By: Sophia Bogush
“But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” Matthew 5:19-20
What comes to mind when you hear the word “perfection”?
Perfect job?
Perfect relationships?
Perfect appearance?
I know firsthand that running any race where perfection is the finish line is one you’ll be running for a very long time. The truth is, you’ll never get there, at least not on this side of eternity.
The good news is God doesn’t expect you to be perfect on your own.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 5, where we find Jesus preparing to deliver one of His most well-known sermons, the Sermon on the Mount. Large crowds of people had gathered from near and far to the mountainside where Jesus was about to teach. In this sermon, He covers several topics like being salt and light, the law, anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge, and loving your enemies.
Sprinkled among the crowd were Pharisees and teachers of religious law, waiting for the opportunity to fact-check Jesus. They must have thought they were in the clear, at least until Jesus called them out in verses 19-20.
“But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” Matthew 5:19-20
Whose righteousness could possibly be better than the Pharisees who were known for being rule-keepers and enforcers? The crowd knew that no matter how hard they tried, they could not achieve perfection on their own.
Jesus ends His sermon by saying, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
I can imagine all of the confused faces in the crowd. They must’ve been thinking, “Wait a second, Jesus… How are we supposed to be perfect all the time? What happens if we mess up? Asking for a friend…”
Perfection only happens through Jesus.
By definition, being perfected is a process that “makes (something) completely free from faults or defects.”
It is because of Jesus’ perfection through life, death, and resurrection that we can be perfected too. In fact, it is the only way. This happens throughout our lives as we spend time in relationship with God, becoming more and more like Him every day through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our imperfections are opportunities for God to be magnified in our lives. It is in the broken places, both big and small, that He shows up and does His best work. This week, I want to challenge you to invite others into the areas of your life where God is perfecting you because we are all a work in progress.