The Goal of Perfection

God’s standard is not merely outward goodness; it is perfect righteousness.

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48

All of our lives, we have heard, “Be good!”

Be a good friend, good student, good worker, good spouse, and good neighbor. So most of us have become comfortable in our perceived goodness.

Somewhere along the way, we learned to be good without God!

Sadly, we are hoping our good is good enough to earn His love and approval.

God, be proud of my giving, my service, my Bible reading, my church attendance!

But His standard is not good.

It is perfect!

But thanks be to God that the impossible standard is met by the improbable Savior.

In Christ, God is not only our Judge, but He is also our Father!

Your standing with God does not rest on how impressive a résumé you build, how devoutly you pray, or how much you give. Your salvation rests on the résumé of Jesus, not Jordan!

That is why Paul says in Philippians 3 that he counts all the good he has done as loss compared to knowing Christ.

This is where godliness steps in.

Godliness is working from approval while goodness is working for approval.

Godliness isn't an attempt to make God love us. It is the response of people who already know they are loved.

The standard of God is perfection, which I cannot attain no matter how good I am.

But thanks be to God that Jesus has met that standard for me, and through faith in Him I am adopted into the family of God forever!