How should I respond to my own imperfections?

Romans 6:12-14Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 7:1Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

1 John 1:8-10If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

We must recognize our own sinfulness, while at the same time aiming to live more and more like Jesus. Consistent change comes in small steps. Because we are growing, we will not always make perfect choices. Mistakes and sins are almost inevitable, but what we do each time we fail—whether we deny or repent—will make all the difference. Our goal should be to turn more and more away from sin and to follow Jesus wholeheartedly in every area of our lives. When we do sin, we must confess it, recognize we are forgiven, and continue pursuing a life that honors Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14I [Paul] don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Hebrews 12:1-2Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

The apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a race. Anyone who has played a sport knows there is no such thing as a perfect game. Every baseball game has strikes. Every basketball game has a missed basket. Every football game has a missed pass. In the same way, we are bound to stumble in our race, to stray from our course at times, but fixating on that failure will not improve our performance. We can learn from it, yes, but we need not dwell on it—instead, we should fix our eyes on the prize, and keep running.

Psalm 103:12He [the Lord] has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Mark 12:31“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Colossians 3:13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Sometimes, it is easier to love and forgive others than it is to love and forgive ourselves. God has forgiven us, though, and he commands us to forgive as he forgave. He commands us to love others as we love ourselves. Self-hating perfectionism is not the perfection God calls us to.

Ephesians 4:15-16We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Hebrews 10:14By that one offering he [Christ] forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

We are guiltless, perfect in God’s eyes. Christ’s sacrifice has paid the price. Yet God’s good work in us does not end with salvation. Now, God is helping us become holy, shaping us to reflect Christ’s character. This transformation is a long process, and it is only possible through God’s power and our participation. But we can trust his promise that it will one day be complete.