Perfection

Jesus said, "But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 NLT). Did Jesus really mean it when he said that we are to be perfect just as the Father in Heaven is? Some will dispute this and say that he didn't mean perfect as we often think of it, but that the word really means "mature" or "complete." But Jesus did really mean that we had to be perfect, without defect, or flawless if we are going to be part of the Kingdom and have eternal life. Do we really think Jesus meant, "Be mature as your Heavenly Father is mature?" That's silly. Calling God mature implies that he was once immature. But God assures us that he never changes "I am the Lord and I do not change" (Malachi 3:6 NLT). He has always been perfect so he has no need to go on to any sort of maturity.

God is perfect and is law is perfect. He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is (Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT)! God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection (Psalm 18:30 NLT). The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7 KJV). But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it (James 1:25 NLT). Jesus means what he says. God's law demands perfection in thought, word, and deed.

God purposely set the bar so high for the standard of true righteousness--sinless perfection--that there is no way for sinful humanity to reach it. Only God himself could. He purposely destroyed all hope that sinners could somehow earn salvation or eternal life based on their own merits. The works of the Law cannot save us. Jesus could not have been more clear in his statement in Matthew 5:48.

There is only one way to seek true righteousness. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are (Romans 3:21-22). The law demands perfection. That is why we must understand the true purpose for why it was given. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith (Galatians 3:24 NLT). Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life" (Matthew 19:16)? Jesus let him know that only God is truly good because only God is perfect. Then he took the rich young ruler through the commandments, using in its proper way, like a mirror to show the young man's sinfulness. Then Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21 NLT). The young man went away sorrowful because he trusted in his good deeds to make himself right with God. Jesus made it clear that the standard is perfection. Therefore, there is no way anyone can make themselves right with God on their basis of their own effort no matter how much good they do. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ (Galatians 3:2 NLT). For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law (James 2:10-11 NLT).

The law was meant to warn everyone of the terminal illness of sin. Only then can they truly understand the cure, Jesus Christ. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ (Colossians 1:28 NLT). It's about perfection, not maturity. We can't be perfect on our own, but Christ makes us perfect by his blood when we access true righteousness by faith alone.