Perfection…Almost
What does perfection look like in the lives of believers?
If we ask what perfect is to different sets of people, we will probably get many different answers. People who confess their belief in Christ might answer one way, and people who do not confess Christ would answer a different way.
The way the world views perfection, could be as I got a 100% on the test, and I did not miss one question. They could view perfection as far as a location regarding real estate. There are several different ways that the world defines perfection, but if we are looking for perfection through the eyes of our Creator, we need to understand His definition.
One of Jesus’ most famous teachings is found in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is on the side of a mountain teaching people new ways to navigate this life. The teaching was profoundly different from all the other teachings people were used to hearing. It is famously known as the Sermon on the Mount today and is the longest-recorded teaching in the Gospels. In his long discourse, we find a small line that Jesus puts in the teaching.
“ “But you are to be perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect.” ”
He goes from teaching about loving our enemies (Mat 5.43-47) to the importance of giving to the needy (Mat 6.1-4). We find this small verse sandwiched between these radical teachings. Jesus called us perfect, just as our heavenly father is perfect.
When I stopped reading and returned to this verse, I spent a moment of reflection thinking, “be perfect, thanks, Jesus!” That was how I felt at the moment, because I was thinking and knowing that no person could be as perfect as the Father; most definitely, there was no way I could attain perfection. This caused me to stop and look into the type of perfection that God had called us to at this moment.
If you look at the original Greek word used in this section by the writer, it is the word teleios. This word is often translated as perfect as it is in Jesus’ teaching. Still, teleios can also be used to describe maturity, lacking nothing, not lacking any moral quality, or the state of completion. Seeing the full definition of the word gives us a better understanding of the intended meaning in this verse.
The next question I asked was, where else is the word teleios used in the New Testament? It turns out many writers used this word for different reasons. I will not go through all of the uses of the word, but here are a few that will help us understand fully the type of perfection that Jesus called us to in his sermon.
““Above all clothe yourselves with love which binds us all together in perfect harmony””
““Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.””
““So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing. ”
What is seen by looking at these different uses of the word perfection is a picture of complete maturity that is found in our love; this includes a love of God and a love of others.
The perfection that Jesus is speaking to is on a spiritual level that our minds are set on God, striving towards God but knowing we could never achieve absolute perfection in this life because of sin. Jesus has called us to holiness, which means we strive to become more like Jesus was while he was here on earth in the flesh. Jesus is referring back to what God said to the people of Israel.
““Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I am holy, the Lord your God.” ”
Jesus is calling the people to a pursuit that had gone on long before his sermon and continues to this day. Jesus knew the pursuit would be different from before because God sent him to the world to reconcile the people to God. Jesus is calling his people to pursue peace and ultimate joy. A perfection that can only be found in Christ. This call is found in the fullness of Christ alone; because of Jesus on the cross, we can be called perfect. The blood of Jesus on the cross, the grace of God opens the door to perfection.
Perfection will never be the same for everyone; we all pursue it differently. Once we start the journey of believing in Christ, we begin the process of growing more like him each day. This is a process that I believe can never be achieved here in this life. To be perfect like our Father in heaven would require a perfect body, mind, and spirit, which we cannot achieve because of our sinful, broken world. When the Spirit gave the word perfection to the writers of the New Testament, what they had in mind was growth in maturity through love. It is found in the process of sanctification that we grow closer to God each day.
Perfection is not found in our continual sins, but it is found in the blood of Christ.
Because God considered you holy to offer his Son as a sacrifice, this opens the door to perfection. Our sins are forgiven so that we can live in the freedom that comes from Jesus. Even though we continue to fall short and fail, we can be reconciled to pursuing maturity in a place of perfection and perfect love.
*All scripture is from the New Living Translation, unless otherwise stated.