Donut Theology
Matthew 5:38-5:48
In the last sentence of our passage today, Jesus says something that is very confusing… "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
Be Perfect! Doesn’t that make you scratch your head?
How can we possibly be “PERFECT”?
Or does it make you feel inferior or guilty?
If perfection is the goal, I might as well give up right now. I know me, and like Paul says in Romans 7, 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
I don’t know if moral and sinless perfection is possible for anyone… but I know it is not for me.
I don’t even understand how the scripture can in one place say that we are to be prefect as God is perfect…
And even give us biblical examples of those who were perfect…
Genesis 6:9 says, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
And Paul’s wrote to the Philippians 3:15 "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded":
And in another place say that NO ONE IS PERFECT…"All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
Now something is wrong here!!!!
Either it is possible… or it is not.
Either… Noah and the people Paul is writing to… defied Romans 3:23 or Perfection means something different from what we understand
I guess “it depends upon what the meaning of the word perfect… is.”
CLIP “What Is Is”
Today I want to help you to understand what the meaning of "perfection" is
It is used three different ways in the scriptures
The Perfection OF CHRIST (and God)
The Perfection IN CHRIST
The Perfection LIKE CHRIST
The Perfection OF CHRIST (and God)
We just tend to think of perfection in one way… total sinlessness
As it is applied to Jesus and God… that is true
The scriptures tell us that God is perfect and cannot be tempted to sin
Jesus, God in the flesh, could be tempted… but was “without sin.”
Jesus NEVER SINNED… NO ONCE… EVER
That is perfect moral perfection
It belongs to… or is true of Jesus and no one else
For everyone else… Romans tells the truth… “FOR ALL HAVE SINNED”
God does not expect you or me to have the absolute moral and sinless perfection which Jesus had because he told us it was impossible
So there is the PERFECTION OF CHRIST … a level of perfection to which you and I will not be held
Next… there is
The Perfection IN CHRIST
I want to use this donut to help you to understand the biblical concept of the PERFECTION IN CHRIST
Is this Donut real? YES!! Is the hole real? YES!!
It is real even though we cannot touch it or see it or taste it or experience it with any of our senses
If it were a make-believe hole… this penny would not go through
IT IS REAL
But a real hole is kind of a contradiction… it is real but it isn’t
I can’t take the hole out of the donut and place it on this plate
Now listen really closely to what I am about to say…
THE HOLE EXISTS ONLY IN RELATION TO THE DONUT
THE HOLE EXISTS ONLY IN CONNECTION TO THE DONUT
The hole exists ONLY if the donut exists
If you take away the donut… the hole no longer exists
Now… stay with me… don’t lose me now…
This donut represents the Sinless Moral and Spiritual perfection of Jesus Christ. HE IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT …SINLESS… PURE
He is everything that I cannot be… that you cannot be
The hole represents my perfection, and yours, in relationship to His
My perfection is not a perfection of actions or goodness
It is not moral perfection or sinlessness
It is my perfection in relationship to HIM… When I got saved… His perfection was granted to me… so now it is my standing before God
Apart from the perfection of Jesus Christ… I have no perfection…
I am a sinner… a self centered, flesh pleasing, greedy, lustful, lying, sinner
My perfection… like the donut hole is real, but only in relation to HIS perfection
Hear God’s word from Colossians 2:10 "So you also are COMPLETE (or "perfect") through your union with Christ, who is the head."
So, understand, our perfection is not sinlessness… but STANDING
It is given, apportioned, awarded, bequeathed, conferred, granted, hand out, imparted
The Perfection LIKE CHRIST
BUT there is another dimension to PERFECTION… another meaning of PERFECT
A dimension or definition that is not about our standing or our imputed perfection
It is the Perfection LIKE CHRIST
This meaning is more about what we are to BE or BECOME
About our actions and our conduct
In Greek, the word translated "perfect" in Matthew 5 is "teleios (tel-lee-os)."
"Teleios (tel-lee-os)" appears 48 times in the New Testament, and is often translated, especially in the early English versions of the Scriptures, as "perfect."
The root word "tel-os" means "one who has accomplished the intended goal."
If something accomplishes what it is designed to do, it is said to be perfect that is "teleios".
So "teleios" is often translated as "mature" or "complete."
And for a Christian mature = mature or complete in the Faith!
What does it mean to be "mature" in the Faith?
It means to live in such a way that you and others can see that the seed has been planted and grown to the point that you now bear fruit = ACT LIKE CHRIST
In our text today, Jesus gives us some examples of the maturity He is looking for
Be mature = Love your enemies
Be mature = pray for those who hate you
Why should we do that? Because that is the nature of Father God.
And when we do those things we show that we have matured to be like Him
If you only love those who are nice to you… that does not show that you are mature… anyone will do that!
It takes maturity to rise above petty disagreements and resentments.
And Father God modeled this type of love for us that is "loving our enemies".
The Father loved us when we were His enemies.
And now, He is telling us that we need to learn how to love those who are our enemies.
It is part of being a mature son or daughter of God.
The Apostle John expands on this when he writes: 1 John 4:16:"… God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
And that is just one of the ways that we can be mature like our Father in Heaven.
In Luke 6:35, we are told "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
This is telling us…. GOD IS MERCIFUL
Maturity means being merciful so that we are LIKE CHRIST
We are told in John 1:5-9 that "God is light."
Jesus taught in Matt. 5:16:" let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
We are called to be mature to become like our Heavenly Father.
>>>It seems to be ingrained in our nature to be like and act like our earthy fathers.
You can especially see this in little children in toddlers, ages 2 or 3 as they are learning to walk and explore their world.
What happens when a little one comes across a pair of their father’s shoes in the house… what do they do?
They put those shoes on and they walk around the house.
And if Dad is home these little ones shuffle right up to him and giggle as they show him that they are wearing his shoes.
They are saying "look at me! I am big… I am a grown-up just like you."
What God is saying in Scripture is: Put on My shoes… walk in My steps.
Strive to be like Me in how you love, in how you show mercy, in how you give light to the world.
We are not going to be held to the Perfection OF CHRIST
We cannot claim any credit for the Perfection IN CHRIST
It is a perfection we did not earn… it is given, granted
But the Perfection LIKE CHRIST… the maturity of living LIKE CHRIST is the perfection to which we are to strive
The perfection LIKE CHRIST is the level of perfection by which we will be judged
Did you grow in your maturity… did you become more and more LIKE CHRIST
Today we WORSHIIP the perfection OF CHRIST
We praise Him for His perfection
We CELEBRATE our perfection IN CHRIST
We thank God that He has clothed us in the perfection and righteousness of Christ
We glory in the standing that we have before God because we are IN CHRIST
We CONFESS our failure to live up to the level of MATURITY to which we have been called
And we BESEECH God to help us to be MATURE LIKE CHRIST
Based on “Donut Theology / Be ‘Teleios’", by J Jeffrey Smead, sermoncentral.com
an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, surrounded by mystery
