My take on perfection is that we can be perfect, because that is what God expects of us, and he doesn't ever expect too much- for he will never test us beyond what we can handle, but with the test will provide the way out, so that we may be able to endure it. (1Cor 10:13)
Following is an excerpt of a future post I will be putting up on my substack, when I get around to finishing the preparation of it, I would love your comments on the below:
God expects us to be “righteous” and “perfect”, yet many Christians feel this is simply too difficult to attain. But to be righteous and perfect is what God expects of us, as the following scriptures clearly direct us to understand: Matt 5:48, 19:21, Luke 1:6, Rom 12:2, 1Cor 2:6, 2Cor 12:9,13:11, Eph 4:13, Phil 3:12-15, Col 1:28, 4:12, 2Tim 3:17, 2Tim 4:8, Heb 13:20-21, 2Pet 2:8, 1 John 2:1, 2:29, 3:7, 3:12, James 1:4, James 3:2, Rev 3:2.
God Is Building His Spiritual Temple
While righteousness and perfection may seem a tall order, what it actually means is that we must follow Christ as the exemplar of perfect behaviour. This expectation of our perfection, can be appreciated through the analogy of Christ being the “chief corner stone” in the spiritual temple of God. (Matt 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1Peter 2:6-7, Eph 2:19-22)
A corner stone is the one point in any building that all measurements are taken from, to determine if everything is square and upright in relation to each other. When you are in line with the corner stone, no matter if you are on the other side of the building, on the roof, or part of the floor, then you are following that standard set by the corner stone. Similarly, we are all different, yet we are to follow Christ, to fill up the sufferings of Christ. (Col 1:24, Heb 11:36-40) We do this by living according to his standards, like a brick, door, or roof tile is aligned to the standards of the chief corner stone.
We, however, are a bit more complex than a brick that is placed in a building, for we can choose at any time to actually leave the building! Throughout our life we must stay in line with Christ and continue to walk the walk that Christ showed us in his life: if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and (through this suffering) I fill up the things lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh (by suffering physically), on behalf of His body, which is the church; of which I became a minister, according to the administration of God given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God; (Col 1:23-25) Jesus fulfilled the word of God (Matt 5:17-20), we too must fulfill it in our actions, if we follow his way of life.
How can anything be lacking of the afflictions of Christ? Christ is not the entire building; he is the corner stone to which the building is aligned. We are all elements of the building, but we must stay aligned to Christ. Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, (part of the building of God) and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, (the apostles of the New Covenant and prophets of Old Covenant) Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom every building having been fitly framed together, (we are the rest of the building that) grows (is alive!) into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. (Eph 2:19-22)
Christ being the corner stone, and our being the rest of the elements of the holy building of God, is a great analogy, yet it too should not be carried to an extreme, or you could misunderstand the profound and simple concepts being taught. Christ was not a woman, or and old person. He never married or had physical children. He was never unemployed, or put up with the pollution of this modern age, nor had any sickness in his life. We are all in a different circumstance from Christ, yet we are to still follow his example that he set in his life. We do this in the same way that a window is not made of the same material as the corner stone, yet it must be aligned to the corner stone, in order to be of value to the building. We say that such a window is right for the building. That is what it means to be righteous, and perfect, within the spiritual building that God is constructing. We align ourselves to Christ’s righteousness, by the power of the Holy Spirit, then God the Father considers us as being righteous and justified to be within his building. That is all that the spiritual term “justification” means.
Once we are justified, we are then set apart, like building materials carefully stored on the building site, so that they are ready to be used in its future construction. The spiritual term for being set apart is “sanctified”: … but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1Cor 6:11) We are “set apart” as an integral element of his building by being called by God, to be granted the Holy Spirit to enable us to follow the Lord Jesus. We are then justified as being a part of the design of his truly magnificent and grand building, by living the life of righteousness that he has set for us. We do this, as discussed in the next chapter, by living by the covenant of his blood in us, because his blood aligns us to him, and we partake of his flesh, by living as he lived. This is what it means to “eat his flesh and drink his blood”.
God expects us to be perfect: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (which is the entire Church): Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Eph 4:12-13) Christ is the standard of what our perfection is measured against.
Hi Michael
What a great post, indeed quite perfect!
My take on perfection is that we can be perfect, because that is what God expects of us, and he doesn't ever expect too much- for he will never test us beyond what we can handle, but with the test will provide the way out, so that we may be able to endure it. (1Cor 10:13)
Following is an excerpt of a future post I will be putting up on my substack, when I get around to finishing the preparation of it, I would love your comments on the below:
God expects us to be “righteous” and “perfect”, yet many Christians feel this is simply too difficult to attain. But to be righteous and perfect is what God expects of us, as the following scriptures clearly direct us to understand: Matt 5:48, 19:21, Luke 1:6, Rom 12:2, 1Cor 2:6, 2Cor 12:9,13:11, Eph 4:13, Phil 3:12-15, Col 1:28, 4:12, 2Tim 3:17, 2Tim 4:8, Heb 13:20-21, 2Pet 2:8, 1 John 2:1, 2:29, 3:7, 3:12, James 1:4, James 3:2, Rev 3:2.
God Is Building His Spiritual Temple
While righteousness and perfection may seem a tall order, what it actually means is that we must follow Christ as the exemplar of perfect behaviour. This expectation of our perfection, can be appreciated through the analogy of Christ being the “chief corner stone” in the spiritual temple of God. (Matt 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1Peter 2:6-7, Eph 2:19-22)
A corner stone is the one point in any building that all measurements are taken from, to determine if everything is square and upright in relation to each other. When you are in line with the corner stone, no matter if you are on the other side of the building, on the roof, or part of the floor, then you are following that standard set by the corner stone. Similarly, we are all different, yet we are to follow Christ, to fill up the sufferings of Christ. (Col 1:24, Heb 11:36-40) We do this by living according to his standards, like a brick, door, or roof tile is aligned to the standards of the chief corner stone.
We, however, are a bit more complex than a brick that is placed in a building, for we can choose at any time to actually leave the building! Throughout our life we must stay in line with Christ and continue to walk the walk that Christ showed us in his life: if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and (through this suffering) I fill up the things lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh (by suffering physically), on behalf of His body, which is the church; of which I became a minister, according to the administration of God given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God; (Col 1:23-25) Jesus fulfilled the word of God (Matt 5:17-20), we too must fulfill it in our actions, if we follow his way of life.
How can anything be lacking of the afflictions of Christ? Christ is not the entire building; he is the corner stone to which the building is aligned. We are all elements of the building, but we must stay aligned to Christ. Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, (part of the building of God) and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, (the apostles of the New Covenant and prophets of Old Covenant) Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom every building having been fitly framed together, (we are the rest of the building that) grows (is alive!) into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. (Eph 2:19-22)
Christ being the corner stone, and our being the rest of the elements of the holy building of God, is a great analogy, yet it too should not be carried to an extreme, or you could misunderstand the profound and simple concepts being taught. Christ was not a woman, or and old person. He never married or had physical children. He was never unemployed, or put up with the pollution of this modern age, nor had any sickness in his life. We are all in a different circumstance from Christ, yet we are to still follow his example that he set in his life. We do this in the same way that a window is not made of the same material as the corner stone, yet it must be aligned to the corner stone, in order to be of value to the building. We say that such a window is right for the building. That is what it means to be righteous, and perfect, within the spiritual building that God is constructing. We align ourselves to Christ’s righteousness, by the power of the Holy Spirit, then God the Father considers us as being righteous and justified to be within his building. That is all that the spiritual term “justification” means.
Once we are justified, we are then set apart, like building materials carefully stored on the building site, so that they are ready to be used in its future construction. The spiritual term for being set apart is “sanctified”: … but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1Cor 6:11) We are “set apart” as an integral element of his building by being called by God, to be granted the Holy Spirit to enable us to follow the Lord Jesus. We are then justified as being a part of the design of his truly magnificent and grand building, by living the life of righteousness that he has set for us. We do this, as discussed in the next chapter, by living by the covenant of his blood in us, because his blood aligns us to him, and we partake of his flesh, by living as he lived. This is what it means to “eat his flesh and drink his blood”.
God expects us to be perfect: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (which is the entire Church): Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Eph 4:12-13) Christ is the standard of what our perfection is measured against.
Thank You
Amazing, Mikey! Thanks for this!