When it comes to owning up to our weaknesses or sins, the phase, “I’m not perfect.” is very popular for some Christians. I am not judging because I too sometimes say I am not perfect, but then I do not pretend to be. It is true we are not perfect; scriptures says we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Scriptures also says as believers we are to live in this world but not be of this world. (2 Corinthians 10:3) We know that is easier said than done. Paul said in Romans 7:15, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing.” If Paul, the saint, sinned, how are we supposed to be sinless? The struggle is real. As Christians, the law, sin, and death no longer have authority over us, but the sinful nature still dwells within us. It is a battle between the new spirit in us and our old sinful nature. This battle intensifies the closer we get to Christ. The enemy knows we are now covered by grace. The worst mistake we can make is to purposely use the “I am not perfect” as an excuse or to justify our sins, just to make ourselves feel better. When we do this, the enemy wins!
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17)
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15)
But there is hope! Jesus Christ has overcome sin. Jesus was fully human and fully God. Jesus says in the New Testament; “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) Jesus said it, so we must strive to achieve it. We cannot achieve it by following celebrities, athletes, the rich, famous or things of this world. We must aim daily to follow the example of Christ, the only man who walked this earth free of sin. We are weak and born in sin, so we may fail many times trying to live the life the way Jesus taught us. But God! He never gives us a command without preparing a path for us to follow, to do what He has asked us to do. So, God sent His son who is our hope and salvation!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)
“Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:4-8)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13) Glory be to God we do not have to fight the battle ourselves! He knew we could not do it ourselves, through our own effort. The thing is God knows we are sinful which is why He sent his son Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15). Through his life of perfect obedience, his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus begins to restore the fullness of God’s image in us. When we mess up and fall short, Jesus is there showing us His mercy and grace. He is our advocate, so sin will not keep us from our Holy God. We must realize we dwell in God’s shelter, not because of our own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. However, it would be a mistake to take Jesus’s mercy and grace for granted, using “I’m not perfect” as an excuse or to justify our sins. God’s intention for us is to have victory over sin. When we are tempted, He will always provide a way out for us. It is our choice to accept it. Believers are commanded to become in practice what we are in Christ, dead to sin and alive to God!
“Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrew 2:17-18)
“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1)
There is a difference between making an occasional mistake and staying in willful sin. Or repenting and asking for forgiveness all the same time planning in your mind your next trip with sin. No need to lie, our human senses love sin, sin can feel, sound, look, smell, and taste good! Why is it that everything that seem so good is a sin? The key word here is seem. That is the deception of the enemy. It must seem good for us to be tempted! If this sin is front and center in our minds and hearts, we are in trouble. The devil knows it. And most importantly God knows it. He knows our heart. And if we allow this sin to consume us, (when only He should consume us) we are moving ourselves further away from God. In the Bible there were times when God withdrew His protection and covering from some people. And they suffered the consequences for their sin and rebellion against Him. They chose to be disobedient and stay in sin. Jesus said that God wanted to gather them under His wing for protection, but they were not willing! As a result, there was death and destruction in Jerusalem. Understand this, God did not send the destruction, He removed His protection! It is clear that God was trying to deliver and protect His people from the destruction, but they would not listen to His warnings and were not willing to come to Him. And so, death and destruction came, not from God, but from the armies He was trying to deliver them from in the first place. I believe the same is happening today. God is trying to warn us about so many things that are not pleasing in His sight, but we continue to allow the enemy to use sin and disobedience as a tool to remove us from under God’s shield of protection. Thank God it does not have to be this way, because even if we are not strong enough to fight sin on our own and most times that is the case, there is Jesus, reaching out to give us the strength we need to get the victory we already have. Yes, we already have the victory over any sin because God said He would always give us a way out. Sin and rebellion will keep us from under God’s umbrella of protection, sin is a wall we build between God and us. So, when we slip and fall, we must not just say “I’m not perfect” and continue to sin. We must sincerely repent and get back under God’s shield of protection!
“Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].” (1 Corinthians 6:12) AMP
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
“Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins have neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” (1John 3:6-7) “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10)
“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
When we have a relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit empower us to withstand the temptation to sin and Jesus will work to transform our hearts so that we will become more like Him in nature. In Jesus we need no longer be separated from God. We are not bound to our birth as sinners but can become children of God. One day we will be reunited with God in heaven and will be forever free of sin. Until that day, we must strive to be as Christ-like as possible in this walk of life. Love and Blessings…
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelations 21:1-1-4)
EMMANUEL 
Amen!
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