Faith Full Stop

Part 3: Come As You Are

They tell you never to read the comments. I get why. They’re brutal! Sometimes, though, I find them insightful even if brutal. This blog post is brought to by the Comments section.

I saw an Instagram reel recently where someone was talking about how a particular Only Fans “model” was baptized. This model posted the video of her baptism on her own IG, and there was also an article about it in some publication. This OF model is known for doing some very extreme things, so to see her getting baptized obviously got people talking. Especially in the comments!

Some were kind and supportive. Most were brutal as expected – harsh, judgmental, accusatory, condemning, mocking, all the things. It reminded me how misunderstood Jesus is, even among those who claim to be Christian. It struck a nerve with me because I was once there, too. I misunderstood Jesus and had misconceptions, all of which were rooted in various means and modes of deception.

The deception, or lie, is this: “I have to be perfect to come to Jesus.” Let’s gently dismantle this lie.

You Do Not Have to be Perfect to Come to Jesus

One of the most common and heartbreaking misconceptions about Christianity is the idea that a person has to “get their life together” before they can give their life to Jesus. Many people believe they must overcome their addictions, clean up their past or present, fix their behavior, leave Only Fans (!), or reach some level of spiritual maturity before they are worthy of coming to Him.

But the Bible tells a very different story. It is chock full of imperfect people that Jesus both called and used powerfully.

Jesus Never Asked for Perfection; He Offered Redemption for Imperfection

If perfection were a prerequisite for following Jesus, no one would qualify; no one would be deemed worthy. Scripture tells us this:

“…all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 AMP

This verse says we have all sinned (past), we all will continue to sin (present and future), and we will fall short of God’s glory as a result. God does not glory in sin, and He gets no glory from sin. This is why He sent Jesus – the perfect lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). God required Jesus to be perfect so we don’t have to be.

So, the invitation to follow Jesus was never meant for the flawless. It was extended to the sinful, the broken, the weary, and the lost. Jesus Himself said this:

“And Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick. ³² I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].” Luke 5:31-32 AMP

Doctors don’t wait for patients to heal themselves before offering treatment. In the same way, Jesus doesn’t wait for us to become perfect before He comes near. He is the healing we need for our imperfections. This is how our genius God designed it. That’s amazing!

The People Jesus Chose (and Still Chooses!) Were Far from Perfect

When we look at the people Jesus called, the myth of perfection as a pre-qualification falls apart quickly.

• Matthew the tax collector (Matthew 9:9–13) was despised as a traitor and known for corruption. Jesus didn’t say, “Fix your reputation first.” He simply said, “Follow Me.” And Matthew did.

• Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, the one He called to build His Church after His death, the same Church that exists today (!), was impulsive, fearful, and later denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54–62). Yet Jesus restored him. Not after Peter proved himself perfect, but after Peter failed spectacularly.

• The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–30) had a complicated past and was living in ongoing sin, like this OF model. Jesus didn’t shame her or require her to change before entering into relationship with Him. He met her where she was, and her encounter with Him transformed her life.

• The thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43) had no time to clean up his life or prove his faith. With a simple, sincere cry of trust to the Savior, Jesus promised him paradise.

None of these people came to Jesus perfected. They came as they were, and they were changed because they came. And these are just four examples. There are many more in the book!

Grace First, Transformation Follows

God is a God of order, and the order matters! The Bible never teaches behavior before belonging. It teaches grace before growth.

“But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 AMP

God’s love and the blood of Jesus cover our sin today, right here, right now.

Not after we improved.
Not after we figured it all out.
While we still sin.

Hear me, though. I am not preaching hyper-grace here. As a God of order, there is an order to things here, too. We don’t just receive grace because it is available to us. We receive grace by putting our faith in Jesus Christ because we come to understand that He died to forgive our sins, and He grants us eternal life. There is no grace, no eternal life without faith in Jesus (Acts 4:12).

“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].” Ephesians 2:8–9 AMP

Trying to become perfect before coming to Jesus is like trying to wash yourself before getting into the shower. Impossible and pointless.

Jesus Invites the Weary, Not the Worthy

One of Jesus’ most tender invitations says it all:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Matthew 11:28 AMP

He didn’t say, “Come to Me once you’ve fixed yourself.” That’s nowhere in the text or in the Bible. He said, come tired, come burdened, come heavy, come broken, come lost, come sinful, come dirty, just come. COME!

Following Jesus isn’t about pretending we’re worthy or that we have somehow “arrived.” None of us are worthy of the price He paid on our behalf, and we never will be. We will never fully “arrive” while on this earth. Our transformation is an ongoing process until we die. Instead, following Jesus is trusting Him, the One whose righteousness covers us and our imperfections.

Come As You Are; Jesus Will Do the Rest and God Will Get the Glory

The truth is simple but freeing: we don’t give our lives to Jesus because we are perfect. We give our lives to Jesus because we’re not. We acknowledge our sin and our sinful tendencies. In doing so, we recognize our need for forgiveness and salvation. Our transformation follows as we lean into Him and grow our relationship with Him. Transformation is the result of relationship, not the requirement for it.

Also, I think it is important to touch on this aspect. One thing we need to realize about God is that He wants to get all the glory from each our lives. If the requirement were to come to Him only after we perfected ourselves, guess what? He gets no glory because we took the glory for ourselves.

He gets the most glory when we hand Him our imperfections and allow Him to change us, mold us, sanctify us. It is in that where we can exclaim, “But God!” “It could only be God.” “It’s all God!” The glory is given to Him and Him alone. His transformational power is perfected in our imperfection. The Bible says this:

“but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP

So, if that OF model truly gave her life to Christ, and only Christ knows for sure if she did, then we celebrate Him and His work in her life, we pray for her and for Jesus to have His way, and we pray for the fruit that can only come from relationship with Him and transformation in Him. Anything apart from that requires us to do a heart / motive check.

In Closing

Friends, if you’re waiting to be “good enough,” you’ll wait forever. But if you’re willing to come just as you are and approach the throne of grace humbly and honestly – mess and all – you’ll discover that Jesus has been waiting for you all along.

All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me]. John 6:37 AMP

This promise still stands today – for me, for you, for all – just as we are.

Salvation Prayer

If you’ve never invited Jesus into your life, you can take this opportunity to do so. Below is a prayer you can pray. With that, there is another common misconception worth addressing. Many think accepting Christ has to involve a church, a pastor, an altar call. None of those things are required. It can be a quiet, tender, sincere moment between you and Him, which reflects His very personal nature and His desire to be personal to each of us.

Jesus, I believe You are real, You died for the forgiveness of my sins, and You were resurrected so that I would have eternal life with You. I am a sinner in need of a Savior, and I want to put my trust and faith in You today.

Jesus, I ask that you forgive me of all my past sins. Thank You, Jesus, for dying so that I may live. Jesus, I ask that you become Lord of my life, and I invite Your Holy Spirit to come and dwell inside of me and transform me for Your glory. My new life in You begins today.

Thank You Jesus, for all that You are, all You have done and will do, and all that You have for me. It is in Your mighty and matchless name I pray, Amen.

If you just accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I celebrate you with all of heaven! I will post (and link) important next steps for you to consider because this doesn’t end with a prayer. The prayer is only the beginning.

God bless you!