Why Am I Such a Bad Christian?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this question, followed by some variation of “I should be farther along in my spiritual journey by now” or “I don’t know why I keep struggling with these same issues I should have dealt with years ago.”

Sometimes, these statements are innocent. But I’ve found that people who constantly talk this way generally fall into one of three categories. They have:

• Bought into a false form of legalism
• Developed a high view of themselves
• Embraced a casual view of sin

This first group of Christians lives in constant self-imposed torment. Maybe they grew up in a setting that said, "If you don't do _______, God won't be happy with you, and you won't go to Heaven." As a result, they always feel like they never measure up. If this is your story, I'm sorry. I genuinely am.

The second group genuinely loves Jesus, but they struggle with pride. They desperately don’t want to be seen as “holier than thou,” so they talk bad about themselves and almost pride themselves in their badness. They struggle with a self-imposed form of Tall Poppy Syndrome and feel the need to cut themselves down before others do. If this is you, maybe this Bob Newhart clip will encourage you.

The third group knows they have areas of sin in their life, but it’s not a big deal to them. When someone confronts them about ways they should change, they get a wry grin on their faces and say things like, “I just don’t take myself too seriously.” To them, a little gossip, a few bad habits, a little legalism, and the occasional secret sin are just part of life. They’ve never known any other way. Sure, they’ll talk about how they need to make a change, but they have no intention to do so. If this is your story, I'm glad you're part of this devotional.

Rather than make any changes, all three groups settle for being “bad Christians,” “saved sinners,” or “messy believers,” thinking this is as good as it will ever get.

All three extremes aren’t good. So what is the answer?

To Take Sin Seriously, Think Less of Yourself, and Embrace the Consuming Love of God

This is what we'll be looking at this week.

Let's start with sin. In its broadest sense, to sin is to “miss the mark.” From a narrower viewpoint, sin is to intentionally violate the known will of God for our lives. By this standard, everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

When we sin, our actions stand in opposition to God, and we, as Augustine said, live out of alignment (I love this imagery). To willfully sin against God is to place ourselves in direct opposition against him. It is the highest form of pride imaginable and makes us a person God resists (James 4:6).

Sin starts with desire, is committed through decision, and results in death. All sin, great and small, is like a cancer that spreads throughout our bodies. Just as cancer has varying stages of severity, so sin has differing stages as well.

• Stage 4: Sins of Highhandedness | “I hate God and want nothing to do with him.” (Num. 15:30)
• Stage 3: Sins of Passion | “God might be OK, but I really like having a good time.” (1 John 3:8)
• Stage 2: Sins of Omission | “I know I should help…but…” (James 4:17)
• Stage 1: Sins of Ignorance | “Oh, I had no idea…” (Num. 15:27-31)

Stage 3 sins are the most common category of sins that most believers wrestle with, but it’s this stage from which we can have freedom found in Christ. Paul makes it clear in Romans 6:1-2, ¹ “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? ² Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

When you become a follower of Christ, your title changes from “sinner” to “saint.” This doesn’t mean you’re perfect, but it does mean the overall bend of your life is to walk in alignment with Christ. Your love for him is so great that it feels unnatural to live any other way.

If you’ve embraced the “bad Christian” label, don’t beat yourself up. Just make a course correction and recognize that God has more for you. He’s chosen you, called you, and empowered you to not only overcome sin but to live as a saint—a holy one.

So, How Do I Be a “Good Christian?”

It starts by recognizing the only goodness in you is because of Christ. There is nothing you can do to make yourself “gooder.” (I really need a better editor!) It’s to live in the reality of Isaiah 64:6 and realize that “all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment.” There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. We are saved by grace through faith.

God's part is to save. Our part is to do as 1 John 1:7 instructs and “walk in the light as he himself is in the light.” Light is knowledge. This means that each time God reveals a bit more of his character, a bit more of how we should love others, we live in light of this revelation.

This means we’re constantly changing and constantly growing. The person we were ten months ago is not the person we are today. (Side note: this is why we should constantly update our stories of others)

To this point, one of my favorite passages of Scripture is 1 Timothy 4:15, where Paul says to a young Timothy, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all.”

“So that your progress may be evident to all.” In other words, keep becoming more like Christ so that in doing so, others look on and say things like, “That Ezra sure has his problems, but he worships a great God!”

Tomorrow, we'll look at what it means to actually love God. But first, take some time to do some self-evaluation. Have you settled for being a "bad Christian," assuming you'll never walk as Christ wants you to walk? If so, be open to shifting your perspective and recognizing that God has a better way.

Sunday Christians are content to be "bad Christians," and this gives them a pass to stop growing. Monday Christians strive to be "good Christians"– not based on their goodness, but based on living in close proximity to Christ so that his goodness shines through them to others.

Be a Monday Christian.