How Perfect Are You?
How perfect are you? Most people will probably respond with an answer saying that they are far from perfect. Other people may say that nobody can be perfect, it’s impossible. Not to insult anyone, but such statements always bring me back to my conclusion that I made many years ago that people either don’t read the bible, they don’t believe in the bible, or they don’t understand the Bible.
Perfection is something that is required if we are to have a chance at eternal life. The first thing that we need to do is change our mindset. Proverbs 23:7 said “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. If you think that perfection is not achievable to you, it won’t be. Furthermore, not becoming perfect is cause for man to sin in the eyes of the Father. If such a requirement was impossible, Christ would not have commanded men saying: “Be Perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
The main reason that people go against this biblical principle is because they have defined what “perfection” is for themselves. We cannot take man’s perception and apply it to biblical principles. Others that have read Matthew 5:48 believe that this is some sort of parable. How can I as a human achieve the same level of perfection as the Father?
Some of the greatest men to ever live were deemed “perfect” although they had some flaws throughout their life. This means then, that your concept of ‘God’s perfection” has been influenced by the world. Such dictionaries, like merriam-webster, defines the word “perfect” as having no mistakes or flaws.
Genesis 6:9 said that Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Job 1:1 stated that Job was perfect and upright. God commanded Abraham to walk before me, and be thou perfect. When King Hezekiah 
prayed to the Father before he was scheduled to depart the earth, he wept sore and spoke to the Father saying “O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.”
During the New Testament era, both Apostles Peter and Paul preached about perfection. Apostle Paul told the Saints “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).
Being perfect does not mean that you won’t never get upset or angry. It doesn’t even mean that you have lived your life free from sin for the Bible has said “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
So what then is perfection and how do we get there? In order to be perfect, we must search deep to find out if we are doing everything that God is commanding us to do, in the way that he commanded us to do it. In Matthew 19, the rich man came to Christ asking him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life (v16)? Christ answered him saying, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (v17) When the rich man went on to describe to Christ all of the commandments that he had kept since his youth, Christ then replied “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Christ is equating eternal life with commandment keeping which causes you to be perfect. Perfection comes when you do all that God has commanded us to do, and I must add, the way that he designed it to be done.
One does not just hear the word and then becomes perfect. It is a practice that has to be exercised on a daily basis. When you hear that a baseball player has the perfect swing, he didn’t just pick up a bat and perfection was instantaneous. Practice was essential and repetition was necessary. This is why the Bible is constantly encouraging us to continue in his word.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;- 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32
Unfortunately, contending for the faith has become a burden to the world. People see so many different religions and religious denominations, that they have come to accept this notion that as long as their heart is right, God will accept their 
imperfections. We must understand that he establishes the rules and gives the requirements for eternal life. While we may come to him imperfect, it is his requirement for us to move into a perfected state. This is why he is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. (Eph.5:27)
We must not get confused with the message that the writers of the bible gave. Such authors make statements similar to what we see in 1 John 4:12:
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.- 1 John 4:12
The author was talking to “THE CHURCH”, who knew and understood the truth. He was explaining to them that they were the Children of God and have overcome the antichrist. (v4-v6). For this reason, they were made perfect and his love is perfected in them. People often times use these kind of verses to say that God’s love is perfected in them despite their sin, so there is no need to try to be perfect.
Many psychologist attempt to philosophy this principle. “If God is perfect, why did He make an imperfect creation? In the book of Genesis, the Bible tells us that creation was good. There was no sin until Adam and Eve committed it. If he wanted man to be perfect, why did he allow them to know sin? When God created man, he created him to serve and obey him, not because he made them do so, but because man loved his creator. This is what is called “free will.” Because of man’s imperfection, God sent his only begotten son to die for our sins. We all make mistakes, but we should learn from our mistakes. If we sin, a system is set up for us to still be perfect. It is called repentance. When we repent, the bible tells us that God will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sin into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
