Matthew 5:48 (NKJV) Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
If there is one thing we can all agree on, we aren’t perfect. But here is plain Scripture telling us “you shall be perfect”. Is God setting us up for failure?
Never. This kind of perfection come in two flavors: today and tomorrow.
Our goal for today is to be perfect. We may never have a single day where we really are perfect (sin free in word, thought, motive and deed)… but every day our GOAL is Godly perfection which can be summed up this way: a little more holy and a little less sinful. Jesus is our example. Our daily perfection is the genuine desire and effort to be more like Christ (He must increase and I must decrease – John 3:30).
“Tomorrow perfection” is a promise made only to Christians. The day we meet Jesus face to face we will become genuinely perfect in all ways: sin free, a new ageless body, a new creation with no curse. Real perfection. Eternal perfection.
So… we “shall be perfect” today by doing our best to imitate Christ in all ways; and we “shall be perfect” tomorrow (eternity) not just in effort, but in reality.
Think It Over: some think they are “perfect” simply because they deceive themselves. They measured themselves against others who are imperfect. Others don’t really think about striving for holy perfection, it’s just not that important. How about you?