I think our aim must always be perfection which we know is possible according to Jude 1:24 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” He wants us to be mature in this way, Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” This perfection is maturity. One of the problems in the early church was failure to grow in grace, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” The writer to Hebrews says something similar, Hebrews 5:12-13, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
It is possible, but when we begin to says we have attained it there is a great danger of pride causing us to fall, so it is better to be like Paul who described life as a race, Philippians 3:9-14, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The first resurrection is our goal. It is possible that some believers will be hurt by the second death because they have not yet attained this goal, 1 Corinthians 3:12-17, “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” The fire which consumes the wood hay and stubble is His presence. However He also knows just how far we are from such perfection, and when promising the Holy Spirit to His disciples warned them that they were evil, like us, Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” We will get discouraged if we look at others and even ourselves, but instead let us claim His promise of the Holy Spirit and keep looking to Him continually for victory, James Templeton
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Message-----
I guess it depends upon how
you look at it. I consider it encouraging to learn of the grace of
God. To me it was like being let out of a shoebox in the middle of a huge
parking lot. I tell it like it is. To me, it is encouraging to
learn the truth about religious pride. We are looking at this differently
I guess. To say Christians have to be perfect is discouraging to me. Glenn,
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