[RickJ]

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect". (Matthew 5:48)

Would God give us a command that cannot be followed?

No, he would not. But thankfully, he knows we all fall short and we know that he is faithful and just to forgive us.

It is a series of battles every day.

Tomorrow I will try to win one more battle than I did today.

[phildebenham]

To those who think sinners can't be perfect, God refutes them in His own word. In relation to this, look up the Lord's prayer. Why would Jesus tell us to pray: "and lead us not into temptation" unless sometimes He does?

James 1:13

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."

[Morganite]

To date, this has been a series of interesting exchanges. My concern is that God appears to be getting shoved out of the picture with the approval of believer and unbeliever alike, which, seems to rob the saying of Jesus of its force and denude it of its meaning.

Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect."

If he meant what he said, it has to be much more than the Golden Rule, although as the saying goes, "No Golden Rule, no nothing!"

So what could he have meant?

Consider the improbablility that Jesus was merely throwing out a baseless challenge to people the didn't think would take it serirously, and consider also that he is hardly likely to have expected his hearers - then and now - to waltz their way to perfection in the legalistic sense, we are still left with the original question: "What did he mean?"

It was more than simply being nice to everyone, although that is of primary importance for Christ's disciples to do that. Were it not so he would have said so, but he indicated otherwise.

What did he mean? Jesus said things that show in powerful ways that becoming one of his followers was not an easy glide into the kingdom of God, and minimalising his teachings and expectations does a disservice to his teachings.

Cheap discipleship always looks for the back door, hoing to slip inside the kingdom while the watchman is distracted, but costly discipleship is the grunt and grind of life, with Jesus and his sonship as the crown waiting for those who join the race and endure to the end. Being perfect in trying to do what Jesus called, " ... the will of my father which is in heaven," means doing our very best at all times.



M:)RGANITE

[Hope12]

Dear Hank,

. To view this as incompatible with perfection is to ignore the meaning of the term, substituting a personal concept that goes contrary to fact. God’s intelligent creatures are granted free moral agency, the privilege and responsibility of making a personal decision as to the course they will take. (De 30:19, 20; Jos 24:15) I
It is evident that this was the case with the first human pair, so that their devotion to God could be subject to test. (Ge 2:15-17; 3:2, 3) As their Maker, Jehovah knew what he wanted of them, and from the Scriptures it is clear that he wanted, not an automatic, virtually mechanical obedience, but worship and service that sprang from hearts and minds motivated by genuine love. (Compare De 30:15, 16; 1Ch 28:9; 29:17; Joh 4:23, 24.) If Adam and his wife had lacked the ability to choose in this matter, they would not have met God’s requirements; they would not have been complete, perfect, according to his standards.

It must be remembered that perfection as it relates to humans is a relative perfection, limited to the human sphere. Though created perfect, Adam could not go beyond the limits assigned him by his Creator; he could not eat dirt, gravel, or wood without suffering ill effects; if he tried to breathe water instead of air, he would drown. Similarly, if he allowed his mind and heart to feed on wrong thoughts, this would lead to entertaining wrong desires and finally bring sin and death.—Jas 1:14, 15; compare Ge 1:29; Mt 4:4.
That the creature’s individual will and choice are determining factors readily becomes evident. If we were to insist that a perfect man could not take a wrong course where a moral issue was involved, should we not also logically argue that an imperfect creature could not take a right course where such moral issue was involved? Yet some imperfect creatures do take a right course on moral issues involving obedience to God, even choosing to suffer persecution rather than change from such a course; while at the same time others deliberately engage in doing what they know is wrong. Thus not all wrong actions can be excused by human imperfection. The individual’s will and choice are deciding factors. In the same way, it was not human perfection alone that would guarantee right action by t:p he first man but, rather, the exercise of his own free will and choice as motivated by love for his God and for what was right.—Pr 4:23.

So in conclusion Hank, I would say, “I am perfectly, imperfect!” :o

Take care and good post Hank.
Hope12

[lilfyre]

My daughter and I volunteer for an equine rehabilitation center and youth out reach for troubled teens it is called H. P. Precision Rebuilding Center, H.P. stand for His Perfect Precision, meaning yes God, for what it is worth, it has defiantly been a main stay in my daughter's life.

[Fr_Chuck]

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect". (Matthew 5:48)

HANK :confused:

Hank my wife says I am, and since I am forgiven God sees me that way too.
Not perfect but perfect in their eyes since I am loved and forgiven.