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!
Godliness starts with God!
If I am not careful, I can make godliness into a new set of rules that I must follow—which is a faulty premise.
Now I try to muster the effort to not just work, but work to honor God. I try to wrangle my wayward heart into acting right and righteous!
But godliness requires God!
Jerry Bridges can help us define godliness through his definition of ungodliness. According to Bridges, ungodliness is living every day with little to no thought of God, His will or glory, or our dependence upon Him.
If ungodliness is ignoring God, then godliness must concentrate on God!
This is not a set of works I can accomplish, tasks I can complete, or deeds I can do. It is a changing of my heart’s focus.
Godliness is living devoted to God and seeking to honor Him alone.
Like I stated on Sunday, we can be good without God and even great without God, but we cannot be godly without God!
As Pete Scazzero says, we can catch ourselves being busy for God and never desiring to be with God.
Godliness requires a heart that has come to know, trust, and desire God.
The easiest way I can think about this is through my marriage. It is my daily joy to know, enjoy, and serve Carlin. I do not see this as an obligation, but an opportunity to grow closer to the human being I love more than any other (sorry, Big and Little Coop).
Godliness brings us to a similar place with the One who loves us unconditionally and ultimately.
Godliness starts with loving God so much that we want to be with Him and live for Him.
Today, consider the definitions of godliness and ungodliness.
Where are you comfortable living in an ungodly—not necessarily vile—state?
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1–2
Good is not Godly
Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees of his day were really good at adhering to the letter of God’s law. In fact, they were the goodest of the good!
BUT—that wasn’t enough!
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:20
The Pharisees are proof that goodness can be performed without godliness.
We can organize our lives and modify our behaviors enough to present ourselves as good on the outside. We can avoid vices, sins, and sinners all while being oblivious to God!
Goodness is concerned with, “How do I look?”
But godliness asks, “Who am I becoming?”
Goodness focuses on the technicalities of the law while missing the heart behind it.
What are you more concerned with: the letter of the law or the spirit of the law?
Are you seeking to honor God with your whole heart or simply avoid breaking the rules?
Too many of us are really good and rarely godly!
Too many of us are more worried about looking Christian than being Christlike!
Living to Impress
On Sunday, we discussed how many of us stop short of godliness and live contently in a state of perceived goodness. Goodness seeks the honor of men, while godliness is focused on honoring God. Jesus speaks directly on this subject:
“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
John 12:42–43
Jesus says it was not a failure of belief; it was a failure of focus.
Are you living for the glory of others more than the glory of God?
Are you consumed with thoughts of, “Am I impressive?” “Am I respected?” “Am I needed?”
Why do you want to be good?
Deep down, goodness often wants others to think I am great. Seeking to be great is a slippery slope of cutting corners, sacrificing morals, and compromising values for the sake of temporary gain. Greatness believes that if I can achieve enough, then I will be loved, accepted, and valued.
Test yourself:
When I work, whose “well done” do I desire?
When I serve, do I need recognition?
When I am generous, do I make it known?
Goodness idolizes greatness and believes it is what saves us! Godliness knows that our works are done from approval. Goodness hopes our works will earn approval.
We must move from asking, “Am I doing good?” to “Whom am I seeking to honor?”
There is great temptation even in our spiritual lives to honor ourselves—to pray impressive prayers, to post well-worn Bibles, to project a spirituality that is not actually inside us.
We may fool those around us, but we are not fooling God!
Neighbor > Family?
Proverbs 27:10 says:
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
For the last ten years, we have lived more than 600 miles from our parents. Within our first year in Texas, Cooper was born.
If there were ever a time you would want to live close to family, it would probably be during the first ten years of raising a child. Instead, we moved farther away.
That is why today’s proverb struck such a chord with me. Over the last few years, we have learned firsthand the value of a neighbor who is near.
On exhausting Sunday afternoons, the Walls invite Cooper over to play.
When we run out of eggs, we run to the Larsens or Johnsons.
Most weeknights, we spend time with the Smiths and Sayers.
When packages arrive while we are out of town, Karl or Morgan make sure they are safe.
I can even save money on delivery because Phil and Chris will help me get a refrigerator into the house.
Over time, neighbors who were simply nearby have become like family to us, and I hope we have become the same to them. We get the same calls to grab packages, walk dogs, water plants, or check a door while someone is away.
That leads to a simple question:
How good of a neighbor are you? Honestly?
I know the excuses because I have made them.
“I never see my neighbors.”
“I live in an apartment.”
“We are different ages.”
“We are in different stages of life.”
“We don’t have much in common.”
That was me for five years in College Station. I probably knew four neighbors by name.
But would Jesus be content with those excuses?
And why are we always waiting for someone else to take the first step?
Today is Friday. Make it a goal this weekend to meet at least one neighbor.
Knock on a door. If no one answers, try another or leave a note introducing yourself. Bring cookies if you want, or simply say, “I realized we have lived near each other and never really met.” Exchange numbers. Let them know you would genuinely like to be helpful if they ever need something.
If you already know your neighbors, be intentional today. Send a text. Ask how they are doing. Stop by and say hello. Find an excuse to spend a little more time outside.
I have learned firsthand the value of having good neighbors.
What convicts me now is whether I am becoming one.
Will you be the kind of neighbor someone is thankful lives nearby?