Perfection

What does it mean to be perfect? In a world obsessed with flawless Instagram photos, perfect grades, and spotless reputations, the concept of perfection can feel both alluring and impossibly distant. Yet Scripture calls us to something profound: "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). How do we reconcile this divine command with our very human limitations?

Consider the college football team that finishes with an undefeated season. The commentators celebrate their "perfect season," yet anyone who watched the games knows there were fumbles, interceptions, missed field goals, and penalties. The season wasn't flawless—it simply had a great result. This distinction matters deeply when we think about spiritual perfection.

Perfection in God's economy isn't about flawlessness. It's about faithfulness. It's about the end result of a life surrendered to Christ, not the absence of mistakes along the way.

Before we can understand perfection, we must first grasp what it means to be good. In the creation narrative of Genesis, God surveys His work and repeatedly declares it "good." Interestingly, after creating humanity, this specific declaration is absent—though at the end of the sixth day, God looks at His entire creation and calls it "very good."

So what does goodness actually mean?

Goodness means aligning with God's design. Psalm 139:14 reminds us, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God created each of us intentionally, purposefully, exactly as we are meant to be. We don't need to change our fundamental nature or being. God needed someone just like you—with your personality, your gifts, your unique perspective—to be part of His creation story.

Goodness exists within God's boundaries. When God tells us not to do something, He means it for our protection and flourishing. Remember the Garden of Eden? One tree. God asked Adam and Eve to avoid just one tree among countless others, yet they couldn't resist. That boundary violation introduced brokenness into the human experience. God's boundaries aren't restrictions meant to limit our joy—they're guardrails meant to preserve it.

Goodness means choosing God's way. There's wisdom in recognizing that if the enemy tells you to do something, you might enjoy it whether or not it's good for you. But when God directs you, it will be good for you whether or not you initially enjoy it. God never promised an easy life, but He did promise a worthwhile one for those who love Him and remain faithful.

Goodness is faithfulness, not flawlessness. Consider Noah, building an enormous boat on dry land in a world that had never seen rain. It seemed absurd. It probably looked foolish to his neighbors. But his faithfulness—his willingness to trust God's direction even when it made no earthly sense—saved creation itself.

In Mark 10:17-18, we encounter a revealing exchange. A man approaches Jesus and calls Him "Good teacher," asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with a question: "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."

This statement exposes a crucial truth: God's goodness reveals our limits. We can strive to be good—and we should. Scripture repeatedly calls us to justice, mercy, and love. But our human goodness will always fall short of God's glory. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short, but it's not just our sin that falls short—even our best efforts at goodness cannot match God's perfect standard.

When our focus is on our own goodness—on being good for our own sake or reputation—we're not doing good for God's glory. It's like trying to light up a stadium with a flashlight while standing next to the sun. Our light isn't bad; it's just incomparable.

This brings us back to that challenging command: "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." How can imperfect people achieve perfection?

The answer is both simple and profound: we can't, but Christ can.

We become perfected through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. His blood, His love, His finished work—these are what make perfection possible. Goodness looks like the cross because the cross is where human impossibility met divine possibility.

We aren't called to manufacture our own perfection through sheer effort or willpower. We're called to be faithful, to align ourselves with God's design, to trust His boundaries, and to walk in obedience. Through Christ, we are being perfected—it's a process, a journey, a transformation.

Right now, we live in the tension between what already is and what is not yet. We are declared righteous through Christ, yet we're still being sanctified. We are called God's children, yet we're still growing into the fullness of that identity.

The goal isn't to achieve flawless performance today. The goal is faithfulness today. It's choosing God's way when your own way seems easier. It's trusting His design when the world tells you to redesign yourself. It's staying within His boundaries when culture says those lines are outdated.

One day, perfection will be fully realized. When we stand before our Heavenly Father, we'll hear those words we long for: "Well done, good and faithful servant." Not "well done, flawless servant." Not "well done, perfect performer." But good and faithful.

Until that day, we press on. We stumble, yes. We fumble and miss the mark. But like that football team with the imperfect perfect season, what matters is that we finish well, we stay in the game, and we trust the One who has already secured the victory.

Be encouraged. Be good. And go with God, knowing that His perfection covers your imperfection, and His faithfulness sustains your faith.