The Theology of Perfection
(Incomplete)
On the road to prophetic (sinless) perfection
One of the achievements of the end-of-the-age, promised by Yeshua, is 'all truth' and the central theme of 'all truth' is perfection. We can never have 'all truth' without perfection.
The simple teaching of Scripture is that we, God's Royal Priesthood, will one day attain sinless perfection. That is, by definition, what it means to be 'in the image of God'. All humans were made with that potential, it is not the right of every human, it is the opportunity of every human. Like a deflated ballon inside each of us, it can be inflated and filled with the manifesting presence, power and glory of God. Unfortunately, life and Scripture teach that only a minority of participants get the 'A'. Only a remnant seriously strive for perfection. For those who wish to, the following disscussion should be helpful and encouraging.
There are many issues involved:
What exactly is perfection?
Can we ever be perfect (in this life)?
Can we be perfect today?
How can we become perfect?
When will we become perfect?
Why is no one perfect?
All of these and more can be answered, so let us begin.
We must begin in the beginning. In the beginning man was perfect. God created a perfect environment into which he put a perfect man and woman - and it was good. For some time (we don't know how long) they lived and functioned as designed. In this environment of moral tension man went about his duties - choosing to obey God. Living perfectly was neither impossible or unnatural - perfection was the normal state of man.
Unfortunatly, this state of perfection did not continue long. (I say unfortunately, but that is only at the pragmatic level. At the soviegn level it was the best thing that could happen. More about that latter.) It is interesting to note that sinfulness began in the spiritual realm not in the physical. In our journey down the road to perfection we will have to deal with many untruths. The idea that our sinfulness is connected with the physical relm (our bodies and fleshly appetites), and that somehow that sinfulness will be released from us when we die and pass into the spiritual dimension is one very deceptive doctrine. I will deal with this myth of 'instant perfection' later on.
Satan turned bad
State prefection (Innocence)
Definitions of perfection
Deliberate perfection
The test given
The command
The Myth of Instant Perfection
Christianity has a very dubious doctrine of 'instant perfection'. They teach directly or indirectly that perfection happens at the moment we cross into the after life. This is usually done a death or for those living at the end of the age it will be at the Rapture. This doctrine, while almost universally assummed, can not be supportted by Scripture. It actually contributes to the low priority holiness has in this life. It time the truth about perfection is fully explored and accepted.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39,40)
Hebrews - A study in perfection
1. Son & compainions supirior to angels. God Father has appointed son as spokesman, heir & exact representation of himself.
Salvation (kingdom) is a son's inheritance.
2. Warning: we must pay more careful attention, we must increase spiritual sensitivity. Christians are in great danger , don't ignore salvation -
Lev 10:10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
Lev 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'"
Eze 22:26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
Eze 44:23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Believers (Christians) are in the danger zone
Dead Cold Luke-warm Hot
Rev 3:15,16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
perfect through suffering - perfector and perfected of same family.
3. Do not harden hearts during the 'time of testing' (by sins deceitfulness). Shall not enter rest.
4. There remains a Sabbath rest. We have a High Priest able to sympathize with our weakness.
5. Learned obedience from what he suffered and once perfected the advanced mature, solid food teaching about righteousness.
6. Leaving the elementary things: promise to Abraham, two unchangeable things (2 Priesthoods Levitical, Melchizedek.
7. Perfection not obtainable through Levitical Priesthood (weak and useless) (Law made nothing perfect) - another had to come - Messiah.
8. Jesus - perfected by order? of Messiah, serves in the Sanctuary of Heaven. Old covenant replaced by New Covenant in Millennium.
(Gen 6:9 NIV) This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
(Gen 17:1 NIV) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless.
(Exo 19:6 NIV) you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
(Exo 19:23 NIV) Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, 'Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.'"
(Exo 29:37 NIV) For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.
(Exo 30:29 NIV) You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
(Exo 31:13 NIV) "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
(Lev 10:3 NIV) Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: "'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent.
(Lev 10:10 NIV) You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
(Lev 11:44-45 NIV) I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. {45} I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
(Lev 19:2 NIV) "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
(Lev 20:8 NIV) Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
(Lev 20:26 NIV) You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
(Lev 21:8 NIV) Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy--I who make you holy.
(Lev 22:32 NIV) Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy
(Deu 7:6 NIV) For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
(Deu 14:2 NIV) for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
(Deu 18:13 NIV) You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
(Deu 26:19 NIV) He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.
(Deu 28:9 NIV) The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
(Deu 30:11-18 NIV) Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. {12} It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" {13} Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" {14} No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. {15} See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. {16} For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. {17} But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, {18} I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
(Mat 5:48 NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Mat 19:21 NIV) Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
(John 1:29 NIV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
(John 8:7 NIV) When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
(John 8:11 NIV) "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
(John 8:34-36 NIV) Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. {35} Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. {36} So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
(John 8:46 NIV) Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?
(John 16:8-11 NIV) When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: {9} in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; {10} in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; {11} and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
(Rom 3:20 NIV) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
(Rom 6:11-12 NIV) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. {12} Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
(Rom 6:14-17 NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. {15} What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! {16} Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? {17} But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
(Rom 7:14 NIV) We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.