Pending Perfection

Living our lives as a testimony for Christ is never easy. Whether we are in or out of the workplace, we are constantly expected to behave in the ways of a good Christian so that Man may glorify God because of us.

Many Christians however do not live the Spirit-filled life and even good Christians falter sometimes. As imperfect servants of God we may feel guilty of our failures. We worry about what others may think of us and of Christ. We ask ourselves, 'Will our lives disgrace our faith or bear testimony of Christ?'

BEING HOLY
The Bible teaches us to live holy lives just as God is holy.

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'" (1 Peter 14-16 NAS)

These verses state the expectation of God for Christians, and many have turned away from God for this reason. They think the holiness expected of the Christian is a constraint imposed to control their lifestyle. As Christians, we know this is not true because the Christian lifestyle is a better lifestyle. It sets us free from the control of Satan, from doing evil, and from sin.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE
To live a victorious and successful life, we must be free to choose what is right and mankind's in-born desire is to be free from what we hate which is doing what is wrong.

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me." (Romans 7:18-20 NAS)

THE PERFECT LIFE
Being a Christian means we are to desire the perfect life, the abundant life that does not fall short of what God wants for us. In the gospel, Jesus expressed His desire for us to live the perfect life.

"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48 NAS)

We know however as long as we are still on earth, we cannot reach perfection (Philippians 3:12-14), but we can desire it and let the Holy Spirit in us help us achieve it. Paul in his epistle to the Philippians said:

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 NAS)

This verse makes it clear we can begin to cultivate perfection while living on earth, but we cannot be absolutely perfect until the day of Christ Jesus when He returns in power and glory.

Our role therefore at this time is not to buffet ourselves to demonstrate perfect examples of Christian life (Philippians 3:15-16), but to let the Holy Spirit mold us from within and put to death our deeds of the flesh that Christ may be manifested through us.

"So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:12-13 NAS)

LIVE LIFE ANEW

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life … knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." (Romans 6:4-7 NAS)