Does a perfect Christian exist? Is it even possible for us to be perfect, sinless, just as Jesus was? Or is perfection even required for heaven, for eternal life?
Will God save almost perfect people? Will He save someone who has only one little sin left, one sinful indulgence left—almost perfect?
“Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will He help the evil doers.” Job 8:20. God will not cast away a perfect man. Sinners, He will cast away when He divides the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46).
A perfect Christian will not take chances with sin, as there is a risk in doing so, in losing one’s salvation. An almost perfect Christian will not be saved, he will be lost.
“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” Psalm 1:5. A sinner cannot stand among the righteous. He will not feel at ease or comfortable among God’s people.
Jesus spoke the parable of the tares and the wheat. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn.” Separating the tares from the wheat is the work of the third angel, and it is going on today.
“The mighty shaking has commenced and will go on, and all will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth, and to sacrifice for God and His cause.” –Early Writings, p. 50. The shaking will continue until all the chaff is separated, and only perfect, sinless people remain.
What is the measure of the perfection we must reach? “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. Perfection is a heavenly standard, not an earthly one.
Professed Christians, who do not believe that perfection is required or that it is even possible to attain, will never reach it. They are not hungering after righteousness. They set themselves to a low standard, and even this low standard, they often fail to reach.
Yet, the Bible is clear. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13. We can overcome sin through Christ. Jesus never said that perfection is impossible. He told people to be perfect, and He also told them how they can attain perfection—not in our own strength, but in His strength.
Once a rich young man came to Jesus, asking how he can obtain eternal life. Jesus said simply: If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. “The young man saith unto Him, all these things I have kept from
my youth up: what lack I yet?” Matthew 19:20. What did Jesus answer? “Jesus saith unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.” Matthew 19:21. Jesus did not say, you cannot be perfect. No. He told the rich young man, if you want to be perfect, you must sell all that you have. He pointed out the young man’s lack, his love for his riches made him imperfect in his keeping of the commandments.
Were the Jews perfect? Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23. In Luke 11:42, the same pronouncement by Jesus also speaks of their lack of love, that they “pass over judgment and the love of God.” In tithe paying, yes, they were perfect. Jesus said that they paid their tithes faithfully. But Jesus pointed out that their faithful paying of tithes was not an excuse to neglect other things such as judgment, mercy, faith, and love. These weightier matters of the law were neglected; thus, Jesus pronounced a woe on them.
Did the Jews love the Romans? Did they love the Gentiles into whose houses they could not enter in for fear that they would contaminate themselves? Did they love the publicans, the sinners? Did they love their enemies? We know that the answer to all of these questions is “no”. The Jews were not perfect.
“And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.” Luke 11:39. From the outside they looked clean, from the outside they looked good—fasting often, praying in the street corners, giving money to the poor. They washed their hands before eating. They felt that Jesus and the disciples were not so holy as they were. They looked perfect from the outside, but the inside was not clean, it was full of wickedness. Their heart was not pure.
David, at the close of his reign, delivered a solemn message to the leaders of Israel, who were in charge of the work of God. And to Solomon, his son, who would lead the nation after his death, David gave special counsel. “And thou, O Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind.” 1 Chronicles 28:9. A great responsibility rests on the leaders of God’s church, to keep the people’s minds focused on God and away from corrupting influences, and in order to do this, the leaders must be perfect and blameless before God.
Jeremiah tells us ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9. Yet, it can be made clean and perfect. When the heart is perfect, everything else is perfect, including our thoughts, our word,s and our actions.
The natural way for a human to behave is with selfishness, pride, and envy:
It is human to seek for revenge, but divine to forgive.
It is human to hate, but divine to love.
It is human to care for oneself, but divine to care for others.
It is human to love praise and recognition, but it is divine to cast our own glory to the dust.
It is human to cast stones at others, but it is divine to let the stones fall on us.
It is human to criticize and condemn, but it is divine to be blind to the sins of others. . . .
Timo Martin
This was the end of his notes. What would you answer to the question, “Have you ever met a perfect Christian?