I’ll be honest, I struggle with verse 17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The reason I struggle with it is because we still sin. I still feel very imperfect when I compare myself to God’s perfection. But then I read the first part of verse 19, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. This doesn’t say we are now perfect, it simply says our sins are not counted against us. This brings me back to the frustration I have with the “church” when it comes to expectations on believers. Yes, we are to be a reflection of Christ, but we are still imperfect beings who are very capable of sin. The church should be a place where people, including believers, come to be renewed and refreshed in the knowledge that we are reconciled to God, not through our own efforts, but through the accomplishments of Christ on the cross. The older I get, the more I realize the futility in trying to be perfect. It is only through Christ and keeping my eyes and focus on Him that I am able to strive for perfection. Not that I will ever be perfect, at least not on this rock, but by His grace and His sacrifice my sins are not counted against me.