Have you ever heard the phrase “nobody’s perfect”? All of us know this to be the case. If anyone claimed to be perfect we would immediatly call them a pompous liar. It is a universal fact that humans err not only do we make honest mistakes but each of us at one time or another has willingly done what we know we are not supposed to do. So what? It is the normal human condition you say.
If it is true that we evolved from undirected natural forces then the lack of moral perfection is not a problem. We live, we die, that’s it so who cares? But if it is true that we were created by God then that changes everything. How we live and treat each other matters a great deal. So what is God like?
God is perfect. Many will scoff, “yea right!” But consider this. If we are imperfect how can we rightly judge what perfection is? If our minds are finite, how can we say we know more than a mind that is infinite? We cannot in good conscience judge perfection with an imperfect understanding.
How do we know God is perfect? It is because He has put the desire in us to be like Him. We aspire to do what is right, to judge correctly, to be fair, to love those we hold dear, to live in peace, etc. These noble ideals have to come from a source. If that source were not perfect then our idea of justice would be warped, we could not aspire to be fair, love would be twisted and self serving. This is not the case. We can discern between love that is pure and selfish love, we seek justice and can tell a good verdict from a poor one, or we wouldn’t have courts and juries. The source of our standards is the Creator. He is the standard we use to judge what is right and what is wrong. So what does God’s perfection mean to us?
If God is morally perfect and we are not that puts us in quite a predicament. If God is the source of justice and love, then when we act unfairly or unloving we seperate ourselves from the love and justice of God. This is a spiritual death. When our physical bodies die our spirit lives on and we go before the God of heaven and explain our actions in this life. He’s going to want to know why we did not live up to the standards He Himself lives by every moment. Why were we not perfect? After all He would not expect something of His creation that He was unwilling or unable to accomplish Himself. How could imperfection be allowed to live in heaven? It would ruin heaven as it has ruined earth. It would be impossible for perfection and imperfection to coexsist. Perfection casts out imperfection. So how does one prove to God that one is perfect? After all we already know “nobody’s perfect.”
God is just He will mete out justice to all, everyone will get what they deserve. However, God is also gracious and understanding. Knowing that no one is perfect, and no one would be able to live up to demands of perfection He provided a way to cover our imperfection. There is only one punishment for imperfection, and that is destruction. What is perfect is precious beyond all measure, what is flawed is destined for the trash heap. God’s trash heap is hell. So in order for God to accept us we have to be made perfect, and the good news for us is that God provided a way for us to be perfected.
The most precious comoditiy on earth is human blood. What is more important than human life? It is even a symbol on the American flag. The red stripes signify the blood that was shed to ensure our freedom. Since blood is the symbol of life it is the picture that God uses to explain what is needed to pay for our moral imperfections. The Bible calls these moral imperfections “sin”. Blood or life is what is what is needed to cover our sins. Now there are two options for payment. We can pay with our own blood or with God’s permission we can pay with the blood of a substitute on our behalf. If we pay with our own blood to cover our sin then we die. If we use an unwilling substitute we would be guilty of murder. If we use an imperfect substitute then the sacrifice will be rejected. Only a perfect life will do. So the conditions for the blood that covers our sin has to be from a person who is perfect and volunteers to die in our place. Knowing that this would be impossible to find God provided the appropriate sacrifice in His Son Jesus.
Jesus voluntarily laid down His life on the cross, He said, “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” (John 10:18 NASB) The blood of Jesus was shed on the cross to cover our sins, so that when we stand in the presence of God and plead our case for perfection we do not rely on our own imperfect acts, but on the perfect acts of Jesus our Savior. Our plea before God when the charges of moral imperfection are leveled at us needs to be “not guilty by reason of the blood of Jesus.”
You may be thinking, “This is too easy!” And you would be right. Lip service will not do. We cannot just say some magic words before God to let us into heaven. In order for us to use the blood of Jesus in our defense we have give Jesus a gift that is comperable to the gift He has given us. He gave us His life so that we may live, but He asks for our life in return. If He is going to die for us then we must live for Him. Jesus said, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Luke 9:24 NASB) If we hold on to our old life we die guilty of sin and we lose our life, but if we give up our life and exchange it for the life that Jesus offers we will save our life. In order to symbolize this new life we are called to be baptized in water, as it is a public display that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, that we have died to our old life, and that we now have decided to live a life devoted to the One who has saved us. Paul puts it this way, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4 NASB) Living a new life means living our life according to God’s instructions found in the Bible.
In order to be made perfect the process starts with admitting that God is perfect and that we are not. In order to save our lives from spritual death and seperation from God we need to turn away from our own ways, and and turn to the ways of God. God provided the way to perfection through the death of his Son on the cross. Jesus died for us so that we may live for Him. If you agree to live for Jesus then you will see God through the work of the Holy Spirit work in your life. Here is what happens:
You will recognize that your sin has seperated you from God this realization leads to feelings of guilt over your sin. Then you will feel the need to confess the ways in which you have done what is wrong before God. At this point it can get pretty emotional and it is not uncommon to recount in tears the wrongs you have committed before the Lord. After this you will feel the need to ask God to forgive you for the bad things you have done. You will feel remorseful that Jesus had to die to pay for your sin but this is generally eclipsed by the gratitude that He has paid the price. This gratitude overflows into thanksgiving as you show your appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross on your behalf. At this point you feel the need to tell Jesus that in light of His sacrifice you are now going to dedicate your life to serving Him. Then the Holy Spirit fills you with His peace, and a great relief washes over you. If this happens to you then you have experienced conversion. There will be two things that you will not be able to control. You will not be able to stop telling others about it, and you will not be able to read the Bible fast enough.
If this happens to you then find a group of people who believe that Jesus is God and Savior, who are dedicated to the words of the Bible, and are living a life dedicated to God. If you are ever in doubt, cry out to God and He will lead you. If you are confused pray for wisdom, and He will supply it. God through the Holy Spirit will never leave you or forsake you. You have begun the journey and the One who began a good work in you will complete that good work and you will spend eternity in heaven with Him and the rest of us too!
Until we meet may the Lord bless you and keep you.
