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I think I’ve mentioned this before (so excuse the redundancy), but several months ago my wife started using a powerful phrase that has really helped us both grow spiritually. Here is the phrase: “God doesn’t require us to be perfect, just to be honest”. It is a simple phrase, but it has tremendously helped me personally to understand where I stand before God. Currently, I’m re-reading Joshua Harris’ book Sex is Not the Problem—Lust Is (formerly Not Even a Hint) and he offers a good discussion on this in chapter 3. What I’ve learned from his argument and my wife’s God-inspired phrase is that God doesn’t require us to live perfectly—that is what Jesus did. God fully understood that the law he gave Moses back on Mt. Sinai was impossible for man to keep. The law was ultimately in place to show us how imperfect we are, were and will be. No one can keep the law. (see Galatians 3:19-24) As a matter of fact, man started disobeying way back in the garden of Eden (remember the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve ate!) So ever since then God’s mission has been to redeem us back to him. However, our sinful nature continues to get in the way and therefore he needed a sinless sacrifice to procure our redemption. Enter Jesus. Jesus was born into a fleshly body by the seed of the Holy Spirit and into the womb of a virgin and bore the sins of mankind. Israel Houghton has a song that says, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sins upon that cross”. As I began to understand that my sin (past, present and future) was a debt that I could never pay. A check I wrote and didn’t have the funds to cover, if you will. Then Jesus came in and cleared me of that debt burden forever and always. The entire book of Hebrews speaks about the perfect priesthood of Jesus Christ as the ultimate redeemer of our sins. It speaks about how his perfect sacrifice was complete as he stepped in a bore our sins on the cross. About how he offered up himself once and for all—not repeatedly as the old priests did. But just once!!! (see Hebrews 10:12) And God accepted his perfect, spotless offering. And now all we have to do is believe that Jesus did that and God declares us righteous on the mere fact of our belief in Jesus’ saving power. God has imputed to us the righteousness of his perfect Son. So, as that fact stands we are not required to be perfect so that we can have salvation. Jesus already was perfect. God now requires us just to be honest about how desperately we need him. And about how desperately hopeless our life would be without his love. What love? The love he showed towards us that while we were yet sinners, he allowed his son (Jesus) to die for us so that we could eventually accept him. (see Romans 5:8) Personally, he says to me…

Dominique I realize that your ugly, wretched life will never deserve my Son’s sacrifice. There is no amount of good deeds that you can do in a million lifetimes that will ever constitute a reason for me looking at you and seeing righteousness. But I realize that you by faith have believed that my Son, Jesus has already bore your wretchedness and therefore I now see you for what you can and will be through your trust in me. You are a joint-heir with Jesus. You are of a royal priesthood set apart to declare my saving grace to all the nations.

So I am saying to you today my friend, God never will require us to substitute our righteousness for Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, only for us to be honest about our need for his righteousness to cover our shortcomings. Each day he wants me and you to be honest and acknowledge that we need him and that we couldn’t live, more or breathe without him. (see Acts 17:28) To be honest and relinquish our power and ask for his grace to empower us. To be honest and give up trying to break the habit that we feel is so ugly and allow his ability and power handle what we are otherwise incapable of handling. You and I cannot be perfect my friend, but we can be perfectly honest with God.

God help me understand the awesome sacrifice that you gave in providing Jesus to redeem me back to you. Help me to live each day with total dependence on your grace to provide me the strength to carry out your will for my life. Let me accept the fact that Jesus gave his best because my best was not good enough to pay the price. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Suggested Scriptures:

Hebrews 10 (in its entirety)

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

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