Have you ever met a perfect Christian? One who is keeping all the commandments of God perfectly, who loves every person in the world, including his enemies, who never speaks evil of anyone, and is patient as Job? One who never gets angry or upset, and is humble and meek as Moses or John the Baptist, and also has a great desire to do missionary work?
Does such a Christian exist? Is it even possible for us to be perfect and sinless?
Another question we need to answer: Is perfection necessary for eternal life and heaven? Will God save almost perfect people, who may have only one little sin left, one sinful indulgence?
Job said, “Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will He help the evil doers.” Job 8:20.
A perfect Christian does not take chances but an almost perfect Christian can be lost; he takes chances, and may not make it to heaven.
“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” Ps. 1:5. Sinners do not feel at ease or comfortable among God’s people; sooner or later they want to leave.
Sister White wrote, “The mighty shaking has commenced and will go on, and all will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth and to sacrifice for God and His cause.” EW 50
What is the measure or standard of perfection that we must reach?
Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48. This means keeping the 10 Commandments.
A professed Christian who does not believe that perfection is possible will never reach it. He is not hungering and thirsting after righteousness. He has set a low standard for himself, and even that standard he fails to reach.
Yet the Bible is clear, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil. 4:13.
Jesus never said that perfection is impossible; He said to people that He healed, “Go, and sin no more.”
The rich young man who came to Jesus asked, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Matt. 19:16. Jesus told him what he had to do in order to be perfect. To every person Jesus has an answer, what it is they have to do in order to reach perfection.
The Pharisees considered themselves perfect in obedience to God, and condemned Jesus and His disciples of wrongdoing. In outward ceremonies they were perfect, but not in all things. Jesus said, “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Luke 11:42.
The Pharisees were not perfect. They hated the Romans, also they would not enter into the house of Gentiles for fear that they would contaminate themselves. They hated Jesus and His disciples. They looked perfect from the outside, but their hearts were not clean.
“Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.” Luke 11:30.
David gave instruction to his son, Solomon. “Solomon my son, know thou the God of your father, and serve Him with perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” 1 Chron. 28:9.
When the heart is polluted, then the whole body is evil. Jeremiah writes about the human heart, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it.” Jer. 17:9.
Amaziah was the king in Judah and he did many things correctly, but we read of him, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.” 2 Chron. 25:2.
Many Christians serve God for selfish reasons. They want heaven and eternal life, but they do not love God, neither their fellow man. Outwardly they are faithful but their hearts have not been converted. Their minds understand the truth, but they do not love it.
This happened to the church in Ephesus. “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake has laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Rev. 2:2-4.
They were not perfect Christians because they had lost their first love.
Paul writes, “Though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:2, 3.
A perfect Christian is filled with love to God and to his fellowmen. John writes to us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.
The old Israelites in the time of Moses were fearful of the giants in the land of Canaan. They wept all night, “And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron… And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt.” Num. 14:2, 4.
Because they had no love to God, therefore they were fearful and murmured against God. And God said to them, “Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness… from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against Me.” Num. 14:29.
A fearful person is the first one mentioned of the people who will be cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 21:8)
Anyone who has fear of the Sunday law, time of persecution or the time of trouble is not a perfect Christian and therefore will not be found in heaven.
It is not enough that we keep the Sabbath, pay tithes, and are vegetarians. These are important but they are not everything. We must be perfect in humility. If we learn this characteristic we can never be offended. A humble person agrees with all evilspeaking of himself. He says like Paul that there is nothing good in him; he is the least of his brethren.
We need to be perfect in love, so that we can love even our enemies, and speak well of them to others.
We have to be perfect in missionary work. Our love to the lost sinners must be so great that we make it a priority in our lives, and all other things must take second place.
We need to be perfect in health reform. We must control our appetite, and learn to fast, and to eat only healthy foods and at the proper times.
We need to be perfect in tithes and offerings. One who robs God in tithes and pays a lesser amount will not have a treasure in heaven. Rather we must pay more than 10 percent.
We also need to learn patience. We must be like Job. This is not an easy lesson, but with the help of God we can learn it.
Also perfection in forgiveness must be learned. We do not need to wait that one who has offended us will come and ask for forgiveness. No, as soon as an offense is done to us, it is already forgiven.
One of the more difficult lessons to learn is sacrifice. It goes against the natural human nature, but if our love to God is greater than our love to ourselves, then it becomes possible to practice.
Many other things can be added to this list of characteristics which we must learn in order to be perfect Christians. This can include our prayer life, Bible reading, our thoughts and our words.
The church of God is the school where He is teaching us perfection. When the school year is nearing the end, then the students are given tests to find out if they have learned the lessons.
God also is testing us to find out if we have reached the perfection that is in His own character. If not, then we are not prepared to enter into the higher grade which will be in heaven.
In 1844, God called about 50,000 to His school—the church. Then when they had to pass the test on October 22nd, only about 50 people passed the test, and only they were able to enter into the higher grade to continue their learning.
In 1914, only 2 percent of the believers passed the test in Europe, and they were called to continue their studies in the higher school of the Reformation.
We are not alone in learning all these lessons, but God, with the help of the Holy Spirit and His angels is our School Master; He will perfect us.
Paul writes, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor. 7:1.
God has made a promise to perfect our holiness. He is expecting the end result of His church, “That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:27.
At that time, every half-converted, lukewarm Christian will be shaken out, and the perfect church will receive the latter rain and finish the work of God on the earth. May the Lord help us to learn all these lessons before it is forever too late. AMEN.
Timo Martin