The Three Stages of the Believer’s Perfection

Every time I hear somebody say, "but, no one's perfect!" I cringe. Why? Because most of the time, we're looking at the imperfect lives of others and using the weaknesses of others to excuse some sin or issue in our own lives. 

Let's ask ourselves a very valuable question: why are we not perfect? Why do we struggle in certain areas of our lives? Because there are strongholds (incorrect thinking patterns... spider webs in our mind), unclean spirits (which can make it very difficult for a person to resist sin), or we are still allowing other things to be more important to us than our relationship with God.

Here are 3 biblically based definitions of the word perfect:

• being spiritually mature
• living in accordance to God’s perfect - complete will 
• to come to the place of being exactly what God has intended for us to be; it’s predestined

In this lesson, we list the 3 stages of the believer's perfection. The first stage is "perfect relationship." The second stage is "perfect progress." And, the third stage is "completely perfect."

When we speak of "perfect relationship" here's what we mean:

We are perfect because of our eternal union with the infinitely perfect Christ (Jesus). When we become His children, we are declared "not guilty" and so, we are declared righteous because of what Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son, has done for us. This perfection is absolute and unchangeable, and it is this perfect relationship that guarantees that we will one day be "completely perfect.” {Colossians 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:8-14}

When we speak of "perfect progress" here's what we mean:

We can grow and mature spiritually as we continue to trust Jesus Christ, learn more about Him, draw closer to Him, and obey Him. Our progress is changeable (in contrast to our "perfect relationship" noted above) because it depends on our daily walk; at times in life we mature more than at other times. However, we are growing toward perfection as we "press on" {Philippians 3:12}. Doing good works does not perfect us, however, as God perfects us, we do good works for Him. {Philippians 3:1-15}

And finally, when we speak of being "completely perfect" here's what we mean:

When Jesus Christ returns to take us (His Church) into His eternal Kingdom, that has been prepared for us, we will be glorified and made completely perfect. {Philippians 3:20, 21}

All phases of perfection are grounded in faith in Christ and what He has done, not what we can do for Him. We cannot perfect ourselves; only God can work in and through us to "continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Jesus Christ returns.”