Singapore Moses Supporter Messenger of God, CEO in IT industry, Astronaut, Scientist

When a person is born again, he becomes a child of God (Jn 1:12), a citizen in the Kingdom (Col 1:13) and a member of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 11:12,13). His name gets registered in Heaven (Heb 12:23). God is his Father, and Jesus is his Elder Brother (Heb 2:10-13). 

Perfection is understood in the New Testament as growth and maturity. Apostle Paul speaks of personal perfection as well as corporate perfection as an ongoing process. "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on" (Phil 3:12-15). "Till we all come... to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ... may grow up in all things" (Eph 4:13-15).

The New Testament speaks about the "standing" as well as the "state" of God's children. Our standing is our position in Christ; our state refers to our practice. Here are a few examples: By standing "all" believers are saints before God (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:1; etc). At the same time, we are called to be holy and walk holy (1 Pet 1:15,16). According to our standing, we are already complete in Christ (Col 2:10; but we are to "be made complete" in our state (2 Cor 13:9).

Our life in Christ can be divided into three experiences. The first one is Justification or Salvation or Rebirth, which is a crisis experience. Next is Sanctification, which is an ongoing process. Finally, there is Glorification, which will again be a crisis experience. Now we are between the crisis experiences, one past and the other future. We can further understand sanctification by looking at its three aspects. First, positional sanctification (1 Cor 1:30); second, progressive sanctification (2 Cor 3:18; Phil 1:6); third, prospective sanctification (1 Thess 5:23). Thus our sanctification will be complete at the Second Coming of Christ. At that time, our standing and state will perfectly agree. They will become one.

We do not reach a state of sinless perfection now. The saintly Apostle John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn 1:8). As God's children with His seed in us, we will not practice sin, though at times we may yield to temptations (1 Jn 2:29; 3:5-10). We are to at once confess our sin to God, be cleansed and walk in victory claiming the promises and power of God (1 Jn 1:9; 1 Pet 2:3,4; Rom 6:14).

In the light of the New Testament, the perfect Christian is just a growing and mature Christian. Some of his marks are—

Love for the unlovables (Mt 5:43-45)
Detachment from materialism (Mt 19:20,21)
Control of the tongue (Js 3:2)
Patience in suffering (Heb 2:10) 
Spiritual discernment (1 Cor 2:6; 13-15) 
Oneness with believers (Eph 4:11-13) 
Christlikeness in character (Lk 6:40)

Perfection means growing from holiness to holiness, righteousness to righteousness, and victory to victory, by looking to Jesus (Rev 22:11b). When we finally meet Him, "we shall be like Him!" (1 Jn 3:2).

August 04 2014 • 7 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Seth Freeman Supporter

Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven, however they were still born with a sinful nature. No person that has ever lived on this earth was perfect except for Christ. All of humanity suffers from the same curse that was the result of the sin of Adam and Eve, nobody is able to escape it. 

And that also answers the question of why none of us can be perfect. We're all born with a sinful nature and a propensity towards sin. We all require forgiveness which comes through Christ alone.

August 04 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

Human beings in their fallen nature can never be perfect. Only the Creator is. Although God created man a sinless and perfect being, the Fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-8) led to the loss of the perfection and innocence that God had put in the man. 

However, all is not lost. Jesus has opened the way. Romans 3:23-26 says "
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; {set forth: or, foreordained} {remission: or, passing over} 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"

This passage speaks of the imperfect and sinful condition of man and at the same time captures the divine solution that God has provided for us. Those who have accept Jesus as Lord and Savior have received the remission of their sin and the His blood iscontinually available for their cleansing. 1 John 1:7 say "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

But since we continue to live in this fallen world and do possess aspects of our fallen nature (the human body and its sinful nature), we cannot attain perfection in this nature.

Paul speaks of the perfect nature that is coming when he declares in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality..."

We live in the "now" dispensation because a deposit of our salvation benefits have been given to us in Christ but "the yet to some" is the paradigm where our imperfection shall be brought to a resounding end. This is when we appear before Christ to be with him for ever. 

Up till then we shall content with all aspects of the sinful and fallen world including, death, disease, among others. But glory be to God because even if we die we have our hope of glory awaiting us (Titus 2:11-14) and what greater victory can we have!.

August 04 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tonya Crowley Supporter

In my opinion as a believer, I feel the best we can do concerning perfection in this body is to “strive for it,” as we are not without sin. Also to repent as soon as we realize we have sinned. We should desire to not sin and hate it. The Lord knows our heart and He says in his word, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." That does not give us a free pass to sin, but shows us of the struggle that is ours in this world.

April 07 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report