CONFIDENCE
IN COMPLETION
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) This verse of scripture has had more powerful and profound
impact on my daily walk with God than any other. It is my life-verse,
a constant reminder that my very existence on this planet is a definite work in
progress, ordered and orchestrated by concealed, capable and caring hands.
Dare
I be transparent enough to concede publicly that I am indeed a “work in progress?” It is an admission that is disturbing to
some, although, all things considered, it should be painfully obvious. Nevertheless, erroneous or incomplete
teachings have led many to believe that we will somehow ‘get it all together’
within the span of our sojourn here on earth.
Sisters and brothers, here is a shocker: You
will never be perfect!
How
could that be, when GOD issues scriptural admonitions concerning
perfection? And we quote them often, as
if they are somehow easy or automatic to achieve:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew
5:48) “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus
minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal
even this unto you.” (Philippians 3:15) “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4)
Since the Word of God is always true, it begs
the question: ‘Exactly what did GOD have in mind when He mandated our
perfection?” Surely, He could not have
meant that believers would never err, that we will always adhere fully to the
divine will and way. An honest
examination of my own post-conversion walk (or yours) should virtually
annihilate that interpretation.
Allright, for the sake of those for whom self-examination might be
challenging, for one moment consider your most trusted colleagues in the Body
of Christ. Can you honestly say that
they have been totally perfect in
attitudes, actions, words, deeds, dedication, service and etcetera? I think not.
Actually, when we boastfully attest to our own “perfection,” we do
considerable damage to the cause of Christ and reduce our witness to the world
to the level of that which is patently absurd, non-credible and dishonest.
Regarding our perfection, GOD had something
entirely different in Mind, something quite extraordinary, but something other
than that which is perceived by our logical minds. The facts support this: We Christians are
benefactors of positional perfection. That is, via our connection to Calvary’s
cross and the new birth, we become new creations “in Christ,” and are thus rendered perfect in faith and fellowship
with Him. (II Corinthians 5:17) In every
case, positional perfection produces a constant cry for closer communion: “That
I may know HIM…” (Philippians 3:10) To
wit, our status of spiritual perfection
begins and ends with the admission that there is always more spiritual intimacy
to be sought after and achieved.
Scriptural spiritual perfection precipitates a constant “hunger and
thirst after righteousness.” (Matthew 5:6)
Here’s the bottom-line: Right now, believers
are complete in Christ. We have
been saved by His grace, and through our faith, we stand as spiritually
complete products of the finished redemptive work of Calvary. (Ephesians
2:8) But herein lies the paradox. Although, we
have already been saved (by grace through faith), we are also being saved. That is, just like natural plants, we are
pruned (daily) and purified (spiritually) by The
Husbandman, who utilizes a Word
Process to develop us and to grow us up into Him. (John 15:1 – Ephesians
5:26 – Ephesians 4:15) But this is not
the end of the story. At His second
coming, His glorious appearing, we shall
be saved, i.e. fully delivered and set free from this carnally
influenced “body of death.” (I Corinthians 15:52-53 – Romans 7:24)
No comments:
Post a Comment