I have realized afterwards that to maintain a certain balance, it was important to complete my portrait of the Christian through the analysis that follows.
Christ as a model of holiness
Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
1 John 1:8-10, “If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we make it our habit to confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.”
Proverbs 24:16 (ASV), “For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…”
Whenever a Christian does something wrong and whenever one is involved in a scandal, people have no mercy at all for him. It is even worse for clergymen. People are quick to forget that they are merely humans (with their faults and their qualities) that God uses.
In the minds of many, Christians are just little pretentious and paragons of virtue who believe they are better than ordinary mortals. Unfortunately, we have done our best to help them think that way. Our haughty attitudes, our ‘‘black and white’’ vision of the world, in short, our lack of tolerance and compassion are responsible for this. It is not surprising then, that the least of our misdemeanours comes with a very expensive and immediate price.
A Christian is a saint (that is sanctified by Jesus) but not a saint (that no longer sins). He still falls but, with time, his falls are more episodic because of his visceral horror of sin. Every time he stumbles, a deep despondency comes over him for saddening the Holy Spirit and, he repents. He generally suffers more than anyone else for his actions. Indeed, the day he invited the Lord to transform him, he caught a glimpse of what his life could become in Christ. And the beauty of that vision transported him and restored his ability to dream and hope…This is why everyone of his shortcomings is cruelly perceived as moving away from that ideal standard.
Is it surprising to see a baby slaver or wear diapers? Is it strange if crying should be his most common form of expression? Why then should anyone be scandalized when a 50 years old family man who is also a 9 months old spiritual baby makes (spiritual) blunders of his age? Being a Christian is to be once born in Christ and then, as it is the case for any new birth, gradually go through the stages of baby, infant, child, teenager, adult and elderly man.
Being a Christian is not being perfect but it is being en route to perfection. Being a Christian is to be confident in the fact that He who started this good work in us - perfection - will complete it (Philippians 1:6). Being a Christian is just all in all, … being a sinner saved by Grace.
God bless you!
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