Experiencing a Perfect Evening is Easier than Being Perfect
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Are Christians Perfect?
Perhaps a better phrasing of the question might be, “Are Christians supposed to be perfect?” I think that, for a large portion of non-Christians, the answer to this question is supposed to be “Yes!” And, when they observe that the Christians they know are not, they wrongly assume that Christianity is just another false religion because it clearly doesn’t produce perfect people. Personally, I think that is just an excuse some people use to rule out Christianity as a viable life choice. Unfortunately, some Christians respond to this challenge by portraying themselves as “holier than thou.” Such people only exacerbate the issue because their imperfections only serve to reflect their hypocrisy. So, should perfection be a goal by which Christian’s should be measured?
Where did we get it Wrong?
For centuries, Satan has been spinning the lie that, to be a sincere follower of God, you must be perfect. He uses that lie to convince non-Christians that there’s no point in joining a flawed religion, and (for at least some) Christians he heaps tons of guilt on them for not measuring up. Even before Jesus, humanity knew that for a civilization to survive, it had to have laws — ways to modulate society’s behavior. Yet, enforcement of those laws had to allow for a grey area, or everyone might be thrown into jail or executed. Being human meant that, on any given day, we might forget and do something, well, human. After all, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” The brilliance of that phrase is in the admission that humans are prone to not being perfect — it is in our genes! Thus, to assume that any belief system (or law) can erase that tendency from our behavior is wrong. But that fact has not stopped Satan from working overtime to convince anyone who’ll listen that the acid test for an effective, true religion is that all its followers must be perfect. If they are not, then the religion is fake. With that yardstick, all religions are doomed!
God illustrated this principle in spades with His Chosen People, the Jews. He set for them an impossible goal — to be holy and to be perfect. Look what He said in Leviticus:
“Tell all the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must be holy because I am holy. Leviticus 19: 2 NCV
That was a message to “all the people of Israel,” yet, God began even earlier when He said to Abram:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). Genesis 17: 1 AMPC
To the unbeliever, it may seem like God and Satan are working together in a monumental attempt to frustrate us. But, those who know the true nature of God, understand the grand plan God is unfolding and why He would encourage us to strive for something unattainable. The concept is simple… if you aspire to achieve great things, you must aim high. True greatness is only possible by setting absolutely audacious and unrealistic goals. Throughout the Old Testament, the Jews consistently failed at being perfect. But, in the process, they achieved some awesome things and produced some equally inspiring leaders. Adam and Eve could never have imagined that their one act in the Garden would trigger a centuries long battle for humanity to recognize their full potential while dealing with their imperfections. But God had one more element to insert in our grand lesson plan.
3 …The Lord …said, “Say this to the family of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: … if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations…. 6 you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ Exodus 19: 3-6 NCV
The calling of God’s Chosen People was to “obey.” This is an assignment of the will. And, no matter how much we will something to happen, there will be times when we fail. God has always known that we would but He looks at our heart to see how hard we try.
Bottom line, God does not expect anyone to be perfect — that’s His job! Our job is to recognize our imperfections and turn to God to help us get better. A good example of this is in the manufacturing industry. The Quality Control Department is charged with making sure that the product being made is “within specs.” They know that achieving perfection is unrealistic yet they still institute training that is aimed towards “continuing improvement” of their process. From God’s perspective, all He wants from us is a recognition that we need continual improvement, and that God is there to help us discover new ways to come closer to Him and His perfection.
The Real Lesson in Perfection
If God’s plan stopped at simply setting an unattainable goal, many would leave this life frustrated, disillusioned, and (probably) angry at God. Perhaps that is where you are today. Maybe you’ve tried to be “good” by whatever standard you felt was required but the pressures were just too much. Whether your efforts have been rejected by society, or by what you think God requires of you, the result may be that you’re broken, lonely, tired, and angry. “Life is not fair!”, you cry. “Won’t someone help me out of my misery?” Here’s where “part two” of God’s plan comes into effect. God has provided a way for us to escape the pressures of a sinful and cruel world — a way for us to ease our guilt for that which we’ve done, or failed to do. None of us are perfect nor ever will be perfect. But, God created a way for us to be reconciled from our own guilt with the very God who created us. How? Let’s examine some very powerful words from the Apostle Paul as he wrote in his book to the Colossians (1: 15-23 NCV):
| We have someone who has the power, ability, and authority of God to act on our behalf. | 15 No one can see God, but Jesus Christ is exactly like him. He ranks higher than everything that has been made. 16 Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ. 17 He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him. |
| Christ (Jesus) is our leader. His job was to lead the way back to God by being the first to defeat death by living a life that was pleasing to God (perfect). | 18 He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place. 19 God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ. |
| Christ Jesus died for us so He could make peace (reconcile us) by shedding His blood on the cross. The result was to bring us back into a relationship with God — fully accepted into His family. | 20 And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross. 21 At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God. 22 But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty. |
| The key is that we must recognize and accept what Jesus has done for us. | 23 This will happen if you continue strong and sure in your faith. |
Although we were not able to remove the stain of sin and achieve perfection under our own power, God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us and release us from the power, the guilt, and the destructive nature of sin. Although we will still sin, we do not have to let our sins defeat us. We have been set free by the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Jesus’ shed blood washes away all our sin “so that he (Jesus) might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.” We are, in God’s eyes, PERFECT!
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