The Ghosts of People We'll Never Be?
I've been considering the fact that God orders us to embrace perfection. "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father
is perfect." - Jesus (Matthew 5:48)
I'm perfect, God says. Flawless and free in every way. You be that way too.
And in a sense, every fiber of me wants to say, "OK, God. All right, I will!" If only I could.
Because who hasn't felt the awkward desire in his own heart?--to change. To stop struggling with the same old thing. To live up to the ideal that we secretly cultivate. In short, to be someone we can never be. To be someone perfect. And not in the prissy, conformist sense of the word. Rather, someone powerful, compelling and complete. People who could be, as C.S. Lewis puts it, "possible gods and goddesses."
It's a bittersweet thing to look at the mysterious person in my mind's eye, the person who, somehow, could only be known as "me." But a "me" that is seemingly beyond my ability to realize. It's into this self-conscious, reluctantly-articulated inadequacy that Christ reaches when He says, Be perfect. And when I am most honest, I must admit I am no stranger to this longing. But does the story end there, in a dead-end alley?
Well, no. There's something else. Another player on the stage, arbiting between me and my inertia, the incredible heaviness of my being. Because the perfection that Christ commands, he also empowers. As the apostle Paul said:I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
And this isn't an isolated suggestion in the gospels. It's a central tenet of Jesus' message; those he calls, he "glorifies" (Romans 8:30). Today, in the middle of lay-offs, managerial tirades, spilled coffee, car wrecks, whatever, Christ's people are gradually growing into the perfection he envisions for us. Why? Because he has intended it, predestined it, if you will--and what he intends inevitably comes to pass. How? Because Jesus is the one doing the work, crafting us, shaping us, pouring us into a mold that he made when he walked the earth. Sometimes, to help myself, I try to picture it concretely...
We're slowly filling his shoes. Steadily filling them out. We're gradually growing into these salvation clothes that right now flop about our shoulders like an XL T-shirt on a two-year-old. Perhaps the ill-fitting nature of our "perfect" clothing makes us cry now; I suspect it makes Christ laugh. He sees all ends.
So our deepest true desire--longings for clean brightness, glorious freedom, a personality fully realized--Jesus commands us to grasp. And rightly so, since he was the fully integrated human, the complete man. He calls us to be like him, aficionados of true life, and then he takes the burden of authorship upon Himself. Do it, he says. And then, if we submit, He sets about doing it for us. The artistry of eternity waits upon our assent.
Here, then, is the final word on perfection, the verdict for those of us haunted by the people we long to be: Whole humanity--and full personality--is never consummated apart from Christ. Do you want to become perfect? (Remember how the word is intended here.) If you don't know Christ, you sadly never will. If you do, you already are.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Chasing Perfection
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3 comments:
I couldn't agree more with your thoughts. Have you considered the verse (or part of a verse) in Hebrews that says "... because by one sacrifice He(Christ)has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Heb. 10:14
It's an amazing picture: I am future-perfect, but I'm being made holy now. Longing to be whole and complete now is a right desire that God has placed in me. Knowing Christ in this life means stepping into eternity today. Perfection(being made holy) is taking place now through His Spirit-Power in me.
Thanks for your thoughts. I've had the same ones. Of course you express them more beautifully.
-Lindsay
Right on. "Eternity starts now..." Sounds like we're thinking on the same lines. In fact, we should hook up...
progressive sanctification... brilliant!
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