Perfect, Or Just Very Good?

Last week we discussed how we have power to become more than what we were and more than what we are.  We discussed how Christians have the ability to sin, but sin is a choice: it is something that we don’t have to do. 

When a discussion on living free from sin arises, Christians inevitably ask, “Are you saying that Christians can be perfect?”  No, I’m saying that Christians are not “born again” to sin.  To not sin does NOT make one perfect.  But nevertheless, the question of perfection is always waiting in the wings.  Additionally, does “Covenant” based teach influence our concept our perfection?  During our assembly yesterday, God spoke to us concerning these things.   Let us now consider this question…

Genesis 1:27-31 (KJV)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

I find it interesting that even after God had worked for six days on creation, the best the earth could be was “very good.”   Why was it not perfect?

The best condition the earth has ever known is in being “very good,” not perfect.  It says here that “God saw every thing that he had made,” and “it was very good.”  This included man.  Therefore, even after being fashioned by the hands of God, and even after man received the breath of God, he was still only “very good.”  Why is that?  Can God not create perfection?  Or is perfection possible in this life?

Perfection: A State Just Out Of Reach

Perfection is defined as “lacking nothing, complete, pure, and without fault.”  In short, perfection is the state in which something cannot be improved.  Now consider this in respect to our humanity and history.

The problem humanity faces is that no matter how good something is, it can always be improved.   At one time, the four-minute mile was a milestone that was out of reach for the fastest humans, but eventually the barrier was broken.  Now, if someone hopes to compete in the Olympics, simply running a mile in four minutes will not qualify them as a contender.

Think of the barriers that at one time defined the impossible (perfection): the sound barrier, circumventing the globe, open-heart surgery, manned flight, or even walking on the moon.  Man has come to learn that everything can be improved, and therefore perfection is ever elusive to us.  

God understood this, and that is why God said that man and this world was only “very good.”  God understood that man and this world exist in a state that can be improved.  It was a state that could be described as “having potential.”   Each of us is just like Adam.  We come into this world as “very good” humans.  We have the potential to improve ourselves.  But can anyone reach a state of ultimate perfection?  Ah, now that is the question, isn’t it?

It is this desire for perfection that is the cause of problems between Christians.  We are always able to find improvements with ourselves and with our brethren.  It is the “root” of Christian self-abasement and self-denial.  But is perfection through self-abuse and depriving oneself ever attainable?

Ask yourself, how much prayer is enough?  How much fasting is enough?  How much self-denial will it take before we finally reach that perfect state?   Now we get into the value systems.

Perfection: A System Of Values?

If Christians are experts at anything, it is in judging one another.  The problem with judging is that all judgment is based on values, and Christians tend to vary widely on how value is assessed.  For instance, there are some Christians who place a great deal of value on speaking in tongues.  There are some Christians who place a great deal of emphasis on foot-washing.  Some place exceptional value on loud praise and emotional expression during times of worship.  And so on, and so on, and so on…

Some Christians value self-denial.  To some, denying oneself worldly possessions like cars, electricity, and home décor somehow brings you closer to perfection.  Some Christians find strict conformance to legalism (such as women wearing dresses and staying silent in church, worship on the Sabbath, abandoning holidays such as Christmas, not having pictures of any kind) brings them closer to perfection.  But it always comes down to where they place value.

The truth be known, no values that express themselves through self-control, self-abasement, or self-imposed rules can ever bring us closer to perfection. 

So What Is Perfection?

Matthew 19:16-21 (KJV)

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Here Jesus explains that the best self-control can yield is “eternal life.”  The compliance to all the commandments can give us “eternal life,” but it cannot yield perfection.  This man seemed to sense this and knew that there must be more.  After a lifetime of strict discipline to a difficult moral code, he eventually came to the understanding that there was something more than moral obedience.  There would always be more that could be done and more room for improvement.  He eventually came to understand that perfection could never be obtained through compliance to a moral code.  So he asked the teacher something that he surely must have asked many teachers before: “What lack I yet?”

Jesus understood the true depth of this man’s question.  He wasn’t really asking about eternal life, but sensed instead his lack of satisfaction from simply keeping the law.  The more laws he kept, the more aware he became of his own imperfection. Perfection, Jesus explained, can only come about by exceeding compliance to a moral discipline.  Perfection is to become like God, who gave His very best (His Son) for the spiritually poor of this life.   “God is love (1 John 4:8),” and to be perfect like Him is to be perfect in love.  God’s perfection does not result from His compliance to His own law but in the sacrificial love He demonstrated to this world.

Colossians 3:14 (KJV)

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (KJV)

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The primary objective of any army is to divide its enemy.  When that happens, the army can then concentrate its forces on destroying one element of the enemy at a time until the enemy is completely destroyed.  It is difficult to look at the state of the Christianity today and see an army.   Christianity today could more evidently be compared to a “feudal” type of government that is ruled by local tribal leaders (denominations) rather than a theocracy united under a common king (God).  The reason for tribal groups has to do with misplaced values.  Christians seem to have forgotten that in the New Testament is not about a system of laws but a covenant of love.

In the beginning, man was “very good.”  But what’s more, man was in the state that God designed for him.  But that wasn’t good enough for man.    He desired to be like God.  He desired perfection.  This is where man first failed: not when he ate the fruit, but when he became dissatisfied with the state God had designed for him.  

God’s design for man was to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion (Genesis 1:28),” to “till the ground (Genesis 2:5),” and to dwell in the garden to “dress it and to keep it (Genesis 2:15).”   God never said that He wanted man to be anything else.  But history has shown that man is never satisfied with his state and always looks for ways to improve it.  

The urge to be like God has never left man.  We can see it in the Tower of Babel and in the great kingdoms that have span the globe.  It is an insatiable desire.  So if this is a desire that has brought about man’s fall countless times through the ages, we must question whether it is a godly desire.

I believe the error is not so much in our desire to be like God as it is in our concept of what and who God is.  We tend to see God in our image rather than seeing ourselves in God’s image.  We tend to see God as an empirical judge/king who demands loyalty and compliance to the laws of His kingdom.  Church leaders tend to enthrone themselves because that is how they see God.   For this same reason, churches, denominations, and church leaders feud amongst themselves over issues regarding the law, traditions, and customs.  And also for this reason, they did not recognize God when He walked among them.

Philippians 2:5-8 (KJV)

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

God demonstrated for us perfection when He exampled humility and servitude through the life of Jesus.  Perfection is not building an empire of multitudes who follow our teaching.  It is not about the quality of prayer, the eloquence of words, or the laws that you keep.  Perfection is laying down your life out of love (John 3:16).  

Perfection through the keeping of a moral code is impossible because compliance to any moral code can be improved.  It is elusive and unattainable.  Therefore, the best we can hope for morally speaking is to achieve what man lost in his innocent state in the garden: “very good.”  A person whose primary focus is in self-discipline (legalism) or seeking to please God through moral discipline will never find satisfaction in his relationship with God.   His heart will always echo: “What lack I yet?”   It will never be good enough.  People who judge others by their personal convictions of right and wrong will never experience a New Testament life nor will anyone ever measure up to their personal standards.

Perfection is not about laws, rules, or rituals.  Perfection is attainable only through a relationship with God.  This is why “covenant-based” teaching has proved to be so detrimental to the Church.  It implies that our relationships with God and with one another are nothing more than contracts.   This teaching sets forth that a marriage is covenant - essentially a contract - between a man and a woman.  But if all that binds a marriage together is a contract, then that marriage will fail.  A contract is all about making sure that self is protected whereas love is all about vulnerability.  The Old Testament is replete with covenants, but the New Testament speaks only of love.

Contracts are about what we will receive whereas love is all about giving.  Like our relationship with God (and with one another), our marriages must be based on love (selflessness).

It is our understanding of Old Testament covenants and laws that plague our New Testament lives.  Perfection is unattainable through the keeping of the law.  But remember what the author of Hebrews wrote:

Hebrews 10:1 (KJV)

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

We understand here that obedience to a law “can never” make us perfect.  At best it can may us good.  Barnabas was called “a good man (Acts 11:24)” because of his morally upright qualities.  But when determining moral quality, whether good or very good, there is always room for improvement.  That is why Paul wrote, “and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31).”  Paul went on to explain that the more excellent way is to pursue charity (agape, God’s love).   The law won’t survive beyond the limits of this life, and neither will spiritual gifts.  But love, which is the greatest of all godly attributes, goes on forever.

Striving for perfection through obedience to a set of moral laws requires us to battle “against” self (a battle that is never finished and can never be won), but serving God through love compels us with heart felt desire.  Through love, we are able to mortify self and find perfect liberty of spirit (“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live, Romans 8:13.”).  Through love, we can find the unity that is unattainable through self imposed discipline.  Though love, we can find perfection.

Amen.

ron@ronschwartz.net

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