I became interested in the doctrine of perfection about thirty years ago. As a young and inexperienced Christian, of course I wanted to be perfect. I drew inspiration from Matthew 5:48: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. My first mistake was imposing my own understanding of the word perfection on the Bible. The right course, as I now know, is to allow the Bible to define its own terms. Mistake number two was not considering the meaning of the passage in its context:
¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The parallel passage in Luke simply says: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36
Jesus is here setting forth a very high standard of perfection in terms of the way we relate to our fellow man. Gods perfection is revealed in his gracious treatment of saints and sinners alike. The sun and rain benefit all.
Teleiov(Strongs #5046) is the Greek word translated perfect in Matthew 5:48. The word is used less than twenty times in the NT. It is usually translated by the English word perfect, although in 1 Corinthians 14: 20, it is translated be men. See endnote 1 for a complete list of all appearances of the word Teleiov in the New Testament.
We see the word in Matthew 19:21:Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect <5046>, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. The word here is defined by context as describing one who has treasure in heaven.
The verb form of Teleiovis Strongs # 5048, Teleiow. This word is sometimes translated as fulfill or to finish. See endnote 2 for a complete list of all the appearances of
Strongs # 5048, Teleiow, in the New Testament.
Teleiow Strongs # 5048 and Teleiov # 5046 areused several times in the book of Hebrews. The meaning of the words are very much dependent on the context in which they are used. For instance, in Heb 5:14the word Teleiov , translated as of full age tells us that those who have their senses exercised to discern good from evil are perfect. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age <5046>, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
One of the most informative discussions of perfection in the entire Bible is found in the ninth and tenth chapter of Hebrews. Note the following from chapter 9:
8 ¶ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect <5046> in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
According to verse 14, being perfect means having the conscience cleansed from dead works.
This thought is fully developed in chapter 10. Verses 1-3 of the chapter offer another view of perfection. Because the worshippers had to year by year participate in the ritual service, they could not be perfect. There sins were called to remembrance; consequently, they were imperfect.
1 ¶ For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect <5048>.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Verse 14 summarizes the argument with this most fascinating verse: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Two questions arise. Who are the sanctified and how are they perfected? The question is answered by the quote from Jeremiah. The sanctified are those who have the law written in their hearts. They are perfected forever by having their sins forgiven and remembered no more.
The point of this passage is that Christians, will never again be confronted by their sins, as the Jews were every year on the Day of Atonement. There is no need for a continuing ritual service because Jesus dealt with sin once for all. That is what perfection is according to Hebrews 9 and 10. Our conscience has been purged from dead works and we will never again be confronted by our sin.
¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The parallel passage in Luke simply says: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36
Jesus is here setting forth a very high standard of perfection in terms of the way we relate to our fellow man. Gods perfection is revealed in his gracious treatment of saints and sinners alike. The sun and rain benefit all.
Teleiov(Strongs #5046) is the Greek word translated perfect in Matthew 5:48. The word is used less than twenty times in the NT. It is usually translated by the English word perfect, although in 1 Corinthians 14: 20, it is translated be men. See endnote 1 for a complete list of all appearances of the word Teleiov in the New Testament.
We see the word in Matthew 19:21:Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect <5046>, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. The word here is defined by context as describing one who has treasure in heaven.
The verb form of Teleiovis Strongs # 5048, Teleiow. This word is sometimes translated as fulfill or to finish. See endnote 2 for a complete list of all the appearances of
Strongs # 5048, Teleiow, in the New Testament.
Teleiow Strongs # 5048 and Teleiov # 5046 areused several times in the book of Hebrews. The meaning of the words are very much dependent on the context in which they are used. For instance, in Heb 5:14the word Teleiov , translated as of full age tells us that those who have their senses exercised to discern good from evil are perfect. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age <5046>, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
One of the most informative discussions of perfection in the entire Bible is found in the ninth and tenth chapter of Hebrews. Note the following from chapter 9:
8 ¶ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect <5046> in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
According to verse 14, being perfect means having the conscience cleansed from dead works.
This thought is fully developed in chapter 10. Verses 1-3 of the chapter offer another view of perfection. Because the worshippers had to year by year participate in the ritual service, they could not be perfect. There sins were called to remembrance; consequently, they were imperfect.
1 ¶ For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect <5048>.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Verse 14 summarizes the argument with this most fascinating verse: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Two questions arise. Who are the sanctified and how are they perfected? The question is answered by the quote from Jeremiah. The sanctified are those who have the law written in their hearts. They are perfected forever by having their sins forgiven and remembered no more.
The point of this passage is that Christians, will never again be confronted by their sins, as the Jews were every year on the Day of Atonement. There is no need for a continuing ritual service because Jesus dealt with sin once for all. That is what perfection is according to Hebrews 9 and 10. Our conscience has been purged from dead works and we will never again be confronted by our sin.
