I Am Not Perfect, But I Will Not Lie About God

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

1 Cor 15:10

Christians, rightly, strive to be humble. We know that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). We follow our Lord, who was the mighty King of heaven, God the Son, who humbled Himself to the position of servant, and even humbled Himself to take on death for His enemies (Phil 2:5-8). We are the blessed meek (Matt 5:5). But in our attempt to be humble, it can be tempting to lie about God.

What do I mean? In an attempt to be humble, I can be guilty of only speaking of the ways in which I’m not perfect. I don’t want to exalt myself, so I end up downplaying my sanctification and highlighting my imperfections. I am acutely aware of how far short I fall from God’s glory, but if I never speak of God’s grace in my growth, I communicate something untrue about God. I communicate that while God might have saved me from the penalty of sin, He just hasn’t been able to deliver me from the power of sin. Surely I am not perfect, but I will not lie about God.

I am not perfect, but God has made me new (2 Cor 5:17). I still struggle with sin, but God has unshackled me from the slavery of sin (Rom 6:18). I am not who I want to be, but I am not who I was. Bear with me while I boast in God.

In all my imperfections, I want to praise my faithful God who keeps all His promises. He promised to conform me to the image of His Son, and by His grace He is doing it (Rom 8:29). He promised to give me a new heart with a love for God and hatred for sin, and, I will boast in Him, He is doing it (Eze 36:26). He told me that if I would hide His word in my heart, I wouldn’t sin against Him, and I’m proof that He is true to His word (Psalm 119:11).

I want to be honest about my sin and shortcomings, but I also want to be honest about my God. He has not left me or forsaken me. He is accomplishing all that He has promised. I say with Joshua, “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Josh 21:45). I will be humble, but I will not lie about God. He has been faithful to me, and He will be faithful to perform His word for you too.

©Jacob Crouch 2022, 2023