Being Perfected in Love

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” Jesus said these words as part of the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. It’s what I was taught was the goal of being a Christian: being perfect like Jesus. Since Jesus was without sin, that meant the goal was to be without sin.

John Wesley spoke of going on to perfection and in some Methodist and Wesleyan traditions, his words have also been interpreted to mean without sin.

Something I have learned over the last few decades of ministry is that neither Jesus nor Wesley expected us to be sinless. That is not the goal of the Christian life (whew!). As we mature in faith (sanctifying grace), we are growing perfect in love.

Love is the goal. Growing in love transforms us and as a result, we probably will sin less. 

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” (Read the full chapter.)

Fear is the enemy. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” This was a line Yoda said in The Phantom Menace. (George Lucas was raised Methodist.)

Fear leads us to sin.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

These words are connected, in the same way fear, anger and suffering are the words of sin and death; faith, hope and love are the words of life.

When fear is sown, anger and suffering are never far behind. We live in a time of fear, anger and suffering. As followers of Jesus, let us choose His path, in the face of fear, let us choose faith; in the face of anger, let us choose hope; in the face of suffering, let us choose to love. 

There is no promise that it will end well for us, but that is not what we’re here for; indeed, we are called to be crucified with Christ.

Image credit: ID 190390165 | Perfection © PX_Media | Dreamstime.com