"When a man who accepts Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say that he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.” ~ C.S. Lewis, in the preface of the book, Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis went to a place where few preachers dare go – he actually said it – you can be bad at being a Christian and still be a Christian. This is without a doubt dangerous ground, because it is easy to become stale, and God clearly said ‘You can be hot, or you can be cold, but if you are lukewarm I will spew you out of my mouth.’ However, there are still two facts, tried and true, that cannot be changed. The first is, you can become a Christian instantly. Christ clearly stated that fact – “Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, and you will be saved.” If you acknowledge the teachings of Christ, and commit to following them, you are a Christian. The second fact is, you cannot become a good Christian instantly. It’s no more than common sense – if you start playing guitar, it will be a good bit of time before you will be a good guitar player. That is no reason to give up – you can call yourself a guitar player the second you purchase one and begin to learn. You are simply a bad guitar player, and that’s quite all right, for a certain period of time. If you’ve been playing for years and are no better than you were at first, there’s something quite wrong, but as long as you continue to improve, there’s no place in anyone to insult your progress. While one man may have a more natural makeup to play guitar, that doesn’t exactly mean he has tried harder. To whom much is given much is expected; only you and God know if you are working at the pace you should be. Seeing as chastity, temperance, humility, and all the other Christian virtues are in the opposite direction of your natural desires, it’s certainly going to take some time to become good at adopting the Christian virtues. Do not be discouraged by the fact that you are a bad Christian – it’s quite all right, just so long as you never stop practicing.
Here’s yet another way to look at it. It is well known to modern people that taking smaller bites of food and chewing them slowly is a healthier way to eat. Many of us, despite knowing this fact, continue to eat fast and take large bites. This overloads our body, and due to not chewing our food properly, our body cannot get all the nutrients out of the food before it turns to waste. The same goes for Christianity – there is so much to be taken in, it must be done slowly and carefully. The person who eats the entire meal quickly may be able to say, “I am a better eater than you, I am already done”, but get very little quality or enjoyment out of it. Meanwhile, the very slow eater, who may seem to be inferior at the practice, is getting proper nourishment and enjoying his meal at the same time. I have seen many eager Christians constantly bite off more than they can chew, trying to make themselves a perfect Christian overnight, only to find themselves disappointed when their efforts turn to waste (I have actually seen this go on for years upon end). One man may say, ‘I am going to stop cursing, drinking, smoking, lusting, pay all my bills on time, get out of debt, get in healthy shape, clean up my room, and read my bible every day’. Meanwhile his friend says, ‘I’m going to deal with the smoking, drinking, debt, lust, and all that stuff later – right now I am just going to try and stop looking down my nose at people I don’t prefer. I’ll confront those other issues when I get this one down.’ While the first man may hold up for a while and seem to be getting further along, appearing to be a better Christian, he will quickly find he has bitten off more than he can chew and all his efforts turn to waste. Meanwhile, the second man, while not coming along as fast, will slowly overcome his flesh and eventually digest more training and wisdom than the other man. Don’t try and bite off more than you can chew – it’s ok to be a bad Christian for a time, and I would go so far as to say it is unavoidable. No one is good at something overnight. You can become a Christian overnight, but take your time becoming good at it. Practice makes perfect. Pick up your guitar and learn the basics, and when you’re ready, move on to the next level. Chew your food slowly and enjoy each bite – take another when your body is ready. Believe in God, study Jesus teachings, and though it will take years, that’s quite normal and alright – with God’s help and some hard effort on your end, you’ll get there.
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