This verse can so easily be misunderstood. We know that no person is perfect in this world and no one will reach perfection during their lifetime. Every one of us knows that we have flaws and we cannot save ourselves by doing a lot of good deeds. Relax! God knows this about us! In Psalm 103:14, we learn “… for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust”.

 

God is busy with a restoration project in his children’s lives. We were created in the beginning as God’s image, his representatives in this world (Genesis 1:26). God has created us good (Genesis 1:31). However, we also know that the image of God in us has shattered with the fall of man. We are not as God has intended us to be.

 

This journey through the Sermon on the Mount has begun with the awareness that we are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). We proclaimed our dependency on Christ, we trust in him for our salvation. He leads us through his Spirit who is busy rebuilding our lives, back to God’s original design. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, we read of this ongoing process in our lives: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

 

Today’s verse tells us what the goal is for the renewal work that the Spirit of God does in our lives. We are aiming to reach perfection in his image; our Father in heaven is perfect. We grow in faith to be more Christlike as we grow closer to him. This verse is written in the command form: we are called to be perfect. We have a responsibility in this process of growth. We need to submit to the ongoing restoration work of the Holy Spirit. He shows us the way of God in the Bible, he shows us where we are going the wrong way. He gives us insight and the power we need to change. We obey, we submit and change direction where needed, to walk in the path of God. This is a lifelong growing process.

 

I want to conclude this month’s series by thanking you, the reader, for your kind attention during this month, in our journey through this chapter in God’s word. May God lead you through his Spirit to do what Jesus has taught you. May his goodness and mercy be with you always, and may you grow in your knowledge of the mysteries of God!

 

Prayer: Lord, you are perfect. You have called me by name to be your child; I am yours. I want to ask you today to lead me. Please continue to restore me to your image. May the likeness of Christ be more visible in my life every day. Thank you for your mercy, your kindness and your faithfulness in my life! Amen.