Lecture Regarding the Perfection of Christians

There may be questions as to whether the nine stages of these spiritual exercises are necessary. But remember that this is the will of God, and focus on your training to master every stage. The will of God for His children is for them to become perfect Christians. For better understanding, we will discuss the evidence for the perfection of Christians.

1. The concept of Christian perfection is a biblical truth.

“We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Colossians 1:28-29, NASB).“Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1-2, NASB).
This reflects our goal to lead believers to a state of spiritual maturity and completeness in Christ.

“He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12, NASB).

God has placed these leaders in the church to help believers grow into spiritual maturity, equipping them to serve and build up the body of Christ.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NASB).

The Bible serves as a powerful tool to instruct and shape believers into spiritual maturity, equipping them for every good work in Christ.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NASB).
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10, NASB).
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:8-9, NASB).
“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, NASB).

Therefore, it is clear that God uses suffering to train us and bring us to perfection.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4, NASB).

We are called to embrace trials with joy because they are opportunities for our faith to grow and lead us toward spiritual maturity, where we are made complete and lack nothing.

“For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well” (James 3:2, NASB).

This reminds us that mastering our speech is a sign of spiritual maturity and self-control, as it reflects our ability to govern not just our words but our whole being.

The Bible clearly and specifically teaches us that we can achieve Christian perfection. The word used in the Greek for the concept of perfection in the passages we’ve discussed is τέλειος (teleios). The perfection mentioned in Scripture is directed toward humans as creatures, and therefore it is distinct from God’s perfection. God’s perfection means He never errs, is not tempted by evil, and is all-knowing and all-powerful. Such perfection applies only to God. This level of perfection is not something that applies to created beings like humans. The all-knowing God does not demand such perfection from us in Scripture.

2. Christian perfection is the command of the Lord.

Jesus spoke about Christian perfection in this way: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, NASB). The word “therefore” connects this command to what was said in verse 44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus also prayed, “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:23, NASB). This shows that perfection is living a life of love, made possible by the presence of Christ within us, as we are united with Him.

When Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us,” Jesus responded, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?” (John 14:8-10, NASB). From this, we can understand that Christian perfection is having Christ dwell within us, so that others who see us are able to see Christ.

Jesus also said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20, NASB). This means that the Lord is seeking those who will become a place for Him to dwell. As disciples of Christ, our head is Jesus, and we are the members of His body. Therefore, living a life of loving one another as disciples, according to the will of our Head, is what it means to live in Christian perfection.

3. The Meaning and Limits of Christian Perfection

Some people ask, “Who can live without sin?” and point to the Apostle Paul’s words, where he said, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out because of the evil in me” (Romans 7:19), arguing that no one can avoid sin. However, such thinking follows human reasoning rather than God’s teaching. Paul said, “I am of the flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (Romans 7:14), and continued, “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Then he cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). But he also gives the solution: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). He then said, “So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” This means that as long as we live in the flesh, we are slaves to sin and cannot help but obey it.

However, when Paul cries, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25), he acknowledges that those who have met the Lord of glory through the cross and accepted Christ’s righteousness have been freed from being slaves to sin, as testified by the Scripture: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Therefore, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:5-9).

Those born of God do not continue to sin because the Lord bought us with His blood to save us from being slaves to sin. Therefore, those who believe this truth are no longer slaves to sin. When Paul said, “I have the desire to do good, but the evil in me prevents me from doing it” (Romans 7:19), he was speaking about his condition when he was still a slave to sin. Now, being freed from that slavery, he declares, “Shall I go on sinning? By no means!” (Romans 6:2).

The Apostle John also said, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:4-10).

According to the Bible, those born of God do not continue to sin. However, as created beings, humans are limited in knowledge and ability, and therefore are prone to mistakes and errors. Christian perfection means being freed from sin, where there is no sin in the heart, and only the love of Christ reigns. When all actions and words stem from love, even errors made are not sins that lead to death (1 John 5:16). Yet, even for such errors, atonement through the blood of Christ is still needed. We may make mistakes due to a lack of understanding, but such mistakes are not due to a lack of love, but a lack of knowledge. Humans are not perfect in knowledge, and we cannot expect to be immune to mistakes or temptations. Errors in judgment can lead to errors in action, and one might even think too highly of others than is warranted.

God is love. When we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with Him, and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Such a person can confess, like the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). To say that I no longer live but Christ lives in me means that love rules over my heart. Love is described as follows: “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Those who seek Christian perfection treat others with pure love. Whether it’s with children, between spouses, between parents and children, between church members, neighbors, or even between pastors, they are never rude. They are not quick to anger, and they do not harbor evil thoughts.

Some may object: How can we not get angry? Can we really avoid anger when our children do wrong? They may say, “I get angry because I love them.” Yet, in reality, many children are left with deep wounds from such anger. Marriages have been broken and ended in divorce because of anger. Churches have seen members leave forever due to conflicts and anger. Jesus warned not to despise even one of these little ones, and woe to the one who causes them to stumble. He even said that such a person would be cast into the fires of hell. So, should we remain silent when we see injustice? Should we not feel anger at wrong?

The greatest obstacle to achieving Christian perfection is human reasoning and teachings. One such belief is that even children of God are bound to sin. Another is that sometimes, anger is necessary. The thought that God’s children are bound to sin contradicts the words of 1 John. To justify anger is to contradict the words of Jesus: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22, NASB), and “For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20, NASB).

The Bible tells us, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NASB). Any thought or theory that exalts itself above the written word of God must be brought down. Anger, no matter the reason, is not the love of God. Why did Moses not enter the Promised Land? Though he was recognized as a meek man, he became angry when he saw the people’s unbelief and failed to give glory to God.

The foundation of our anger and judgment of others lies in the belief that our knowledge, experience, and judgment are correct compared to others. But this is a misunderstanding of the righteousness of God, which gives life. Therefore, to better understand this, we will examine the grace of justification.

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