Jesus says something that can crush you if you misunderstand it:
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
—Matthew 5:48
Yet the Bible is equally clear that:
“None is righteous, no, not one.”
—Romans 3:10
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
—1 John 1:8
So which is it?
Are we commanded to be perfect, or are we all sinners who fail?
This is the paradox:
The command to be perfect vs. our universal sinfulness.
In this post we’ll explore:
- Why this is a paradox, not a contradiction
- Ideal vs. present reality: God’s standard and our condition
- Mature love, not sinless flawlessness in Matthew 5:48
- The Great Exchange: Christ’s perfection for our sin
- How our imperfection both drives us to grace and stirs a desire for holiness
- What it means to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
- Why this matters deeply for how you live and worship today
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1. Paradox, Not Contradiction
A contradiction would be:
- “You must be sinless now”
and - “You cannot possibly avoid all sin now,”
both in the same sense, at the same time, in the same way.
That would be impossible.
But Scripture actually says something subtler and richer:
- God’s law and character hold up a perfect standard.
- Our present life is one of real but incomplete growth, still marred by sin.
- We are already counted perfect in Christ (justification)
and not yet perfected in ourselves (sanctification and future glorification).
Augustine captured this tension:
“In this life, even the most righteous man
must daily pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses.’”
—paraphrased from his sermons on the Lord’s Prayer
So the paradox is:
- Ideal: God calls us to perfection.
- Present reality: We remain sinners who stagger and stumble.
Not a contradiction—rather, the tension in which Christian growth happens.
2. Ideal vs. Present Reality
A. God’s Ideal: Perfect Righteousness
God’s command is not partial:
- The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).
- His law is holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12).
- Jesus heightens the standard in the Sermon on the Mount, exposing not just outward acts but inner motives (Matthew 5:21–30).
Paul quotes the Old Testament to show the ideal:
“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
—Galatians 3:10 (citing Deuteronomy 27:26)
God’s holiness is flawless; His standard reflects who He is, not what we can manage.
B. Our Present Reality: Universal Sinfulness
Yet Scripture is brutally honest about us:
- “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
- Even believers groan under remaining sin (Romans 7:14–25).
- John writes his letter to Christians and says: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…” (1 John 1:8)
So we live in this gap:
- The ideal of perfect holiness,
- The reality of ongoing sin and weakness.
This tension is on purpose. It:
- Exposes our need for grace.
- Guards us from pride and self-righteousness.
- Calls us deeper into dependence on Christ and the Spirit.
John Calvin said:
“As long as we are clothed with this flesh,
we never in reality cease to be sinners;
but in Christ we are accounted righteous.”
—Institutes 3.11 (paraphrased)
3. “Be Perfect”: Mature Love, Not Sinless Flawlessness
In Matthew 5, Jesus ends His teaching on loving enemies with:
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
—Matthew 5:48
The Greek word for “perfect” here is teleios—often meaning:
- Complete,
- Mature,
- Brought to its intended goal.
In context, Jesus is talking about love:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
—Matthew 5:44–45
So:
- The Father shows love even to His enemies (He “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good”).
- To be “perfect as your Father is perfect” is to have mature, whole-hearted love that reflects His character.
This doesn’t water down the command—it deepens it:
- Not less than moral obedience, but more: a heart shaped by God’s generous love.
- Not merely “don’t sin,” but “love like your Father loves.”
John Chrysostom (4th century) commented:
“He does not simply say ‘love,’ but ‘be perfect as your Father,’
showing that we must imitate God in this most of all—that we love even our enemies.”
—paraphrased from his Homilies on Matthew
So:
- The ideal is nothing less than God-like love.
- We pursue maturity, not an illusion of sinless flawlessness in this life.
4. The Great Exchange: Clothed in Christ’s Perfection
If God’s standard is perfect love and righteousness, and we fall short, where is our hope?
In the Great Exchange:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21
On the cross:
- Our sin is counted to Christ.
- His perfect righteousness is counted to us.
This is what theologians call imputed righteousness:
- Christ’s life of perfect obedience,
- Christ’s sin-bearing death,
- Christ’s resurrection—
all credited to those who trust Him.
Romans 3:21–22:
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”
Martin Luther described this as a “marvelous exchange”:
“This is that mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners:
wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s,
and the righteousness of Christ is not Christ’s but ours.”
—paraphrased from his Galatians commentary
So:
- Positionally (in justification):
- Every believer is already clothed with Christ’s perfect righteousness.
- God sees you in Christ, fully accepted.
- Practically (in sanctification):
- You are still being made what you already are in Him.
- You grow gradually into what has already been declared true.
This is how the paradox holds:
- God’s standard is unchanged perfection.
- Christ has met that standard for you.
- The Spirit is now at work in you to form that same holiness.
5. How Imperfection Drives Us to Grace and Holiness
Your ongoing imperfection is not an excuse; it’s a teacher.
A. Imperfection Drives Us to Grace
When you fail, what do you do?
- Despair and give up?
- Pretend you’re better than you are?
- Or flee again to Christ?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
—1 John 1:9
Your daily sins:
- Remind you that you never outgrow your need for the gospel.
- Keep you small and Christ big.
- Protect you from trusting in your performance instead of His.
John Newton, near the end of his life, said:
“I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.”
—paraphrased
That’s the posture of a maturing believer.
B. Imperfection Awakens Desire for Holiness
At the same time, if you are truly united to Christ, your remaining sin bothers you:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
—Matthew 5:6
By the Spirit, you begin to:
- Hate what God hates.
- Love what God loves.
- Long to reflect your Father’s holiness (1 Peter 1:14–16).
Your failures, rightly understood, do not make you care less about holiness; they make you long more for it.
Herman Bavinck wrote:
“The more a believer grows in grace,
the more he becomes aware of the sin that still clings to him,
and the more he longs to be fully conformed to Christ.”
—paraphrased from Reformed Dogmatics
6. Working Out Salvation with Fear and Trembling
Paul captures the paradox beautifully:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you,
both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
—Philippians 2:12–13
Notice:
- We are not told to “work for our salvation,”
- But to “work out” what God has already worked in.
A. What Kind of “Fear”?
For a justified believer, this “fear” is not terror of condemnation (Romans 8:1), but:
- Reverent awe of God’s holiness.
- Loving fear of grieving Him and losing the sweetness of close fellowship.
- A sober sense that sin matters and God is not to be trifled with.
It’s the posture of someone who says:
- “I love my Father too much to take His grace lightly.”
- “I fear the loss of intimacy and the discipline that comes when I harden my heart.”
Hebrews 12:28–29:
“Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
for our God is a consuming fire.”
B. God’s Work and Our Work
The paradox continues:
- We work:
- We fight sin.
- We pursue obedience.
- We cultivate prayer, Scripture, fellowship.
- God works in us:
- He gives the will and the power to obey.
- He completes what He started (Philippians 1:6).
So:
- Our “fear and trembling” is not a cringing dread of losing our justification,
- But a serious, love-rooted concern to live worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1),
to not squander grace (2 Corinthians 6:1).
7. Why This Paradox Matters for Us Today
This paradox is not theoretical. It touches everyday Christian life.
A. It Protects You from Perfectionism and Despair
- Perfectionism says: “Real Christians don’t struggle like this.”
- Result: hypocrisy, burnout, hiding.
- Despair says: “I’ll never change; why try?”
- Result: apathy, indulgence, drifting.
The paradox says:
- God’s standard is perfect—don’t lower it.
- You are imperfect—don’t deny it.
- You are clothed in Christ—don’t forget it.
- You are being transformed—don’t quit.
B. It Clarifies What Growth Really Looks Like
Christian maturity is not:
- The absence of all struggle,
- But deeper honesty, quicker repentance, and more love.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
—2 Corinthians 3:18
You will not be sinlessly flawless in this life; but you will grow:
- In love (Philippians 1:9),
- In holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3),
- In Christlikeness (Romans 8:29).
C. It Deepens Worship and Gratitude
When you know:
- What God demands (perfection),
- What you actually are (still sinful),
- What Christ has given you (His perfect righteousness),
your worship can’t stay shallow.
You begin to say with Paul:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.”
—Galatians 2:20
8. A Final Word of Encouragement
You live every day in this paradox:
- Commanded to be perfect,
- Confessing that you are sinful,
- Clothed in a perfection that is not your own,
- Called to grow in holy, mature love.
Let the tension do its good work:
- When you fall, run to Christ.
- When you stand, thank Christ.
- When you long for more holiness, lean on Christ.
- When you tremble at your weakness, remember: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Thomas Watson, the Puritan pastor, summed it up well:
“A child of God may fall, but he is like a bird with a string tied to its leg:
it may fly up and down, but it cannot fly away.”
—paraphrased
You belong to a Father who calls you to perfection,
covers you with His Son’s perfection,
and by His Spirit is making you perfect in love.
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