The Church is not perfect.

Christianity is not perfect.
The Church is not perfect.
Jesus says the Kingdom may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone was asleep, someone else sowed weeds among the wheat. When the wheat and the weeds began to grow, the workers asked the owner where the weeds came from. He answered, "An enemy did this" (Mt 13:28). And when they ask the owner if they should destroy the weeds, the owner says
(Mt 13:29-30) "No ... because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

Wheat and weed grow together in the Kingdom and therefore also in the church. This parable is told because the church has to realise that she has evil within her. Jesus offers a word of hope, and a word of caution. The word of hope is that God will certainly and decisively deal with evil and sin.

The word of caution warns against accepting Jesus as Saviour without accepting him as Lord. Some believe that Jesus died on the cross for them. But, they don't want him as their Master, Lord and King. They are the weeds in the Kingdom fields and at the end of the age they must be pulled out. "You are not your own," says Paul, "you were bought at a price" (1 Cor 6:19-20). We cannot say Jesus saves us, and yet act as if he doesn't own us.

You can't take the "Saviour" part of Jesus and reject the "Lord" part of Jesus. You cannot separate the saving work of Jesus from the ruling and lordship of Jesus. You cannot expect Jesus to buy you with his blood, but not allow him to move in and take control of your life, any more than you could sell a home and expect the new owner not to move in.

But the parable does not end with the wicked who deny Christ to rule in their lives. It ends with the righteous who welcome Christ as their King and Head and therefore bear fruit for his Kingdom. We are told that they eternally "will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matt 13:43).