CHAPTER 11 PERFECTION NOW
In Matt.5:48 Jesus directs us to do something which many believers have been taught is absolutely impossible as long as we are on this earth. Therein He simply and clearly directs us to "Be perfect (telios) therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Since Jesus did not waste words (I Tim.3:16) or give us instructions He expected us to ignore (I John 2:3), it would appear that Matt.5:48 is a verse which must be studied and acted upon if indeed there is something we are to do about perfection.
The Greek word telios is an adjective that means "completeness, having reached the perfect end." In this study several verses we will be looking at use either the Greek verbs telioo and telesphoreo or the noun teliotees, but their meanings are essentially the same. Each implies the state of completeness, or the process of becoming so, whichever the case may be. Jesus did by one sacrifice make perfect forever those who are being made holy (Heb.10:14). However, as is clearly pointed out in Chapter 5 of The Last Enemy, this does not mean that our souls and bodies have been perfected, only that our spirits are now in that state (Heb.12:23 & Phil.3:12)
Heb.6:1 instructs us to "... leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity (teleiotees = perfection)" (parenthesis added). This verse indicates two things: first, the responsibility for moving on to this state appears to rest, at least partially, upon us. Second, a relationship between Christ's teachings and maturity, or perfection, is clearly implied. Both of these indications are borne out in I Cor.14:20 wherein Paul admonishes believers to "... stop thinking like children. In regards to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults" (Greek word used for 'adults' is telios, ie. perfect; emphasis and parenthesis added; see also Heb.5:14.
Again, we see that the burden to act is placed upon us, and that the maturity or perfection spoken of, is related to our minds, ie. our souls. And as you will recall from earlier studies, it is our souls which must be renewed before the transformation of our bodies can take place (Ro. 12:2). In fact, as we can see from Eph.4:12, the primary purpose of the fivefold ministry is to "... prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity ... AND BECOME MATURE (telios), attaining to the WHOLE MEASURE OF THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST." (emphasis and parenthesis added).
Perfection of our spirit has already been completed by Jesus' sacrifice, but as we have seen, there is still a type of perfection which must yet be completed. In fact, Heb.11:40 makes a startling statement while referring to such patriarchs as Abraham, Noah & Joseph, who are now in heaven. It says, "...only together with us would they be made perfect (telioo)" (parenthesis and emphasis added). It would appear that there is therefore a perfection which is yet to be completed, even for them.
A further indication of this is found in Acts 3:21 wherein we see that Jesus "...must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as He promised long ago through His holy prophets." There is something ahead for us here on earth , which God is going to restore before Jesus returns. Needless to say, there is nothing that needs to be restored in heaven, so the restoration must take place here. Now comes the question as to what, if anything, we have to do with this process?
We know that God has already placed all things under Jesus' feet and that He is Head over the Church (Eph.1:22). At the same time, from Eph.3:6 we know that we are all members of the body of Christ, and that Christ (the Head) cannot say to us, "I don't need you." (I Cor.12:21). I am not saying that God is helpless without us, or that we are doing Him a favor when we seek to be His servants. However, as we saw in Chapter 1 of Needful Things, He has given dominion over this world to man (Gen.1:26-28 & Ps.115:6) and has therefore chosen to use man as his instrument to carry out His plans here (Eph.2:10; I Tim.2:20-21; John 17:18; I Cor.3:9 & John 20:21). Therefore, we are to be His hands and feet. Keeping this in mind we can look at Matt.8:20, which tells us that "... the Son of Man has no place to lay His head", in a slightly different vein. As of that time the body of Christ had not formed, and indeed, the Head had no place to rest. But now He has his multiple membered body which will not only be a place upon which to rest His head, but will provide Him with the multiple hands and feet needed to be the instruments of righteousness He is seeking.
If there wasn't something to be done, He would not have directed us to ask God to send forth workers into the fields (Matt.9:38). Throughout the New Testament we see Paul sending greetings to his fellow workers (Philemon 1 & Ro.16:9). In many instances he even made the notation that these believers were hard workers for Christ (Col.4:13 and Ro.16:6&12). He even went so far as to say that such dedicated servants of Christ deserved recognition (I Cor.16:18). There can be no doubt that a major part of the work to be done deals with the great commission of evangelizing the world (Matt.28:19-20 & Mk.16:15-18); however, there is more.
Regardless of how important winning souls is, it is only the first step in our walk with the Lord, not our final goal. God wants us to do more then to win souls. Col.1:28-29 tells us that part of the purpose for proclaiming the gospel is to "... present everyone perfect (telios) in Christ...". Remember, Heb.11:40 told us that a type of perfection is still ahead for us. Under the Old Covenant no one could stand before God (Heb.10:1), but we have Jesus who is the surety of a "better covenant"(Heb.7:22), with "better promises" (Heb.8:6). Heb.11:39 shows us that total perfection has still not come to those saints listed in verses 4 -32. In short, not everything has been completed (Acts 3:21). Notice, I have not said that there is more to do in regards to paying the price for sin. Jesus and only Jesus has done that (Heb.2:26; I John 1:7 & Ro.5:19); but there is still some restoration to be completed, and that has to do with perfection in the soul and bodily realm.
I John 3:8 tells us that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. In John 16:11 Jesus Himself said that satan stood condemned, and Heb.2:14 says that by Jesus' death the devil is destroyed. Knowing that Jesus came to destroy the devils work and that as the very Word of God He has returned unto the Father, we have no conclusion to draw but that He completed the task for which He was sent (John 1:1; Isaiah 55:11; Acts 1:9 & John 17:4). Furthermore, Heb.2:8 tells us that the Father has already placed everything under Jesus feet (see also Eph.1:22). Now, I do not wish to go into too much detail here about this subject. It will be covered more completely in Chapter 6 of The Last Enemy, but Heb.10:13 says Jesus is waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool, and the last part of Heb.2:8 says that even though everything is under Him, we do not yet see it that way in the physical realm.
satan is defeated in the spirit realm, but a glance at the world around us quickly tells us that the physical manifestation of that defeat has not yet appeared. Likewise, we are perfect in spirit, but again, that perfection has not appeared in the physical realm. It is for the perfecting of the body of Christ (the Church) in the soul and physical realm that we have been called into service (Eph.4:12 KJV; Heb.3:21 KJV & II Pe.5:10 KJV). The Greek word katartizo as used in those three verses also means completeness and perfection, but it puts greater emphasis upon the restoration process itself than does telios. As we saw in Acts 3:21, it is this restoration of things to their former glory that we are looking forward to. Indeed, Paul's very prayer was for the perfecting of the believers (II Cor.3:9).
Let's now turn our attention back to the point we first discussed in Chapter 3; namely, the relationship between satan's purpose and the process which is designed to lead us to perfection. As we have just seen, the death of Jesus brought about the destruction of the devil's work; yet, Ro.16:20 clearly shows us that satan is not yet "crushed." Indeed, satan, as leader of the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil, is at war with us right now (Eph.6:12 & Rev.12:17).
Make no mistake about it, satan is a foe whose desire is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). Turn to the parable of the sower as recorded in Lk.8:11-12 and notice that the seed which is sown on the path is the Word which satan is strong enough to actually steal from some people's hearts so that they "cannot believe and be saved." These people NEVER had faith because the devil stole the Word from them. satan has power, and we must come against his strongholds (II Cor.10:4). While the victory will ultimately be ours, there are skirmishes in which he is successful (II Thes.2:18).
Returning to the parable of the sower, we see satan's relationship to the perfection process beginning to emerge. Lk.8:13 says, "those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root (see Chapter 3 of Needful Things). They believe for a while, BUT IN THE TIME OF TESTING they FALL AWAY." (parenthesis and emphasis added). Rev.2:10 clearly tells us that satan is the tester (see also Ja.1:2 & I Cor.7:5). He uses trouble and persecution to test those who believe (Matt.13:21). While it is true that I Cor.10:13 tells us we cannot be tempted beyond our ability to endure, I Tim.4:1 shows us that some choose of their own free will not to endure; they "abandon the faith." Those on the rocky soil believed for a while, but then fell away. When you abandon your faith, you lose your soul salvation. Remember, the goal of your faith is the salvation of your soul (I Pe.1:9). The lack of a root prevents the seed sown on the rocky soil from reaching moisture (Lk.8:6). And without the water of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39), the soul will wither and die under persecution.
We need to praise God however, because not all believers abandon their faith when tested. As we see in Lk.22:31, satan asked permission to sift Peter as if he were wheat. Let's look at that verse more closely because it makes two interesting points. "Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
First of all, notice that the Greek word for 'you' in that verse is plural. Jesus was in fact telling us that WE also will be sifted as wheat by satan. There are numerous New Testament examples to bear this out. As an example, Ro.16:10 tells us that Appelles was "tested and approved..." Epaphreditus in Phil.2:25 as well as Priscilla and Aquilla "risked their lives" for the gospel (Ro.16:3-4). And Rev.2:3&13 shows us that perseverance and endurance of hardship for the name of Jesus, even in the face of death, may well be required of us. Therefore, it would appear that the spiritually defeated satan can still cause physical hardships even though we come against him. The second point I wish to bring out is that Peter had a function to perform AFTER enduring this sifting process. That function was "to strengthen your brothers." Notice, Jesus didn't say he was going to be used to help the brothers BEFORE the sifting, BUT AFTERWARDS.
As we continue with the parable of the sower, we see in Lk.8:14 that the seed sown on thorny ground is likened unto "... those who hear but as they go on their way are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures and they do not mature (telesphoreo)." Notice that it doesn't say they fall away, ie. lose their soul salvation, it says they do not mature, ie. they do not become perfect.
The same parable as recorded in Mk.4:19 says, the "...deceit of wealth ..." entraps those believers, and as we know, satan is the great deceiver (II John 7). Mark also shows us that "... the desire for other things comes in and chokes the Word making it unfruitful..." Failure to crucify our sinful nature prevents us from becoming fruitful, ie. mature - perfect (Gal.5:17). The seed sown on thorny ground "... brings no fruit to perfection" (Lk.8:14 - KJV). Whereas, the seed sown on the good soil produces a crop "by perseverance" (Lk.8:15, see also Chapter 1).
The link between persevering and perfection is clearly established. As we know, going through trials produces perseverance (Ja.1:2 & Ro.5:3), and satan is the one who puts us to the test and causes suffering (Rev.2:10 and Heb.2:18). Without satan and the trials & suffering he brings, there can be no perfection. Ja.1:4 clearly says "perseverance MUST FINISH ITS WORK so that you may be mature (telios/perfect) and complete." (parenthesis and emphasis added). Jesus is the source of our salvation and the maintenance of His perfection was dependent upon His persevering under trials (Heb.2:10 and Heb.5:9).
If you do not believe that perfection can be attained on this earth, you will not seek it. Do not get me wrong, perfection is not something we seek of our own volition, or go after in order to "earn" something from God. We need the Spirit of God (Ro.8:13) and the strength of Christ (Phil.4:13) in order to walk as Jesus did (I John 2:6). While it is true that we have sinned in the past (Ro.3:23 and I John 1:10), it is also true that anyone born of God is not supposed to continue to do so (I John 3:9 and I John 5:18). The grace of God teaches us to say "no to ungodliness and worldly passions ...in this present age" (Titus 2:12). Phil.2:15 says that we are to "become blameless and pure ... without fault in a corrupt and depraved generation." And II Pe.3:14 pointedly says that we are to make every effort to be found "spotless, blameless and at peace ..." with God. These verses do not tell us that we can't do it. Quite the contrary, they command us to do it! Remember, the Word is God's will (see Chapter 6) and His will is to be done on earth as well as in heaven (Matt.6:16) and that Word just told us to be perfect!
We must not forget that perfection is the very end time state in which the Church is to exist (Eph.4:13). Ro.8:17 says "...we are heirs - heirs of God and co heirs with Christ IF indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." (emphasis added) The last portion of that verse is rendered this way in the Living Bible. "... but if we are to share in His glory we must also share in His sufferings." As we have seen before, perfection in the soul realm precedes the transformation of the body and that perfection comes about only through suffering and perseverance.
We are to be God's instruments, His physical hands and feet through which He can act on earth in order to restore all things. Queen Esther was used by God to save her people (Esther 7:3-7 & 8:8&11). When asked to make the commitment to help, she hesitated at first (Esther 4:11). At that point she was informed of two things. First, if she failed to help, God would raise up another deliverer, but she and her family would die. Second, every possibility existed that she had been brought to her royal position primarily so that she could be used by God to save her people (Esther 4:12-14). When she decided to help however, she did so at the risk of her own life, but the point being made is that she did decide to act (Esther 4:16).
We are a chosen people, "... a royal priesthood" (II Pe.2:9) and have been called to walk in perfection and to minister unto our brothers and sisters. God will raise up a generation that is spotless and without wrinkle (Eph.5:27). They will not automatically be made perfect, but will have to go through the process of testing and perseverance (ICor.3:13). Do not think that we are being called to sacrifice more than those who preceded us (I Pe.4:12). Just as importantly though, we must remember that Jesus is with us at all times, even in the fire (Matt.28:20 & Dan.3:25).
The Most High God promises us that if we will call upon Him, He will deliver us "in the day of trouble" (Ps.50:14-15). The trials are going to come IF you seek perfection, but the Most High God will bring you through them "IF you make the Most High your dwelling." (emphasis added Ps.91:9-16). Our God is greater than the circumstances of our life "...He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones (Prov.2:7-8 emphasis added). In the face of persecution He will deliver His faithful ones (II Tim.3:10-12). If indeed this is the last generation, then our walk with Him may very well enable us to be the instruments He uses to destroy the last enemy - death itself (I Cor.15:26). If we ignore the call to perfection, then the same admonition given to Esther applies to us.
Every time we stumble or falter during one of the tests, we are put through, we should confess it as sin, knowing we are forgiven (I John 1:9). We should then call upon God to help us remove that particle of dross which has risen to the surface of the crucible. We are to crucify that portion of our old nature which has been exposed, and then continue on our way, praising God as we go and rejoicing in the test (Acts 16:25; I Pe.4:13 & Ja.1:2). The road to perfection is filled with trials which cannot be avoided if the goal is to be reached, but Jesus has clearly commanded us to make the journey (Matt.5:48).