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Does God Expect Perfection? Yes, and He Provides It

Does God expect us to be perfect, and can we actually reach it?

AdventAI

Does God expect us to be perfect ? Yes or No

AdventAI

Yes — God expects us to be perfect, and He has made that perfection possible.

This can feel like an impossible demand, but it is the very standard Christ set and the very standard He enables us to reach. Let me walk you through what perfection really means and how God brings it about.

📖 What "perfect" means

When Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" Matthew 5:48, He was not setting a standard that mocks us. He was describing a character made whole and complete — a life brought into harmony with God's will.

God's law is a transcript of His own character, and it is the standard of all character. So perfection means conformity to God's will and character — loving Him supremely and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Imperfection of character is sin, and sin is the transgression of the law.

Notice the beautiful balance here: as God is perfect in His sphere, so man may be perfect in his human sphere. We are not asked to be God; we are asked to be fully what God created us to be — Christlike.

💪 It is attainable, because Christ commands it

Here is the truth that takes the fear out of the command: Christ would not enjoin perfection unless it were attainable. He is our righteousness, and in His humanity He went before us and wrought out for us perfection of character.

Our Saviour does not require impossibilities of any soul. He expects nothing of His disciples that He is not willing to give them grace and strength to perform. He would not call us to be perfect if He did not have at His command every perfection of grace to bestow on us. He is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children Luke 11:13.

So the command to be perfect is itself a promise — the plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan, and Christ has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul to keep him from sinning.

🌱 It is a lifelong process of growth

Perfection is not a one-time event; it is a progressive work, a continuous work, leading human beings higher and still higher. It is a daily building of character, day by day, for eternity.

Paul himself, the great apostle, said of "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after" Philippians 3:12. He pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Philippians 3:14. This is our path too — continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character.

It is a daily conflict, a battle, a march through much tribulation. Character is formed by hard, stern self-battles, conflict after conflict against hereditary tendencies. It comes step by step by cultivating the virtues God commends. The work is not yet finished in any of us; we are all still learning to copy the Pattern, Christ Himself.

✝️ It comes only through Christ's righteousness

This is the heart of the matter: perfection of character comes only through the gift of His righteousness. We cannot reach it in our own strength, and we are not asked to try. God saw man's hopeless condition and gave His only-begotten Son, so that through partaking of His divine nature we might live that law.

Christ laid aside His royal robes and came to this earth, bringing with Him a power sufficient to overcome sin. He came to live the law of God in humanity, that by partaking of His divine nature, we also might live that law.

So perfection is not the performance of our own works; it is the possession of Christ's righteousness received through faith. As we behold Christ by faith, we are changed into His likeness. He is the author and finisher of our faith Hebrews 12:2. As God is perfect in His high sphere of action, so man may be perfect in his human sphere — through the grace that Christ supplies.

🕊️ The difference between perfection and knowing it all

A word of caution. Perfection does not mean we will never be tempted, never need to grow, or that we will never make a mistake. It means the character is being brought into harmony with God's will, and that we are being clothed in Christ's righteousness.

Christ's followers are not yet perfected in the sense of having arrived; they are still on the way, pressing toward the mark. The nearer we come to Jesus, the more clearly we see our own defects and the more we depend on Him. And that is exactly the attitude God blesses — humble self-distrustful Jesus-trust.

Sanctification is lifelong, not momentary. It requires overcoming temptation and selfishness in all its forms, cultivating love, humility, and the excellencies that please God. It is a path we walk day by day, by faith in the One who is our Example and our righteousness.

✨ The reassurance

Do not let the high standard discourage you. God does not leave you to grope your way along in doubt and perplexity. The promise is sure: He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1:6.

Christ is our righteousness. If we have constant dependence on the merits of our Saviour, and walk in His footsteps, we shall be like Him, pure and undefiled. That is the perfection God calls us to — and He is faithful to bring it about in us, for His glory.

So yes — God expects perfection, but it is a perfection He gives, not one we manufacture. And He will never leave you to reach it alone.

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