Perfection

I may have mentioned this before. One Sunday, years ago, I was teaching Sunday School.  I said, "When people are ordained, one of the questions they answer is, "Do you believe you are going on to perfection?" A member of the class told me I must be wrong - that couldn't possibly be a question ordinands have to answer in the affirmative.

I wasn't wrong. It's one of the historic questions that are asked of those who are going to be either commissioned or ordained, and their affirmative answer is necessary for them to go forward.

I understand what the man meant, though. We are all taught (and we know it from experience) that none of us are flawless. And we are taught that perfect means flawless. To claim that we might one day reach that "goal" seems to be the height of arrogance.

The more I think about the idea of "going on to perfection," the more I am convinced of the following: making the statement that I believe I am going on to perfection is not a statement that says anything about me - it's a statement of faith in God.

God is at work in our lives. Grace is at work in our lives. Moving us on to perfection is the work of sanctifying grace. Perfection doesn't mean flawless. It means wholeness. It means moving on to the being that God has created us to become.

So, to say I believe that I am moving on to perfection means nothing about my own actions. It is a statement of faith in God - a statement of belief that God is active in my life, and is changing me - transforming me - re-creating me into the image of God I was created to be.

I am moving on to perfection, and so are you!