Then Jesus concluded with this commandment. “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
Wow, now that is a tough one. Be perfect. I am not like Noah, a righteous man. Wait a minute. He was a drunk. Okay like Abraham. He was a liar. How about Moses, short temper. David had an affair. Elijah was burned out and suicidal. Jeremiah was depressed. Jonah ran from God. John the Baptist ate bugs. Peter denied knowing Jesus. Thomas had doubts. Zaccheus was a wee little man. Paul was too religious. No one in the entire Bible is perfect except for one.
So what is this commandment about? In the Greek, the word for perfect meant “perfect, mature, finished.” But here again, none of these words describe me. Am I mature? Ask my family. They will attest to the fact that I have never grownup. Of course this is talking about being mature in our faith. I am more mature than I was but I have not reached full maturity by any means.
Am I a finished product? I hope not. I hope that I can achieve more to advance God’s Kingdom. It would be sad to think that God is finished with me.
But I am perfect when measured by God’s standard.
Hebrews 10:12-14 “But our High Priest (Jesus) offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being
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