Christian freedom – The problem of perfectionism
In recent messages we have talked about the things that affect our Christian Freedom. How when we normally claim that we are free people that we automatically accept limits on our freedom. Limits based on cultural limits which might affect freedom of another person. We compared our secular freedom to a Christians freedom which simply came down to a choice to live a sinful life or a choice to attempt to live a righteous life… the third choice of Christian freedom was to attempt to just be a pew potato, but, I suggested that our human nature would lead us to making a choice which most often lead people in the direction of a sinful life.
It is Jesus that came into the world to give us that Choice.. Man as described in the Bible has proven time and time again what happens when we are totally free…..however, that is exactly what God has allowed.
Last week We looked at Paul’s description in Galatians 5 ….of people that desperately wanted to be on the right path…however, that right path led people on the journey under the law. We looked at a few general categories related to what God is like and briefly identified what kind of rule systems or laws were required for our faith and salvation to be assured …..Each type forced us either by our standards or by the standards of other people to live in a certain way to gain God’s favor.
We find it far too easy to limit our freedom and to trap ourselves into special little sets of beliefs and rules as a way of proving our relationship with God enabled through our relationship with Christ.
Let me summarize Christian freedom so far with just two points….Jesus the Christ came into the realm of human time and space to set us free from a bondage, slavery to sin and ultimately death…He came to set us Free…and free means free.
Second, we are encouraged by Paul to choose to use our freedom in serving Christ and in living people as a way to stay of a path that has lasting joy and promises and keeps us connected to Christ and to creation especially to love people ….
I don’t know how you feel but Paul always seems like such a giant of the faith. He endures harsh treatment from the Jews and the Romans and even other Christians and trials both physical and legal.
He writes these letters correcting what the churches were hearing from false teachers. For the sake of the Good News of Jesus Christ he traveled thousands of miles in a day when traveling was difficult and dangerous.
Last week we read his call to Christians to be free… But how can any of us measure up to all the stuff that he endured and did and even the details that he stressed in his letters?
He set the bar pretty high, the ideal that he describes is hard enough, but his demonstration of faith in Jesus Christ is impossible for us to even consider copying.
Do any of you remember the children’s story the “The Little Engine that Could.” I remember a lot of details about it. The general story is about getting toys and good food to children on the other side of a mountain. The train breaks down and is passed by engines that were too busy important or too tired to help. Then the little blue engine switch engine comes by and agrees to help.
"I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
As it neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by drawing out bravery and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could."
Personally, I have loved that story since long before I could read.
For many people Christian Freedom means that we our Christian journey is like the story and we are expected to respond to the impossible task of reaching perfection…by saying I think, I can, I think I can….until we complete our journey …
But that is not what we learn from Paul’s experience.
Roman’s 7:14-20
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
I hope that clears everything up for you….Paul is trying his best to describe a very difficult subject. It seems that he is digging a hole with words and it is getting deeper and more complex to follow.
Paul with his obvious drive, and dedication and understanding of the “good news” that we might somehow consider more perfect or more holy than us….gives us an amazing gift.
In fact, there are very few Christians that will share this kind of gift with the most intimate and trusted friends much less for any casual reader.
Paul admits, with real openness, that he is not perfect. And it is even more than that.
-- He admits that he is still a sinner.
-- He admits that more he sets his mind doing the right thing; the more he is drawn to sin.
I don’t know about you but, I don’t know that I would have put that in a general letter that the whole church in Rome will hear.
A church that the majority of members have never met him in person.
This is his letter of self introduction to a church that he is planning to visit in the future. What does this do to his FIRST IMPRSSSION VALUE?
What will the people in that church think about this so called leader and teacher?
Won’t that disqualify Paul in his ministry?
How can he hope to be taken seriously as a leader or even as a Christian in general?
- Paul knows a secret to being free in his faith.
Paul knows the rules, the law, and he knows that his understanding of God as demonstrated by the Christ frees him from the law….
He also knows that the LAW still influences him in how he judges his perfection. The Law identifies what sin is and provides him limits.
He knows that his internal nature has a strong influence on him and he still chooses sin instead of righteousness….As a called leader and powerful Christian he struggles with his sinful nature everyday and loses.
But that is not the secret.
I believe that he knows that “everyone” has the same problem – even Christians. Christians then and today also choose sin instead of righteousness.
The secret, he reveals to us in Romans 7 is that to be free from the bondage of a disguise or mask of perfection we must be willing to admit the truth. We all still have problems and while we are probably better than we used to be we still fall short of what our religious rules define.
But the only way to be free is to be willing to share our imperfection….share that our sinful nature is alive and well and that we are struggling with getting better.
Folks, when I hear Paul admit that he still has issues with sin; I tend to whisper “ me too.”
I used to think I was alone; that I was the only one that still had problems. Paul gives us a costly gift that personal pride generally encourages us to hide. The truth about oud condition.
- Christian freedom means that I am free to admit that I am not getting much better.
My process of growing in my Christian walk is a lot harder struggle than I ever expected. I constantly stay disappointed in “My” progress.
I do things that I told God that I would never do again. And the more success I feel at changing my actions and thoughts, the more success I notice in doing better, the more likely I am to do what I promised not to do.
If we believe that we are getting close to perfection in this life we are probably only fooling ourselves and there may be some real concern as to our relationship with Jesus.
We definitely are not fooling God; we are probably not really fooling ourselves….so that probably leaves us feeling like we need to fool other people.
Let me suggest that you only think you are fooling others about your level of righteousness and perfection. Most people that know you fairly well probably already know that you are not perfect and that you are not really getting much better on a daily, or monthly or yearly basis.
Like the little blue engine, we hook ourselves to a train load of expectations and chug along saying I think I can, I Think I can and struggle toward failure that our expectations can not avoid.
The worst part of acting perfect is that we want other people to see our success and think that we are able to make real progress and some how want to be like us….
Let’s be really clear. The majority of active ---- church attending --- Christians really know the rules. They know how to ACT in church. They know the words to use…O Bless their heart, I will pray for them, By the blood of Jesus….they say that they have a burden for the lost… But there is not much that can be done from the pedestal of perfectionism.
Unfortunately, what we almost never do is allow the rules and words to remove our mask of perfection and to come down to the level of people that are openly struggling with life and faith and spirituality.
In reality those things are irrelevant, what is important is the relationship with Christ - our dependence on Christ.
We think He can, we trust He can we know He can, is the slow growth process that leads us toward freedom instead of a crash into sin.
I believe that Paul, by admitting that he still had problems, dropped the shackles that he and other people put on him both in his day and today.
He does not sneak off the high righteous pedestal that people put him on…he jumps down and frees himself by openly admitting his struggle.
He is not prideful about his sin, he feels terrible. But, he frees himself by telling other believers about his struggle. He admits that he has been unable to break free from sin in his life and I believe that his hearers say “me too.” And they are free to help each other.
By doing so he frees us to do the same thing.
He demonstrated how to free ourselves from fake exteriors and tiny personal prisons by admitting that we are not already perfect in our Christian freedom.
That we still have problems and that is Ok because, becoming perfect is not our job. Our Job is to respond to the work of the Spirit directing us toward Jesus and righteousness.
We can know we are on the journey we are saved because our sin still bothers us. In fact it bothers us more and more as we journey toward perfection.
We need to worry when we don’t allow the rules, the law, the expectations to affect us at all. When we can just sit still and feel no need to be better or desire to do better. When obvious sin in our lives does not affect us emotionally, spiritually.
If we are not affected when other Christians fail with the feeling of “me to”….or worse a feeling of judgment for their mistakes and failures and sin.
We are is serious danger when our need to put on the mask for perfectionism is more important than responding to the Holy spirit ‘s guidance to respond the freeing hand of Jesus. The choice to imprison ourselves a special prison based on the disguise of being perfect because our pride is more important than the journey and the work of Christ in our lives.
If we really are Christians we probably struggle with the secrets of private sins, weather things we do or think. We may even feel guilt that makes us uncomfortable and it might even make us feel disqualified to be called Christian….
Let me just say, You too!!!
Folks , Christian freedom means that we are free to admit our struggles. More importantly when we admit our struggles we are freed from wearing a disguise that turns most people off. We are free to talk about our mistakes and our sins and our need for A savior that his not put us on a mountain top looking down at those sinners… but we can look them in the eye and speak of hope for getting better and forgiveness because of the gift of the Holy Spirit that speaks to us when we do wrong.
I mentioned last week that Christians feel guilt for only one reason….it is a reminder that we need to go to Jesus to help us to get better. To help us to change. To help us to climb the mountains that lead to perfection that he offers.
If we use our freedom to hide behind a mask and say I think I can instead of I know He can then we will never really be free or useful in the kingdom of God.
All Glory be to God!
