Screwed

TRUTH

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James‬ ‭2‬:‭26

REFLECTION

Christians are screwed. We are stuck inside this mortal flesh despite the best of our intentions or expectations.

In living, we have no balance. To profess our faith, we expose ourselves to examination and without fail we will be found to be just as human as the next person.

Hypocrisy hides near every good deed.

To hide behind morals and right living means to throw out our entire purpose, and ends up exposing us to the same failures.

And of course, doing nothing is confession of a lack of conversion in the first place. It’s the worst sort of stuttered living.

Are we meant to keep failing? To keep sinning and have those sins compounded by the fact that we’ve supposedly renounced them and moved on to glory?

Seems so. If by failing we mean living honestly, that is.

What of the Christian addict who relapses? What happened there?

We don’t have immunity from sin or temptation or even failure.

We have hope, grace, forgiveness and the blessed assurance of salvation.

Unfortunately, perfection is reserved for Christ. This can frustrate or inspire. It can humiliate or humble.

We can never claim full freedom from sin, just from the damnation of perpetual defiance.

I want to be on a path of spiritual growth that always goes up and to the right.

But life deals blows, and there will be times of decline. In these moments, we can turn inward to the old ways or upward to the source of truth that pulled us up in the first place.

God, thank you for today.

SPONSOR

The Progress & Perfection podcast is powered by Transistor. Host UNLIMITED podcasts with Transistor. I’ve used them since 2019. Try Transistor now.

NEXT

When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:

1. Book List (amazon link)
   Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.

2. 4th Step Guide (free download)
   A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.

3. 12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
   My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.

KEEP LEANING FORWARD

Cheers, Eamonn
Contact on LinkedIn, YouTube & Twitter.