Another caution I would put forth is to be careful with the ever-so-popular idea that “Jesus accepts you just as you are,” which I’ve heard uttered countless times and which is a logical extension of the “Jesus is my Homeboy” philosophy. Now, don’t get me wrong: The phrase is true in the sense that Jesus saves you just as you are; we don’t have to be intelligent or rich or virtuous or loveable to come to him for salvation. We need no merit at all. But when Jesus saves you, he sets you apart—from sin, and to righteousness. That means that once you cede your life to him, he will no longer tolerate your old lifestyle (“no one pours new wine into old wineskins”). Jesus meets us where we are, but he doesn’t want us to stay there. He wants to transform us, to regenerate and renew us. As chummy as he was with others, Jesus always confronted their sin, because he came to Earth not to watch us waste away and self-destruct, but to bring healing to our lives (Matthew 9:12-13), to give us the power to overcome what holds us back.