THE PERFECT MAN

Greetings in the name of the Lord. We write to you all to encourage and exhort you as children of the light.

In Matt 5:48, our Lord commanded us to be perfect even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. The Greek word for perfect is teleios meaning to be in complete conformity to God’s laws. If it’s impossible to be perfect our Lord would not have said we should be perfect. This is what He requires and all men must obey and strive to attain this by the Spirit of God. This of course must begin with the knowledge of the word of God. It is absolutely impossible to please God without the knowledge of His word. For faith, by which we can please God, comes only by the knowledge of the Word (Heb 11:6, Rom 10:17).

Psalms 15:1-3 declares “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour .” So t he man, who shall see the Lord at His soon appearing and shall dwell with Him, is the man that walketh uprightly, the Hebrew word for uprightly is tamiym meaning complete, whole and entire. This proves indeed that it’s a man that is complete and perfect in obedience to God’s word that will dwell with Him.

We are to strive and give it all it takes to be able to obey every word of God by the help of the Holy Spirit and by His grace so as to be perfect in obedience to God’s word. The Lord Himself said in Matt 7:14 “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”. ( Matt 7:14) therefore we are to “Strive to enter through the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter, and not be able.” Luke ( 13:24)

One of the practical ways we can be perfect is in the use of our tongues. We should be swift to hear and slow to speak as in James 1:19. There are so many ways the use our tongue is condemned; in gossiping, tale bearing, false witnessing, whispering, slandering, false accusations, vain talking, defaming, tattling, lying, deceiving, backbiting. All these the word of God condemns. (Rom 1:29; Titus 1:10; 2:3, Pr 11:13, Jer 20:10, 1Tim 3:11; 5:13, Rom 1:30, Ex 23:7; Rev 21:8)

If any man can keep his tongue under control by the help of the Holy Spirit from speaking evil which proceeds from the heart, the same man will be able to keep his body holy unto the Lord as in James 3:2 “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

Note that from the scripture above i.e. Psa 15:1-3, we are to speak the truth in our heart. In addition to bridling the tongue, we are also to keep and think the truth in our heart. What is the truth? The truth is the Word of God (John 17:17). We are to obey what the word says and not be quiet and think evil.

We encourage you to keep this word in your heart for it is the doer of the word that is blessed and not the hearer. For it is written: “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” It is also written in James 1:23-25 “ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed .”

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Know that the Lord cometh shortly. Prepare, Watch, and Be Ready.