Misconceptions About Reflecting Christ and Striving for Perfection
While reading the first blog post a few hours after publishing it, I reflected on the various ways I have mirrored Christ, or at least attempted to do so.. I realized that reflecting Christ might seem like we are instantly made perfect. There have been instances when I have erred, experienced my own imperfections, and even offended others. Although these offenses are certainly not intended and should not be, the reality is that we will probably still offend people. Christ, who was and is perfect, had people who were offended by him, which we can read about in Matthew 15:10-12. Emulating Christ does not make us perfect immediately. We all as believers are on a journey that requires daily dying to self. Emulating Christ demands daily commitment and submission to the Holy Spirit, and it is with God's assistance that we can achieve perfection.
Another misconception to watch out for is the belief that we consider ourselves superior to other believers and even non-believers. Although I strive to embody Christ, and I wish for us as believers to do the same, our goal should not be to reflect Christ in order to demonstrate our perfection to others.
The scripture says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ” It is through God's grace that we are not entirely consumed. It is also by His grace that we have the opportunity to reflect Christ.
Donnie McClurkin's 'We Fall Down' is a song that always brings me down to humility and reminds me of God's grace in our lives. In the song, the lyrics include a phrase that says, "for a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up." I believe the entire song encapsulates everything I'm expressing in this post. Our daily reflection of Christ should originate from a place of humility. We must recognize that, although we have the privilege of mirroring a perfect Savior, we were once sinners who fell, but, through God's grace and mercy, can get up again. Our purpose in reflecting Christ is to make Him known to others, not to elevate ourselves or prove anything to anyone, but to mirror Him so that others can see Christ in and through us
The final misunderstanding, I want to address regarding mirroring Christ is the idea that because it doesn't make us instantly perfect, it gives us a license to sin. I strongly oppose such an ungodly mindset. In the book of Romans 6:1, Apostle Paul posed the rhetorical question, "shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" He answered it himself, saying FAR BE IT. Just because we aren't automatically made perfect doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for perfection. Christ commanded us in Matthew 5:48, "Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect." That is a command and a mandate. As believers, our goal is perfection. It may not happen immediately, but we must aim to walk in perfection because the one we mirror is perfect.
I end with the words of Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. " As the anchor scripture of this blog says, as we behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image. Transformation is gradual, not immediate. So as I echo the words of apostle Paul, I pray that, though we may not have attained perfection, may we strive to achieve it. And may we do so with humility and reliance on Christ, whom we reflect.
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