To Be Perfect Among Imperfect Humans

"Dear friend, those men who called themselves Christians (like Christ),
yet murdered your ancestors, were obviously not acting like Christ.
Dear friends, those who proclaim themselves to be something, yet they talk down to you
and treat you as if you were less than them=p, know not the God of heaven revealed in Christ.
Do not fear them, nor their judgments, although they repeat a doctrine they fail to live out.
Believe the teaching of righteousness, but look not to them as examples of what they preach.
He, Himself, will speak to your heart the instructions of perfection, for He loves you."

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is Perfect. 

- Matthew 5: 48

That verse is from the chapter containing the Beatitudes.

The attitudes to be.

Difficult to find another chapter addressing man's worries, wonderment, and heart-felt desire for God so precisely besides that chapter.

That chapter summarizes what it means to 'know' God, and what to do as God desires you to be.

Thus it concludes with the call to be perfect as God is Perfect.

What does it mean to be 'perfect'?

Is such a thing possible for a human being to be?

Is it even possible to perceive what perfect is?

I cannot speak for another person, but only for myself.

Very early on, from childhood, I remember thinking about what it meant to do what is right.

I desired to do what was right in all situations.

I was raised in a home that acknowledged the Lord is God, and Yeshua is this Lord.

I received the sacrament of baptism as a boy, and went to six years of Catholic school.

The consideration of right and wrong was foremost instilled twice a week listening to the priest, and at home every time I made a mistake.

I was taught what was right despite my rebelliousness as a child in doing wrong.

The aim was to do what was right, but that was not always the action or outcome.

What was right to me, when all things are considered, was not always what was right in God's eyes.

My God is the One revealed through Messiah.

My Teacher is Messiah, His example I effort to follow in my person.

I had many other teachers when growing up.

One of these teachers at home was my maternal grandmother.

It was in her example I learned patience, grace, prayer, devotion, submission, and kindness.

Interestingly, it wasn't until I was older that I recalled her example in any and all situations.

These she learned from Messiah, and her example taught me besides her words.

Alongside her human example God was teaching me through her, and the priest twice a week.

Daily for an hour through school during religion class.

Every second of my life it was God teaching directly to my heart and conscience.

Since His Spirit lives in me, my flesh has been in tow to His Spirit.

My body embattled... and has been since childhood.

There is one way to conceive what is 'perfect' and practice it (in addition to Matthew 5)

When the disciple of Messiah considers what they allow to come forth from their mouth, they learn the great responsibility laid at their feet.

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 

We all stumble in many ways. 

Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 

Or take ships as an example. 

Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. 

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. 

It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. 

It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

- James 3: 1-8

Religious and irreligious men have, when reading the histories about them, set not only the world on fire by their careless words, but themselves on fire with what they allowed come from their mouths.

So we can learn that although our heart may struggle, and we may be tempted to utter something outside of love to another person, we have the tongue as a lever.

We can steer it as a captain steers a vessel.

We have full control if the Spirit of God lives in us.

If we are tempted to speak judgment when we should be speaking warning (to someone understood to be outside of Christ), we can consider our words prior to speaking them.

If we are tempted to curse instead of bless, we have opportunity to preempt such a wicked thing.

If we are tempted to speak or act in a less than holy manner (perfect) to someone understood to be outside of Christ, we can check ourselves prior to allowing an emotion motivate us to trespass Love.

The 5th chapter of Matthew (the Beatitudes) clearly express how to react, respond, and act towards others (specifically those who label themselves our enemies according to their words and actions).

In there we learn how to 'perfect' whatever religious ideas in our minds contrast His Perfection.

We can look further to find what is clearly the activities (ways of life) that either evict us from His kingdom or prevent us from entering the His kingdom in the first place.

Looking at these, it matters not if you can speak 'perfectly', because such activity is 'obvious' to be wickedness.

Thus you are called to speak love and to act in love with all others.

This is the Way.

God's grace is immeasurable, let that be stated... since we all fall short and will be continually embattled until we breathe our last and are perfected by Him in an instance.

However, when sin is clarified to us in our hearts, and made clear on our conscience by His Spirit, to continue in rebelliousness would be a sign of delusion.

If we are shown, not only in writing but also in our hearts and minds, about what is obviously wicked activity... to persist in it is to dishonor Him and reveal ourselves as His enemy.

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? 

Do not be deceived: 

Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 

And that is what some of you were. 

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Yeshua Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

- 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

Sin is so obvious, yet so deceptive.

In some cultures what has always been clearly defined as depraved, wicked, unnatural, and utterly void of peace has been propped up as 'rights' and 'freedoms'.

In some cultures, violence is justified and men are murdered in the 'name' of some 'god', but not by the leave of Yeshua Christ the Lord thy God.

Sadly, such manners are largely echoed from cultures historically influenced by the Christian notion.

This reveals many things, one being how the Church is beset on all sides by hostile and wicked people who deny the Lord... yet among them are found the faithful!

Surely among the weeds we find the wheat... and can identify who is a weed and who is the wheat.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

- Galatians 5: 19-21

To point out briefly, notice how some 'Christians' are led astray to be at odds with other 'Christians' when aligned via political parties, instead of unified by their faith in Christ.

Or a supposed 'Christian' is suspicious of another 'Christian' who doesn't have the same skin tone, or speak the same language, or dress the same.

These highlight the warning of not being in discord, or expressing fits of rage, or participating in dissensions and factions.

As you can see, it isn't what you label yourself, but how you live.

Are you like Christ, or walking in Him, when alone and when in public?

Lastly, those who are sealed in God's Holy Name have not only hope, but the power of His Spirit leading them towards perfect obedience, which is by humility.

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. 

I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. 

There is a sin that leads to death. 

I am not saying that you should pray about that. 

All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is True. 

And we are in Him who is True by being in His Son Yeshua Christ. 

He is the True God and Eternal Life. 

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 

- John 5: 16-21 

That last mention of idols is quite interesting.

Some religious minds perceive the Lord Yeshua to be an 'idol', since He is believed to be God having appeared in the flesh.

Yet, the preceding verse proclaims the Son as the 'True God'.

It isn't man who fashioned an 'idol' from things material, but God revealing Himself in a manner all men could somehow understand 'how' it is to be 'perfect': to follow Yeshua's example.

To go further about idols, notice that almost all the things men become divided over, or strive after, or argue about, are actually idols.

One man's religion, thinking he is following God according to such religion, is actually an idol.

One man's political affiliation is an idol.

One man's identity woven through a worldly manner, like nationalism, or tribalism, or alliance according to the names of people, or ethnic groups and such, are all idols.

Such men praise these earthly ideas, concepts, manners, and teachings.

Such things become quite 'religious' when we see how passionate people become.

Thus men make for themselves a variety of religions when they praise themselves, or things they agree with, yet fail to speak and act perfectly.

Such is the way of wickedness, cursing and killing and setting fires in themselves and in others.

Some of these men, have you noticed, are also self-proclaimed 'Christians'!

Yet our hearts show us they are not like Christ according to their words and actions and rebellious life.