You Are Flawless
The Bible tells a story about an unclean woman. She’s an outcast. According to the law in her culture, she cannot touch or be touched by anyone. She’s tried for years to get better, visiting every doctor and doing everything medically possible, but nothing has worked. Then one day, she touches Jesus. According to the law at the time, it’s a sin and a crime for her to do this. But what happens?
She’s healed.
That’s the good news of Jesus: He makes you clean. Just like you don’t clean yourself up before you jump in the shower. You just jump in and the shower cleans you. In the same way, you don’t clean yourself before you come to Jesus. You go to Jesus in order to get clean.
After this woman touched Him, Jesus turned around to look for her. This was not in order to accuse or condemn her. Jesus looked for her so He could love her, heal her, and save her. This woman was scared to death. She didn’t know what Jesus would do if He found out she’d touched
Him. Like many of us, this woman thought God was mad at her. But when Jesus saw her, He didn’t call her by any label the world put on her. Jesus said, “Daughter.” She was no longer an unclean
woman; she was a daughter of the King. It would have been enough if Jesus just healed her, but He did more. He gave her a new name.
Holy. Righteous. Blameless. Everything we say about Jesus, He says about us. That’s why we’re children of God. We now carry His name. We often think that our past makes us impure. We think God sees us as flawed and worthless. But the truthis that the moment Jesus touched our lives, we became forever pure. Totally flawless. Perfect.
This identity isn’t changed or altered by what we’ve done or where we’ve been. Although we may act imperfectly, our identity as flawless stays the same. Jesus gives us our identity; the world and our behavior do not.
Here’s the thing. My past is littered with regret and mistakes that I desperately wish I could take back. I’ve been in unhealthy relationships, and I’ve done things that aren’t meant to be done outside marriage. In the eyes of most Christians (and people in the world), I’m not pure. Maybe you can relate.
The good news is that you and I—we—are pure. We’re clean. We’re perfect. Sure, it doesn’t feel that way. But the truth is the truth, no matter what you and I feel. And those who
think they’re pure because of something they do are wrong.
The Bible says that thinking impurely is the same as acting impurely. We’re all in the same boat, which is why we need purity as a gift, not as something we achieve. Put another way, purity and our entire identity are received, not achieved.
The old, impure me with all my past sins was crucified and buried with Christ, and the new Zach who is pure and clean was raised to new life in Jesus. The same is true of you. God isn’t pretending to see us this way. This is who we really are. He has taken our past and redeemed it. He promises
to work all the mistakes for our good. And He’s not holding our sins against us. Although our past may have brought us hurt, God’s presence in us brings healing. His label for us is daughter, son, clean, faultless.
Maybe you think, That doesn’t sound humble—to say we’re perfect. Sure, we still mess up, but remember, God has given us our identity apart from what we do. For example, if I choose to act like a chicken, it doesn’t mean I’m a chicken. I’m a human who is acting like a chicken. I’m still human. Perfect is now our identity at the core. When we choose to sin, we’re perfect children of
God who are sinning. But we’re still perfect. I’m not claiming that I act perfectly; I’m saying I’ve been made perfect forever by Jesus.
True humility is agreeing with what God says, no matter your feelings. True humility is saying the same thing God says about you. If God says you’re perfect, who are you to disagree? That’s what it means to walk by faith and not sight. Walking by faith is trusting who God says you are, even if you can’t see it.
Hearing God’s Opinion
“Nothing compares to you. You’re perfect. I find no flaw in you. I know it’s hard to believe that, because you still mess up. You still get thoughts and feelings that tell you you’re a mistake, or you’re flawed. But what I’m saying is real. Because of what I’ve done for you, you’re forever perfect.”
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14
She’s healed.
That’s the good news of Jesus: He makes you clean. Just like you don’t clean yourself up before you jump in the shower. You just jump in and the shower cleans you. In the same way, you don’t clean yourself before you come to Jesus. You go to Jesus in order to get clean.
After this woman touched Him, Jesus turned around to look for her. This was not in order to accuse or condemn her. Jesus looked for her so He could love her, heal her, and save her. This woman was scared to death. She didn’t know what Jesus would do if He found out she’d touched
Him. Like many of us, this woman thought God was mad at her. But when Jesus saw her, He didn’t call her by any label the world put on her. Jesus said, “Daughter.” She was no longer an unclean
woman; she was a daughter of the King. It would have been enough if Jesus just healed her, but He did more. He gave her a new name.
Holy. Righteous. Blameless. Everything we say about Jesus, He says about us. That’s why we’re children of God. We now carry His name. We often think that our past makes us impure. We think God sees us as flawed and worthless. But the truthis that the moment Jesus touched our lives, we became forever pure. Totally flawless. Perfect.
This identity isn’t changed or altered by what we’ve done or where we’ve been. Although we may act imperfectly, our identity as flawless stays the same. Jesus gives us our identity; the world and our behavior do not.
Here’s the thing. My past is littered with regret and mistakes that I desperately wish I could take back. I’ve been in unhealthy relationships, and I’ve done things that aren’t meant to be done outside marriage. In the eyes of most Christians (and people in the world), I’m not pure. Maybe you can relate.
The good news is that you and I—we—are pure. We’re clean. We’re perfect. Sure, it doesn’t feel that way. But the truth is the truth, no matter what you and I feel. And those who
think they’re pure because of something they do are wrong.
The Bible says that thinking impurely is the same as acting impurely. We’re all in the same boat, which is why we need purity as a gift, not as something we achieve. Put another way, purity and our entire identity are received, not achieved.
The old, impure me with all my past sins was crucified and buried with Christ, and the new Zach who is pure and clean was raised to new life in Jesus. The same is true of you. God isn’t pretending to see us this way. This is who we really are. He has taken our past and redeemed it. He promises
to work all the mistakes for our good. And He’s not holding our sins against us. Although our past may have brought us hurt, God’s presence in us brings healing. His label for us is daughter, son, clean, faultless.
Maybe you think, That doesn’t sound humble—to say we’re perfect. Sure, we still mess up, but remember, God has given us our identity apart from what we do. For example, if I choose to act like a chicken, it doesn’t mean I’m a chicken. I’m a human who is acting like a chicken. I’m still human. Perfect is now our identity at the core. When we choose to sin, we’re perfect children of
God who are sinning. But we’re still perfect. I’m not claiming that I act perfectly; I’m saying I’ve been made perfect forever by Jesus.
True humility is agreeing with what God says, no matter your feelings. True humility is saying the same thing God says about you. If God says you’re perfect, who are you to disagree? That’s what it means to walk by faith and not sight. Walking by faith is trusting who God says you are, even if you can’t see it.
Hearing God’s Opinion
“Nothing compares to you. You’re perfect. I find no flaw in you. I know it’s hard to believe that, because you still mess up. You still get thoughts and feelings that tell you you’re a mistake, or you’re flawed. But what I’m saying is real. Because of what I’ve done for you, you’re forever perfect.”
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14
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