"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48 NIV)
The church today emphasizes that we can come to Jesus, "Just As I Am," and that the church is full of "imperfect people" who need God's grace. I believe it is right to say this, but then why does Jesus tell us to "Be perfect"? In our culture, we look down on being a perfectionist because it indicates an unhealthy obsession with achievement or conformity. What did Jesus mean?
Let's examine the context of the passage. It comes in the middle of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount." Earlier in the sermon, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matt. 5:17 NIV) He even adds, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:20 NIV) The disciples would have been overwhelmed. They probably asked themselves, "How can we possibly compete with the righteousness of the Pharisees, who are more faithful in following the commandments then anyone else?" As Christians, we may wonder the same things. In addition, we wonder why Jesus would say he didn't come to abolish the Law. Aren't many of the commands in the Law and the Prophets like restrictions on eating pork and shrimp done away with?
Many Christians are troubled by these statements, especially when joined with "Be perfect." As a result, many interpret these three verses to mean that Jesus is saying something like this: Let me teach you how hard it is to follow the law. When interpreted correctly, no one can do it. No one can be perfect, no one can have the level of righteousness necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, I will do it for you. I will keep all the law, including the Old Testament laws for you (thus "fulfilling it"). That way, you don't have to keep the law. You will be righteous without worrying yourself about following all the commandments. You can be perfect only by trusting in me and letting me give you your perfect righteousness."
Now, it is true that Jesus offers to be our righteousness. The trouble is that that is not what Jesus is talking about in this sermon. According to Matthew, this sermon is an example of Jesus' regular call for repentance (Matt. 4:17).
Jesus adds, "Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:19 NIV) Here, "these commands," refers to all the commands in the Old Testament.
Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount by saying, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matt. 7:24 NIV) "These words of mine" are his authoritative interpretation of how to follow the Old Testament commands, which he quotes from extensively in his sermon.
Jesus ends his earthly ministry by calling on his disciples to "Make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:19 NIV)
When read in context, there can be no doubt that Jesus calls on all his disciples to carefully obey everything they are commanded to do in the entire Bible. There is no hint that laws are done away with or that Jesus wants us to relax in our striving to follow the laws because he has done it for us.
So, do we have to be perfect in following every command in the Bible, having our own righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, if we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven? Not at all! We have to understand Jesus' words in the context of all Scripture.
First, Jesus was not saying we must have a certain amount of righteousness in order to be saved. He is saying that those who are saved will have this kind of righteousness. Paul explains in great detail in Romans 6-8 (I will post on this soon) that we must be saved in order to have this kind of righteousness. Jesus calls on us to follow the commands not as a means to becoming righteous, but in order to experience the joy and peace that come with following the commands.
Second, Jesus is not saying that Gentiles must follow all the commands God gave the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The Old Testament gives many commands to Jews and Gentiles, but some commands are only given to the Israelites. Even among the commands given to the Israelites, some are just for the Levites, and some are just for men, while others are just for women. No one who has ever lived was ever addressed by all 613 commandments in the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament, Paul gives some commands to men and some to women, some to parents and some to children, and so forth. God calls on us to learn from all commandments, but to live by only those commands addressed to us. While I believe Jewish followers of Jesus are still called to follow all the commands that address the Israelites, Gentile Christians are not required, and never have been required, to follow all the specific laws about dietary restriction and Sabbath day prohibitions found in the Old Testament. Context is key in determining which commands we must follow. However, none of the laws have been done away with.
Third, Jesus is not saying that we must (or even that we can) follow the laws perfectly. Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus makes the following points related to the verse about being "perfect" and having a righteousness surpassing the Pharisees:
1. The Pharisees weren't very righteous. Yes, they had an outward form of righteousness. They knew how to impress people with their prayers, Sabbath observance, and meticulous following of religious customs like washing hands. However, he proclaims that on the "inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." (Matt. 23:25) That is why he said "The tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." (Matt. 21:31) Disciples of Christ need to have more righteousness than the Pharisees in order to enter heaven, but not more than the tax collectors and prostitutes who were responding to Jesus message with repentance and faith. (I say "need" meaning that those who are saved will have the fruit of repentance in their life, not that it is necessary to be saved.)
2. Jesus was emphasizing an inner righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount. The word translated "perfect" in Matthew 5:48 can also mean "complete." Jesus had just given many examples of having hearts that follow the law completely, not just a form of external compliance. So we are not truly following the command "You shall not murder," simply by refraining from literally killing someone. We must also avoid being "angry with a brother," in our heart. (Matt. 5:22) Jesus says that it is not enough to "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." Rather, you must "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:44-45) Jesus is not changing or adding to the Law here, but telling us what the Law always taught. (The Law says to love your neighbor but does not say to hate your enemy.)
Then Jesus adds, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This means we are to love others inwardly and outwardly, whether they are nice to us or are our enemies. We need to have complete righteousness, not merely practice what we think is the minimum outward compliance (which is what the Pharisees were doing).
Jesus does not say that we have to do this to be saved or that those who are saved will be perfect in doing this. But he does make this the model of what all disciples of Jesus will strive for in their life because they love Jesus and trust that his commands are given in love. The commands guide us to live the kind of lives we really want to live.
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