Blessed be our God the Father, who in His infinite Grace and Mercy grants us the opportunity to draw near to His word and to the transforming power of His Holy Spirit. I give thanks to the Eternal God, to the Almighty, for granting us this space to expose ourselves to His divine truth and allow His Spirit to guide us. The life of the man and woman of faith is not limited to existing in this world, but consists of walking on earth according to the Perfect Will of Almighty God. Not all men nor all women walk under this divine will, and therein lies the essence of the life of faith.
The life of faith is not reduced to waiting for Jesus’ return or longing for a heavenly dwelling with streets of gold. It goes beyond that: it is about learning to live on earth in the same way one lives in heaven. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them what we know as the model prayer, the Our Father, which establishes a protocol for the man and woman of faith to learn to walk on earth according to heavenly principles. Therefore, I thank the Eternal God, because He allows us to draw near to His word and to the power of His Holy Spirit, so that through them we may learn to live the life of faith.
The life of faith is not a human invention; it does not depend on man’s or woman’s efforts to “do things right.” Rather, it is founded on knowing the Lord, on understanding His will. In the book of the prophet Jeremiah we read: “Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Knowing the Lord and understanding His will is the core of the life of faith. Therefore, we thank the Eternal God for this opportunity of grace, mercy and revelation, which allows us to walk according to His will.
In this teaching we continue exploring the doctrinal theme of perfection, based on Ephesians 4:13, where we read: “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.” This verse presents four spiritual goals: achieving unity of faith, knowing the Son of God, becoming a perfect man, and reaching the fullness of Christ. These goals are the objective that every man and woman of faith should aspire to. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, declares: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). This is the vision of the life of faith: always advancing toward what the Lord proposes to us, as the Old Testament says: “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18).
Today we focus on the goal of becoming a perfect man. What does it mean to be a perfect man or a perfect woman? It is that man or woman who develops actions that reflect the kingdom of heaven, who lives on earth according to heavenly principles. We will study nine acts of faith that characterize the perfect man or woman, but it is crucial to understand that these actions are not mere external imitations. It is not about pretending or fulfilling a list of tasks to be considered perfect. Perfection arises from an internal transformation, from a change in our spirit that impacts our flesh, our mind and our actions. It is a process that goes from inside out, not the reverse. Trying to imitate these actions without genuine transformation would make us mere imitators, not men or women of faith. Therefore, we must expose ourselves to the word of God and to the power of His Holy Spirit so that they transform our being and our actions reflect His will.
Nine Acts of Faith to Become a Perfect Man
1. Not Showing Partiality
In Matthew 5:46-48 we read: “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Perfection, according to this passage, consists of not showing partiality. Jesus explains that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust, without distinction. Showing partiality is sin, it is injustice and abomination before God. In Deuteronomy 16:19 we are warned: “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” Showing partiality is as serious as accepting a bribe, because both generate perversity and drive away God’s presence. The perfect man or woman does not discriminate nor favor some over others, but reflects God’s impartiality.
2. Getting Rid of What Contaminates Spiritual Life
In Matthew 19:20-21, the rich young man asks Jesus: “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus responds: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” This account teaches us that perfection is not within everyone’s reach, but only those who seek it with a heart willing to obey. The rich young man recognized that he lacked something, but when Jesus asked him to get rid of his possessions, he could not do it because his heart was attached to them. The instruction was not simply to renounce wealth, but to eliminate everything that contaminates spiritual life. In 1 Timothy 6:10 we are warned: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness.” Many times, men and women of faith carry burdens that contaminate our spiritual life: attachments, desires, thoughts or motivations that distance us from God’s will. Being perfect implies identifying and discarding these contaminations to walk in holiness.
3. Not Conforming to the World
In Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul writes: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The third instruction to achieve perfection is not to adopt the patterns, philosophies or lifestyles of this world. To conform means to take the shape of something, like liquid that adapts to the mold in which it is poured. We must not allow the world to mold our thinking, our actions or our way of speaking. In Jeremiah 15:19, God says: “If you return, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me; if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them.” The life of faith requires that we expose ourselves to the word of God, not to news, philosophies or worldly influences that try to mold us. A perfect man or woman rejects the world’s molds and is transformed by the renewal of their mind.
4. Receiving Admonishment and Correction
In Colossians 1:28 we read: “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” The fourth instruction is to accept admonishment and correction. Many men and women of faith fail because they refuse to be corrected. In Job 5:17 we are told: “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” Also in Proverbs 3:11: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction.” To reject correction is to reject perfection. The perfect man or woman receives admonishment with humility, knowing that it is a means to grow spiritually.
5. Having Working Patience
In James 1:4 we read: “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The fifth instruction is to have active patience, that works. Patience is not folding one’s arms and waiting passively, but acting while waiting on the Lord. In Matthew 25:27, the master reproves the servant who hid the talent: “So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.” The servant failed because he did not act while he waited. Perfect patience implies staying active in the last instruction God gave us, trusting that He will complete His work. Being perfect is moving in faith, not remaining as an observer.
6. Living by Revelation
In James 1:17 we read: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” The sixth instruction is to live by the revelation God gives us. Revelations are not for accumulating knowledge or boasting, but for acting according to what God shows us. In Deuteronomy 29:29 it says: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” If we do not act according to the revelation received, we stagnate spiritually. God gives bread to him who eats and seed to him who sows. Living by revelation is advancing in what God has shown us, leaving behind the old to embrace the new.
7. Embracing the Word of God
In James 1:25 we read: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” The seventh instruction is to love and follow the word of God. Jesus affirmed: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). In Colossians 3:16 we are exhorted: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” The lack of the word produces weak faith. The perfect man or woman embraces the word, obeys it and lives according to its instructions, without filtering it through philosophies or human reasoning.
8. Not Offending with Words
In James 3:2 we read: “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” The eighth instruction is to control the tongue and not offend with words. In Proverbs 10:19 it says: “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” Jesus taught: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). The perfect man or woman guards their words, avoiding offenses and unnecessary multiplication of words.
9. Persisting in What Has Been Taught
We return to Ephesians 4:13: “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.” The ninth instruction is to persist in what God has taught us. Many times, frustration, disappointment or others’ opinions make us abandon what God has told us. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says: “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal.” In Matthew 24:13, Jesus declares: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Persisting in God’s revelation and teachings is key to achieving perfection.
Conclusion
These nine instructions are not acts that we must imitate externally, but the result of a spiritual transformation operated by the word and the Holy Spirit. The perfect man and perfect woman are those who, transformed from inside out, reflect the kingdom of heaven in their actions. May the Eternal and Almighty God fulfill His purpose in us, and may His peace accompany us as we walk toward perfection in Christ Jesus.
Blessings
