Christians Are a Mess—Before and After

Christians Are a Mess—Before and After

We often think the mess ends at conversion—but the Bible tells a different story.

Paul reminded the Corinthians of their past: “That is what some of you were” (1 Cor. 6:9–11). But even after their transformation, they still wrestled with division, immorality, lawsuits, and pride. Yet Paul still called them “the church of God in Corinth” (1:2).

This is what grace looks like.

Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be clean to call us His own. He meets us in our mess—before and after—and makes us redeemable, salvageable, acceptable, and teachable. Grace isn’t a one-time event; it’s a lifelong gift.

God wants the world to see the beauty of His grace through people like us—messy, but His. Broken, but His beloved.

As Max Lucado so beautifully puts it:
“God does not require people to ‘clean themselves up’ before being loved. God embraces everyone in their current state and, through grace, empowers them to become more like Him.”

Strong Blessings,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com