This Side of Perfect

If you ask anyone who is not a Christian, what they think about Christianity and Christians they will rattle off a list of things, mostly negative, but undoubtedly they almost always will say one thing: that Christians are hypocritical. This is indictment of hypocrisy is due to the fact that we are all hypocrites. We are hypocrites in the sense that we say we love God and believe what the Bible teaches, but don't always live out what the Bible teaches. We say one thing and do another which by any definition makes us hypocrites.

However, as Christians we are called to be perfect, to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). So how do we remedy this problem? Is there a way we can reach perfection, to stop being hypocritical. The Bible teaches that we as Christians are being renewed everyday into the image of Jesus Christ, i.e. into perfection. This is what Romans 8:29 means when it says, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his son" and what does the image of his son, Jesus look like? Just go to Colossians 1:15-20 to see this, where the writer emphatically says that Jesus is the exact imprint and image of God. So to be Christian is to be made into the image of Christ, who is the image of God. This does not mean we do not still sin, but it means that every day we are being made to look more like Christ and act more like Christ in every way. It means that everyday as Christ perfects us we sin less, and become like him more. Our wills, thoughts, and desires are being radically changed to reflect Christ's wills, thoughts, and desires. See the Bible never calls us to become something we're not but instead it always calls us to become increasingly who we already are in Christ.

Of course this isn't something that happens overnight, it's a process called sanctification that will one day end in glorification when we reach heaven. So when someone calls Christians hypocritical they are sensing this fact that we claim to be perfect, but are not truly perfect and they call foul, but as Christians we look at this and rejoice because we know that one day we will be perfect, we're just on this side of perfect right now. It's all in the perception of hypocrisy, the outside world might call Christians hypocrites, but God calls us perfect, just not perfect yet. We're in the process of being sanctified for the purpose of one day being glorified. So, Christian, embrace this perfect perfection that we have in Christ that is at the same time here perfect and not yet perfection, and as the Bible does on numerous occasion I call you to live and become who you already are in Christ.