“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” -Jesus (Matt. 5:48)

This is usually the place where the majority of the class toss their pencils up in the air in despair as hopelessness and frustration settle in. They gather up their stuff and make their way out of the room grumbling about such unrealistic expectations and impossible goals that could never be reached.

Some of them exit the building altogether and swear off having anything to ever do with any kind of 'religion' again. There was a similar scene found in John 6:60-66 where after listening to Jesus, many of His disciples mentioned what a ‘hard saying’ it was they were hearing…and eventually, from that time on, “many went back and walked with Him no more.”

Others, might seek out another ‘school’ or just make their way down the hall to find another professor who is much more reasonable and understanding, not to mention, ‘tolerant’. There certainly are plenty of those options out there one can find. (2 Tim. 4:3-4) I wonder if those teachers are descendants of that rich, young ruler who was rebuffed by Jesus early on as we read about him in Matthew’s gospel. You know he was not impressed with the candid requirements Jesus made about coming to Him with all your heart in order to receive eternal life. That young ruler walked away greatly disappointed and disillusioned. (Matt. 19:16-22) No doubt he probably found another church willing to take him in and maybe even gave him a leading role to minister to others.

But back to that first classroom…where after there was a mass exodus, you can almost hear Him ask the same question asked of those early students of His…”Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67). Peter had a good response, asking: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Can you see the one student there in the back of the class who is not ready to exit yet, nor is he ready to sign on to this talk of ‘being perfect’ either. He raises his hand and when called upon, he pushes his glasses up his nose, clears his throat and proceeds to give the teacher a lesson on language and context and how that word ‘perfect’ in the Greek actually means ‘complete’; and to imply ‘perfection’ or ‘being perfect’ creates all kinds of problems for those who hear such talk.

I get it. We all get it. When Jesus was teaching the multitudes there, He obviously did not mean that we were to be ‘perfect’. I mean, that just leads in to all kinds of silly and misleading lessons, if not dangerous doctrines like the ‘error of sinless perfection’. He meant we are to strive and do our best to be ‘complete’ and the only way we can ever do that is to say we believe in Jesus and then we are ‘complete in Him’, right?

Obviously, James did not get that memo because he launches off in his letter to the various churches and believers spread about, telling them that when they face various trials and testing, to ‘count it all joy knowing that the trying of their faith is working patience…but to let patience have its perfect work so that they may be ...‘perfect and complete’. (James 1:2-4)

Okay…go grab your language translator so you can tell us those words mean ‘mature and complete’. Good enough…we can go with that.

And when Paul was exhorting the church there at Corinth in his second letter, he mentions ‘having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1). (Go ahead…grab that concordance again…we’ll wait :-) )

How many of you are familiar with the word of rebuke Jesus gave the church there at Sardis in Revelation 3? He points out that while they had an impressive reputation among the people there as being ‘alive’, He told them just the opposite saying they were ‘dead’. (Rev. 3:1) He then proceeds to tell them in the very next verse: “I have not found your works perfect before God.” (2). You might also check out that warning He gave them in verses 3-5.

One more reference for now…and it’s found in 1 John 4:12-17. That’s where he writes about how those who ‘abide in Him’ have been…(are you ready for it?)…’perfected in His love’.

That is what Jesus came to do…He came to lead us to die to our old, sinful nature so that He could reproduce His nature in us…so that…we too, could fulfill the law which is summed up by ‘loving others as He loved us’. The only way this can happen is if we are surrendered totally to His Lordship as He leads us to ‘take up our cross and put to death the old man’.

And IF…IF…IF…we do this, then we do become a ‘new creation’ as we ‘become the righteousness of God in Him’. (2 Cor. 5:17-21). This is how we become ‘partakers of His divine nature’ that Peter writes about. (2 Pet. 1:2-4). I mean…think about it…why else would Peter remind us that we are to be ‘holy in ALL our conduct as He is holy’? ( 1 Pet. 1:14-16). That is, in fact, as he states there, what ‘obedient children’ do. (Rom. 8:14; Luke 6:46)

What kind of church is He coming back for? - One that is spotless and without stain or wrinkle, as in ‘blameless’?

Take a look what Paul wrote there in Phil. 2:14-15 reminding us: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Do you suppose he put that in there for us to analyze or to do?

Or how about this gem of exhortation Paul writes to the Colossians: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— IF…IF…IF… indeed you CONTINUE in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col. 1:21-23).

What do you think it means to ‘continue in the faith’? Abiding in Jesus, possibly?

And for all those who are convinced that Paul remained as the ‘chief of sinners’, never seemingly able to overcome the flesh nature based on two passages we are always pointed to, then can you explain his comment here regarding his way of living as he reminds the Thessalonians how he conducted himself when he was there with them:

“You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:10). I mean, think about it…if Paul did indeed continued to live a life of sin because ‘nobody is perfect, just forgiven’,…then why would he have admonished others to ‘follow him as he follow’s Christ’? He’s exhorting others there to follow his ‘example’ of living.

Are we able to hold up our own walk of faith as we truly abide in Jesus and say to others: ‘follow Me as I follow Christ’ as well? (1 Cor. 11:1). Or, are we quick to ‘humbly’ admit that we are such a ‘sinful, wretched mess so don’t look at me, look at Jesus’? If that is the case, then what does that say about the workmanship of the Holy Spirit that is supposed to be ‘conforming us to His nature and likeness? (Rom. 8:29)…given of course that we are a ‘new creation’ where the ‘old is gone and the new has come’? (2 Cor. 5:17). And what about Paul's conclusion there in Galatians 5:24 regarding the ones who belong to Christ?

People like to say something to the effect that we ‘won’t be like Jesus until we get to heaven’. Hmmm…really?…So then that leads me to ask: “What good is that then? Have we now been reduced to telling a lost world to just keep coming to our church but know that you will never be able to overcome sin and the devil and your flesh until you get to heaven.”  John 8:34-35 becomes problematic then.

You might want to finish up today with these two passages, found in 1 John 3:1-3 and 2 Pet. 3:10-14. We are told what we are ‘supposed’ to look like when Jesus does come and is revealed and that we ‘will be like Him’ and that ‘everyone who has this hope in Him …purifies himself, just as He is pure. (Oh, go ahead and read 2 Cor. 7:1 again while we are on this subject).

For the record…this purifying process does not happen unless…we are truly abiding in Jesus. Period. And attending church regularly does not equate with ‘abiding in Him’, either. Whoever abides in Him will walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6). His words, not mine.

If you choose to believe the lie that many have bought into that claims you are ‘righteous’ simply…because you said some words about believing in Jesus, then honestly…you may as well just throw your Bible aside because none of all this other talk really matters. Who cares that John warned us to ‘be not deceived…that he who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He (Jesus) is righteous’. (1 John 3:7) And that bit about no longer sinning IF…we abide in Him?” (vs 6)…nonsense! Nobody can do that.

Paul’s ramblings about how ‘these things should not even be named among us” – (including foolish talk and coarse jesting and fornication, etc.- Eph. 5:1-6) ….just empty talk, right? And that list of all the ‘evident deeds of the sinful flesh nature’ that he list in Gal. 5:19-21 and how people who continue to manifest that kind of fruit “will not inherit the kingdom of God”…don’t bother with that. You are fine just the way you are…because you are wearing that ‘robe of righteousness’ that Jesus gave you when you were baptized. Right?

But what if you are wrong and have been deceived? (Matt. 7:21-23) Has God...really said? (Gen. 3:1)

Can I let you in on a secret?  If/when you get to the place of simply agreeing with God's word, even when it does not 'fit' with how you have believed previously...as opposed to dismissing and deflecting it...that is when God will begin to 'open the eyes of your understanding' and the pieces start fitting together.  I sure wish it had not taken me this long to experience this.  Better late than never though....right? :- )