I Was Wrong

Three words that some men find more difficult to say than "I love you"
are "I am sorry" or "I was wrong."  Whenever I have admitted being wrong
to my wife, she asks "what?" just to hear me repeat myself.  She says
she has a hard time believing that my lips can form the words.
 
As men, we find it especially difficult to admit inadequacies, errors,
and sin.  As Christian men, aspiring for Christian perfection, we find
it nearly impossible.
 
Did you know that the sanctified person can sometimes be wrong? Perhaps
we have misunderstood that sanctification does not mean that we will
never have to say "I am sorry" again. Some of us have made
sanctification (or Christian perfection) unattainable because we have
defined perfection as being without error or flaw.  It is as if we feel
the need to eliminate the desires and emotions so that we can be pure,
instead of seeing the need for God to make in us pure desires and
emotions.  God is an emotional Being with desires, and they are pure.
We can be like Him because He fashions us after His image and not by our
attempts to mimic purity.
 
Perfection is better understood as being "suited for a purpose."  For
example, the functioning ear makes a lousy instrument for for seeing,
but it is perfect for receiving and intepreting sounds; that's its
purpose.  Yet, who has the perfect ear?  Many men of God have been far
from flawless, but they have been perfectly suited to accomplish God's
will.
 
Part of Christian perfection is admitting wrong when we are wrong.  In
fact, confession is a necessary component of the Christian life.
Without it, we hinder our growth by carrying the burden of trying to
hide our faults (as if we could) and excusing our failures.
 
1 John 1:9 says much to the Christian about being wrong and what to do
about it.  Confession keeps our relationships clear of obstacles, paves
the way for forgiveness and restoration, and teaches us the important
lesson of humility.
 
Verse 2:1 says even more to me as I strive to be right with God.  John
tells us that he is writing to us "so that you will not sin." Holding
onto God, I claim that as God's ability to keep me pure.  But I am so
very thankful for the very next phrase where John is quick to say, "But
if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our
defense."
 
God is in the process of perfecting us.  Phillipians 1:6 says that
"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  This good
work purifies us from unrighteousness by a process that includes the
confessions of a contrite heart.  Ironically, the words "I am sorry" and
"I was wrong" must be part of our vocabulary if we ever want to be
perfect.