Resources/Articles
Perfection
And behold, one came to him and said,
“Teacher, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?”
And he said unto him,
“Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good:
but if thou wouldest enter into life,
keep the commandments.”
He saith unto him, “Which?”
And Jesus said, “Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery,
thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness.
Honor thy father and thy mother, and,
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
The young man saith unto him,
“All these things have I observed: what lack I yet?”
Jesus said unto him, “If thou wouldest be perfect, go,
sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow me."
Matthew 19.16-21 (ASV)
“Perfect” is one of those words often misunderstood (even by Christians) as meaning “a state of sinlessness.” The grave consequence of this misunderstanding is that it justifies the very life that God demands man to turn from: serving fleshly lusts. Both Peter and Paul pointed this out in their epistles (cf. Galatians 5.19-21; Ephesians 4.17-23; 1 Peter 4.3-6).
Repentance is not easy. While it involves making a choice to serve a new master, it calls upon man to make a self-sacrifice: die to his own sins. “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness” (Romans 6.15-18).
What possible motivation could be strong enough to empower a person to give up pursuing happiness and enjoyment as he deems best for himself and others? Nothing other than the promise of a greater life from a being who has the power to both create and sustain life (cf. Psalm 18.15; 33.6; Acts 17.25). Who or what is powerful enough to cause a person to acknowledge the failings of his own way of thinking (cf. Proverbs 14.12; Jeremiah 10.23)? Only a being who possesses a wisdom that man cannot know apart from God. “Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? Seat it is hid from the eyes of all living…God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof” (Job 28.20-21a,23).
God declared through the prophet Isaiah, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46.9-10). The apostle Paul declared that God “giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4.17). All this power resides in God’s word.
What he declares comes to pass. “For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55.10-11). So, when Jesus spoke to the young ruler in Matthew 19.21 about achieving perfection, it would happen because God declared it. Let us briefly note some facts about this perfection of which Jesus spoke:
- It was to obtain eternal life. The ruler asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (Matthew 19.16).
- Eternal life needed to be desired above all his other desires (his possessions — Matthew 19.22). Jesus told him, “If thou wouldest be perfect…” (Matthew 19.21).
- Eternal life involved respect for Jesus’ authority. Jesus told him, “…Go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19.21).
Eternal life is the equivalent of perfection in this text. Jesus told him how it is possible. It requires self-denial and discipleship in this life. This is seen from Matthew 19.22: “But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.”
This perfection (eternal life) will be revealed at Judgment. It is reserved for all who exercise faith in Jesus’ words (cf. 1 Peter 1.4-5).
