Be Ye Perfect

[Michael The Disciple]

In another thread Man Of Word said:

The Head of the church does NOT require His people to be perfect. They are to be perfected. They will NEVER be perfect down here. We are all in the process of being perfected and will NEVER reach the place that our flaws are gone until we are freed from these bodies.

Are you stating that you believe in the doctrine of sinless perfection?

Me:

Yet right here Yeshua gives the plain statement:

Be ye perfect EVEN AS your Father which is in Heaven is perfect. Matt. 5:48

Notice the two words EVEN AS in this scripture? That means in the same way the Father is perfect we are to be perfect. Is it true Yeshua meant we are to be in the process of being perfected? If that be true it means that the Father is in the process of being perfected!

While it is true that we are to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ that is different than living without sin. Living without sin is very basic to the Christian life.

There are two levels of the truth of perfection.

1. To live without sin.
2. To grow up into HIM in all things.

To live without sin is the easier of the two. Paul said we were DEAD TO SIN from the time we were baptized into the name of Jesus.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Rom. 6:1-3

To those who think the Christian must continue in sin Paul asks "how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?"

It is a tremendous mistake for Christians to think sin is normal to them.

First things first. I am not teaching that man in his own strength can live without sin. Matter of fact in 33 years of my walk I have never heard a Christian teacher say such a thing.

What I do believe and teach is that a Christian is a new creation in Christ. Living in a human body is no excuse for the spirit filled believer to continue sinning.

The proof:

10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. Rom. 8:10-12

The mighty Holy Ghost quickens the mortal body to do the will of God. Therefore we are NOT DEBTORS TO THE FLESH.

Here Paul tells us in no uncertain terms the body must be holy.

1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12:1

So you see friends God is not encouraging anyone to wait for a NEW BODY before he can be freed from sin. Rather he tells us that he expects us to offer the BODIES WE NOW HAVE to him holy, and acceptable to him. He calls this our REASONABLE SERVICE.

Not something unusual. Not something unattainable. Just our reasonable service.

It is true that a Christian could sin and then be forgiven of course. But men have set the true standard of Christ so low people are saying they CANNOT cease from sin. Jesus said be perfect as the Father is perfect.