Being Perfect -- Is It Possible?
We have often heard it said, "Well, nobody is perfect!" Usually, such a statement is in response to the criticism from someone else regarding a mistake (or an oft-repeated mistake) we've made. There is certainly something to be said for being patient with others, remembering that mistakes will be made and, even though people will try their best, errors will occur. Even our God understood that we will make mistakes for we have "all sinned" (Romans 3:23). Yet, it is this same true and living God that tells us that His Son had enabled us to be a "perfected" people (Hebrews 10:14).
Of course, as with all things Biblical, it's vital for us to have an accurate understanding of what a scripture truly means. The Biblical use for the word "perfected" is to be understood as "completed" or to be in the state of "lacking nothing." When one gains an understanding of the nature of "perfection" from this perspective, it makes much more sense what Jesus has done and what He expects from us.
Getting to perfection is something which is succinctly spelled out in scripture. Jesus tells us that He's the only way to get to heaven and that being a complete person is impossible without going through Him (John 14:6). The scriptures teach us that it's impossible to please our God without faith and that without a belief in Jesus as the Savior, we'd die in our sins (Hebrews 11:6; John 8:24). With a belief in Christ and an obedience to His will in baptism, we can be saved and be complete (or perfect) in His eyes (Mark 16:16).
Maintaining perfection is, by most accounts, much more difficult than initially achieving the Biblically commanded completeness. Jesus commanded us to be faithful "until death" in order to secure the eternal perfection which results in living with Him in heaven (Revelation 2:10). And, our Savior counseled us to consider the fact that, while it might cost us our friends in this life, "enduring" until the end and not giving up is well worth it (Matthew 10:22).
To maintain perfection, Christians have to work at it. We have to study our Bibles, pray frequently, worship our God regularly, spend time with our brethren, and continually keep the focus that this life is not the ultimate objective. Faithful Christians aren't "perfect" in the way that we often define and understand the word. Yet, faithful Christians are a people who don't give up and who don't forget that the One who has completed us is the same One who can still perfect us and make us acceptable in His sight.
Let us take advantage of the time which God has granted us to be His people, to seek His will, to teach others His message, and to ever strive to be the perfect people that will one day live with Him.