Perfect in Christ
Reflection on Matthew 5
Matthew 5:1–12 records the Beatitudes, Jesus' beautiful litany of blessings pronounced upon the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and others who belong to His kingdom. Jesus then shifts His focus to the hearts of believers and how we ought to conduct ourselves before others (5:15-48). Matthew 5 ends with the admonishment, “You therefore must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
It is not enough to avoid the physical trappings of sexual immorality; we must also guard our eyes and thoughts from lustful intent. It is not enough to simply manage our anger by suppressing its outward manifestations. We must not allow anger to fester or consume us from within. Jesus goes on to address divorce, oaths, revenge and retaliation, conflicts involving lawsuits, and love towards our enemies.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, as if to say, do all of this and you will achieve spiritual perfection. No, he is showing us the way forward, how to recognize and rule over sin and to live a life that will attract others to Christ. In verses 13-14, he reminds us that we are “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world,” a designation that should be visibly confirmed and displayed in a Godly witness to those around us. Our capacity as humans to do so perfectly is an impossible charge. Only through the blood of Christ are we counted righteous before God, and only through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit are we progressively conformed to the moral standards of perfection that Jesus elevates in this passage.
Matthew uses the Greek word teleios here for perfect, which means complete, mature, whole, and brought to its intended purpose. Just as the Father is perfect in His love, patience, kindness, holiness, and every divine attribute, so we too, are called to live exemplary lives, never perfect, but always advancing in maturity as those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live differently from those in the world.
Salvation into Christ is the work of God’s grace, but discipleship and spiritual formation come through the intentional, lifelong pursuit of knowing God and replacing worldly ways and habits with heavenly virtue. This is not a passive undertaking. It requires being born again, our starting point for being transformed from within by the grace-sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. And the really good news is that, God the Father has already accepted us as those who have been made fully perfected, holy, and righteous in Christ.
In our present lives, complete perfection (fully realized) is always on the horizon, distantly perceived, as though peering down railroad tracks to a vanishing point that is never reached. But unlike the vanishing point, our future perfection is not an illusion but a certainty, sealed by the promises of God and secured through the finished work of Christ. And, more amazingly, it is also a present spiritual reality in God’s eyes, for He sees the end from the beginning and has fully accepted us as ones made righteous and holy by the blood of Christ. Positionally, God has declared righteous all who have repented, believed the gospel, and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Practically, we are still being transformed, renewed, and grown up into the fullness of Christlikeness, as his adopted heirs and image bearers living in a fallen world.
This is how we are to walk as salt and light in the earth, not as the Gentiles, not as the tax collectors, but as a redeemed people who are now a royal priesthood and living heirs of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ His son. He is calling us forward to live, act, and obey His teachings as new spiritual creatures who are being continually perfected into men and women of faith who bear a holy witness. Each day, we are to put off the old and put on the new, confident that God, who declared us righteous, is also faithfully conforming us to the image of His Son. The perfection Christ commands is the very perfection of His own nature, and He has promised to complete this in all who belong to Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, You have revealed what righteousness and holiness look like, giving us the perfect example of how to live as the men and women of God You have called us to be. Help us to be savoring salt and illuminating light to others who have not yet tasted of Your goodness or been delivered from the present darkness of this world.
Thank You for Your long-suffering patience when we stumble and fall, and for the grace and forgiveness that continually restores and encourages us. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, continue conforming us to the image of Your Son, helping us to pursue You with all our hearts. We rejoice in the promise that the good work You have begun in us will one day be brought to completion, when we stand before You fully perfected in Christ.