What is perfection?

In Matthew 19 there is an interaction between Jesus and a rich young man, the man asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus spoke of the law and the rich man said he has followed those rules since he was a child, then Jesus says something very peculiar to him in Matthew 16:21 (NKJV), “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

This is not the only place Jesus mentions perfection in us, in fact, in Matthew 5:48 Jesus says something which seems impossible, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Not just you should be perfect, but he calls us to be perfect as God is perfect. What does this mean? 

We know we can never measure anywhere near to God's perfection. Even Jesus said this in Mark 10:18 when he says no one is good except God. So how can we be perfect like our heavenly father is perfect? To answer this, we must look at the context of both scriptures in Matthew. 

With the rich man, Jesus mentions selling all you have and giving to the poor. In Matthew 5, the context is loving your enemy, so in both cases it is loving those who have done nothing to deserve it, much like God loved us while we were still sinners as Romans 5:8 point out.

So, what is perfection? Perfection is doing what you are designed to do. Just as a car runs perfectly when it fires on all cylinders and runs without breaking down, it doesn’t mean it won’t run out of gas or have some things needed done to it to run, it means it is running how it was built to run. Just like how we as believers in Christ are designed to love. 

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8 ) Love is what shows we have God in us, and when God is in us we are operating how we are designed to operate, as His kingdom in unison with the Body of Christ.

We may never be perfect, however we can operate the way God intended us to operate, that is in love, needing Christ and listening to His spirit in all we do, that is operating in perfection.

Pastor Scott Acklin ministers at New Fire Ministries.