It’s very very easy to say a prayer, get baptized and to become a “Christian”.
It’s awfully hard to follow Jesus. I can’t. I can’t make that decision because I’m not ready to be what He wants me to be, and I’m struggling deeply now writing this.
A friend once told me of a fear she had in surrendering to Jesus. She considered a circumstance such as being crippled and that to her represented such a hurdle that she could not allow the possibility that God might ask that of her.
I suggested that there are many crippled people who adjust to their circumstances. I suggested that perhaps she did not appreciate the grace God gives to different people in different circumstances.
It sounds like you are fearful of being unable to conduct your life in accordance with the perfection of Jesus. This is a legitimate fear because we are all unable to perform that way. However, the perfection of Jesus is a direction that we are encouraged to orient ourselves.
Our earthly progress in that direction is a function of the degree to which we surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. This work is described in Galatians.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
It is interesting to note that the character quality improvements that the Holy Spirit desires to make in our lives does not require our cleverness or strength to achieve. Rather we are asked to use our free will to choose to abandon the works of the flesh.
Here is a free pdf booklet called Walking by the Spirit.
http://christianpioneer.com/ebooks/wbts.pdf
It can be viewed on a cellphone as web pages here;
Christian Pioneer - Current blog
The original title of this thread seems to indicate your frustration as seeing Christians as hypocrites pretending to claim the attributes that Jesus exhorts us towards.
In all fairness many claiming Christ actually do think that they have completed the Christian walk. However, those that have a deeper appreciation for what the bible says find ourselves growing in the truth that can only lead to increasing humility.
It an be mystifying to consider that there are those who are accepted by God who are lazy, and resist the exhortation to actually live a Christian life.
1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
