DIALOGUE ON PERFECTION
by Terry Smith
(Humanly speaking perfection is unattainable, yet there is a perfection which is quite attainable in the eyes and according to the standards of God. The following hypothetical dialogue between a young Christian and a pastor discusses the true nature of spiritual perfection and the righteous necessity of every Christian to seek this lofty Christian goal.)
Young Christian: I heard a preacher on the radio the other day say that a Christian ought to be perfect. But how can that be? I didn't think it was possible to be perfect in this life?
Pastor: Yes, the preacher is right; all Christians should have perfection as their goal, even, in this life. I know that sounds hard to believe at first, but it’s true. To be perfect before God is one of the reasons why Jesus died on the cross for you and me and was raised from the dead by the Father; not just so we could have eternal life but that we could live totally pleasing lives to God, even in this life.
Y C: But I don't understand. How can we be perfect while we are still bound to the flesh with all its sins and temptations? After all, we’re only human.
Pastor: At first what you say sounds correct, but it’s actually very far from the truth. There’s a wide gulf between sin and temptation. We shall always have temptations in this life, even make mistakes but we don’t have to allow them to evolve into sin. Don't you agree?
Y C: Yeah. That sounds right to me.
Pastor: If God did not expect His people to be perfect in spirit why would Jesus have said what He did to the multitudes? You may recall what He told them on the mount, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Peter, James and Paul all wrote things in their letters to exhort believers about being perfect. James said, ABut let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.@ Peter prayed , ABut the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, ‘stablish, strengthen, settle you.@ Paul advised his sheep, AFinally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.@ It seems clear to me that there is some type of perfection warranted in the Christian life.
Take the Bible itself it boasts of being an instrument that creates perfection in the believer when it says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The Lord is not some incurable romantic who puts impossible demands on His followers knowing that those demands can=t be realized. If He encouraged us to reach for perfection it has to be possible. Don’t you think?
Y C: Yeah, again. I believe Jesus always told us the truth and would never put unattainable demands on us. That doesn’t fit His way or character. But could it be that we just don't understand what He means? After all, the Bible says we are still in the flesh and Paul said, "in my flesh dwelleth no good thing." Am I right? No matter what, don't we have to admit that we are still only human? We’re still sinners?
Pastor: True, my young believer, we are still in this body of flesh and subject to all its temptations and miscues and wrong judgments. We can still sin ignorantly or be provoked into sin by Satan, deceived by the World or overcome momentarily by the flesh. Why should anyone argue against that, for we have the blessed assurance that Jesus is our advocate with the Father and we can always gain acquittal and pardon when we repent and are truly sorry. This is not the sort of perfection God requires. But if we give into the flesh, I mean concede to it dominance in our daily life then we shall never walk perfect in Christ. The question is should we or do we have to give in to sin? Do we have to be dominated and owned by sin? To say we are only human is not exactly true if you think about it with a spiritual mind. I'm not just splitting hairs or playing word games either. Once a person becomes born‑again they are no longer "just" human. We are born of the spirit which is not human. But let me explain what I mean by that.
Y C: Yes, please explain because I am a little confused. Are you saying we are super humans like the Jehovah Witnesses and other cults contend, or are we supposed to be a race of supermen like Nietsche and other philosophers argued for? Are we supposed to make a perfect world out of a race of perfect beings like Nazi Germany tried with such disastrously evil results?
Pastor: No, I'm glad you brought that up; that's not the type of perfection the gospel exhorts us to believe and strive for. The ideas of perfection you cited are good examples of man's notions of perfection. Those, or any other idea that any man other than Christ Himself can be infallible in this life, are, well - Satanic rouses. Man, including all the efforts of the Church, will never produce a perfect world. That will have to be done by the purging of the Great Tribulation and by Christ at His return, but that topic is for another day and time. We cannot discuss the Second Coming now. Now we are talking about personal perfection in Christ by faith. The Bible educates us to understand about spiritual perfection, not worldly, human perfection. We have to learn what God's idea of perfection is in this life and try to allow Him to work it in us for the here and now. But if you are to understand this you must keep what the Bible says in the forefront of your mind: "God=s ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts". Do you understand what I have said so far, even if you don't know exactly where I'm going with it?
Y C: Yes, I see now that the Bible teacher on the radio was saying we can and should be perfect. That Jesus told us to seek this spiritual kind of perfection, but that we should expect it to be a different perfection from our earthly, carnal ideas about it. But this only tells me that perfection is meant for some believers. It does not tell me what its nature really is, how to attain it, or who should seek it. How realistic is it for a common believer to think he can obtain a kind of perfection in Christ, this I still don't know; or is it just for pastors and devoted disciples and not for general born‑again believers? I don't know if I want to even know about it if it is not for the simplest believer like myself.
Pastor: Ah! Now you have asked some of the vital questions. Let us deal with them one at a time. As for whether perfection is for every believer or just an elite few, the answer is: it is for anyone and everyone. But you have to have ears to hear it; is the way the Bible explains it. If you are trying to dodge the truth, young Christian, you will say this is only for a few and use it as an excuse as a cop‑out for doing the right thing; but I choose to believe that you are not trying to side‑step this truth so I will remind you that when Jesus spoke of perfection he was talking to the multitudes and when the Bible speaks of itself as a means to perfect and purify the believer it certainly is not saying it is only for an exclusive few, even though only a few will attain or strive for perfection in Christ. If God=s Word was but for only a few it would be saying that only leaders and selected people can understand the Scriptures and we know this is false. I will tell you that God intends and hopes that all believers will seek to be perfected. Do you recall what I told you; all truly born‑again believers are not Ajust human@ anymore?
Y C: OK. I can see that the call to be perfect must be a general call in the Church. I can see that all believers are in the same boat no matter what their function or job in the Church might be. And, yes, I did take notice of that strange comment you made; we are not Ajust human@ anymore once we become born‑again. What did you mean by that?
Pastor: It is good that you took notice of that because it shows you are paying attention and you will need to from here on out if you hope to understand about perfection, so you can enter into it. This point about being born-again is one of the main issues of perfection in Christ. Jesus said, If you are not born‑again you cannot enter into or even "see" the kingdom of God. One might say, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of perfection. One cannot enter into any kind of godly perfection if he is not first born‑again.
Y C: I can see that. It is not enough to believe Christ died and rose again. You have to repent and be given a new spirit, you must be born‑again. Is this what you mean that we are no longer the old creature, no longer Ajust human@ with a strictly human heart? By miraculous and supernatural means I have been given a new nature, a new heart and have been made a new creation in Christ, this I know. Is that what Paul meant when he said, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are past away, behold all things are become new."? In effect was he saying, AWe are no longer Ajust human@?
Pastor: Very good, you understand the essential element of attaining perfection in Christ and before God. You see that we are not mere humans, we have been given a new spirit, we are new people. Our old spirits have been put in the coffin of God=s forgiveness and we have come alive to God, complete with new spirit and the mind of Christ. Among other things, this new spirit makes it now possible to receive supernatural realities from God that will change the core of our thought and actions. We can receive the power and indwelling of the Holy Ghost, we are able to live a resurrected live by faith through the public confession of immersion in water, and we are able to see the futility of our own ways, hear and discern God's voice and turn from faith in ourselves to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior in every situation. And we are given eyes, for the first time, that can see the Word of Truth with understanding, and this truth can change our ways of perceiving, acting, believing, even knowing, and most importantly, loving. All these things God wants to equip us with, but we must allow Him to provide us with the equipment. This is what Paul was pointing out to the Colossians when he spoke of Christ=s power in us; "For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power@.
Y C: I sense that you are saying that these things which we can receive once we are born-again provide us and infuse us with supra-human realities and power. These are not human powers, but heavenly, supernatural powers from God and they are not subject to human rules and precepts. I am thinking of Scriptures like: "When I am weak Christ is strong.@; "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."; AWe are now seated in heavenly places." Is this what you mean by the statement we are not Ajust human@ anymore?
Pastor: Yes. An example may help clarify things even more. It is as if we are tradesmen; God is the Master and we are the apprentices. A wise apprentice, though he still has a long way to go to be perfect in his trade, will look to the Master for all things that apply to his trade. The apprentice will have as his ultimate goal to be a perfect craftsman in his trade. But from the start He must trust the master to provide him with the tools, the know‑how, the experience, the work, and eventually the chance to gain his masters license. The apprentice's hope is that he would become like his Master, skilled and perfect in his calling and work. The whole quest involves a process in which the apprentice must believe that his master is able to provide him with all he needs in order to fulfill his dream of being perfected in his trade. In the end the apprentice hopes to follow in the footsteps of the Master. Now to apply this to spiritual matters in Christ, this is the meaning of the words in 1 John 1.5‑6: "But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." The apprentice, or would-be disciple of Christ, must want to have Athe love of God perfected@ in him.
Y C: That answers the question concerning what means we shall have in order to enter into perfection. As any good Master would, God has made all the things we need available to the born‑again Christian for perfection in the spirit. It makes sense that God would not leave us with a half empty toolbox, or not teach us, or not provide us with the necessary experience to attain the perfection that Jesus exhorts us to in the Gospels and Epistles. That even begins to tell me how I should go about seeking perfection in the eyes of God. I know I have to be sure to let Him give me everything I need to get the job done.
Pastor: Bingo. Too many people stubbornly refuse to take all that the Master has for them. They reject the Holy Ghost, or ignore the Word of God, or refuse to go to the cross themselves. The Bible informs us of all the things we need to receive from God so we can be perfect in His sight. The means to perfection acts like a wheel, keeps on turning and is continuous, never having an end as a circle. You must believe in the Rapture because that is the hope that purifies. You must walk in the Spirit. You must pick up your cross daily. To do these spiritual exercises you must desire – ask and do. By this I mean you must want to be perfect, really desire to be perfect because you want to please God more than anything else. This equates to believing in the Rapture, because when we believe in the Rapture, I mean really believe so that we want to be with Jesus right now and forever, more than anything else, then we automatically will want to be purified and perfect when we meet Him. We will want to be at our very best. If one does not believe and desire the Rapture and to be with Christ now and forever then there is no chance that striving for perfection will ever be the number one priority in one’s life. But desiring ‘perfection’ for the sake of pleasing Jesus when we meet Him is not the end of it. We must desire perfection with our whole heart but then we must ask to have it come about. This proves to God that we are serious in this desire of all desires. We then must walk in this desire closely tuning our ear to every instruction of God. This is only done by being attuned to the Holy Ghost’s voice in our heart. As Jesus, put it, you must have ears to hear what the spirit is saying. We are given spiritual ears to hear when we ask for it, seek and then we will find it. The Holy Ghost is our guide into not only truth and freedom, but perfection. But even this is not the end all. It is still left to us to do what the Spirit leads us to and speaks to us about. We must give off all our own ways. We must be like that widow who stood at the temple door and gave her last penny into the coffers of God. Jesus said the action we must perform daily is to pick up our cross and follow after Him. Anyone, He says, who does not do this cannot be His disciple. This action of dying to self ambition, ego, pride, conceits –everything – is the end all and proof that we have sought out and taken on perfection in the sight of God. Actual desire to be with Christ is actual Rapture belief – Asking to be obedient to God’s Word by the Spirit opens the way for being able to walk in the Spirit – Doing for God by giving all to Him is the real action of love and equates to picking up the cross. Rapture belief – walk in the Spirit – Take up your cross. How can one go wrong if one is tending to these things? All these mysteries can be fouond explained and presented in the Scriptures.
You see now that it is not only possible to be perfect, but God expects us to seek it. We must seek it. We have discussed that this perfection is spiritual and not earthly and can only be possible if we are born‑again. And you see that God will provide all that is necessary for us in our quest for perfection. Though we cannot discuss them in detail right now, the things God supplies us with are all enumerated in the Bible. Some of them are the baptism of repentance, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the Spirit, water baptism, which is the expression of faith to die to self and live in the resurrected Christ, the ears to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and the faith needed to do God's will each day. Read Hebrews 6.1-2; it tells us six of the fundamental principles of the doctrines of Christ. They lead to the path of possible perfection which is absolutely necessary if we are to be perfected in love. All these things the Son of God gives to us and has made possible by His death and resurrection. That is why the Scriptures frequently use the term ‑ "in Christ" to tell us of the things made available to help us in our quest for "perfection". We are not given these things so we can have a party or acquire carnal things to gratify our carnal appetites in this life, earthly prosperity alone is a curse, we know this. So why has He given them to us if not to free us from sin and teach us to walk in a pleasing way to Him?
Y C: Yes, I think I am beginning to see. Perfection is living a life that is pleasing to God. You already said it. We are supposed to walk in the Master's footsteps ‑ "walk even as He walked". I know God will provide me with all I need for this walk, but I still don't know what the key to doing it is. How do I learn to walk perfect before God?
Pastor: Perfection in the spirit is partly negative and mostly positive. By that I mean this: to attain perfection we must flee sin and allow Christ to deliver us from anything that is part of us which is in opposition to God. This is the negative, things that must be negated. The positive we have already proven. It is the hope of the Rapture, yielding to the Holy Ghost and picking up our cross. The great key to perfection, then, is submission. All perfection in Christ hinges on submission to everything He has offered us. We need to submit our whole "new" spirit to the Holy Ghost, the Word of God and the cross. Paul said all he knew was Christ and Him crucified, and by himself he knew nothing. We must ask to learn to discern our own voice and learn to distrust it. We must ask to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and obey it. We have to trust God that we will hear His Word and be given the faith to act upon it regardless of our fears, the appearances, or the consequences. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God", and "without faith it is impossible to please God", and "anything not of faith is sin". We, therefore must submit to the Word under the tutelage of the Holy Ghost in order to acquire faith so we may live pleasing lives to God. Anything short of this we can automatically deduce is sin and falls short of pleasing God; falls short of perfection.
Perfection is not merely acting for others and denying ourselves, though this is a fruit of our true faith. There are many people who do unselfish things out of their own cause or idea of righteousness that does not come close to God's cause of salvation or of true righteousness, which always recognizes the shed blood of Christ at all times. Perfection is, and must always be, submission to God's will. Only He knows what judgment, misfortune, benefit or mercy a person needs in order to come to Him and be saved. We must have faith to reject our own notions of good. If we think we know what is good then we often think we know better than God and this can never be. How stupid those words sound even now. Remember when Jesus' family came looking for Him and demanded that he come outside to address the reservations they had about what He was doing? What did He say?
Y C: Well, some people came to Him and said His mother and brethren were outside and wished to speak to Him, but He told the people, "Those who hear the word of God and do it are my mother and brothers." Right?
Pastor: Yes, you=re right. Let me ask you another question now, young Christian, one that hits right at the heart of the whole issue. Do you think that when you go away from here today, if you hear God's voice in your heart, and then ignore all other voices, like the world's, Satan's and most importantly your own, and follow God’s voice only, it will be perfect?
Y C: Yes, because I know God could not possibly ask me to do anything that would be displeasing to Him.
Pastor: Let me ask you another question. Do you think you can hear God and then ignore it and do what you think is the right thing on your own power, and that this will please God?
Y C: No. That would just be doing my own thing.
Pastor: But do you believe Christ can provide you with the power to hear God's Word and do it and that He will give you all you need for this great and glorious task if you seek it? This is called in Scripture: “bringing every thought into the obedience of the captivity of Christ”. We can do this because we are also told that we have the mind of Christ. Problem is that we also are armed with our own mind as long as we are in these temporary bodies. We must try to run every thought through the mind of Christ and make them obedient to His thoughts and mind on any subject. This, of course, is not always precisely or properly done by us. Sometimes we act on our own thoughts by habit or fear or ignorance. Trying to filter every thought through the mind of Christ, accessing by the Spirit the mind of Christ, is a matter that needs to become habit rather than our natural way of relying on our own unchecked, unfiltered thoughts. When we strive habitually to bring our thoughts into the captivity of the obedience of the mind of Christ we are perfectly trying to fulfill the will of God. That we always be successful in this, never are tripped up by our own thoughts is not possible and is not a condition of perfection. We must aim at, and strive at being perfect as our father in heaven is perfect to the best of our ability, utilizing all the equipment and teachings which Christ has afforded us.
Y C: Yes, that is one of the main reasons why He went to the cross was to free me so I could live a life pleasing to God, so I could walk in God=s perfect will, and I suppose so I could think His thoughts and feel His feelings.
Pastor: Do you think God expects all believers to submit totally to His Spirit and walk in love and perfection today, no matter what function or roll they may be called to fill in the Church?
Y C: Yes, I don't see why He wouldn’t want that or expect it.
Pastor: The whole point, then, is that we can be perfect, but the perfection is one of the heart which begins with the perfect desire to want God and give all to Him. God expects it and He gives us the means to be perfect in this way. Our motives are perfect then. But perfect in His eyes is not the same as perfect in man's eyes. He expects us to walk free of habitual sin, hear His Word in our heart and obey it above all other voices. This He wants us to do day by day, one day at a time. When we fall, we have the next day to resume our quest and He is good and kind to permit us to start afresh. Do you believe that there have been saints who have walked in this perfect way?
Y C: Yes, I guess Paul is a good example of this type of living. He was only a man like me. I can see, then, that anyone can do this if he could. We do it on a day to day basis. I know I can fulfill this perfection today because Christ has equipped me with all I need in order to do it. I can refuse the temptation to sin with His help; I can listen for and hear God's voice, and with His help I can obey it. If I do this today I will be perfect in God's sight today.
Pastor: I guess that about sums it up! We walk with Christ step by step and day by day. We want to be with Him, are not afraid of Him because He is pleased with us: we walk daily with the Spirit, and we daily pick up our cross to die to self and live for Christ and others. If we fail, we have an advocate with the Father who can pick us up and get us started again, back on the road of >perfection=. If you can be perfect in the faith today then there is no reason why you can't be tomorrow and the next day and the next day after that. We just have to try to be perfectly obedient to the Spirit one day at a time. This is why preachers like Paul pray and teach about perfection for the sheep of God=s pastures. Paul told the Colossians that he hoped AGod would make known [to them] 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.@ I tell you young Christian this perfection is for all, young and old, who can hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.