone else in this world, ARE NOT PERFECT. Not only that, but they CANNOT be perfect. It just isn’t possible. Jesus Christ was the only perfect being to ever live. No one else will ever come close. In Psalm 26, David is asking God to examine his heart. He has lived his life as he should, not with sinless perfection, but with sincerity. David has tried everything he could to live according to way that God has told him to. He knows that he is not perfect and he is asking God to consider his sincerity and his integrity. I believe that God honored that in David’s life and that he will honor it in our lives as well. He doesn’t expect us to live perfect lives. It isn’t possible. We will make mistakes. We will slip and fall. We will sin, but God is forgiving, loving and merciful. What is important is that we make every effort not to sin and we make every effort to live a sincere life for Christ, living not for ourselves, but for the one who loves us, who chose us, and who calls us his children. Jesus Christ sacrificed his perfect life on the cross as a full one-time payment for every sin I could ever commit and for every sin you could ever commit. He lived a perfect life because he knew that we would not be able to. If you are struggling with the need for perfection, I encourage you to lay it at the cross and find freedom in knowing that it isn’t necessary. God’s son Jesus, divine perfection in the flesh, was enough perfection for us all. Strive instead to live for sincerity, authenticity, and with integrity, so the world will see what a real Christian is like and will then come to know who the real Jesus Christ is. Let God be God, because you are not.

“Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love and I have lived according to your truth.” Psalm 26:2-3