May the peace of the Lord envelop us. I give thanks to the eternal God, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, for this moment that, in His infinite grace and mercy, He grants us to draw near to His Word. Through it, and by the action of the Holy Spirit, our lives can align with the purpose that God has traced for each one of us. We are not here by mere human will, not even by that of our parents, although they were part of the process. We are in this world because it pleased the eternal God that we should exist, which means that every life has a divine purpose, a mission to fulfill. Every time we expose ourselves to the Word of God, as it teaches us “the word cleanses us” (John 15:3), not only for our personal benefit, but so that we can hear His voice, see His work and walk according to His will. This time is one of purification, healing and perfection, a process in which we are corrected by the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit.
Today we begin a deep reflection on perfection, a topic that is not philosophical, as it has sometimes been erroneously presented, but profoundly biblical and doctrinal. We find its foundation in both the Old and New Testaments. In the epistle to the Hebrews, we read: “Therefore, leaving the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). Perfection is not an abstract concept, but a doctrine that derives directly from the teaching of Christ. Unfortunately, in many Christian circles a philosophical idea predominates that limits perfection to God, denying that believers can attain it. However, Scripture teaches us the opposite: perfection is a divine mandate to be developed in this life, not in heaven. It is a requirement for those who walk by faith.
In the Old Testament, God appears to Abraham at 99 years old and tells him: “Walk before Me and be perfect” (Genesis 17:1). Abraham, known as the father of faith, shows us that perfection is intrinsically linked to faith. To walk in the faith of Jesus the Christ is to walk in perfection. Jesus the Christ himself, in the Sermon on the Mount, exhorts us: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Likewise, the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Perfection is not optional; it is a divine demand for all who profess the faith.
In the Scriptures, the Hebrew word tam and the Greek teleios are used to refer to perfection. However, translators have often replaced these words with terms such as “integrity,” “maturity,” or “completeness,” which has diluted their doctrinal meaning. For example, when we read that solid food is for the “perfect” (Hebrews 5:14), the original word is teleios, which implies a state of spiritual maturity, not just a character quality. Perfection is a process, a path that begins, is strengthened, and is affirmed in three spiritual stages.
First Stage: Uprooting from the World
The first step toward perfection is to renounce attachment to the things of this world. Jesus the Christ warns us: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). In the parable of the sower, Jesus the Christ describes how the seeds that fell by the wayside, among stones or thorns do not bear fruit because they are too close to the world or choked by its desires (Matthew 13:3-9). These seeds represent lives that, although they are in the Kingdom, have not cut their ties with the mundane. Jesus the Christ also exhorts us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). If our heart is attached to the earthly, when these things disappear, our faith will also fade away.
Second Stage: Rejecting Worldly Resources
Perfection is strengthened when we decide not to depend on resources that do not come from God. In Genesis, Abraham demonstrates this principle by rejecting the offer of the king of Sodom: “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abraham rich’” (Genesis 14:22-23). Abraham made a covenant with God not to use worldly resources, trusting only in divine provision. When we use resources outside of God’s will, we step out of His covering. Psalm 91 reminds us: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalms 91:1). However, by accepting what the world offers, as in the temptations of Jesus the Christ (Matthew 4:8-10), we subject ourselves to the enemy, who seeks for us to bow down before him.
Third Stage: Walking in the Faith of Christ
Perfection is affirmed when we live fully by faith in Christ. Paul declares: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Living by faith means trusting that God knows our needs, as Jesus the Christ teaches: “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Faith is not circumstantial; we cannot be believers only when everything is going well. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus the Christ compares the man who hears and obeys His word to the one who builds his house on the rock, resistant to storms (Matthew 7:24-27). Trials do not indicate God’s absence, but are opportunities to strengthen our faith.
In conclusion, the life of faith is the life of perfection. It is not enough to say “I have faith” if we have not begun the path of uprooting ourselves from the world, rejecting its resources and living fully in the faith of Christ. As John says: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). To walk in perfection, we must die to the world and live for Christ. May this teaching compel us to examine our lives, to strip ourselves of everything that binds us to the world and to pursue the prize of the high calling, as Paul expressed: “I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). May the peace of the Lord guide us toward perfection in Him.
