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July 6, 2014 |
| Perfection | ||
In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says "Be therefore perfect, just as your Father who is in Heaven is perfect." Therefore if we have this commandment to be perfect, why are we not perfect? I can speak for myself and declare with certainty that I am not perfect. But if we are commanded to be perfect but we know we are not perfect, there is a problem.
In this lesson we will look at perfection and also at perfecting, and perfected.
What does it mean to be perfect? In the Christian life it means to be complete and without any flaw. If we were perfect we would never do anything that was out of God's will. Likewise we would never say or think anything that was out of God's will. But these are not the flaws themselves. These are the outward appearances of the flaws. The root causes of these appearances are the flaws.
These flaws are within the bodies we wear. There is no escaping them in this life. The people who live in the world act out these flaws. Be we are called to live a life according to the will of God.
Romans 12:2 And do not imitate this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your minds, and you shall distinguish what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
We do not need to be slaves to these flaws and it is God's will that we not be enslaved to them. We have the ability to choose what we do and say and think. Therefore we see that doing wrong things, saying wrong things, and thinking wrong things are the result of choosing to act out the flaws that are within us.
The closest that we can come to perfection in this life then is to always choose not to act out these flaws. But we can't even achieve that all the time because our separation from God makes his will unclear to us and we are easily deceived into doing things that are not God's will.
Some people choose not to act out these flaws at certain times but not at other times. For example, some people behave like Christians on Sunday or at least while in church or around church people. But for the rest of the week they choose to let the outward signs of those flaws appear frequently.
This is not living in perfection. Perfection means always choosing to live in accordance with God's will and it is God's will that we not live according to the flawed desires of these bodies.
Jesus commands us to be perfect and he lived a perfect life. He wore a body as we do, yet he lived a perfect life. Why are we not able to live perfect lives? In his inner man, his spirit, Jesus was perfect; we are not.
The most important thing to understand about perfection is that it is a process. We saw that in the verse from Romans 12:2 above. Words like transformation and renovation make that clear. At first the transformation is quick as we shed our most evil practices but then purification and perfection proceed more slowly
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Therefore, because we have these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from all impurity of the flesh and spirit and let us cultivate holiness in the awe of God."
We know we cannot achieve perfection in this life. Some people would use that as an excuse not to try to move toward perfection. They might think "Why should I bother if I can't succeed?" But we are called toward perfection by many verses in the Bible and by the Spirit within us. In the end the reward will be to hear the Messiah say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I shall set you over much; enter the joy of your Lord."1
Other people could become discouraged because they can't achieve Jesus' commandment to "be perfect". With those words about being perfect Jesus was setting the standard we are to strive toward. He was not setting the standard for salvation. The answer for them is to understand that perfection is not achievable. The goal for them is the same as for everyone, to keep pressing on toward perfection.
We do know from anything that we do well or have done well that it was practice that makes it perfect. So it is with the Christian walk. We overcome our flaws by practice. The more we practice they better we get at overcoming them.
Even for Jesus, perfection was a process of testing and proving and building up. That isn't to say that he sinned as we do. He did have challenges and suffering and these served to make him stronger.
Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for him by whom are all things and for whom are all things, and bringing many children into the glory, that the Prince of their life would perfect himself by his suffering.
Hebrews 5:8 And although he is the Son, he learned obedience by the fear and the suffering which he endured; 9 and in this way he was perfected and became the cause of eternal life to all those who obey him.
Luke 13:32 But [Jesus] said to them, "Go tell this Fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and do cures today and tomorrow and on the third day I shall be perfected.' "
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some who are Apostles and some who are Prophets and some who are Evangelists and some who are Pastors and some who are Teachers, 12 for the perfecting of the Holy Ones, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all shall be one entity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and [be] one perfect man with the dimensions of the stature of the maturity of the Messiah.
The last part of the verses above talks about dimensions. It is saying we are to work to become one perfect man with the same dimensions as the Messiah. So it's really saying the Messiah is to be the model for our lives.
Luke 6:40 There is no disciple greater than his mentor, for everyone who is perfected shall be like his mentor.
Matthew 19:21 [Jesus] said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven, and come after me."
Sacrificing the world and sacrificing yourself
Romans 5:3 And not only in this way, but we boast also in afflictions, for we know that affliction perfects patience in us
Overcoming affliction
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and without division, 15 that you would be perfect and without blemish as purified children of God who dwell in a hard and crooked generation, and appear among them as lights in the world.
Work without complaining
Philippians 3:12 I have not yet received it, neither am I yet perfect, but I run so that I may obtain that thing for which [Jesus] the Messiah apprehended me. 13 My brethren, I do not consider myself to have obtained it, but I know one thing: I have forgotten that which is behind me and I reach out before me, 14 And I run toward the goal to take the victory of the calling of God from on high in [Jesus] The Messiah. 15 Let those who are perfected, therefore, be governed by these things, and if you are governed by anything else, God will reveal this also to you.
Move forward while forgetting the past
Colossians 1:28 Him whom we preach, and we teach and we educate every person in all wisdom, to confirm every person as perfected in [Jesus] The Messiah
Knowledge and wisdom
2 Timothy 3:16 Every writing which is written by The Spirit is profitable for teaching, for correction, for direction and for a course in righteousness, 17 that the man of God will be perfect and perfected for every good work.
Knowledge and wisdom - of the Bible
James 1:3 For you know that the trial of faith imparts to you patience. 4 But patience will have a complete work for itself that you would be perfected and complete, and that you would be lacking nothing.
Trials
2 Corinthians 13:9 But we rejoice whenever we are weak and you are strong; for we pray for this also, that you may be perfected. […] 11 From now on, my brethren, rejoice; be perfected and be comforted, and harmony and peace shall be in you, and the God of love and of peace shall be with you.
We will not be perfected in this life nor will we be perfected upon our deaths. It is only at the coming of the Messiah that we will be perfected.
1 Corinthians 13:10 But when perfection shall come, then that which is partial shall be nothing.
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected those who are sanctified by him for eternity.
Hebrews 11:38 [They were] persons of whom the world was not worthy; and they were as wanderers in desert places and in mountains and in caves and caverns of The Earth. 39 And all of these, concerning whom there is a testimony of their faith, did not receive the Promise 40 because God provided for our benefit that they would not be made perfect without us.
Revelation 6:11 And to each and every one of them was given a white robe, and it was said that they should rest for a little season of time until their companions and their brothers were also perfected, who were going to be killed, even as they had been.
These are some other verses on the topic of perfection
Luke 1:17 And he will go before him in the spirit and in the power of Elijah the Prophet to turn the heart of the fathers to the children and those who do not have faith to the knowledge of the Just One and he will prepare a perfect people for the Lord.
Hebrews 13:20 Now The God of peace, who brought forth from the place of the dead The Great Shepherd of the flock, [Jesus] The Messiah Our Lord, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 perfect you in every good work to do his will and perform in us whatever is excellent before him by [Jesus] The Messiah, to whom is glory to the eternity of eternities. Amen.
James 3:1. There should not be many teachers among you, my brethren, but you should know that we will incur greater judgment, 2 for all of us stumble much. Everyone who does not slip in his speech is a perfect man who can subdue also his whole body.
In this study we have looked at many verses on the topic of perfection. There are still others. There are also others that are on this topic but do not use the word 'perfection' as these verses do. From all of these we see the importance of striving toward perfection and the process of perfection.
1 Matthew 25:23