Nobody's Perfect

I think we’ve all heard the expression, “Nobody’s perfect.” That’s true; God doesn’t create perfect people. Even the best of us have our faults and foibles. A lot of us are painfully aware of our own, although there are many that seem to be blissfully aware of theirs. To be honest, that kind of makes me wonder if I don’t have traits that I am unaware of, that other people are all-too aware of…

Part of the problem with that is that people outside the church will often judge the church by the people in it. If that person is a Christian, shouldn’t they act better? To be honest, all of us should be acting better than we are. Unfortunately, our human selves get the best of us, sometimes. All of us know, on some level, what we should be doing (or not doing), but find ourselves doing the wrong thing instead. I mentioned Paul’s writing recently, where he talks about doing things that he doesn’t want to do. Paul is talking about wanting to do the right thing, but then not doing it, or doing something he doesn’t want to do. He goes on to say that “it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”

Does that mean that we shouldn’t worry about how we treat people outside the church? Should we assume that if God really wants them to be saved, that He will blind their eyes to ours faults? Let me first point out that there is no “if”—God wants them to be saved (“For God so loved the world…). Let me also point out that Apostle Paul started out as one of those nitpickers; he found fault with everything the early church did, until God opened his eyes. Let me also remind you that Jesus taught us about taking care not to offend. Okay, if you look at the accounts in Matthew and Mark, it’s clear that Jesus was talking about new Christians, but someone who has yet to be won to Christ isn’t going to become a new Christian if they become offended before they get the chance. So, we need to do the best we can with unbelievers (although not to neglect the believers) and then pray that God would cover our shortcomings.

Now, to those outside the church who are considering taking the plunge, but are having a hard time dealing with the apparent hypocrisy inside the church, I say: I understand that much of what we do seems hypocritical. We say, “Judge not,” and then we tell people how to live their lives. We say, “Love one another,” but we have lists of the type of people that we won’t associate with (as though sin were contagious). We say, “Look not on the outward appearance,” and yet look down our noses at a woman whose skirt is perhaps a little too short, or a man whose pants sag too much. Many times we worry way too much about the actions of those that don’t even claim to be Christian. If a person has no interest in Christ, and is a drunkard, does it matter that he drinks? He isn’t going to Hell because he drinks, he’s going to Hell because isn’t saved. Now, it might be much easier to get him to church if he were sober, and we certainly shouldn’t let him think that it’s okay with God if he spends his life in a drunken stupor, but the important thing is that he know what he needs to do to get right with God. Even then, if he honestly isn’t interested, then telling him about Jesus is essentially casting pearls before swine. I think that sometimes we get too involved in making sure people understand what it means to live right, when they aren’t interested in living right to start with. Often we avoid those who don’t live the life that we lead; we strengthen each other by sticking together. The point here is, we’re doing the best that we can, but we aren’t perfect, just forgiven. If you had a job to do, and you didn’t do it, and then when the boss asked you why you didn’t get your work done, all you could do is point at other people, you probably wouldn’t be collecting a paycheck for very long, at least, not if your boss was wise and fair. God is very wise and fair, and if, on judgment day, all you can say in your defense is that I wasn’t persuasive enough; that, in your mind, my mistakes outweighed the righteousness that I have tried to show you, He will remind you that your life is your responsibility. I will regret, and I will feel bad that I was unable to convince you (at least until God removes you from my memory), but, ultimately, your choice is your own, and I can only do what I can do. If my problems are really that much of a barrier to you finding your way to Christ, then I would ask that you pray for me. What good are the prayers of an unbeliever? I don’t know for sure, but I know that God listens to sincere prayer, and I know that He wants you to be saved, so if you pray for me to be a better Christian so that you can become one also, perhaps He will grant that request. Please don’t let me get in your way.