by Jerry Senn
Jesus’ words, “You … must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) are extremely intimidating to me, to put it mildly. I know too much about myself to accept this verse at face value. If anyone could in reality attain such a state of sinless perfection, this would fly in the face of John’s words, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
The term “be perfect” is to be interpreted within the context of “love.” Jesus is saying that God’s children should strive for maturity in this regard. Paul later said this: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1,2).
This simply can’t mean sinless perfection rather, as Jesus earlier said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).
“While man can not attain … so much, God can not require less; for to require less would imply satisfaction with that which is imperfect, and this would be inconsistent with the character of God. To require this is to keep man forever reminded of [mankind’s] inferiority, forever struggling for [a] nearer approach to his model. The requirement is eminently wise and good.” (J W McGarvey, Commentary, “Matthew and Mark.”).
Our right standing as God’s children cannot be achieved, it must be received. We’re made righteous (justified) by the perfection of Christ, which is imputed to us by virtue of His shed blood. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son … he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not by the flesh but by the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4, ESV).
Our inferior ability to duplicate God’s love to others perfectly, coupled with knowing He has made us “perfect” in Christ is a powerful incentive to strive to be like our Father in heaven—lovers of mankind as He is.