Is there a difference between trying to be perfect and following Jesus?
Matthew 15:8-9“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.”
Luke 11:39-42The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”
Luke 11:46“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.”
Perfectionism is often built on human expectations, rather than on God’s. It is often driven by fear or pride and is preoccupied with public appearances and being “good enough.” Too often, perfectionism causes us to lose sight of love—both the love that God and others have for us and the love we should have for God and others.
2 Timothy 1:7God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
1 John 4:18Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
Perfectionism is built on fear: the fear of disappointing or angering others, the fear of embarrassing ourselves, the fear of not accomplishing our lofty goals, the fear of being rejected. Christlikeness is based on love: a love for God, a love for those around us, a love for truth, a love for kindness. Such love gives us confidence and inspires us to resist sin and to serve others just as Jesus did.
1 Corinthians 12:21-27The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. . . . All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
Galatians 6:9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
2 Peter 3:14While you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
Perfectionism expects self-sufficiency. God doesn’t. While God desires for us to make every effort to follow Jesus, he does not desire for us to do so alone, in our own strength. Finding help and encouragement from other believers is not weakness; it’s wisdom.
2 Corinthians 12:9Each time he [God] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
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.
Trying to live like Christ through willpower alone is not strength; it’s foolishness. When we admit we cannot solve our sin problem with our own strength, we open the door for God’s strength to transform our lives and point others to him.
Genesis 6:9This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
Genesis 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.”
Matthew 16:18“Now I [Jesus] 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.”
Acts 13:22“God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’”
1 Corinthians 11:1You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Hebrews 11:31It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God.
The people we see in Scripture were sinners just like us, full of weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures. Noah indulged in drunkenness. Abraham struggled with his faith in God’s promises. Rahab was a prostitute. David committed adultery and then murder. Peter abandoned and denied his Savior in Jesus’ darkest hour. Yet God worked in their hearts and accomplished great things through them because they trusted in his power rather than their own.
