“Be perfect?” That’s a pretty big bite to chew. How in the world can we humans be perfect? And, we’re not just to be perfect as we understand it but as God the Father is perfect.
Christians are “perfect” in the eyes of God through the cleansing of Christ’s blood, but I don’t think this is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5:48. The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios. It means perfect in the sense of being mature, and it is translated several times in the New Testament as “mature.”
Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
The Greek word translated “mature” here is the same teleios. I think that’s what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:48. We are to grow into maturity.
2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
How do we become more mature? Growth toward maturity is simple but not easy. Prayer is certainly a path to maturity. We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Some Christians don’t know Who exactly to pray to. God is triune. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, so we should certainly pray to Him. In John 14:14, Jesus tells us to pray to Him, so He is another Person we should pray to. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit speaks to the faithful in answer to their prayer, so I think we should pray to Him as well.
I do think there are basics to prayer. We should approach God cleansed of sin. We do that by confessing our sins to Him (1 John 1:9). From there on, we’re free to ask, adore, praise, and thank or whatever we wish. Sometimes, it’s nice to just hold a conversation. Don’t you like that from your kids?
Bible study is also an important element of becoming mature. We don’t’ become Christlike solely by talking with Him. We need to see what He is told us to do. In 2017, I presented several methods of personal Bible study. They are Topical, ABCD, Character, and Word Studies. If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible for yourself from a plainly written and extremely valuable book, you might pick up a copy of the Navigator’s book on Bible Study methods.
One more thing adds to our Christian maturity: church attendance and mingling with other believers. We learn from one another, comfort one another and are comforted by one another.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Why is this important?
To become more Christlike is to fulfill the will of God. Like the rich man in Matt. 19:21, we need to put Christ-likeness first over all other things we love.
Christ-likeness is the goal set before us. We will never achieve it this side of heaven, but we are to try and to work toward it.
Some will do better than others in our quest to become more like Christ, mature. Don’t be discouraged. I like the analogy of standing on the Santa Monica Pier and trying to jump to Catalina Island, 26 miles away. Some will jump closer to the island, but no one will reach it. Still, God is telling us to jump as far as we can, become as mature in Him as we can. Our relationship with God is personal. It is not our friend’s relationship, it’s ours. We should follow what God has for us.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 