Christ-Followers Aren’t Perfect - Grace Isn’t an Excuse — Part 4 of 4
Verses Used:
Romans 6:1–4
Titus 2:11–12
John 14:15
James 2:17
Galatians 5:16
Philippians 1:6
Devotional:
We’ve spent this series talking about something Christians need to remember:
We aren’t perfect.
We still struggle.
We still fail.
We still need grace.
But there’s another side of that truth.
Grace isn’t an excuse to stay the same.
Sometimes “Nobody’s perfect” becomes a shield we hide behind.
“I know I lose my temper, but nobody’s perfect.”
“I know I treat people badly sometimes, but God knows my heart.”
“I know I keep doing this, but Jesus forgives me.”
Yes.
Jesus forgives.
But Jesus also changes people.
Romans 6 asks a direct question: should we keep sinning so grace can keep increasing?
Paul’s answer is basically: absolutely not.
Grace saves us from sin.
It was never meant to make us comfortable living in it.
Grace Teaches Us To Change
Titus 2 says God’s grace teaches us to turn away from ungodly living.
Think about that.
Grace doesn’t simply say:
“You’re forgiven.”
Grace also says:
“Come on. There’s a better way to live.”
Real grace doesn’t leave us where it found us.
Maybe slowly.
Maybe with a lot of stumbling along the way.
But it moves us.
A person following Jesus today shouldn’t look exactly the same spiritually ten years from now.
There should be growth.
Not perfection.
Growth.
There’s a difference.
Obedience Still Matters
Jesus says in John 14:15 that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments.
That doesn’t mean obedience earns salvation.
We aren’t saved because we performed well enough.
But obedience matters because love produces a response.
If somebody says, “I follow Jesus,” yet refuses every correction Jesus gives, eventually we have to ask what following actually means.
Following requires movement.
If Jesus says forgive, we learn to forgive.
If Jesus says love our enemies, we wrestle with that.
If Scripture exposes our pride, greed, lust, dishonesty, anger, or selfishness, we don’t simply say, “Well, that’s just who I am.”
We bring it to God.
We fight it.
We surrender it.
We ask God to change us.
Faith Should Become Visible
James 2 says faith without works is dead.
That verse isn’t telling us to earn heaven by doing enough good things.
It’s telling us genuine faith produces evidence.
An apple tree doesn’t become an apple tree because apples appear on it.
The apples appear because it already is an apple tree.
In the same way, good works don’t purchase salvation.
They grow out of a life being transformed by Jesus.
Maybe your evidence looks small right now.
You apologize instead of defending yourself.
You close the browser instead of feeding temptation.
You walk away before anger takes over.
You tell the truth when lying would be easier.
You forgive someone even though your emotions haven’t caught up yet.
You give when nobody knows.
You pray when your first instinct was to panic.
Those things matter.
Stop Expecting Instant Perfection
At the same time, don’t turn spiritual growth into another impossible standard.
God is patient.
Philippians 1:6 says God began a good work in believers and will continue that work until it is finished.
Notice the word continue.
God is working.
That means there are unfinished places in us.
Some struggles disappear quickly.
Others take years of surrender, discipline, failure, repentance, accountability, and growth.
The fact that God isn’t finished with you doesn’t mean God has abandoned you.
But don’t confuse God’s patience with permission to stop growing.
Keep walking.
What A Christ-Follower Actually Is
So after four parts, maybe this is the simplest way to say it:
A Christ-follower isn’t somebody who never sins.
A Christ-follower isn’t somebody who never gets angry.
A Christ-follower isn’t somebody who always says the right thing.
A Christ-follower isn’t somebody who has no scars, no struggles, no bad days, and no weaknesses.
A Christ-follower is someone who belongs to Jesus and keeps following.
They fall.
They repent.
They learn.
They grow.
They get corrected.
They surrender.
They get back up.
And over time, the life of Jesus becomes more visible in them.
That’s what grace does.
It meets us exactly where we are.
But it loves us too much to leave us there.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for grace that forgives me when I fail. Help me never turn that grace into an excuse to stay stuck. Show me where I’ve become comfortable with things You’re asking me to surrender. Give me strength to obey, humility to repent, and patience with the process of growth. Keep changing me until my life reflects You more clearly.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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