Bible Questions Answered:
“How does God expect us to be perfect
as he is?”
Cassie/ Exeter, England United Kingdom
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
Matthew 5:38-48 NLT
38 “You have heard the law that
says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and
a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say, do not resist an evil
person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other
cheek also.
40 If you are sued in court and your
shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
41 If a soldier demands that you
carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
42 Give to those who ask, and don’t
turn away from those who want to borrow.
43 “You have heard the law that
says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
44 But I say, love your enemies!
Pray for those who persecute you!
45 In that way, you will be acting
as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight
to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the
unjust alike.
46 If you love only those who love
you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do
that much.
47 If you are kind only to your
friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is
perfect.
Let there be no
doubt as to the absolute holiness of God!
Exodus 15:11 KJV
Who is like unto thee, O Lord...who
is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing
wonders?
Psalm 99:9 KJV
Exalt The Lord our God, and worship
at His holy hill; for The Lord our God is holy.
Isaiah 6:1-4 NLT
1 It was in the year King Uzziah
died that I saw The Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the
train of His robe filled the Temple.
2 Attending Him were mighty
Seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their
faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
3 They were calling out to each
other, “Holy, holy, holy is The Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The
whole earth is filled with His glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to
its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
Revelation
15:3,4 KJV
3 And they sing the song of Moses
the servant of God, and the song of The Lamb, saying, Great and
marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy
ways, thou King Of Saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord,
and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall
come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
When our Lord
stated in ….
Matthew 5:48 NLT
But
you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Was
He saying that His followers must become as God?
No,
for in this world, sinless perfection or absolute sanctification, is
impossible.
We
live in a sinful world, and though we try, our spiritual best, the
honest truth is, we fail!
Else,
why would our Lord have taught us to pray.....
Matthew 6:9-13
KJV
9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11
Give us this day our daily bread.
12
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Well,
what then did Jesus mean, when saying “be perfect, even as your
Father in heaven is perfect.”
The
Apostle Paul, explains....
Philippians
3:12-14 NLT (Pressing on to the
goal.)
12
I don’t mean to say
that I have already achieved these things or that I have already
reached perfection. But I press on to possess that
perfection for which Christ
Jesus first possessed me.
13
No, dear brothers and
sisters, I have not achieved it,
but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking
forward to what lies ahead,
14
I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly
prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
OK,
dear readers, if the beloved Apostle Paul, said he was not absolutely
sanctified, (or had reached sinless perfection), who today, can say
that “they,” have? Answer, NONE.
But
the point here is, if Paul, had not reached any kind of spiritual
perfection, what had The Lord called us to?
And
the Apostle goes on to give us his answer.
Paul
“pressed on to possess
that perfection (vs.
13).”
14
I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly
prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Perfection for God's child is that
of always “striving,”
always “pressing on,”
to be like our Living God.
Being separate from sinners, and
pressing on for the holiness of God.
II Corinthians 6:14-18 KJV
14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath Light with darkness?
15
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel?
16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of The Living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and
walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith The
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith The Lord Almighty.
Leviticus 20:7,8 NLT
7
So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am The Lord your God.
8
Keep all My decrees by putting them into practice, for I am The Lord
who makes you holy.
I Peter 1:15,16 KJV
15
But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation;
16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Will we ever reach perfection in
this life, the Apostle has already answered that, but we have a
wonderful hope...
I John 3:1-3 KJV
1
Behold, what manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew Him not.
2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him; for we shall see Him as He is.
3
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as
He is pure.
Luke 6:36 KJV
Be
ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
John 13:15 KJV
For
I have given you an
example, that ye should
do as I have done to you.
I Timothy 4:12 KJV
"...be
thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in
charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
I Peter 2:21 KJV
For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example,
that ye should follow His steps:
