JESUS said in Matthew 5:48: Be ye therefore Perfect, even as your Father which in heaven is Perfect. You gotta be Perfect to get to Heaven. How can I be as Perfect as God the Father, and face Him at the Judgment with no fear?
To be as perfect as the heavenly Father requires understanding what this command actually means in light of human inability and the FINISHED Atonement and Righteousness of Jesus Christ. No sinner can make himself PERFECT, but JESUS can.
In your own strength, flesh, and human merit, you cannot be Perfect.
Here is how the Holy Scriptures answer this all-important question:
1. God's Standard is Absolute Perfection
When Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," He was not grading on a curve. He was holding up the standard of God's absolute HOLINESS. God’s Law demands absolute sinless perfection in thought, word, and deed (Galatians 3:10). Even your absolute best human efforts, righteous deeds, and moral attempts are tainted by sin—what the Bible calls "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).
If you attempt to become "as perfect as the Father" by keeping rules, performing religious works, cleaning up your act, or trying harder, you are building on sinking sand. You will fail, because your nature is defiled and corrupt.
2. You Cannot Achieve Perfection in God's Sight; Perfection Must Be Imputed to your Soul
Because you cannot manufacture the perfection (Righteousness) God demands, it must be given to you as a FREE gift.
This is the very heart of the Gospel:
Imputed Righteousness: When you place your faith entirely in Jesus Christ—trusting His innocent Blood shed on the Cross and His sinless life—God credits/imputes Christ’s perfection to your account (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In the eyes of God's divine justice, when a believer is hidden in Christ, they are clothed in the perfect, spotless Righteousness of the Son of God. You are viewed as complete and perfect in Him (Colossians 2:10), not because of anything you did or will do, but because of what Christ has FINISHED on your behalf.
3. The Only Way to Stand Safely Before the Holy Creator
To be as perfect as the Father means you must stop trying to be your own savior, drop your self-righteousness, and surrender entirely to the One who is already perfect.
Abandon Self Altogether: Give up trying to earn, merit, or improve upon your standing before God through your own works.
Receive Christ Himself: Take the Person of Jesus Christ as your absolute and only Righteousness.
Come to JESUS and simply Rest in His Finished ATONEMENT: Trust solely in His Precious Blood (Romans 3:25) to cleanse your guilt and His perfect obedience to satisfy the Father's holy standard.
You cannot achieve the Father's Perfection through human effort; you can only possess it by receiving The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the express image of the Father and the end of the Law for Righteousness to every Soul who believeth (Romans 10:4).
To enter God's presence, you must be absolutely Perfect. But the Bible also teaches that no Sinner can make himself PERFECT. That is why the Gospel is such wonderful news.
Why must we be Perfect? God is infinitely HOLY. "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:3) "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil." (Habakkuk 1:13) Even one sin makes a Soul guilty before God's Law. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)
Since heaven is God's holy dwelling place, nothing sinful can enter it.
This is the problem every Soul faces. The Bible declares that every person has sinned. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "There is none RIGHTEOUS, no, not one." (Romans 3:10) That means no one can earn Heaven by trying harder, doing more good works, or acting religious on a certain day at a certain place. If entrance into heaven depended on our own perfection, everyone would be lost.
Why did Jesus command us to "be perfect"? Matthew 5 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is revealing the true standard of God's Righteousness. He shows that: murder begins with hatred, adultery begins with lust, loving only friends is not enough, God's standard reaches the thoughts and motives of the heart.
The command, "Be ye therefore perfect," reveals the Perfection God requires. It also exposes our inability to reach that standard by ourselves. Like God's law, it drives us to confess our need for the Savior.
How can a filthy sinner become Perfect before God?
This is the heart of the gospel.
Jesus Christ lived the perfect life you could never live. He never sinned. He perfectly obeyed the Father. He fulfilled every requirement of God's law. Then He willingly died on the CROSS, bearing the sins and the punishment that sinners deserved.
When a sinner repents and trusts in Christ, God does something marvelous.
Your sins are forgiven; Christ's Righteousness is credited to you.
"For GOD hath made JESUS to be Sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the Righteousness of God in JESUS." (2 Corinthians 5:21) This is called Justification. God does not pretend we never sinned. Rather, He declares the believer Righteous, because Christ has paid the penalty for sin and His R is counted to the Soul that believes in His Precious Blood.
God sees you clothed in Christ's Righteousness. "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of Righteousness." (Isaiah 61:10) The believer stands before God accepted because of Christ—not because of personal human merit.
Can I face God without fear? The Soul that trusts in JESUS should have a fear of God, but not a terror of condemnation. "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment... because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) The Confidence is not in yourself, but in Christ Himself.
Does a Christian become personally sinless in this life? The New Testament teaches that believers still struggle with sin while living in this present evil world (for example, Romans 7 and 1 John 1:8–10). God progressively sanctifies believers, conforming them more and more to Christ's likeness. When Christ Jesus returns or when the Soul is glorified in His presence, they will be made completely free from sin.
So there is an important distinction: Your standing before God (Justification): perfect because of Christ's Righteousness, received by faith. Your daily condition (sanctification): growing in holiness, though not yet sinless. Your future glorification: perfectly holy forever in God's presence.
How can I stand safely before the Judgment? The Bible's answer is not, "Become good enough." It is, "Come to Christ." The only safe place on the Day of Judgment is in Christ Jesus by Faith in His Blood.
JESUS is: the perfect Man who fulfilled God's law, the spotless Lamb of God Who took away Sin, the risen Savior Who conquered death, the righteous Judge Who Justifies the Soul who trusts HIM.
If you stand before God in your own counterfeit righteousness, you will fall way short of His perfect standard. If you stand before GOD clothed in Christ's Righteousness, your acceptance rests entirely on what Christ has accomplished.
In that sense, the PERFECTION Matthew 5:48 requires is ultimately found in Christ alone. Those who belong to Him are counted Righteous before God through faith in GOD'S BLOOD. You must be Perfect before you meet God. Ye must be Born Again inwardly.
God sees you clothed in Christ's Righteousness. "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of Righteousness." (Isaiah 61:10) The believer stands before God accepted because of Christ—not because of personal human merit.
Can I face God without fear? The Soul that trusts in JESUS should have a fear of God, but not a terror of condemnation. "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment... because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) The Confidence is not in yourself, but in Christ Himself.
Does a Christian become personally sinless in this life? The New Testament teaches that believers still struggle with sin while living in this present evil world (for example, Romans 7 and 1 John 1:8–10). God progressively sanctifies believers, conforming them more and more to Christ's likeness. When Christ Jesus returns or when the Soul is glorified in His presence, they will be made completely free from sin.
So there is an important distinction: Your standing before God (Justification): perfect because of Christ's Righteousness, received by faith. Your daily condition (sanctification): growing in holiness, though not yet sinless. Your future glorification: perfectly holy forever in God's presence.
How can I stand safely before the Judgment? The Bible's answer is not, "Become good enough." It is, "Come to Christ." The only safe place on the Day of Judgment is in Christ Jesus by Faith in His Blood.
JESUS is: the perfect Man who fulfilled God's law, the spotless Lamb of God Who took away Sin, the risen Savior Who conquered death, the righteous Judge Who Justifies the Soul who trusts HIM.
If you stand before God in your own counterfeit righteousness, you will fall way short of His perfect standard. If you stand before GOD clothed in Christ's Righteousness, your acceptance rests entirely on what Christ has accomplished.
In that sense, the PERFECTION Matthew 5:48 requires is ultimately found in Christ alone. Those who belong to Him are counted Righteous before God through faith in GOD'S BLOOD. You must be Perfect before you meet God. Ye must be Born Again inwardly.
God is Ready when you are.
