Flawed (Part 1)

Flawed (Part 1)

Matthew 11:16-19 "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."
We who are Christians often compare ourselves to other Christians, and I can assure you that the Christians who seem to have it all together do not. The one's you compare yourself to compare themselves to other believers too. When you look at other Christians through a lens of compassion and understanding rather than judgment and jealousy, you are better able to see them for what they are-individuals changed by grace. They are imperfect human beings going through the same universal challenges that we all go through, facing the same devil we face, and dealing with their flaws on a daily basis.  

Since Christians are human, they are not perfect either.  Christians are just as flawed as the rest of the world.  Unfortunately Christians live in a sort of goldfish bowl as others watch and scrutinize them with a spiritual magnifying glass that requires them to live perfect lives.  As hard as Christians may try, they will frequently fall short of the high expectations non-Christians place on them.  

Christ has high expectations for all those who profess to follow him.  However, He doesn’t love them any less when they slip and fail to do what is right.  Christ died for all our sins  past, present and future.  Some say, “If that’s true, why bother to live the Christian life at all.  Just do what you want and God will forgive you.”   This thinking is a little short sighted. 

-Although Jesus died for our sins, it doesn’t absolve us from the ill effects connected to sin.  God doesn’t have to zap us if we sin because sin carries its own cause and effect.  It’s the “what you sow you shall reap principle” or “what goes around comes around.” 

-True Christians are sincerely trying not to sin because they appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for them.  They are new creations according to 2 Corinthians 5:17. They strive to live a godly life out of love for the one who makes salvation possible, not out of fear of what will happen to them if they don’t. 

With that said, we must recognizer Christians are humans and therefore flawed.  Believe it or not sometimes they might lie, be deceived, get drunk, commit adultery,  be jealous, not get along, run away, hide, scheme, gossip, deny Christ, doubt, fret, and even murder. Just look at this list: 

• Eve allowed herself to be deceived.
• Abraham lied and said his wife Sarah was his sister.
• Paul couldn’t get along with John Mark.
• Solomon let his wives lead him astray. 
• David committed adultery with Bathsheba.
• Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery.
• Saul was jealous of David. 
• Elijah was afraid of Jezebel and ran away. 
• Ruth was a pagan.
• Moses was a murderer. 
• Rahab was a harlot. 
• Jacob was a schemer.   
• James and John were called the “sons of thunder.” 
• Samson was weak in the ways of women.   
• Peter denied Christ.
• Jonah ran from God.
• Miriam was a gossip.
• Thomas doubted.  
• Noah got drunk.
• Martha fretted.  

Just because some of our biblical ancestors had some flawed actions doesn’t give us license to conduct ourselves in the same manner.  The Bible is full of examples for us to learn from, which are good and some not so good. However, it does reinforce that people, even Christians make mistakes and sometimes they are pretty big mistakes.   

I’m glad the Bible contains stories of these flawed individuals who loved God.  After all, it isn’t the person who should be put under a magnifying glass, but God’s grace.  Thankfully for all of us, God’s grace covers a multitude of sin.