Written by: Nina Bueno
Perfection is unattainable. I’m very sorry to let my fellow perfectionists down, but I’m afraid that it is true. It might seem as if our grades are perfect for a small moment, but then, we miss an assignment, and the perfection is lost. And so, we decide that pretty good is good enough since that is where the majority of students end up. Actually, pretty good works quite well! We’re not failing our classes, and we have more room to focus on other areas. However, there is a danger that comes when our pretty-good grades mentality becomes a pretty-good theology.
You might be wondering what I mean by a pretty-good theology. To be completely honest and candid, devotions every now and then are pretty-good; vespers for credit and church on Sabbath with friends is pretty-good. Giving some parts of my life to Jesus and offering a quick prayer before I eat is pretty-good. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to call everyone out with a holier-than-thou attitude because I have been and still am in the same place. But, I have been convicted to make a change, and I want to share this with you in the hopes that you may see a need for change in your life as well.
I have realized in the past couple of weeks that Jesus does not call us to be pretty-good Christians but to strive for perfection. In Genesis 17:1 it says, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” And again in 1 Peter 1:15-16 it says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
So we see that the pretty-good theology we’re living won’t cut it. Instead we need perfection in order to be considered righteous before God and to inherit eternal life. Didn’t I say though that perfection is unattainable?
But with Jesus, perfection is attainable, it is even innate! He has been perfect forever and will be perfect forever. Even though He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are” He did not sin. (Hebrew 4:15) And as we read over and over again throughout the Bible, we see that Jesus is the one who intercedes for us. You cannot be perfect on your own, but Jesus “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” (Jude 1:24)
It’s a hard thing to surrender your entire life to Jesus, to be fully present in a relationship with Him. Believe me, I know. But by letting Jesus intercede for us, by allowing Him to begin a process of sanctification in us, our pretty-good efforts can become perfection before God’s throne of grace.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
I ask you to let Him into your life today, to let Jesus turn our pretty-good Christianity into eternal perfection.