Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple
Mythology of Christian perfection? I thought Jesus said "Be ye therefore perfect EVEN AS your Father which is in Heaven is perfect? Matt 5:48
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Send me your address, Michael. I am seriously in need of meeting someone who is literally as "perfect
EVEN AS your Father which is in Heaven is perfect?"
And for what it's worth- even though it seems most people hate to read the Bible in context:
By "perfect" here, Jesus meant "teleios" or complete and thorough. You might say, "Follow through..." Again, read the context:
Matthew 5:38-48.
Notice how "your Father which is in heaven" is said to treat the "good and the evil," the "just and the unjust..." In the context we are being told to treat those who wrong us and despitefully use us the same as we treat our "neighbor" and our "brother." We are to "follow through" with our kindness and "complete" or "make perfect" our goodness in our action toward others. And our example here is "our Father which is in heaven" who is good to the unjust and sends rain upon the crops of the wicked.
In
that context we are told to be as "complete" or as "fully mature" as our Father which is in heaven.
The false teaching of "Christian perfectionism" is a deceitful twisting of scripture. For years I sat under a pastor who taught this false doctrine and then I would watch as he lashed out in hate against people in the community, business associates, saints in the church and anyone who dared cross his opinions or mood swings.
"Christian perfectionism" is a two-edged sword clumsily wielded by the unskilled exegete who usually ends up lopping off his own limbs given enough time to do so.
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