There was a time in my theological past when the word “perfection” was a dirty word. I had seen it take its toll on a vast number of young people who believed perfection was the criteria for salvation. Being honest and non-hypocritical these young people just called it quits and walked away from the church because they knew perfection wasn’t going to happen in their lives. They sat through sermons where Jesus’ wonderful admonition in the Sermon on the Mount to be perfect was used a club to get them to measure up to some impossible goal that the speaker himself could not attain.
Goals are important. Lives without goals rarely accomplish anything worthy of note. I doubt if anyone ever won any Olympic medal without having the gold medal as an objective. Jesus understood this. He came that we might have the abundant life and reaching beyond ourselves contributes to a better life. The problem arose when we inadvertently or advertently thought He was talking about salvation. He wasn’t. According to Jesus, salvation is a gift. It always was and it will always be a gift. Matthew 5:48, “Be ye perfect” is instruction for better living. It is a commencement address. It is “rah rah” get on with your life. Put your hand to the plow and don’t look back.
What happened was young people were told we are saved by grace but then in order to stay saved we have to overcome every defect. Ephesians 2 was lost along the way. Paul says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 19, 2008.
Photograph by Simon Wilkes.
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA