Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Perfection, what is it exactly? I know this to be a spiritual term, not something we can measure scientifically but we know because our creator has built us with a longing for perfection. A scientist can’t say anything is perfect, because what is perfect? They can say something is pure, but even gold refined to the best human standards is only 99.99% pure. The problem with perfection is we know exactly what it is, and we know we can’t obtain it on our own.

You will notice the “Therefore” in front of the perfect, and it’s therefore a reason. We are to look back on all the standards placed before, Jesus has spent 45 chapters giving us an exposition of the law and the prophets, telling us how we should live, but now he tells us Be perfect. When the scribes of the middle ages place chapters to books of the bible, I can see why they chose this as a natural place to end one.

So what is perfection? Jesus tells us, God our Father who is in heaven is perfect. The standard of perfection is actually written on the heart of mankind, when we are born, we have some kind of sense of perfection. It’s quite amazing humans can dream of perfection, but never actually obtain it here on earth. I think of the middle ages, when men would build beautiful cathedrals, these unearthly places, reflecting God’s perfection in every little detail, but yet they were not perfect, they were as close to perfect as we humans could on this fallen world.

Can we obtain perfection? The good news is yes, but it’s not what we do, but rather our perfection is based on the work of Christ alone. Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf, He pleased the Father, and He took on our sin and the fathers wrath for not being perfect. We are perfect because of what Jesus has done, not by what we are doing.

But in our lives we should be seeking perfection. We should be seeking to be like the builders of the cathedrals, looking to make something that is as close to perfect, knowing that the God we love, provides the standard by how we live our lives.

Lord, help me to dwell on the perfect, help me to seek the eternal, and help me be used by You here on this fallen world. Lord, I know I am not perfect, but help me, refine me, and purify me that, one day I will be perfected in Your Glory.