CHRISTIAN PERFECTION
PART III

MATTHEW 5:4

A. PERFECTION AS SPOKEN OF IN THE BIBLE
  1. Our English word "perfection" comes from two words:
    1. The Hebrew word "shalom" and the
    2. Greek word "teleios" and signifies complete, ideal, without blemish, full grown, and finished.
  2. Christ is the embodiment of all perfection:
    1. "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." - Col. 2:9
    2. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person - Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4
  3. A few other persons are spoken of in the Bible as being perfect:
    1. Noah - Gen. 6:8
    2. Job - Job 1:1-3
    3. Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth - Luke 1:5, 6
    4. The one hundred and forty-four thousand as seen on Mount Zion - Rev. 14:1-7
B. BIBLE PERFECTION
  1. Not in the power of sinful beings:
    1. Job's question - Job. 14:4
    2. Jeremiah's testimony - Jer. 13:23
    3. Paul states some reasons against the inherent perfection by sinful persons - Rom. 3:12; 7:18, 24
    4. The prophet Isaiah gives some other reasons - Isa. 1:1-19; 64:6
  2. Christian perfection comes through Jesus Christ our Lord:
    1. "Ye are complete in him" - Col. 2:10; Eph. 3:19
    2. He is our righteousness - 1 Cor. 1:30; Jer. 33:16; 2 Cor. 5:21
    3. There is no condemnation to them that are clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness - Rom. 8:1; Rev. 19:7, 8; Isa. 61:10
C. HOW PERFECTION IS ATTAINED
  1. Negatively:
    1. It is not the fruit of human effort - Rom. 10:1-3; Luke 18:9-14
    2. That nullifies the claims of many "isms" in the religious world such as Hinduism, Brahmanism, Catholicism, Jewry, Pentecostalism and kindred cults.
  2. Perfection comes to us through two experiences:
    1. It is imputed unto the believer. That means that perfection is given to him as a free gift - Rom. 4:21-24; Luke 23:43; John 8:11. This transaction is instantaneous!
    2. It is implanted into our lives. That means that as we allow the Holy Spirit to implant the Word of God into our hearts, we become partakers of the divine nature - 2 Pet. 1:2-7; 2 Cor. 3:17, 18
  3. This twofold experience is very important for a number of good reasons:
    1. We are in need of the imputed perfection to affect our standing before God - Rom. 8:1-3, 31-33
    2. We need a transformation of our lives to become suitable subjects of the kingdom of heaven - Matt. 5:5; 2 Pet. 3:14; Rev. 19:27
  4. Experience and the Word of God show that the implanting of perfection is the work of a lifetime:
    1. Paul thought of it in that light - 2 Cor. 7:1-3; Phil. 3:13- 15
    2. Peter teaches the steady Christian growth - 2 Pet. 1:5-8
    3. These Bible references will confirm my position - Heb. 6:1; Phil. 2:13, 14; 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:1-3
  5. Christian perfection must be obtained before Christ comes the second time: Compare 1 John 3:1-3 with 2 T, p. 355; CH, p. 44; 4 T, p. 568; CH, p. 384; 1 T, pp. 33, 34; COL, p. 330. This indicates that we will have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - Phil. 2:12, 13


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