"BE YE PERFECT"
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Be ye perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48) This sounds like an
impossible task to us, until we come to understand what it truly means and how
He establishes us in it. The context in which He spoke is surrounded with the
admonition to be like God. Love, forgiveness, honesty, and integrity are the
offspring of the character of God. We are to love the unlovable, or "Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray
for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes the sun to rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." (Matt.
5:44-45) Apart from Him, that is, when we do not abide "in Him," we do not have
the ability to do those things which He asks/commands! Without the grace of God
imparted to us, we are like a car without gasoline; we may be called Christians,
but we are not Christlike in our actions and attitudes.
It is He that establishes us in His perfection, and I first must explain
what I am learning about being perfect! A research of the word "perfect" (also
"complete" and "whole") reveals that it pertains to completeness, fulness, being
made whole. The fulfillment of a prophecy is complete, or made whole, when it
comes to pass. When we are made Perfect in His love, we have the full assurance
of faith, absolute confidence in His Word, and deliverance from the fear of
condemnation that comes from our inheritance through Adam. "Therefore as by
the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification
of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Rom. 5:18-19) Please note
that the Word says, "all men." This is what Jesus was saying in the sermon on
the Mount, about the sun and the rain being available to all men. God desires
"all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim.
2:4) "Saved" is the same word as made whole, delivered and healed. When we are
seeking any of these things we need to keep in mind that the purpose of all of
them is to conform us to the image of Christ, who is "the express image of
His [God's] person." (Heb. 1:3)
We see God's love expressed in the Word that tells us, "For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Through Adam,
man was corrupted and destined to perish, yet God's love, greater than man's
failures, covered, or atoned for, that transgression. Call this Christianity
101, or the foundation of our faith, but this is the essence of perfection.
"Everything that He [God] made ... was very good." (Gen. 1:31) The
entrance of sin corrupted that perfection, which led to the separation from God.
It was the love of God, that sent Jesus to be the propitiation for that sin, and
to restore us to Himself. This makes us whole again, good, perfect, saved,
complete, healed, or as Peter stated it: "returned unto the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls." (1 Pet. 2:25) It's only by His Stripes that we are
brought into this position that is free from condemnation, because "He has
made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:21) This is the message we, as
offspring of Him, are to be sharing. "God, who has reconciled us to Himself
by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them." (2 Cor. 5: 18-19)
Some may think I overuse that scripture (1 Pet. 2: 22-25) where Peter
quoted Isaiah 53:3-7. I try to emphasize the eternal value over the temporal, as
it is so often used. It is almost as if the temporal, or physical application of
it, is a depreciation of the most valuable thing in our lives, a selling of our
eternal birthright for a passing need. Oddly, this desire to be healed, made
whole, or complete in the physical sense, might be from our knowledge of our
need to be so spiritual! It has to do with this perfection I am writing about.
Do we think our physical (or financial) conditions are a validation of our
position with God? Many have been convinced of this lie. It is not based upon
faith; it is based upon fear. Much of what I have seen pertaining to this
positive confession of claimings and healings resembles the prophets of Baal
shouting to their gods after Elijah provoked them. Our faith should rest in Him.
It should be built upon nothing more than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I
believe the root of this unbelief that masquerades as faith is that we are not
yet made perfect in His love! It is quite possible that when a person is "born
again," he experiences this very knowing of God's accomplishment in Christ:
total assurance, complete confidence, and a peace that surpasses all
understanding.
"And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is
love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." (1 John
4:16) So, if I dwell in love, it is because God dwells in me. I do so as an
offspring of God, as a branch that abides in the vine, after I have known and
believed the love that God has toward me. The scripture goes on to say,
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) Being
"as He is" would be our exhibiting His character of love toward those who are
undeserving. We cannot do this apart from Him, or apart from knowing His love
for us. "For the love of Christ constrains [compels] us." (2 Cor.
5:14) When His love fully envelopes us, and we take no thought as to what the
world can do to us, we are truly delivered, saved, made whole, entered into His
rest, and perfected in His love. "There is no fear in [God's] love;
but [God's] perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He
that fears is not made perfect in [His] love." I pray I have not
wrongly taken the liberty to add the words "God" and "His" in this passage.
Maybe I could have just explained it separately. "Torment" refers to the
punishment or condemnation that is known to man through the transgression of his
sins. Man, without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, has an inherent
knowledge of his condition, even if he denies it or rationalizes it away. On the
day of judgment, the person who does not see Jesus as his only hope will stand
in fear. This may be a mystery or something that is not consciously know to him,
"but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every
man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
(Col. 1:26-28) How do we preach, share, or make known this mystery if we
ourselves are not made perfect in His love? When we are admonished to
"Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith," (2 Cor. 13:5) it is in
the context of Paul talking about our weaknesses and living by the power of God.
He is writing to edify, not destroy! (See 2 Cor. 13:4 & 10.)
This edifying is to build up, encourage, and strengthen the hearers in the
truth, in the faith. I began this by saying that He establishes us in the
impossible task of being "perfect." Whether it be the King James word "stablish,"
or establish, the meaning is to confirm, strengthen, or set fast in a position.
It makes me think of something being set in concrete. The first thing I have to
believe is that He is able to do these things He says He can do. When I am weak
and recognize my inability to attain to such lofty goals, I die, I am made
strong in the power of His might. My confidence is in His ability to work in me
the things He requires of me. "Being confident of this very thing, that He
which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ." (Phil. 1:6) In another place, Paul described this performing (or
perfecting) work of God through a lengthy prayer. "For this cause I bow my
knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... That He would grant unto you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by
His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that
you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with
all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to
know the love of Christ, which [sur]passeth knowledge, that you might be
filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works
in us, Unto Him be glory [praise] in the church by Christ
Jesus throughout all the ages, world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3: 14-21)
The praise to God comes from us because of the recognition of His generosity
toward us as he establishes us in His love. As we become rooted and grounded in
His love, we will bear the fruit of that love. That love is what Jesus was
describing in the Sermon on the Mount when He says, "Be ye perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48)
Paul, again in prayer, sought the Lord to "make you increase and abound
in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God...."
(1 Thes. 3: 12-13) It is hard for us to conceive of ourselves as innocent or
unblameable. That is why it is "by grace are you saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works [efforts],
lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9) It is only by continuing in the
faith, grounded and settled, that I am able to believe that He is able to
present me "holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Col.
1:22; see 1:21-23) God says, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Heb. 8:12) Keep in
mind that our God does not excuse sin, He covers it! (More on this from Mercy at
the end). I will close with this passage that glorifies Him and gives me
strength/boldness/confidence to face God on that day. "Now once in the end of
the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.... So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for
Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
(Heb. 9:26 & 28) The "without sin" is referring to Him not bearing or carrying
our sin anymore, because "He died unto since once: but in that He lives, He
lives unto God." (Rom. 6:10) And unlike the priests of old who offered
sacrifices year by year, "This Man, because He continues forever, has an
unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them."
(Heb. 7:24-25; and see Heb. 10:1) when we walk in genuine faith, believing He
truly is the Propitiation for our sins, we will run to Him, not draw back in
fear. We will draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure
water." (Heb. 10:22)
With much love, Joe (with Mercy)
This is from Mercy:
In a fellowship, it struck me: God covers our sin, He does not excuse
it. There is a world of difference between the two. If we do not receive
His free gift of forgiveness, that forgiveness avails us nothing. We all know
this. But if we are His, and sin, and seek forgiveness, that does not mean that
we won't bear the consequences of that sin. God may sovereignly lift us out, in
spite of ourselves, but is not under any necessity to do so. A man may receive a
reprieve, and be pardoned, but he will still bear some of the consequences of
that sin. He may be spared a jail sentence or execution, but what he did
is still his to bear. I have gone through a divorce, and the pain inflicted on
my family is not simply erased, as if it never happened! Yes, God
turns it for good, in many ways. Yes, there is something
redemptive in all that happens, because of His great love! But to seek or to
grant forgiveness is not to simply let one "off the hook," and to say that "God
remembers it no more" is not to say it is all gone and forgotten. It means that
it is not held to our account. That in itself is wonderful news. But we do need
to consider the long-range effect of our actions on others, and be all the more
earnest in seeking to do as God leads us, and not to blithely do our own thing!
God help us, in this! I continue to ask for God to move on all people,
everywhere, with the Spirit of Repentance, that we might turn from our wicked
ways, and follow Him. If Peter, moved by what we would call "compassion,"
provoked our Lord to say "Get
thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the
things that be of God, but those that be of men,"
then think of how He would respond to what we might do! NOT that He is waiting
to jump down our throats; He is far more forgiving and understanding than we
are. But we ought to consider our ways, as it says in Hosea. Good bye, and God
bless you all!
Love, always! Mercy