Christian Pure

20 Bible Verses About Perfection

Christian Pure Team

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Published

Summary

  • The Hebrew adjective tamim, complete or sound, describes God’s way (Psalm 18:30), his work (Deuteronomy 32:4) and his law (Psalm 19:7), and is translated “blameless” for Noah in Genesis 6:9.
  • Matthew 5:48 closes Jesus’ teaching on loving enemies, and Luke’s version of that teaching ends “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
  • Hebrews says the law “made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19) and that God made Jesus “perfect through what he suffered” (Hebrews 2:10).
  • In Philippians 3:12 Paul says he has not yet arrived, and in 3:15 he includes himself among “All of us, then, who are mature”.
  • John Wesley’s sermon “Christian Perfection” and the Westminster Confession of Faith (13.2) give different answers on whether a Christian is perfect in this life.

The Bible calls God’s way, work and law perfect, and it asks the same of people. Jesus tells his hearers to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), Hebrews 7:19 says the law “made nothing perfect”, and in Philippians 3:12 Paul has not yet arrived. In the Old Testament verses below, the Hebrew adjective is tamim, complete or sound; it describes God’s way (Psalm 18:30), work (Deuteronomy 32:4) and law (Psalm 19:7), and the NIV translates it…

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Bibliography (Click to show)

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

The Holy Bible, King James Version, quoted for its renderings of Psalm 18:32, Colossians 3:14, Hebrews 12:2, Philippians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:10 and 1 Corinthians 13:10. biblegateway.com

Strong’s Hebrew 8549, תָּמִים (tamim): complete, sound; used of God’s way, work and law and of Noah in Genesis 6:9. biblehub.com/hebrew/8549

Strong’s Greek 5046, τέλειος (teleios): complete, perfect, mature; listed for Matthew 5:48, James 1:4, James 3:2, Philippians 3:15, 1 Corinthians 13:10 and 1 John 4:18. biblehub.com/greek/5046

Strong’s Greek 5048, τελειόω (teleioo): to complete, to bring to the goal proposed; listed for Hebrews 2:10, 5:9, 7:19, 10:14, Philippians 3:12 and 1 John 4:18. biblehub.com/greek/5048

John Wesley. Sermon 40, “Christian Perfection”, text of the 1872 edition. Wesley Center Online. wesley.nnu.edu

The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 13, “Of Sanctification”. Orthodox Presbyterian Church. opc.org/wcf

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