Does God really expect me to be perfect?

Matthew 5:19-20“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Matthew 5:43-48“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Matthew 22:36-40“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

At first glance these passages seem to endorse the concept of perfectionism. Must we obey the law even more perfectly than the Pharisees? Must we be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect? Those are clearly perfectionistic statements, aren’t they? But as we read the surrounding context in the book of Matthew, we see Jesus is talking about a kind of perfection that is completely different from that of the Pharisees. Tithing perfectly without compassion for the poor, observing God’s day of rest perfectly but making it a burden to others—this kind of “perfection” misses the heart of why God gave those commands in the first place. Scripture does not call us to a proud, self-centered, uptight perfection. Instead, we are called to humbly reflect the love God has shown to us.

Matthew 14:28-31Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Matthew 16:5-9After they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up?”

Matthew 16:15-18He [Jesus] asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

Mark 9:2-6As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.

Luke 22:31-32“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:56-57, 61-62A servant girl noticed him [Peter] in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” . . . At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

John 21:15-19A third time he [Jesus] asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

Jesus called Simon Peter the rock on which he would build the church. Yet this “rock” was far from flawless. Peter made silly mistakes, such as forgetting to pack a lunch, misunderstanding Jesus’ metaphors, and even saying something awkward during Jesus’ transfiguration. Multiple times, Peter was rebuked for having little faith. Most seriously of all, he abandoned and denied Jesus during his Lord’s darkest hour. Yet even though Peter started to sink, he was brave enough to step out of the boat and walk on water. Even though Peter often misunderstood Jesus’ metaphors, he understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah (the Christ) and staked his life on it. Even if Peter sometimes blurted out the wrong things, he also spoke the Good News with boldness. Even though Peter once abandoned Jesus to save his own life, Peter later gave his life for his Savior. God did not require a perfect rock to build his church upon, and he is pleased to work through our imperfect lives today too.

Romans 5:1Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Romans 6:23The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Hebrews 9:12With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he [Christ] entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

No amount of good deeds can change the fact that we have broken God’s perfect law. As a perfect judge, God would have to judge us guilty. That’s why the highest price had to be paid—Jesus’ sacrifice of his sinless life as our substitute. When we accept God’s free gift in faith, all our sins are wiped from the record. Our debt is paid in full through what Jesus did for us.

Romans 6:1-4Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Ephesians 5:1-3, 6-9Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. . . . Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

1 John 2:1My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

We are justified through grace—freed from guilt in God’s sight. But the salvation Christ offers us does not stop with freeing us from sin’s punishment. God’s grand purpose is to free us from the grip of sin itself. Unlike justification, which is instantaneous and for all time, sanctification is a process. It begins when we accept Christ as our Savior, but it continues every day as we walk with him in service as our Lord. There will be ups and downs. We will sin—and we will turn around again to receive God’s forgiveness. The process of sanctification will not be completed in this life, but every step along its path makes sin’s burden a little lighter and prepares us more for the perfect eternity to come.

Galatians 2:20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 4:13This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1-2Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Philippians 3:12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

Colossians 1:9-10So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

When loving parents teach their baby to walk, they don’t expect the child to do it perfectly like them on the first try. It’s a process, and the parents delight in each stumbling step. Rather than living in fear of falling short, we can live with the joy of becoming more like our heavenly Father, and we can look forward to the day when the process of reflecting God’s nature will be complete and we will indeed be perfect.