CAN WE BE PERFECT?
December 8, 2021
by Mike James
Is it possible for a Christian to be perfect in our flesh and blood bodies? Believe it or not, I have run into this idea a few times in my life. Once was in college when a street preacher was suggesting this in a public area on campus. I heard it again from a Seventh-Day Adventist who used to visit my church in Maryland. I have even heard it brought up by Church of God folks.
Can we be perfect in the flesh?
Because of this, I decided to write this blog. At first glance, you may wonder why anyone would think they could be perfect in this life since Jesus Christ had to die to purge us of our sins. If we can become perfect on our own, why would we need Jesus?
We also find scriptures that seem to make it clear that if we are flesh and blood, we will continue to sin. Examples of this are Romans 3:23, which tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I guess Romans 3:23 can be countered with the argument that once you receive God's Holy Spirit, you can begin to move towards perfection since prior to baptism, you were limited in using God's Spirit. But what about Paul's statement in Romans 7:15-20, where he seems to be saying (long after his conversion) that he still has issues with sin. Are we to believe some Christians can achieve perfection when Paul could not achieve it?
There are several scriptures we need to unpack to address this question. And I will do that in an article in the next International News. But to get you interested in that article, I'd like to deal with a scripture that was brought up to me during a conversation on this subject. The conversation centered on this scripture being supporting evidence for humans possibly living a perfect life. The scripture was Matthew 5:48. The scripture states, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." At first glance, it would seem the scripture is saying we should be perfect like God, but, as we have said many times, context is everything. What do the preceding verses say that can help us understand verse 48?
Well, beginning in verse 43 (verses 43-48), we get the context for understanding verse 48. Matthew is contrasting how mankind deals with their enemies and how God's love would have us deal with them. Christ had love even for those who killed Him, so we should try to emulate that perfect character of Christ. It's important to note the verse does not say we can achieve the perfection of God. In my opinion, the context makes it clear we should be trying to be like God in this way.
One source I read on the scripture in Matthew noted that there is no mention of a time element regarding when this perfection can be achieved. Because of this lack of a time element, we cannot claim the verse is asserting the perfection can be attained in this life.
Getting back to the word for perfection in Matthew 5:48 (teleiotes/teleios)—it can mean perfection but is more generally used for wholeness, completeness, or maturity. That same Greek word is used in 1 Corinthians 2:6, and the context is about a mature wisdom. Again the word is used in Philippians 3:15 and in James 1:4, with the context being about completeness in understanding.
Matthew may be using the phrase about perfection here in a similar way to a scripture that was familiar to him (Deuteronomy 18:13). There are various translations of this scripture in Deuteronomy. Some say we must be blameless before our God, while others say we shall be perfect. But the point is, this scripture is not saying we can be perfect or blameless. It is asking us to try to attain that goal.
Think about it. Aren't we equating ourselves with the Father if we think we can be perfect? To me, this is blasphemy. Remember, the Father has always been here. We are created beings and can never equate ourselves with the Creator. We will become much greater than we are in the flesh, but that only occurs when we are born again into the spiritual body that is our potential (1 Corinthians 15).
In the Gospels, there is repetition among the writers. One writer describes situations that another writer has written about. This is also true for the scripture we have been investigating in Matthew 5:48. Luke 6, many believe, corresponds to Matthew 5. We also find in Luke 6:36 a verse very similar to Matthew 5:48, but Luke uses the word "merciful" instead of "perfect." The Greek word for "merciful" here can be translated as compassionate or merciful. In both verses, the scripture is preceded by a description of how we ought to love our fellow man. God is used as the example we should follow. To me, it is clear these two verses are asking us to become more like God, but they fall short of expecting us to be perfect in the flesh.
There are other scriptures pertaining to this discussion I will address in the next edition of the International News. Look for it on our website in early December.
Sources: "Matthew 5:48," Biblehub, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-48.htm.