Perfection?

Philippians 3:12-14 " Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Why is it that as Christians we often times are expected to be "perfect", "unstruggling", and "never sinning"? Is this the reality that the Bible speaks about or is this something that Christians have been pegged with by an unbelieving world? Unfortunately the term "hypocrite" is always tagged to the Christian faith because of the blatant hypocrisy within our churches today. However, there must be a realization among believers and non-believers alike that until we reach heaven and are glorified we have not achieved some form of perfection or are now not struggling with sin and this world. In fact our lives as Christians have now become even more complicated because we have a fleshly nature wanting and desiring to do what the flesh wants and the Holy Spirit indwelling us convicting us to abide by God's truth.

Throughout Paul's writings he often uses the analogy of a race in which runners are running to win a prize. As Christians we are on a race with a course marked out for us and it is the Lord who enables us to have the endurance and the perseverance to run that race, but it is a race and we have not finished quite yet. Paul himself admits here in Philippians earlier on that he wants to somehow be found with Christ in his death and attain to the resurrection of the dead...but immediately after he admits that he has not achieved this yet, he has not reached that point yet.

Paul in fact explains in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 that he is in training, " Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." We see here that even Paul had to discipline his own body and make it a slave so that he would be faithful in fulfilling what Christ commanded. It didn't come natural to him despite the fact that he had been redeemed.

What we as believers need to realize is that our lives as "Christians" are not now perfect since we have been made new creations but they are now "purposeful". What I mean is that as believers we are still going to struggle with sin such as fear, worry, doubt and the list goes on but now we have the ability through Christ's conquering on the cross to overcome those sins. Our lives will still be marked by tragedy yet our response goes from a depressed mourning and sorrow and despair to finding hope in light of sadness knowing that our good God works all things together for His glory and our good because we are His kids. Our hearts will still be burdened at times through trial and yet we can now find joy as it says in James because we know that that trial is conforming us more into the image of Christ and preparing us for the good works that God has set forth for us to complete through Him. As Christians our lives are not perfect this side of heaven but purposeful because we are running a race marked out by a sovereign good God who is enabling our every move for His glory and our good and making us more like him so as Paul said in verse 14, we too can "...press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

(On a sidenote, as Christians we cannot use the excuse that we are not yet perfect to enable us to live lives that are not striving for holiness as God has commanded. We cannot use grace as a license to sin. Although we have not been made perfect we still have been called to live holy lives through His strength.)

In Acts 20:24 we read, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US THE TASK OF SPREADING HIS TRUTH TO THIS LOST AND UNBELIEVING WORLD AND WE ARE TO BE FAITHFUL THROUGH HIS STRENGTH THAT ENABLES US TO DO THAT.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
DO WE RUN THIS WAY? DO WE RUN TO WIN CHRIST?

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
MAY WE TOO BE ABLE TO SAY THIS