Matthew 5: 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Wow! That is a command from Christ himself to his disciples and to his present day followers by extension.  The expression “nobody is perfect” is bandied about so lightly today to excuse every shortcoming.  So what are we to do? If we understand that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ then we also know that we are not saved by our deeds so “trying to be perfect” is not what is going to get us to heaven.

When I take a look at Matthew 5 in its entirety, I see that Jesus was addressing a lot of practical life issues. It is the passage that lists the Beatitudes or blessings of living right in God’s sight. It addresses the believer’s role as “salt” and “light” in the world. It also addresses issues such as murder, adultery, divorce, taking oaths and being vengeful on one’s enemies. In the last few verses Jesus summed it all up and lets us know that his followers cannot be like everyone else; our deeds and general conduct have to set us apart and demonstrate attributes of God our Father. In essence we begin to be transformed in our conduct in the same way children base their behavior on the day to day precepts taught by their parents.

In the normal course of our lives, we get tested all the time. Should tithe be on your net or gross income? Should you disclose all your tips or sources of income? Should you fudge the date or amount on certain expenses so you can get a greater benefit? Should you inflate the number of hours worked on the report you are about to submit so as to increase your pay?   I recently had a proposition along similar lines which would allow me to receive a higher reimbursement on a claim if I would agree to delay the submission date. Sounded all logical and reasonable and at first I “swallowed it whole”.  No sooner I hung up the phone, the Holy Spirit wanted me to explain what I had just done.  I couldn’t. The problem you see is that I have had ongoing discussions with my ‘co-conspirator’ about Christ and the position he holds in my life, so any future engagement on that subject would be forever compromised. “You are the light of the world…….let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 14-16).  When the bill came a few days later, steep though it was, I paid it in full right away. I have to shine because my Father’s name is at stake. The Holy Spirit has since explained perfection to me this way:

“Perfection is the result of purification. So when the Holy Spirit speaks to you about an act or attitude accept the correction and change your ways.”