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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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Wrestling with Perfection, I
Posted on November 19, 2007
Filed Under Worldview |
It was almost a month ago when I first threw this issue on the table. In between then and today, I have logged two international trips, two eastern time zone trips, and a trip to College of the Ozarks.
I am looking forward to my first weekend at home in a month.
Now, I am not complaining about any of this. We have seen the Lord bless in wonderful ways at our Truth Project training conferences. I just returned yesterday from a delightful time with our dear Canadian brothers and sisters, where they sold out the conference in Edmonton, Alberta. So, I am not complaining…only trying to rationalize why I have been so absent and why it has taken so long to respond to your comments.
But, additionally, I must admit that this is not a simple issue. Last Saturday, our Truth Project team had a very lively discussion about all of this as we were driving to lunch. Your comments have highlighted some of the complexities.
Well, as I tell my seminary students over and over again, any time we come to a perplexing issue or want to study a particular area, we always begin at the source of all truth: the character of God. What do we find here that will get us started in the right direction? In addition, we want to look at the truth about man and, because we are also dealing with material things (pine needles on my roof) we need to refresh ourselves with the truth about the creation and our relationship to it.
How do we do this in 500 words or less?
Well, we can’t…at least not “perfectly”. 
But let’s make some headway towards it and some of you can continue the process on your own.
First, in obvious summary, what do we know about God in this area? Jesus said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48); His law is perfect (Psa 19:7); His way is perfect (2 Sam 22:31); His works are perfect (Deut 34:2); He is perfect in beauty (Psa 50:2).
God is infinitely perfect…in His nature and in what He does.
The picture of man and creation is quite different. Though both were created “good” (His works are perfect), the promised consequences of the Rebellion changed all of that. The moral state of man is now one of depravity, a heart that is “desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9). The state of the creation also changed from “very good” to one that is “cursed” (Gen 3:17), in “decay” (Rom 8:21) and “groaning” (Rom 8:22).
So, God is perfect, but we are not. And, we live in a cosmos that is cursed and decaying.
Yet we have all of these commands to be perfect: Jesus says that we are to be “perfect” as He is perfect; the Lord appeared to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 and commanded him to “walk before Me and be thou perfect”; 2 Corinthians 13:11 commands us to “Aim for perfection.”
But is “perfect” possible? Can anyone really be perfect as God is perfect? And what is the extent of this? Is it limited only to my moral state before God or does it extend to my relationships with others? Does it include the quality of my work…or my desk…or my gutters? And how does the issue of “order” and “disorder” fit into all of this? We know that God is a God of order and not of disorder (Job 25:2/1 Cor 14:33). Does that have any implications for my room or my car? If so, how “orderly” should my room be before I lapse into pathological obsessions?
This is not easy. But I think we can take a good shot at sorting it all out…tomorrow.
See you then!
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13 Responses to “Wrestling with Perfection, I”
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I am grateful for your mission to clarify the essence of what it means to be a Christian. John 14 and Romans 5, 6, 7, and 8 are preferred references of mine. Please be aware that I am attempting to create a Christian based logical curriculum to counter point by point the self-esteem curriculum being inculcated in our public schools across the country. I was referred to your website by Christian Educators Association.
God Bless you and your ministry, Dale Knepper
Dr. Tackett,
Can we be perfect? Before the Fall? Perhaps! Although I have my doubts. As a fallen people? No way! From your article the Jeremiah quotation answers the question “perfectly”: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
Again, from your article: ‘Yet we have all of these commands to be perfect: Jesus says that we are to be “perfect” as He is perfect; the Lord appeared to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 and commanded him to “walk before Me and be thou perfect”; 2 Corinthians 13:11 commands us to “Aim for perfection.” ‘
When I ask my children to obey and follow the rules, do I wish for perfection? Yes. Do I expect perfection? No. As fallen creatures we have the ultimate example in Christ Jesus as our guide, as our “perfect” template. What we strive for “to be ‘perfect’ as He is perfect” is our mission as Christians. Having a goal that is unattainable is where Faith comes roaring in to save us from our deceitful hearts. This is where the argument of salvation by “works” falls apart so severely! Works for works sake are the product of the deceitful heart trying to “do enough” to earn back the righteousness (or the perfection?) lost in the Fall. The idea of “earning” your way back to perfection in the eyes of our Creator is a blasphemous insult to the supreme sacrifice made by the “perfect” Lamb of God!
But I digress….
From a practical perspective, is there anything that we can do perfectly? Do we love our spouse and our children perfectly? Do we as Christians love Him perfectly? No. I, a poor miserable sinner, am guilty of great imperfection in all of these things! Even my faith is imperfect in that I continue to strive for a transition from faith (small “f”) to Faith (capital “F”) in Jesus and His perfect gift! Since perfection is not a requirement for salvation (Thank God!) I’ll put my faith in the “perfect” promise of John 3:16!
On the practical side of our lives… Striving for perfection in the day to day things that we do is a reasonable goal as with all things, when done in moderation. Removing all the mud from the bottom of a gutter is not a moderate choice because the mud will be back soon and its presence does not hamper the functionality of the gutter. Over-cleaning the gutter would in fact take time away from much more useful activities such as family time and making entries into your great Blog!
My wife has a classic Obsessive-Compulsive (OC) personality. How she puts up with a slob like me I’ll never know! Anyway, I have observed that she has high expectations for herself and for our family. But she has learned to moderate her compulsive behaviors to issues and actions that either “do no harm” (she lines up the patterns on our dinner plates when she stacks them) or more importantly, that benefit the family (she loves us all in an OC manner)!
Thanks for the great subject and the opportunity to share!
Dan…
another adaptation of this scropture is: Walk before me and be BLAMELESS. To be blameless according to GOD’s WORD is to live in humility before all men, not to complain, work as working for the Lord and not man, do not judge anyone, and to slander no one, to pray for those who would harm you. I enjoyed your discourse and Hope that you were coming to the truth of it. I could not wait. It is so ergently needed.
May the Lord Continue to bless you in you do for him.
LM
As I understand Christian perfection, our ability to “be perfect as Jesus is perfect” comes from the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not a perfection in the human sense of perfection, but rather a wholeness, a completedness in Christ. Our perfection comes from being one with the Creator, by receiving and abiding IN Christ. Without His indwelling Presence, we cannot and will never be perfected. Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart.
Dear Dr Tackett,
I understand the translated word perfect to also mean mature. Jesus does not give us a laundry list of actions, only attitudes that he skillfully brings to the hearers’ attention. His definition of mature is one who has the attitude and actions of love. We cannot attain the kind of love God says is perfect without the indwelling Holy Spirit who changes our hearts and lives by our relinquishing control to Him. He now acts through us. The key point is our desire to know God, love God, and obey God. He will change us.
Dr. Tackett,
I appreciate the fact that you are addressing this subject in what seems to be a “go-with-the-flow” day and age. It has become extremely evident to me how lacksidaysicle people have become regarding their Christian walk as there are so many avenues to travel for the feel-good-about-yourself philosophies. I am teaching sixth grade at a Christian school where I am also the chaplain for Jr. High and High School. Recently, I have been contemplating the sinless life of Jesus while here on earth. Knowing that He willingly gave up His divine right to perfection, yet accomplished the task of becoming the perfect sacrifice for our sin while in the form of man in our depraved, corrupted world gives me great hope that we can accomplish more than most of us expect in terms of perfection. I think of how God chose the family Jesus would be raised in and the fact that Jesus would have to memorize the Torah by the age of 12 like all the other Jewish boys of His time. What amazing things can take place in our lives when we choose to immerse ourselves in the Word of God rather than the distractions of our culture? The Living Word of God is our only means to the perfection we have been called to, and most of us have barely begun to uncover what God desires for us.
Thankyou for sharing your wisdom on this subject, surrounded with God’s Word–what an inspiration you are to so many of us!
Thanks for this series. I’ve always been a black and white kind of person who struggles with how far to go in everything. I can logically take anything to an end and most times that picture prevents me from starting at all because I KNOW that I cannot measure up. God is gracious. Thanks again.
the Bible teaches that God is perfect and as well as everything he has created. As for humans, sin does not keep us from being aware of, or familiar with perfection. In fact, we have an instinctive afinity for perfection and deeply long for it. That is why we are having this discussion. However, the deeper and more intimate we bcome with God the more clear it becomes that we are hopelessly imperfect. Even many of our greatest accomplishments such as space travel and organ replacement surgery fail the standard of perfection forcing us, if we are honest, to admit to flaws in every asect of our humaness. However, here is the fantastic, almost incredible, truth that gives us joy, hope and extreme encouragement: God loves us, has chosen to forgive us and redeem every aspect of our hopelessly, flawed lives. Amazingly, he invites us to allow Him to accomplish perfect, eternal things through us in spite of our contaminated thoughts and actions. Embracing his truth and refusing to relie on our own flawed understanding, God uses us in His perfect work. However, regardless of how “transformed” we may become, we “can do nothing” without God’s perfect involvement. Rightly understood, this doctrine produces a God induced humility rendering us useful in God’s perfect plan until we exit this world into His Kingdom and lose all of our imperfections.
Shalom … one response was close to the correct way we must look at Jesus’ words that we must be perfect. I am one who lives in the world of Biblical archaeology and Israel geography plus studying the ancient culture and customs of ancient Israel. One thing we have come to understand is that Jesus probably spoke in Hebrew and not in Aramaic and clearly not in Greek. If He did speak in Hebrew and we take the Greek word that was translated into English as “perfect” and take that Greek word and match it to the Hebrew word the Greek word tranlates in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament translated in Alexandria Egypt near 250 B.C.E., we then can get a better idea as to what Jesus meant. The Greek word is used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew word SHALEM - not shalom. SHALEM means complete, grown up, attaining maturity, and NOT perfect! We can not be perfect and Jesus as a Jewish Rabbi would never teach something so absurd. He as a Jewish rabbi never taught in mystery or confusion. Our Father in Heaven is complete and does what we expect since God is in a state of total completeness. We are in the process of sanctification, the process of being made KADOSH which is translated as holy. But, KADOSH means separate or set apart. So, Jesus is probably saying that we must also be like our Father - we must come to the state He wants us to be in - the state of being KADOSH, separate, so that the world does see us as very different and very unique. We are different and unique since we are His people and obey His commands. That is the state of completeness in Him.
John Ferret
The Rocks Will Cry Out
Teaching the Hebrew Heritage of Our Faith
yochanan@ties2.net
I wish I’d known you were going to be at the College of the Ozarks; I live 10 minutes away and would have loved to have connected with you in some way, if possible. In God’s Providence I was able to attend the live training in Yorba Linda, Calif., but didn’t want to compete with hundreds of others to meet you personally, and would have liked to have done so here in the Ozarks. Is your speaking schedule on the web somewhere?
I did a Bible Study on the desire for perfection for the mentors at a local school called “Future Men.” http://www.FutureMen4God.com
You can download an outline here: http://www.KevinCraig.us/character/ThePerfectClub.doc
I have developed some thinking along these lines on a not-ready-for-prime-time website:
http://JustificationByAllegiance.com
I see I’m four or five posts behind in your series on perfection. Better stop commenting and start catching up!
With respect to the Hebrew heritage of our faith and the ancient history and culture of Israel, I remind you about what Marx said - take away our heritage and history and you can teach people anything. That is why I invite you to consider going back to our Jewish roots. Many of you at Focus went with RVL to Israel. I too. My ministry was endorsed by his, “That the World May Know.” To understand what Jesus meant to be perfect I invite you to study the book, “The Difficult Words of Jesus,” by Biven. A good place to begin is at http://www.egrc.net.
Shalom and todah rabah - John Ferret
I do the Truth Project big time. I will do one in January here at Meadow Creek Christian School in Andover Minnesota. I was trained last year. My son Tim Ferret is a graduate of Focus and I am sure Dr. Tackett will remember the crazy Korean!!
As I see it and it is no stranger to any of us who have pondered the question of perfection within the confines of this mortal body, their can be only one way to perfection and it is through and in the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus covers us continually and the Holy Spirit joined with the Word of God convicts us and leads us into all righteousness as the Blood continually cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Oh I praise Him for His perfections and thank Him for our weaknesses because His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Because we can go to the cross, He is to be praised. Perfection and Holiness are gifts wrapped in the Blood of the One who loved us first. Yes all we have to do is abide and remain humble. And yes we can step out of the perfection that comes from abiding in Him and drain our lamps of that precious oil, but if we maintain our lamps through the advancing through of adversities and faithfulness to His plan in our lives we walk towards and advance the kingdom as we become the revealed and manifest sons of God. Exciting isn’t it. He has called us to perfection and He has made a way. Simply abide in Him. He has bought all of us (spirit, soul and body) He even purchased our problems, and imperfections, our joys our sorrows, our plusses and minuses. Even your hairs are numbered (whats left of them) because he purchased your hair also. The body belongs to the Lord. And what belongs to the Lord is perfect even in its weakness because of the Blood and its purchase. Isaiah the prophet was brought into the Third Heaven and was undone because he was in the presence of Holiness and knew in deep sense of depravity that he was a man of unclean lips. Just as we are all men whose tongues can be set afire of hell, we have the Blood of Jesus whereby we may enter boldly into the Holy of Holies because the Blood is the coal that cleanses. Amen. How awesome that God has made a way for perfection. So be encouraged my fellow journeymen. So everytime you repent, you are perfect, everytime you lift your hands and praise Him you are perfect. Everytime you call on the Name of the Lord you are perfect. Everytime you choose to be humble. You are perfect. Everytime you forgive you are perfect. And most of all, everytime you give Him Glory and remember His death and ressurection you are perfect. And I could go on, and on. Just remember Satan would love for you to dwell on the lies and the deceptions, because his success is dependant on our ignorance. Know that you are redeemed! Oh, I hear a song coming on…. Are you washed, in the blood, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb, are your garments spotless are they white as snow are you washed by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB
Reading the topic on perfection. The posting are good but how do we (I) know the remarks are Biblically correct. I am no longer interested in “layman” view. I looking for seasoned educated teachers, who walk match their talk. I believe you are one.