“Be Perfect…” I don’t know if there is a more discouraging statement in all of Scripture. On the surface, it seems contradictory that there is only one who lived a sinless life and then the preacher tells me I’m supposed to be perfect. I’ve tried. And I’ve failed. Even after 38 years of regular church attendance, Christian college, advanced degrees and even years in therapy I’ve not made a dent into the perfection column.
I’m no apostle Paul, but I have a few entries in my religious pedigree. I’m a white male protestant Christian with a degree in management and another in leadership. I’ve interned, been the youth pastor, the associate pastor and now I’m the senior pastor (and the only pastor). You’d think I could manage myself and lead others toward perfection. But I can’t.
But here is the good news:
Yes, God calls us to come to Him and share His apartness (Holiness). He says to us, “Be holy, for I am holy.” But holiness is not so much something we possess, as it is something that possesses us. Jesus is clear that even the most devout, strict and religious person won’t posses Holiness. The Pharisees were trying this and Jesus found their methods lacking. Holiness comes from connection with Christ. The real gospel is that you are holy when you are in Christ. That is why the Apostle Peter can write, “you are a holy nation.” Because its true.
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