GOD PERFORMS OUR PERFECTION

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” – Philippians 2:13

The Pursuit of Perfection is enhanced by the revelation that GOD PERFORMS OUR PERFECTION: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phi.2:13). When we talk about perfection, our attention is almost invariably focused inward on ourselves, and that's not where the power is. The Power for Perfection is in God – our Creator and Redeemer. Perfection is His work, not ours: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phi.2:12). It doesn’t say to WORK FOR our salvation, but to WORK OUT our salvation…and “IT IS GOD who works” in us!

Many people try to perform their way to heaven. The Pharisees expended futile efforts to live according to the Law of Moses. Jesus said: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). No religious system of rules and regulations can qualify us to enter into God’s perfect heaven. The Law cannot make us right with God. It can only reveal how we are wrong: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom.3:20).

Romans 3:21-22 says, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to ALL and on ALL who believe…” The way to become righteousness in the sight of God is not through our performance, but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Perfect Sacrifice for our sins: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2)

Paul reaffirmed this truth with his own personal testimony: “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Phi. 3:9). Prior to salvation, Paul was a very religious man. He actually said: “concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phil.3:6). Yet, although he looked to be perfect on the outside, he was still imperfect on the inside. He was as Jesus said of the other religious leaders of that day – “like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Mt 23:27b). It was not until Paul stopped trying to earn his way to heaven and instead put his faith in Jesus Christ, that he found the way to true perfection.

There are many who think that they must perform their way into perfection in order to relate with the Perfect God; they must always “do something” in order to make themselves acceptable in His sight. They often describe their relationship with God in terms of listing the things they “do” and “don’t do.” They believe that they are somehow earning acceptance and favour with God through their performance. To be a Christian is not to operate under the Pressure of Performance! On this side of eternity, there is always room for further improvement. Every outstanding athlete is the first to acknowledge that he or she has never played the perfect game or run the perfect race or participated in any event with flawless performance.

The same is true in the spiritual and moral realms. Those Christians who have come to appreciate the perfect righteousness and infinite holiness of God are the first to admit their imperfection. We are pressing and progressing into perfection, until we see the Lord as He is and become perfectly like Him!