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"GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT" - Psalm 18:30 “…keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him” (Deut. 8:6). “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways.” (Ps. 128:1) |
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“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.” (Mat 5:43-48)
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36). |
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Christian, you are called to live worthy of the gospel. Therefore you are called to be “as your Father” is (Lk. 6:36), which means that you walk in Him, and when you walk in Him, you do His deeds. God does love His enemies. He does good to them and blesses them, and how? By shining the sun and raining rain upon them. So also, if you are “perfect” you will be “as your Father” (Matt. 5:48), which means that you do what He does by walking in Him. “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also, so to walk, even as He walked” (John 2:6). In this way must be “as He is” (1 John 4:17) in walk. Can you see how Christian perfection is to be “as He is” (1 John 4:17)? In Matthew 5:43-48 & Luke 6:35-36, the attribute of God’s merciful love is in direct view, thus we can see that Christian perfection is to be “as your Father” (Matt. 6:48), and from henceforth as we examine “perfection”, whatever attribute is in view about Who God is, or, what are the manner of His ways, to be perfect in “Christian perfection” is to be “as He is”. God’s way is perfect; therefore we must be perfect by walking in His ways. “Ye do the deeds of your father” (John 8:41).
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“Be Perfect” – Matt. 5:48 ------------------------------------------ “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Lk. 6:36) “…every one that is perfect shall be as his Master.” (Luke 6:40) “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 6:48) |
“that ye may be the children of Light” (John 12:36)
“that ye may be the children of your Father” (Matt. 6:45)
“that ye may be the children of your Father” (Matt. 6:45)
John 12:36 says, “walk… that ye may be the children of Light”, and now, here in Matthew 5:43, it states that we should love as God loves, which is being as He is, which is also being perfect as He is perfect (Matt. 5:48), and all of this is to the end “that ye may be the children of your Father” (Matt. 5:45), God says! For, if you do not do these things and are not “as He is in this world” (1 John 4:17), then you will not be called a child or son of God on the Last Day of Judgment! Christian perfection (Php. 3:15), which is saving faith, does lay hold upon the gospel calling (Php. 3:14) in a worthy “walk” (Eph. 4:1) right NOW, presently and progressively, so that in the Final Judgment you will obtain final, sinless perfection (Php. 3:12) in the gospel consummation. To be perfect like as Matthew 5:48 states is a present progressive COMMAND which is obtainable, at present, and thus the NT writers labor for Christian perfection with all their might, bearing in mind that it is an eternally significant cause (Col. 1:28-29)! “The disciple is not above his Master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master” (Luke 6:40). Can you now understand and see the meaning behind these verses? We’d better understand what Christian perfection is! There is no other reason for the gifts of the Spirit to empower Church ministers except that they would, by grace, cause the people to be established in and maintain perfection (Eph. 4:12-13). Hear of Paul’s exhausting devotions to this supreme goal: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily” (Col. 1:28-29). Perfection was heard about, it was evidently a supreme topic in his preaching, warning, and teaching, and, in this cause he was laboring, striving, and working according to the mighty power of God – yet is Christian perfection so alien to you that you don’t even know what it is? Has your congregation ever heard you speak of it, and is it in your prayers that you pray to God? Paul’s heart was utterly rent over the spiritual necessity of each individual’s perfection in Christ – so much so, he did so earnestly pray – “NIGHT AND DAY praying EXCEEDINGLY that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess. 3:10)! A matter so grave, so heavy, Paul was continually cast upon his knees, prostrated on his face, standing in the nights with hands lifted up, praying and praying, exceedingly, and lo, WOE TO US – we don’t even understand what it is! Christian perfection is a matter of eternity, and do you think that you are a biblical pastor or elder, and yet you don’t know what this subject pertains to? May the Lord have mercy! Then preacher, know this, you are not the man of God for the hour! Let this agonizing lamentation of God sink down into your ears – “Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways” (Ps. 81:13)!