It’s often not easy admitting we need help. It’s much more difficult to admit we are totally helpless. Talk about a blow to our pride and self-esteem.
Sometimes, however, it’s essential for survival. Sometimes, self-help only results in more danger. Think of a person standing on a crumbling mountain ledge. The worst thing one can do is move a muscle. He must stand perfectly still and let the first responders rescue him.
Spiritually we were in such a situation. Sin has made us helpless. “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” Romans 3:12.
See Also: Key Biblical Terms – Sin
We, however, have trouble seeing this. We are like a sick person who refuses to believe the evidence that our bodies are full of cancer. What would a doctor do in this situation? He would bluntly emphasize the gravity of his patient’s condition for the patient’s good. He knows he must convince them of the seriousness of their situation before he can treat them.
Our Condition is Serious
God is bluntly presenting us with the evidence of our serious condition when he says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The word “be” commands perfection right now. Like the doctor who needs to be as forceful as possible, Jesus adds, “even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus is commanding an absolute, not a relative, perfection. The standard to which we are measured is Heavenly Father himself.
See Also: Be or Become Perfect
Jesus doesn’t want us to have any misconceptions or any false hopes. By this command, he is laying bare the seriousness of our situation. We don’t just need help. We need a miracle.
And that is what God offers us. His solution is to cover us completely with Jesus’ perfection.
See Also: The Only Way to Live Forever with God!
“He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness”
Isaiah 61:10
Jesus’ Perfection is Our Only Solution
Making Jesus’ perfection our perfection is the only solution. This is the only way to remain in God’s presence. We do that by resting all our hopes of salvation in what he has done for us.
Like the person standing on the crumbling ledge, don’t move a muscle to save yourself. Instead trust completely in Jesus.
What does forgiveness really mean for your life?
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