Perfection Required and Made Possible

People with perfect pitch flinch when they hear something just a little off key.

A perfectionist about appearance will let every stray hair or a single wrinkle make him or her feel uncomfortable.

A skilled wood worker, creating an intricate inlaid pattern on a table top, will not tolerate even one mis-aligned piece.

The crew of a NASA flight to the moon would be very put out if there were the slightest mis-calculation in their trajectory. It would mean sending them into outer space with no hope of return.

If I were preparing a three egg omelet for dinner I might think that one rotten egg out of three is OK. After all, two out of three is not bad, is it? I'm afraid my wife would not find it acceptable.

And yet that's what we do with God. We bring him a life that is only a little bit out of tune, only slightly off course, only a little rotten, and we expect Him to accept it. We humans tend to tolerate imperfection in the lives of others because that's all we ever get. We don't expect people to be perfect. we would have no fellowship at all if we insisted that everyone qualify by a life of perfection.

But when it comes to being right with God perfection is required. Revelation 21 describes heaven and verse 7 says clearly, "nothing unclean will be there." Perfection is required. So what are we to do?

If anyone faced this problem the Christians in Corinth did. Of all the churches seen in the New Testament the Corinthian church seemed to have more than it's share of serious sinners. In chapter 6 Paul acknowledges this. He lists some serious, deadly sins that they were guilty of, saying that those who do these things would not inherit the kingdom of God. But then he adds in verse 11, "and such were some of you. But you were washed, you were made holy, you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

Here at this table, we stand as imperfect, unclean people made perfect and clean in Christ. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

For this reason we remember Him who, in the upper room, said, "this is my body given for you," and "this is my blood" shed for you. In Him is our righteousness.