Nobody's Perfect!

Have you ever met someone with a “perfection complex”? It’s usually someone who grew up with a lot of pressure to be perfect, to make no mistakes, while being continually criticized for making mistakes and being imperfect. So this unfortunate, wounded person goes through life with an unhealthy compulsion to be perfect, to not make mistakes, to not fail. There are a couple of serious problems with this “complex”: (1) a fear of failure will keep a person from attempting anything of significance, and (2) nobody’s perfect. This person can either decide to live a very safe life where there is little chance of making a mistake, or they can live with a cycle of attempting perfection, failing, attempting again, failing again, etc., etc. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more miserable person.

On the other hand, some people are so completely committed to imperfection they make no attempt to live with any degree of excellence or integrity. They live to flaunt their imperfection, sometimes using “grace” as an excuse.

The fact is, the Bible talks about perfection. In almost every case, the word is used to refer to God (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30; Isaiah 25:1) or God’s Word (Psalm 19:7). Human perfection is another thing. “To all perfection I see a limit” (Psalm 119:96). Human perfection keeps bumping up against sin and mortality, injustice and death. God created human beings to perfectly reflect his glory. Unfortunately, all have sinned and fallen short of that glory.

Then Jesus came and painted a new picture of human perfection. Perhaps the high point of his “Sermon on the Mount” occurred when Jesus made this statement: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Is that even possible? To the rich man Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). It’s no wonder “he went away sad” (verse 22). It appears as though “the Jesus Way” is the way of perfection.

The apostle Paul went on to say that the renewing of our minds will enable us “to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). He instructed the Corinthian believers to “be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10). He also told them to purify themselves of everything that contaminates the body or the spirit, “perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (1 Corinthians 7:1). Paul wrote this to the Colossians: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). The letter to the Hebrews refers to the sacrifice on the cross this way: “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).

So what is it? Is human perfection this side of Paradise impossible, or are their dimensions of perfection made possible by the work of Christ?

What does the Bible mean by “perfect”? The New Testament word (Greek teleios) for “perfect” means “to be brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” It simply means “full-grown, adult, mature.” It refers to moral and spiritual maturity and wholeness, to character that reflects the heart of God.

New Testament “perfection,” therefore, means at least these things:

1.     The perfection of Christ and the perfect salvation he has provided can be counted as ours – by faith. Referring to Jesus the writer to the Hebrews claimed, “once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). We find our perfection only within the perfection of Christ.

2.     It is possible, by grace, for the character of the Father to be formed in our lives. For James, that included the way we use our tongues. “Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check” (James 3:2). We are growing, developing spiritually, being transformed “from glory to glory,” so we expect to see the heart of God increasingly reflected in and through our lives.

3.     Our human weakness becomes a context for our growth in perfection. Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). There is no hope for perfection independently of God and the grace of God.

4.     The only basis for human perfection is God’s perfect love. Indeed, perfection is ultimately about an ever-increasing measure of love. “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18).

We know we make mistakes. Human perfection is fundamentally impossible outside of Christ. However, the power of God’s grace and love is working mightily in our lives. God’s love is increasingly ruling in our lives. As our Father/Parent God is working to grow us up. We are, in fact, being transformed. In that way, God’s glory is shining in the midst of a dark world. Transformed people transform the world.