Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Be perfect? Really? There are some verses of Scripture we just don’t know how to process. Perfect seems out of reach on so many levels. One of the dictionary definitions of perfect is, “without defect, flawless.”
It doesn’t take much thought to recognize we are less than perfect. When something is particularly satisfying, we may describe it as perfect–a perfect day, a perfect vacation, a perfect rendition of a piano concerto. But ‘perfect’ is not a term I use to describe myself. I love the Lord, and the general trajectory of my life is to seek Him and follow His ways, but I am so short of perfect. I get irritable. I can be lazy. I waste time. I fail to love people as I should. I can be selfish, self-righteous and prideful.
Furthermore, all the personalities described in the Bible have their issues. Abraham lied about his relationship with his wife in order to protect himself, but put her in danger–and not once, but twice (Genesis 12 ; Genesis 20). David was guilty of killing a man and stealing his wife (2 Samuel 11). The disciples argued about which of them would be the greatest (Luke 9:46).
Only Jesus is perfect. I think that is the point. When a rich man asked Jesus what he could do to receive eternal life, Jesus listed some of the commandments. The young man claimed he had kept them, and Jesus said, “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).
The man went away sad because of his many possessions. Jesus did not even mention the first commandment to the man–the one about loving God with all his heart. But by telling him to sell all and give to the poor, Jesus revealed that he loved his possessions more than God, or his neighbor. Faith understands that all we have comes from God. We are stewards of what God gives. The things of this world are temporary. Nothing this world offers is as valuable as our relationship to God, through Christ. Our relationship with God is eternal.
We can’t earn our way to heaven by perfect behavior. We can’t earn a place in heaven by giving away all our possessions. But the willingness to do so indicates where our heart is. None of the people referenced in Hebrews 11 had perfect behavior. They were all commended for their faith. Faith is knowing we can’t do anything to make ourselves right with God. We must realize our own sinfulness and inadequacy before God, and trust in Jesus’ perfection. By His righteousness we are made right with God. The relationship is restored.
We are incapable of keeping even one of the commandments perfectly. Jesus pointed that out when He taught that anger and lust are equivalent to murder and adultery (Matthew 5).
The good news is that our perfection doesn’t depend on us, it depends on Jesus. Once we put our trust in Him, something so wonderful happens it is beyond our comprehension. Because of His righteousness, we are made righteous before God. Furthermore, He changes us from the inside to become more like Him. In Him, we are perfect and complete.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:9-10.
What are you relying on to be right with God? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay