a : freedom from fault or defect : flawless b : maturity c : the quality or state of being saintly
or
a : an exemplification of supreme excellence b : an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence
There are two types of perfect:
Perfect in Christ & Perfect before People.
Only the first one is possible.
Perfect in Christ
God is perfect, Jesus is God, and so Jesus is perfect. When we accept Christ, we are given His righteousness and His righteousness is perfect. So through Christ we are made perfect."Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” Hebrews 10:14
This week we celebrate the last week of Jesus's life. The week our King drove into town on a common farm animal. The week our King was hunted and despised by those He came to save. The week our King was betrayed by his friend for coins. The week our King was crowned with a thorny vine. The week our King had his flesh and his heart ripped by the sins of the world.
The week our King died for us.
This is why we are perfect. We are perfect because Christ died for us. The sins that separated us from a holy God were nailed to the cross with Christ. The blood that was shed by Him that day became the blood that washes us clean and removes all sin and guilt. Those that are in Christ are new creations, we now have the righteousness of Christ. When God sees us (and by us, I mean our good stuff and our sins and failures....all of us), He sees Christ's righteousness!
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
By no work or merit of our own, we are righteous before a Holy God.
Hear it again:
By no work or merit of our own, we are righteous before a Holy God.
This world has a skewed view of reality. It is hard to know what's real, because so much is fabricated these days. "Reality shows" are carefully produced ratings machines. Who knows what is real anymore?
I know for certain that God is more real than any real we know. So our perfection in Christ is more real than any real we know. It is free from lies and is not tainted in any way. Because of the perfect sacrifice of Christ that day, we can approach the Throne of Grace as perfect, without blemish or spot! Perfect before a Holy God. Perfect in Christ.....that is real.
There is one real form of perfect: Perfect in Christ
There is one false form of perfect: Perfect before People
Perfect Before People
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| Miss "Got it all together" |
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10
False Security
It is a lie that if we act good enough, we are good enough. We can look good on the outside and be rotting away on the inside. We can be bold before people and hide from God at the same time. I think about King David (see 2 Samuel 11-12). For nearly a year, he lived separated from fellowship with his God because he continued down a path of deception and sin after his one act of adultery with Bathsheba. He was a conniving, manipulating mess. All the while, he still sat on the throne as the beloved King on Israel. I'm sure a few in his circle knew the full story, but for the most part, he clipped along and received the praises of the people. His psalms about this event (32 & 51) show that all along, he was broken inside, but he keep going down the wicked path that he had paved.
God, in His love and great mercy, initiated restoration and healing with David, by sending the prophet Nathan to call him out. He basically told him, "you are living a lie and you are not getting away with it". David's attempt to be perfect before the people was giving him false security. God, who sees the hearts of men, saw the heart of David. God is faithful and God is love. Even in our pitiful attempts to cover what's inside, He reaches to us and leads us to His perfection. And for us, like David, our perfection is in Christ alone, because the reality of our lives is that they are marred with sin and wrapped in selfishness. Seeking perfection before people gives us false security, but resting in the perfection we have in Christ gives us a sure hope and foundation....like an anchor in a stormy sea.
Hypocrisy
In scripture, the cast of the 'Hypocrisy Show' was led by the Pharisees. These men were leaders in the temple, all Israel looked to them for knowledge and examples of integrity. They trusted them and counted them as the most righteous of all. The problem is they had distorted hearts and cared most about how they looked in front of the people. In their fancy robes, they would float around like saints giving the pitiful public a chance to catch their glory. Jesus called them white washed walls and white washed tombs. Like having a grungy, dirty wall, brushing it with bright white paint and considering it new. Or having a grave with a rotted dead corpse inside, but with a sparkling white marble headstone. When we choose to look perfect above all else, never considering the condition of our heart before God, we choose to paint our walls white and buff our tombstones.Jesus also told them that they were washing the outside, like washing the outside of a dirty cup, but tending not to the inside. Just imagine if all we ever washed was the outside of our glasses. Over time, those things would get nasty! I would much rather drink from a glass that was clean on the inside and dirty on the outside. We do this with our lives, too! We put on smiles and freshen up the outside. Let me just tell you how freeing it is to repent before God and then before a few people that can hold you accountable. Real restoration is from the inside out.
The ancient Greeks put on great shows. Crowds would come from miles away to watch the actors on the stage. The actor was whoever the script needed him to be. And for the next show, he was whatever it needed him to be. He would wear masks, "Personas", to portray the character the crowd expected to see. Then he would do ,"Hypokrisis", play-acting.
Today, we still do "Hypokrisis" wearing our "Personas", except we are not ancient Grecian actors on the stage. We are Christians that want the world to see perfect people. Besides the obvious problem of not being authentic and real with people, there is another dangerous aspect of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy leads to frustration and defeat. At some point, the play ends and we are revealed for who we really are. Just imagine how cool it would be if we all just took our masks off now. Be real, because when you are real, you reveal your weakness. When you reveal your weakness, you can shout God's strength.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
It's God's glory, not mine.
"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." Galatians 6:14-16
Defeat
We were not created to be sufficient on our own. We were designed to worship and bring glory to God. Any attempts to bring glory to ourselves or try to win God's favor in our own strength, will be futile and frustrating. Freedom is found in surrender. Meekness before God is real strength.A problem with Christians trying to look perfect before men, is that they just might be able to pull it off....at least for a while. Then this leads to the defeat of those watching you. They might say, "She's got it all together, and my life's a mess" or "Everything about him is so perfect, there is no way that I can ever be like that". Then what happens is they begin to transfer this to their Christian faith. "She's a Christian and she's perfect, so I must not be faithful enough or obedient enough" or "Maybe God really doesn't like me, because he is not blessing me like he is blessing him".
These are all lies from the pit of hell! None of us are good enough. All we can boast in is Christ. Be real with people and let them know that you struggle. Your greatest hurt can become your greatest ministry. If God permitted the pain, don't waste it. Take the lessons that you have learned and help others. Let God use opportunities like that to "make all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes" (Romans 8:28)
You are perfect in Christ. Your Christian race of faith should be marching you toward Christlikeness in your heart. As you grow in your faith, you are being set apart and seeking to obey the words that you hear. The beauty of Christianity, is that as you become more like Christ on the inside, the outside starts to look more like Christ, too. So ideally, your outside will become perfectly white. But when the perfectly white is from God's work in your life, not from your futile efforts to appear good enough, that will be attractive to people. People will be drawn to you and ultimately drawn to your God. These are the only perfect people we should try be....
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am” John Newton
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
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