WHAT IS A PERFECT MAN

 

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What is the mark of perfection?

“Whoever does not sin in word, that person is perfect, able to bridle even the whole body” (Jac 3.2).

 

 

What is the totality of perfection?

“Most of all, put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col 3.14; see Phil 3.13-14, Heb 12.14).

 

 

How perfect did God intend us to become?

“And the God of peace himself sanctify you in all its fullness, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved in its entirety without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5.23).

“God only accepts those who set high goals for themselves. He places upon everyone who comes to Him the obligation to do His work to the best of their ability. We must never lower the standard of righteousness to match our innate or acquired tendencies to sin. We must understand that imperfection of character is sin. All the righteous attributes of character are in God, forming a perfect harmonious whole, and everyone who accepts Christ as their Savior has the privilege of having these attributes. Those who want to be a co-worker with God should strive to perfect all the organs of their body and the properties of their mind. True education is the preparation of physical, mental, and moral powers for the performance of any duty; it is the preparation of the body, mind and soul for the service of God. Such an education will be the preparation for eternal life.

The Lord requires every Christian to develop all his strengths and abilities. Christ paid for us with His blood and suffering to enable us to serve God in our free will. He came into our world to give us an example of how we should work and how we should treat our work. He wants us to learn how to best do His work and glorify His name in the world by loving and honoring the Father, who "so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have life eternal" (John 3.16). But Christ did not give us the assurance that acquiring a perfect character is an easy matter. A noble versatile character cannot be acquired by inheritance. He does not come to us by chance. Noble character is acquired through personal effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives talents, mental powers; we are building character. It is formed as a result of a hard, severe struggle with oneself. We must decisively get rid of bad hereditary tendencies. We must be critical of ourselves and correct all the negative properties of our character” ( E. White, “Christ's Object Lessons”, pp.330-331).