Perfection

Gen. {6:9} These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a
just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah
walked with God.


Gen. {17:1} And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,
the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the
Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.


Walk before me and be thou perfect.


If Abram didn't walk before God could he have been perfect?
Was it the walk to stand before God, was it the action of walking, the action Abram took by walking to stand before God, that made him perfect?


Was he perfect in and of himself?
That sort of perfection is impossible isn't it?
God makes us perfect we *can't* make ourselves perfect.
Can something that isn't complete be perfect?


If you have 3 quarters of a circle is it perfect? It is a perfect 3/4 of a circle, but can it be considered a perfect circle? No. Because to be a perfect circle it would need to be completely round not just 3/4's round. If you say something is perfect you are indicating that there is nothing missing from it, right?


If someone does something for you and you tell them they've done a perfect job, you mean they've done all you expected of them, their work is completely satisfactory. You would not say that if in fact their work was not perfect, if it didn't satisfy and meet your requirements.


Stand before God and be perfect- standing anywhere else are you perfect? No.


It was because Abram walked, that he moved himself from one place to another that he became perfect. Had Abram not moved, had Abram not walked to stand before God he could not have found the perfection God desired of Him.


Lev. {22:21} And
whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the
LORD to accomplish [his] vow, or a freewill offering in
beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there
shall be no blemish therein.


Could you bring a sickly sin offering to God? No. You could not bring anything less than what would be considered perfect. What does this say? This tells us that God wants what is best and only what is best. God wants a sacrifice befitting Him. If God wants the sin offering to be perfect it stands to reason for us to be acceptable to Him we too would need to be perfect in Him. It's because we are not perfect that we needed to bring a sin offering in the first place. Is it no wonder our sin offering needed to be perfect without any obvious blemish. God cannot accept anything less than perfection.


Jesus is perfection for us.


But we need Jesus for His perfection to be considered ours.


If we don't have Jesus standing before God as our perfect sacrifice we cannot walk with God.


We can beat ourselves totally senseless striving for perfection in and of ourselves. But what we really need to be doing is striving to be closer and closer to Christ so He can work in us.


James {1:4} But let patience have [her]
perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.


The word perfect here in the margin is defined as completeness.


Deut. {18:13} Thou shalt be perfect with the
LORD thy God.


The word perfect in the margin here is defined as entirely obedient.


Remember talking about the completeness of perfection? The circle?


Well now we have the obedience of perfection. If someone is less than entirely obedient are they perfect?


If we reward a child for behaving we are rewarding the time frame for which they were expected to behave within, not for just being a little bit perfect. There is NO such thing as a little perfection is there? Perfect indicates a whole, a completeness, and being entirely obedient.


For us to be perfect before God we have to be entirely obedient to Him, we have to possess the willingness to be entriely obedient to God. Seriously do we want to be entirely obedient to God? Do we?


If we don't have at least the willingness to be entirely obedient to God can we walk before Him in His perfection?


No, we don't have to be perfect to come to God, we have to have the willingness to be made perfect by Him.


2 Sam. {22:33} God [is] my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.


He- God- makes our ways perfect. We don't make our own ways perfect.


John {17:23} I in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.


Jesus in us.
God in Jesus.
We are made perfect in Jesus.
We are loved by Jesus as God loves Jesus.


God loves His son with a perfect love. Jesus loves us with a perfect love.


C.S. Lewis- From Mere Christianity Chapter- Counting the Cost


'I find a good many people have been bothered by what I said in the last
chapter about Our Lord's words, "Be ye perfect." Some people seem to think
this means "Unless you are perfect, I will not help you"; and as we cannot
be perfect, then, if He meant that, our position is hopeless. But I do not
think He did mean that. I think He meant "The only help I will give is help
to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing
less." '


It is not- Until you are perfect I will not help you.


But rather- The only help I will give you is help to become perfect.


If we were perfect in and of ourselves we would need no one to made us perfect and the truth is, we need Jesus and His perfection. We stand before God in the shadow of Jesus' perfection, He pleads our case for us. We have to be willing to be obedient to Him and even when we fall far short of that, we have to be will to cling to Him and constantly come to Him begging for forgiveness and seeking to be changed by Him, perfected by Him. He will perfect us in Him and only in Him, and that perfection will never have us able to boast of our perfection.


This makes sense doesn't it? Why would Jesus give us help for anything else?


If there will be trials and tribulations we are to go through it will be for our perfection in ways that are truly beyond our understanding, we just need to have FAITH IN GOD that all our upsets, all our anguish, all our pain and misunderstanding will work together for our good because we love Him and trust Him to get us through this perfecting process, because we yield ourselves to Him knowing that we can never be perfect on our own, never.


Only by faith will anything at all be accomplished in us. 'Without faith it is impossible to please Him.' Heb. 11:6


And no wonder, we have to believe that God WILL perfect us through our faith in Him to do so, not that we will perfect ourselves by faith in ourselves and our ability to obey, even that ability to obey comes from God and if we think it comes from anywhere else we are sadly mistaken.


By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, now and forever! It is my prayer- 'Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief.'


Amen