Christ-Followers Aren’t Perfect Part 1 of 4
Verses Used:
Romans 3:23
Romans 7:21–25
Ephesians 2:8–10
1 John 1:8–9
Galatians 5:22–25
Matthew 7:16–20
Devotional:
Somewhere along the way, people got the idea that becoming a Christian means becoming perfect.
No more anger. No more bad words slipping out. No more wrong thoughts. No more bad decisions. No more losing your temper. No more struggling with temptation. No more sin.
And then the moment a Christian messes up, somebody says, “See? Christians are hypocrites.”
But that isn’t what Christianity teaches.
Romans 3:23 says that everyone has sinned and falls short of God’s glorious standard. Becoming a follower of Jesus doesn’t suddenly erase our humanity. We don’t wake up the morning after giving our life to Jesus with angel wings and a perfect personality.
We are saved people who are still being changed.
There’s a huge difference.
Paul himself described the battle happening inside him in Romans 7:21–25. He wanted to do what was right, yet he still found himself battling sin. This is Paul we’re talking about—the man God used to write a huge portion of the New Testament.
So if Paul had struggles, why do we expect every Christian we meet to have everything figured out?
Struggling Isn’t The Same As Pretending
Now, this doesn’t mean Christians get a free pass to live however we want.
Grace isn’t permission to willingly stay in sin.
There’s a difference between somebody who falls, repents, gets back up, and keeps following Jesus—and somebody who proudly lives against God while using the word “Christian” as a label.
First John 1:8 says that if we claim we have no sin, we’re fooling ourselves. But the very next verse tells us that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.
That’s the Christian life.
Not pretending we never fall.
Bringing our failures to Jesus when we do.
Ephesians 2:8–10 reminds us that salvation is a gift of God’s grace. We aren’t saved because we behaved well enough. At the same time, God is changing us so that our lives increasingly reflect what God created us to be.
A real relationship with Jesus should produce fruit.
Galatians 5 talks about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those things should grow in us.
But fruit grows.
It doesn’t appear fully mature overnight.
What About Hypocrites?
Are there hypocrites in churches?
Absolutely.
There are dishonest pastors. Abusive leaders. Manipulative people. Prideful Christians. People who use Scripture as a weapon while refusing to live by it themselves.
Jesus never defended hypocrisy. Jesus confronted it.
Matthew 7:16 says we can recognize people by their fruit.
So Christianity isn’t asking anyone to ignore evil behavior simply because somebody claims to follow Jesus.
But there is also a difference between hypocrisy and imperfection.
A hypocrite pretends to be something they have no intention of becoming.
A struggling believer says, “I messed up. That was wrong. God, forgive me. Help me change.”
Those aren’t the same thing.
If you see me stumble while I’m following Jesus, you didn’t just prove Jesus is false.
You proved I still need Jesus.
When The Church Hurts
And then there’s church hurt.
That pain can be very real.
Sometimes it was one person. Sometimes a group of people. Sometimes leadership failed badly. And yes, sometimes an entire church culture became unhealthy.
We shouldn’t minimize that.
But we also have to be careful not to make God responsible for everything people do while using God’s name.
Someone can misrepresent Jesus without Jesus being the problem.
Someone can misuse Scripture without Scripture being wrong.
Someone can hurt you inside a church building without their actions reflecting the heart of God.
Human beings fail.
Churches are filled with human beings.
That doesn’t excuse what happened. Wrong still needs to be called wrong. Accountability still matters. Repentance still matters.
But don’t let somebody who represented Jesus badly convince you that Jesus is bad.
Following Jesus Means Becoming More Like Jesus
Christians aren’t perfect.
But we also shouldn’t become comfortable using that statement as an excuse.
“I’m only human” shouldn’t become our reason for refusing to change.
Following Jesus means there should be movement.
Maybe you still struggle with anger, but you’re learning to apologize faster.
Maybe words still come out of your mouth that shouldn’t, but conviction hits differently now.
Maybe temptation still knocks on the door, but you’re learning you don’t have to answer it.
Maybe you fall.
But now you know where to run when you fall.
Jesus.
That’s the difference.
Christianity isn’t a collection of perfect people showing everybody else how good they are.
It’s broken, sinful human beings admitting that we could never save ourselves—and trusting the One who can.
We aren’t claiming perfection.
We’re following Jesus.
And little by little, Jesus is changing us.
Prayer:
God, thank You for loving me even though I’m still a work in progress. Help me never use grace as an excuse for sin, but also keep me from believing I have to become perfect before You can use me. When I fail, teach me to repent instead of hiding. When other Christians fail me, help me separate their actions from who You truly are. Keep changing my heart, my words, my reactions, and the way I treat people. Let my life point people toward Jesus, even while I’m still growing.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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