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Biblical Perfection

daytonstreetpreach

Disclaimer: This is not the doctrine of sinless perfectionism. What biblical perfection is not: Biblical Perfection is not being perfect in knowledge - The Christian is not all knowing. They are not free from ignorance or mistakes.


Biblical Perfection is not perfection of your Body- As long as we have these bodies they will not be perfect. And as long as we are in these bodies we will have to deal with temptation from time to time. If Jesus was tempted we also will be tempted.


Biblical perfection is being morally perfect, by the grace given by God through the Spirit, according to the knowledge of the individual. A clear conscience and a compliance to everything God has instructed them. Absolutely no willful sin. When anything is brought to light as being less than holy it is dealt with immediately. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to perfect you! If we abide in Jesus we will not sin (1 John 3:6).


We have to deal with the P-Word


In the Bible God commands His people in many places to be perfect. What does it mean when He says “Be Perfect”? We will discuss what is the definition of biblical perfection and how to obtain it.


God’s Expectation and command for Perfection


Revelation 3:1-3 1And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.


Genesis 17:1-2 1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.


Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.


2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.


God commands new christians to be perfect in the Bible


John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.


(God expects the new christian to go and sin no more. So why are some not set free? Because they are not willing to cry out to the Lord until they are free. You must seek the Lord with all your heart everyday and He will make sure you

are getting the grace you need to be free. But as long as you try to obey out of your own strength you will fail. The truth is most people think they are saved before they are actually saved. Remember, this is a relationship in which we are dependent on Him for our salvation.)


John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.


(God expects the new believer to stop sinning and have a clear conscience that he is in complete compliance to the Lord at all times in every way he knows. If there is anything causing a breach in the conscience it is corrected immediately. Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man [Eccl. 12:13].


Psalm 119:101 says I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. )


Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (When you get set free from sin you voluntarily and jofully become a slave of righteousness. This is when you become a child of God. So, sanctify and examine yourself, and see if you are really in the faith. As you get everything out of your life that is not holy you are calling and waiting on the Lord to perfect all things concerning you [Psalms 138:8].)


1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Few people will find this strait and narrow path of holiness].


Proverbs 2:21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.


Psalm 37:37-38 37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. 38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.


1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. (I Could go on and on with scriptures that show the call to perfection. I think we can agree it is a reality we have to define and discuss and live by as Christians.)


Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.


Perfection for the Mature Believer


We just talked about the perfection of a new believer. Now we will look at perfection for the Mature Believer. Example: The apple: As an apple develops it is perfect through every stage of its development. Even so, it comes to maturity (ripens) over time.


1 Peter 5:10-1110But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (So we see through suffering God perfects us. Even so, on our way to perfection we should still be obeying everything we know to obey. All things are working together for your good.)


James 1:4 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (Be patient, do not lose heart, be fully engaged and God will bring it to pass.)


2 Chronicles 16:9 9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.


(God is looking for someone who commits everything to Him. We have offered our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Now we continue to daily lay down our lives as we nurture our relationship with our heavenly Father. Remember, all of our being has to be offered to God: Attitudes, Conduct, Speech, and Thoughts. Always staying thankful for all things is key.)


2 Corinthians 6:17-7:117Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.


(I do not think of perfection as a place that we attain to, but instead a place that we have to choose to abide in. It is a continuing of your faith in full submission to God learning to be fully dependent on Him. As we abide in Jesus we are continuing in perfection, and finding victory through every trial.)


1 John 4:17 17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.


(God is teaching us to love with a perfect love. Love is true perfection. It is pure, holy, selfless, always treating others as we want to be treated.We are being perfected in love as we lay down our life each day.)


Colossians 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Charity is sacrificial love. Laying down your life each day to serve God and others. If we love God we will sincerely put others first. This is the evidence of the Kingdom of God [John 13:35].)


Romans 13:8-10 8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou

shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.


(1 Corinthians 13:13 If you truly love someone you will never sin against them. That’s why love is a fulfillment of the law.)

How are we perfected? Through the belief and understanding of the word, and through the sanctification of the Spirit (2 Thess. 2:12)!


2 Timothy 3:16-17 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.


Galatians 3:3 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (We cannot be perfected through the works of the law, which are of the flesh, we are perfected by the Spirit of God. It is a work of God! It is a gift! And it is a miracle!)


Hebrews 10:1-4 1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.


(The blood of Jesus alone is able to make the people perfect, unlike the blood of bulls and goats. Behold, the Lamb of God which cometh to take away the sins of the world! As we offer our bodies in obedience to do the will of God, we have faith in the blood of Jesus and are washed and purged from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.)


John 17:17 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.


Hebrews 6:1-4 1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And this will we do, if God permit.


Colossians 1:27-29 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.


( Paul was striving according to the power of the Spirit to make everyone perfect in Christ Jesus. Luke 13:24 says, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able”.)


Most common verses people misunderstand on perfection


1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [This verse is not saying you will never stop sinning. All the surrounding verses say if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). This verse is talking about someone who comes to God and says I have no sin to confess of. Because the Bible teaches that all have sinned (past tense). The Bible does not contradict itself and Jesus Commands us to go and sin no more. If that was impossible to do in Christ then the Bible contradicts itself and it is not the perfect Word of God. If you abide in Christ you will not sin! 1 John 3:9)]


Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. [When He says “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect” he is referring to the resurrection of the dead when we will be made incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:54). So, In this context “perfection” is being used to explain what will happen at the resurrection when we are perfected. At this time there will be no need to die daily to our flesh because we will be perfected bodily. We know this because right after he says “he has not attained to perfection” he says this right after in Philippians 3:15: “ Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”


Jesus is teaching the same thing here in Luke 13:32: And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” You see, Jesus was teaching what Paul was teaching. That He hadn’t been perfected yet concerning the Resurrection. Once Jesus was resurrected from the dead he was perfect concerning the Resurrection of the dead!


In the meantime it is still possible for us to sin and to be corrupted by the sinful desires of our flesh, just like it was Apostle Paul. That’s why we have to be diligent in the scriptures so that we can endure and overcome every temptation through the power of Christ! If a Christian sins it should be the rare exception and not the rule. And it should never be on purpose. And if we sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. People that are fully surrendered to God living for Him with all their heart will receive the grace and mercy that they need to overcome all sin and temptation in their life. Remember, we are commanded to live as Christ lived (1 John 2:6, 1 Peter 2:22). And Just like He overcame by faith through the Spirit, we must do the same!

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