If you are like me and have been in the church long enough you have heard that God requires perfection. Many have been taught to believe that despite being saved by grace that our works some way impacts the way God looks at us. You hear passages such as the one in James where it says "faith without works is dead" and others such as in Matthew where it says "Be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect" and you wonder well there it is, we must someway earn our way to God's approval and salvation. Guilt and shame starts to creep in because you find yourself always falling short from a standard that you have been told you must attain to receive God's approval. You see your church boards, nominating commitees and other groups always seeking to choose those who best fall in line with these standards. You look to passages like these and see the logic that this is the way it is. Yet you find it confusing to understand where grace comes in all of this? While I completely believe these passages and quote them often, its also true that we come to scripture interpreting them at surface level then actually studying its intended context. Its very easy to believe things that appear to be real when they are actually false. We see that in the media and on social media where headlines catch our attention but later on disover they are false once carefully researched. The truth is we all are guilty of interpreting scripture from our own lens or looking at life in a way that makes sense to us. When we approach the scriptures we must always seek to lay our thoughts aside and seek to discover God's perspective. I know this is easier said then done but by doing this we will see more truth as it really is and build confidence in our creator. When it comes to perfection it is dangerous to fall into the trap of believing that we will ever be perfect in this life. Scripture makes it very plain from beginning to end that only God is perfect. In fact Jesus says this himself that "No one is good but God alone." and Paul clearly states that our "corrupted bodies will one day be uncorrupted when Christ returns" So how do we reconcile passages that speak of our works being essential and perfection neccessary vs other passages that state we are sick from head to toe? The answer is context. One thing you can know for sure is God's word will never contradict itself. Its always our preconceived ideas that we bring into the text that lead to distorted conclusions. When Jesus talks about perfection he was teaching his followers to love their enemies and not just those who do good to them like the unbelievers do to those who love them. Jesus described this type of effort as "perfection." Perfection in God's eyes is seeking to love others like He loves us. Perfection is to love even the unlovable. Isnt that amazing? That means we love and accept all humans because God counted them worthy. WIth this understanding our churches should be a place of grace and forgiveness alwasys seeking to uplift sinners and finding hope in Gods redemption. We should let God do the judging because only He can read the heart of man. It is through love that we turn hearts back to Him and help sinners find their way. As as scriptrues says "it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance." In conclusion the church should alwasy be willing to utilize those who are willing to work for the cause of Christ because He has given us all access by His grace. True faith is an action and that is why James tells us that faith without works is dead. When you believe something it carrys over into action. So instead of believing the lie that God requires perfection aka sinlessness understand instead God requires your willingness and commitment to love others as he has loved you. Can you trust and serve a God like that? I know I can. Hope you do too.
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