Our goal as Christians is to become more like Christ. Although we must keep trying to overcome sin, we will not be completely victorious until we reach heaven.

Have you ever seen a child and known right away who he or she belonged to? Maybe the child was the spitting image of the parent.  People often tell me that I look like my mom, which I take as a compliment. Children can’t actually control whether or not they look like their parents, though.  Sometimes, however, we know who a child belongs to because of their behavior or mannerisms.  They act just like their parent.  Some of that behavior was learned and can actually be controlled.

Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were made in the image of God.   The truth is, people should be able to tell who our Father is because of the way we act.  We should be the spitting image of our heavenly Father, and we can learn to act like God.

The Goal of Christianity: To Become Like Christ

The goal of Christianity is, in fact, to become perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48).  If that seems impossible to you, that’s because it is.  Obviously, we’ll never reach perfection in this lifetime.  We were made new at the time of our salvation through regeneration. We are being made new through sanctification. However, we will still always struggle with sin. 

John writes in 1 John 3:2 that we are God’s children, but what we will be has not yet appeared.  He’s saying that we are not yet reflecting God’s image as perfectly as we should.  Paul understood that.  He writes about his struggle with sin in Romans 7:18-20, where he says, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” 

Does anyone else feel like Paul is describing your life in those verses?  I am so aware of the daily struggle between doing the good that I want to do, but giving in to the sin that I don’t want to do.

A Never-Ending Battle: Overcoming Sin

Although we will make progress, and we may overcome certain sins, sin will always dwell in us.  That does not give us an excuse to give up, though.  We are promised a way out of every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). However, but we must be looking for that way out.  It’s important to daily put on the armor of God so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18).   We must walk according to the Spirit (Galatians 5;16), seeking guidance from the Spirit and the Word so that we know what to do in every situation.  No matter how hard the battle with sin may seem, we must keep fighting, taking advantage of the resources that God given us to be victorious.

Victory at Last: We Are Finally Like Christ!

We may win some battles with sin, and we will lose some.  The good news is, though, that we are promised to win the war.  Going back to 1 John 3:2, we see that although what we will be has not appeared, when Christ returns, then we will be like Him.  We can share Paul’s confidence, when he writes, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).  When we get tired of fighting we can look forward to our future glorification, when we will finally be made perfectly new and we can rest in Christ for all eternity. 

How does it make you feel, knowing that you are not yet like Christ but will be one day? Let me know in the comments below!

This post is part of my Bible study series called “A New Creation.”  You can find other posts and resources for this free online bible study here:

A New Creation-What It Means to Be in Christ

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.