Pressing onward to perfection

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Phil.3:12 (NLT)

It's been a while since I have been able to post on this blog. You know, the holidays and other excuses. So, today, I have made a New Year's resolution to renew my posting vigor. I shared the above passage last Sunday and thought it would be good to ponder further on its implications this new year.

My thoughts today are on pressing onward to perfection. First, we notice that this passage implies that we are all on a journey, or in a race, if you will. We are a people in process. And while we know we have not arrived at our destination, at least we know we have left the station.

"Perfection" is an interesting word here. This word is music to the perfectionist's ears! They love these verses and gleefully point them out to others that we must obey them to the letter. They love to talk about the need for perfection and why it must be possible because, after all, didn't Jesus tell us to be perfect? (Matt.5:48) Being a recovering perfectionist myself, I know of its spiritually toxic allure. Of course, we also know that this elusive pursuit usually leads to an endless cycle of frustration and self-condemnation.

So what does it mean to "be perfect" or to possess this seemingly ever evasive virtue? To answer what the Bible actually means by this, we need to look at the original Greek. The word used in both this passage and the Matthew account is teleioo, which means “To complete, accomplish, finish, carry through to the end, bring to a successful conclusion, maturity, reach a goal, to fulfill.” So what Paul (and Jesus) is saying is that we are to "be perfected," we are to complete our mission and carry out to completion that for which we were created to do. And just as important here, notice what it doesn't mean; that is, what we normally mean by perfection.

The exemplification of this journey to perfection is found in Paul's farewell statement in 2 Tim.4:6...“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Returning to our text..."I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." Another translation says …that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Press on to what? Lay hold of what? The answer...press on, lay hold of...that for which I was created by God to do since before the foundation of time. This perfection...this successful journey to complete the mission that you and I were created to complete.

So I mean to say here is that this pursuit to perfection has nothing to do with sinlessness or achieving some flawless state. Our sin remains judged at the Cross and always will be. In fact, to say we are without sin is to call God a liar and the truth is not in us (I John 1:10). Of course, we know we will be judged for our works (I Cor.3:11-13), by how we have fulfilled our particular calling. And, furthermore, it's not about sinlessness as much as it's about completing the mission according to our ability (i.e., Parable of the Talents - Matt.25:14-29).

In conclusion, dear one, on this newest annual turn of the chronological clock, let us press on...let us make our own renewed "resolution" to fulfill our calling...keeping the faith, running the race set before us...so that one day, like Paul, we will be able to say that we have fought the good fight, having laid hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us.