Nobody's Perfect Part 2

Does Goes Expect Perfection

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Being perfect is not being Justified (Salvation).

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

Our ability to be perfect or perform acts of “good deeds” that would then move God to accept us is anti-gospel.

If my ability to be perfect was the basis of Justification before God, then why did Christ come?

We talked last week that our acceptance by God comes through the work of Christ and our response is to make maturity our focus.

What makes us perfect before the father is what we call “imputed” righteousness.

Impute - to represent as being done, ascribe to someone by virtue of a similar quality in another.

The perfection required for our justification is accomplished by and held by Christ.

Being Perfect is accomplished in Christ

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

1 Corinthians 1:30 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”

Three Salvific terms:

Righteousness - our right standing before God; Justification.

Sanctification - God’s work on making us more holy; Looking more like Jesus.

Redemption - Our liberation from sin; Glorification.

All that we have as believers is found “In Christ.” Now, God does expect and requires perfection as the basis of our Justification… but it is not our perfection.

Listen to what the Bible has to say about our righteousness before God.

Is. 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

I love Paul’s take on the subject of anything “good” that we have accomplished.

Phil 3:7-9 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—”

In Christ, as we stand Justified, it is now our response to move towards maturity in Christ.

1 John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

1 John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Perfectionism vs. Excellence

Exceeding - In Greek the noun hyperbole means “throwing beyond, surpassing, exceeding, excellence.”

1 Cor 12:31 “But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

Surpassing - In Greek the noun huperbole means “throwing beyond, surpassing, exceeding, excellence.”

Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Over and Above - In Greek, the verb perisseuo means “to be over and above, to abound, to excel.”

1 Corinthians 14:12 “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”

There are recognizable differences between the demand for perfection and the desire for excellence. The perfectionist not only fails to rely on God, but also places trust in self-effort. The Bible calls this sin.

Are you trusting in your own strength or trusting God to work through your weakness?

2 Cor 12:9-10 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“What is the difference between being perfectionistic and aiming for excellence?”

Perfectionists feel defeated if they are found at fault in any area. However, Christians are called to rise over and above immaturity, to excel in maturity.

James 1:4 “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Perfectionists take great pain and cause great pain!

The Demand for Perfection vs. The Desire for Excellence

Perfection - My best isn’t good enough | Excellence - I am pleased with my best.

Perfection - I have to get a promotion. | Excellence - I hope to get a promotion.

Perfection - I must have a spotless house. | Excellence - I want to keep a clean house.

Perfection - I must make striahgt A’s. | Excellence - I would like to make straight A’s.

Perfection - I dread starting this project. | Excellence - I lookfoward to starting the project.

Perfection - I’d rather be dead than average. | Excellence - I feel competent in many areas.

Perfection - I did better than my friends. | Excellence - I did better than I’ve ever done.

Perfection - It is painful to be a failure. | Excellence - Failure is just a part of life.

Perfection - I have to do better. | Excellence - would like to do better.

Perfection - I feel pfrustrated by having done this. | Excellence - I feel fulfilled by having done this.

Perfection - I’ll be perfect if I try hard enough. | Excellence - I hope to excel when I give it my best.

1 Tim 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain,”

“The perfectionist is a man whom it is impossible to please because he is never pleased with himself.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Making our focus excellence over perfection relfects that fact that we are resting in the work of Christ and pressing on towards maturity.

How do know if you’re suffering from Perfectionism.

The essential feature of perfectionism is compulsive behavior, which results from an insecure need to “go beyond the call of duty.” Instead of joyfully giving out of love, the perfectionist gives out of duty in an effort to please others.

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

COMPULSIVE

Controls environment, situations and others must be in control to make sure things go well

Objects to criticism and correction reacts defensively

Majors on the minors preoccupied with trivial details

Procrastinates puts off starting projects for fear of failing

Underestimates time needed to complete tasks tendency to overcommit

Lacks joy and creativity inflexible

Sacrifices relationships for projects stingy with emotions, personal possessions and time with others

Imagines rejection from others self-rejection—expects to receive disapproval

Vacillates in making decisions avoids or postpones decisions

Expresses intolerance toward others critical and impatient with the mistakes and weaknesses in others

Perfectionists seem highly motivated to produce, yet their behavior is actually a compulsive drive to protect themselves from losing self-worth. They live under the law of God (seeking to earn approval and worth) instead of living under the grace of God (accepting unearned approval and worth).

Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Physical Symptoms of Perfectionists

Compulsive behavior takes its toll physically. You cannot escape some of the internal repercussions of a hidden addiction to perfectionism.

• difficulty relaxing and often feels guilty if not busy all the time (Thinks, Maybe there was something else I was supposed to do. Maybe there’s a better way to do it.)

• arthritis

• muscle tension

• too little or too much sleep

• eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)

• high blood pressure

• dizziness

• stomach problems

• heart disease

Efforts to earn God’s approval or the approval of others actually result in defeating your good intentions.

Romans 7:10 “The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.”

Root Cause The root of perfectionism is pride. Perfectionists act as though they are “equal with God” by thinking they are capable of meeting their own needs. In their own strength they attempt to accomplish what only Christ can do in them and through them.

Ezekiel 28:2 ““Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god—”

Wrong Belief: “I must always appear competent and able to perform perfectly. I must be successful before I can accept myself, and then others will accept me.”

Right Belief: I can never be perfect or flawless. My competence comes only from the Lord, who is living His perfect life through me.

2 Corinthians 3:4-5 “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,”