Perfection - the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.
Jesus Christ embodies God’s glory and fullness. More than that, he is the only perfect man who has ever lived. Jesus became perfect through suffering, obedience, and God’s indwelling.
Jesus came to Earth to be our “perfect” substitute, dying in our place, paying the death penalty for our sin.
Romans 6:23 GNTD For sin pays its wage—death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is why He was born of a virgin. God supernaturally planted a specially created seed in a virgin girl’s womb. That way Jesus’ Blood would come from that specially created seed.
Luke 1:34-35 GNTD Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.
Jesus’ Blood came from a Perfect, Holy God, making Him the “perfect” sacrifice for our sin!
This made Jesus fully God and fully man. He was not some half-God, half-human freak! Jesus was the Perfect God-man, similar to Adam before he sinned. This is why the Bible calls Jesus “The Last Adam”.
1 Corinthians 15:45 GNTD For the scripture says, “The first man, Adam, was created a living being”; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit.
Someone had to pay the price for Adam’s sin and the sin of all humanity. It had to be a man, a perfect man.
Hebrews 10:14 MSG It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.
Stop Trying to Be Perfect
By Rick Warren
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB). (Emphasis mine)
When you learn how to relax in God’s liberating grace and break out of the prison of perfectionism, you will find a new level of joy and freedom in your life. Why? Because perfectionism is destructive to your life in several ways.
1. It defeats your initiative.
Have you ever had a project you haven’t been able to get started? You think, “One of these days I’m going to get around to it,” but you just can’t take that first step. One possible reason is perfectionism. You’re waiting for the perfect circumstance or timing, or you’re waiting until the kids get out of school, or you’re waiting until a certain amount of money comes in. When you set your standards so high, perfectionism causes paralysis, and you can’t get anything done.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB).
2. It damages your relationships.
Nobody likes being nagged or corrected all the time. It’s frustrating and irritating! The Bible says, “Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends” (Proverbs 17:9 TLB). Perfectionism—the desire to always correct—damages relationships because it’s rooted in insecurity. Perfectionists who are harsh and demanding on other people are really harsh and demanding on themselves.
3. It destroys your happiness.
Ecclesiastes 7:16 says, “Don’t be too virtuous, and don’t be too wise. Why make yourself miserable?” (GW). This Scripture isn’t talking about genuine righteousness or real wisdom. It’s talking about perfectionism. You can transform any virtue into a vice by taking it to the extreme.
Your worst nag lives under your skin, because you are your own worst critic. (That’s true for all of us!) Since we tend to resent and even dislike people who nag us, if you’re always nagging yourself, what does that say about you? It says that you don’t like yourself. You think you’re not good enough. And you think reminding yourself what’s wrong with you is going to motivate you into doing the right thing. It’s not! That’s called perfectionism, and it causes you to constantly put yourself down.
There’s just one antidote to perfectionism. It’s not in a self-help book or a doctor’s office. You can only learn to relax when you fully experience the liberating grace of God.
Jesus Christ embodies God’s glory and fullness. More than that, he is the only perfect man who has ever lived. Jesus became perfect through suffering, obedience, and God’s indwelling.
Jesus came to Earth to be our “perfect” substitute, dying in our place, paying the death penalty for our sin.
Romans 6:23 GNTD For sin pays its wage—death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is why He was born of a virgin. God supernaturally planted a specially created seed in a virgin girl’s womb. That way Jesus’ Blood would come from that specially created seed.
Luke 1:34-35 GNTD Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.
Jesus’ Blood came from a Perfect, Holy God, making Him the “perfect” sacrifice for our sin!
This made Jesus fully God and fully man. He was not some half-God, half-human freak! Jesus was the Perfect God-man, similar to Adam before he sinned. This is why the Bible calls Jesus “The Last Adam”.
1 Corinthians 15:45 GNTD For the scripture says, “The first man, Adam, was created a living being”; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit.
Someone had to pay the price for Adam’s sin and the sin of all humanity. It had to be a man, a perfect man.
Hebrews 10:14 MSG It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.
Stop Trying to Be Perfect
By Rick Warren
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB). (Emphasis mine)
When you learn how to relax in God’s liberating grace and break out of the prison of perfectionism, you will find a new level of joy and freedom in your life. Why? Because perfectionism is destructive to your life in several ways.
1. It defeats your initiative.
Have you ever had a project you haven’t been able to get started? You think, “One of these days I’m going to get around to it,” but you just can’t take that first step. One possible reason is perfectionism. You’re waiting for the perfect circumstance or timing, or you’re waiting until the kids get out of school, or you’re waiting until a certain amount of money comes in. When you set your standards so high, perfectionism causes paralysis, and you can’t get anything done.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB).
2. It damages your relationships.
Nobody likes being nagged or corrected all the time. It’s frustrating and irritating! The Bible says, “Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends” (Proverbs 17:9 TLB). Perfectionism—the desire to always correct—damages relationships because it’s rooted in insecurity. Perfectionists who are harsh and demanding on other people are really harsh and demanding on themselves.
3. It destroys your happiness.
Ecclesiastes 7:16 says, “Don’t be too virtuous, and don’t be too wise. Why make yourself miserable?” (GW). This Scripture isn’t talking about genuine righteousness or real wisdom. It’s talking about perfectionism. You can transform any virtue into a vice by taking it to the extreme.
Your worst nag lives under your skin, because you are your own worst critic. (That’s true for all of us!) Since we tend to resent and even dislike people who nag us, if you’re always nagging yourself, what does that say about you? It says that you don’t like yourself. You think you’re not good enough. And you think reminding yourself what’s wrong with you is going to motivate you into doing the right thing. It’s not! That’s called perfectionism, and it causes you to constantly put yourself down.
There’s just one antidote to perfectionism. It’s not in a self-help book or a doctor’s office. You can only learn to relax when you fully experience the liberating grace of God.
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