"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10
The above scripture is one of many that delivers an unfortunate truth: In our past, present, and future, Christians sin. Let no man deceive you: While we are called to repentance, we are nevertheless weak in the flesh, which is in a lifelong struggle against our spirit, and so we will continue to sin until we die. I love the way my old pastor put it: "Repentance is about being done with sin, even if sin isn't done with you."
This is an immediate and permanent rebuke against the "holier than thou" stereotype of Christians. Granted, such a stereotype is not without warrant. There are many Christians, even whole congregations, who genuinely believe themselves to be sinless. I even remember one pride filled individual who tagged me in a post telling his friends "feel free to message him", because I had dared say repentance is about a change of attitude towards sin, only for him to threaten to block me when I objected to such a blatant disregard for my privacy.
Nevertheless, while the stereotype exists, and is not without warrant, it is not compatible with the Christian faith. Faithful Christians know not only what we have been saved from, but what we may also be saved from in the future. For this reason, I love the analogy that Christians are homeless and starving people telling our fellow homeless people where we find our bread. The problems arise when they don't want bread.
The world, as a whole, is quite hostile to Jesus. Sadly, this manifests in the persecution of Christians, and it is coming to what were once civilised nations. Already, we see that where once the LGBT community only wanted tolerance, they are now quite intolerant themselves. Such as when one particular gay man sued a florist, who ironically he was friends with before the incident, because she would not cater to his "wedding".
Of course, I joined the many voices who objected to this repugnant act. Even if you are supportive of homosexuality, you don't get to sue people into supporting it with you. That's despicable, and I said it was despicable. Two people in particular took issue with my response, however.
One of them was a girl who pointed out my own history with homosexuality. How can I oppose homosexuality when I was once gay, she asked? Simple answer: Because when I was gay, I was wrong. The other was a foul mouthed bisexual man who pointed out that even at that time, my language was atrocious.
But here's the question: Am I a hypocrite because I regret my sin, or because I commit it? One could argue it's the regret. After all, if I regret my sin, why am I still a sinner? But it is that element of regret that makes me a hypocrite when I commit the sins. Let's be honest here: The conclusion these people want me to draw isn't "ok, you're right, I need to flee sexual immorality and clean up my language". These are the very sins they committed, and the whole reason they were angry with me was for speaking against it. No, they want me to draw the conclusion that because I am a sinner, sin is actually ok. They didn't want me to clean up my act, but rejoice in my uncleanness!
Are Christians hypocrites? Indisputably. As long as we dwell in the world, living in these fleshly tents, we will endlessly repeat the cycle of sin and repentance (though hopefully with growth and improvement). But there is no greater hypocrisy than to ask God for mercy and not share it. Why should I be saved, and my fellow sinners perish? Why should I believe truth while my fellow men wallow in the very lies I was called out of? I, Bible Brian, am a sinner, saved by the grace of God, and I humbly invite all people to enjoy that same grace, for it is available to all.