You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
MATTHEW 5:48
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,
to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
ACTS 20:28
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
EPHESIANS 4:15-16
And my God will supply every need of yours according
to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
PHILIPIANS 4:19
Is perfection possible in the human experience?
On the question of perfection, we have all be trained and conditioned to immediately declare "nobody's perfect" whenever the word is introduced.. Perhaps we're selling ourselves (and God) short when we stop short of answering the command "be ye perfect" by mentally invoking the impossibility of human perfection; we are imposing limits on a limitless God - dangerous game. So how do we traverse this exhortation to be perfect with the idea that no human is perfect. Maybe we do so by broadening our definition of what perfect means and how it finds its place in scripture. We may be assuming (wrongly) that God has commanded us to "be perfect" within our own power and in our own framework. Consider:
On the question of perfection, we have all be trained and conditioned to immediately declare "nobody's perfect" whenever the word is introduced.. Perhaps we're selling ourselves (and God) short when we stop short of answering the command "be ye perfect" by mentally invoking the impossibility of human perfection; we are imposing limits on a limitless God - dangerous game. So how do we traverse this exhortation to be perfect with the idea that no human is perfect. Maybe we do so by broadening our definition of what perfect means and how it finds its place in scripture. We may be assuming (wrongly) that God has commanded us to "be perfect" within our own power and in our own framework. Consider:
- God's perfection
God is the only being with absolute perfection. The Bible describes God's works, ways, knowledge, laws, and will as perfect. - Christ's perfection
True followers of Christ can become perfect through his grace and atonement. - Human perfection
The Bible calls people to be "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). This means being a reflection of God's character and moral excellence.
CMCC & YOU: the dance of perfecting one another
Our vision for the church should be similar, if not the same as, the vision we hold for ourselves and our own growth. The church is a reflection of the people who inform it's local presence and we are called individually to love another and, at a corporate level, to hold ourselves and each other accountable for the sustained wellbeing of ALL the members of the body of the Church. While we could reasonably hold the mortal position that neither we as individuals nor the church as a flock of individuals flying as one, will ever be perfect in the human definition. But scripture is clear on this - that's not the point. We are called to be perfect in the striving for the high calling and, in so doing, being held in integrity, blameless and seeking the Truth of God in our individual and corporate lives. The perfection is the process and the reliance on the promises of God.
This week, we are asking you about your own beliefs about the perfection we seek as individuals and as a church relaying on the promises of God for our sustenance. Though shorter and perhaps a bit simpler, the thoughts for our Vision Week 3 are supremely important in creating and holding a Vision for ourselves and the church because they go to whether we truly believe what we espouse about the nature of our walk with God.
This week, we are asking you about your own beliefs about the perfection we seek as individuals and as a church relaying on the promises of God for our sustenance. Though shorter and perhaps a bit simpler, the thoughts for our Vision Week 3 are supremely important in creating and holding a Vision for ourselves and the church because they go to whether we truly believe what we espouse about the nature of our walk with God.
|
|
