by Kala Loptien

Not in Our power

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“You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 English Standard Version

I came across this verse the other day; and it reminded me of a discussion I had with a friend years ago. She had a way with words that I always admired. But when it came to The Word, she doubted, questioned and stumbled over semantics and context. I recall the exact moment she brought this verse from Matthew to my attention. And I remember fumbling through my own answer in an attempt to assuage her qualms. At face value, reading or citing just this verse is incredibly intimidating. “Be perfect like God? Well, that’s never happening; so I guess I don’t belong here.” If that’s all there is, then we are all in trouble. Per usual, we’ve centered this around ourselves and two typical schools of thought. We either fear we’ll never measure up so we fail to try; or we strive like crazy to earn something that can’t ever be self-attained.

I appreciate the notes found in the Concordia Self-Study Bible tied to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: There is no doubt that Jesus (and Matthew) gave the sermon as a standard for all Christians, realizing that its demands cannot be met in our own power. 

We see that, prior to this empowering request of perfection, Jesus speaks specifically about loving in all situations. The Study Bible addresses this idea of perfection, saying: “Christ sets up the high ideal of perfect love — not that we can fully attain it in this life. That, however, is God’s high standard for us.” As God so clearly tells us throughout the Bible, and specifically in 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Do everything in love.” That’s not just the gist. That’s the whole enchilada! God is love. Out of that perfect love, He wonderfully created us. Out of that unconditional, sacrificial love, He rescued us from ourselves and reconciled us to Himself. As children redeemed and robed in the righteousness of Christ, we experience a whole and absolute love. And in that love, we are made perfect.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado