Reference: Perfection
Easton
See Sanctification.
Hastings
The various Biblical terms connoting 'perfection' differ in shade of meaning between wholeness, the attaining of an end or ideal, complete adjustment, full equipment in fitness for an appointed task. They are sparingly applied to God; In OT His way, work, knowledge, law are 'perfect' (Ps 18:30; De 32:4; Job 37:16; Ps 19:7); in NT the same term is used of His will, His gifts, His law (Ro 12:2; Jas 1:17,25), while Christ describes the Father in heaven as 'perfect,' and therefore as the source and pattern of moral ideals (Mt 5:48). The sense in which perfection is attributed to or urged upon men must naturally vary according to the moral conceptions of the time.
1. In OT.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Think not that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to complete. For I tell you truly, that till heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one point shall by no means pass away from the law till all things are accomplished. read more. Whoever therefore shall break one of the least of these commandments, and teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said by the ancients, You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be subject to the judgment. But I tell you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, Worthless fellow, shall be subject to the Sanhedrim; and whoever says, You fool, shall be subject to the hell of fire. If, therefore, you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has any thing against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your accuser quickly, while you are with him in the way, lest the accuser deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. I tell you truly, you shall not go out thence till you have paid the last quadrans [4 mills]. You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery; but I tell you, that every one who looks on a woman to desire her inordinately, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. But if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should go into hell. And it was said, Whoever would put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorcement. But I tell you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for adultery, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries her that is put away, commits adultery. Again, you have heard that it was said by the ancients, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord your oaths. But I tell you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; nor swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your speech be, yes, yes, and no, no; for any thing more than this is evil. You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist the evil man; but whoever shall strike you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if a man wishes to have a law suit with you, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also; and whoever shall compel you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to him that asks, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those that persecute you; that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and rains on the just and unjust. For if you love those that love you, what reward have you? Do not the publicans the same? And if you salute your brothers only, what do you do more than [others]? Do not the gentiles also do the same? Be therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Be therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Be therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Be therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Be therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
All things, therefore, which you wish men to do to you, do also thus to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you till seven times, but till seventy times seven.
Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell your property, and give to the poor, and you shall have a treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.
And as he was going on the way, one ran before and kneeled down to him, and asked him, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? none is good but one, God. read more. You know the commandments; You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not testify falsely, You shall not defraud, Honor your father and mother. And he answered and said to him, Teacher, all these have I kept from my youth. And Jesus looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack; go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have a treasure in heaven; and come and take up your cross and follow me. And he was grieved at this saying, and went away sad, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looking around said to his disciples, With what difficulty shall those having riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, Children, with what difficulty shall those who trust in riches enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were greatly astonished, and said to themselves, Who then can be saved? Jesus looking on them, said, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible. Peter said to him, Behold we have left all things and followed you. Jesus said, I tell you truly, there is no one who has left a house, or brothers, or sisters, or a mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the sake of the good news, who shall not receive a hundred fold now at this present time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the life to come eternal life. But many first shall be last, and the last first.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, God. read more. You know the commandments; You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not testify falsely, Honor your father and your mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth. And Jesus hearing it, said to him, One thing you yet want; sell all that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have a treasure in heaven, and come, follow me. And when he heard these things he was sad; for he was very rich. And Jesus seeing him, said, With what difficulty do those who have riches enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And those hearing him, said, And who can be saved? And he said, Things impossible with man are possible with God. And Peter said, Behold, we have left our [property] and followed you. And he said to them, I tell you truly, that there is no one who has left a house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, on account of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the life to come eternal life.
Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so came upon all men because all sinned,??13 for till the law there was sin in the world, but sin is not accounted where there is no law
but death reigned from Adam till Moses even over those that sinned not after the similitude Adam's transgression, who is a type of him that was to come; but not as the fall so also is the gift; for if by the fall of one the many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is of the one man Jesus Christ, abounded to the many; read more. and not as through one that sinned is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the gift was from many sins to a righteous ordinance; for if by one fall death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of the grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ;??18 therefore, as through the fall of one [judgment came] on all men to condemnation, so also through the righteous ordinance of one [the gift comes] on all men to justification of life;
for as through the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the one shall the many be constituted righteous. For the law supervened that the fall might abound; but where the sin abounded the grace was superabundant, read more. that as sin reigned in death, so the grace shall reign through righteousness in life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.
WHAT shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that the grace may abound? By no means. How shall we who died to sin any longer live in it? read more. Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized in Christ were baptized in his death? We have been buried therefore with him through baptism in death, that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall much more be of his resurrection; knowing this that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer serve sin; for he that died was justified from sin. And if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no longer a lordship over him. For [the death] which he died, he died to sin once; but [the life] which he lives, he lives to God. So also account yourselves dead indeed to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.
Miserable man that I am; who will deliver me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord; therefore I myself with the mind serve the law of God, and with the flesh the law of sin.
But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. And if any man has not the spirit of Christ he is not his.
and be not conformed to this life, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that you may prove what is the will of God which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor evil, adhere to that which is good,
Owe no man any thing, except to love one another; for he that loves another has fully performed the law. For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not desire inordinately, and if there is any other commandment, it is summarily comprehended in this word; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. read more. Love does no evil to a neighbor; love therefore is the sum of the law. And [do] this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour that we should be waked from sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far advanced, and the day is at hand; let us lay aside therefore the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelries and drinking, not in lewdness and excesses, not in strife and envy; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for desires of the flesh.
I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected in the same mind and the same will.
But we speak wisdom among the perfect, but not the wisdom of this life, nor of the rulers of this life, who are destroyed;
And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as spiritual, but as carnal, as babes in Christ.
Brothers, be not children in understanding, but in malice be children, and in understanding be perfect men.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
And the [subjects] of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father, of whom all the family in heaven and on earth is named, read more. that he would grant to you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through the faith, you being founded and established in love, that you may be able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which exceeds knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. To him that is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, by the power which operates in us,
To him that is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, by the power which operates in us,
using diligence to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one spirit, as you also are called in one hope of your call; read more. one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
with their understandings darkened, alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts,
Be therefore followers of God, as dear children,
having this same confidence, that he who has begun a good work in you will carry it on till the day of Jesus Christ,
for God works in you both to will and to work of his good pleasure.
Not that I have already obtained it, or have been already made perfect; but I follow on that I may attain that for which also I was arrested by Christ.
Let us, as many as are perfect therefore, be of this mind; and if any one thinks at all otherwise, God shall also reveal this to you;
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men; the Lord is near. read more. Be anxious for nothing, but with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are reputable, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, consider these things; and what you learned and received and heard and knew in me, these things do; and the God of peace shall be with you.
I endure all things with him that strengthens me.
and who made known to us your love in the Spirit. Therefore we also, from the day that we heard, cease not to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
Therefore we also, from the day that we heard, cease not to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthily of the Lord in all that is pleasing [to him], being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; read more. being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has made us fit for a portion in the inheritance of the saints in light, who delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, who is the likeness of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, for by him were all things created which are in heaven and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things consist, and he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that he might himself be preeminent in all things, for in him [God] was well pleased that all fullness should dwell, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens. And you, formerly alienated and enemies in mind by evil works, he has now reconciled by the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blame and without fault before him, if indeed you continue founded and established in the faith, and not moved from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached in all the creation under heaven; of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
and in addition to all these [put on] love, which is the bond of perfection.
Epaphras, who is of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, salutes you, always striving for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
For it became him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, to perfect by sufferings the prince of their salvation, bringing many sons to glory.
and being made perfect became to all who obey him an author of eternal salvation,
Concerning whom we have much to say, and that which is difficult to explain, because you have become dull of hearing.
Wherefore leaving the account of the beginning of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of a change of mind from dead works, and of faith in God,
If therefore there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood,??or the people received the law under it,??hat need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec and not to be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity also there is made a change of the law. read more. For he of whom these things are said belonged to another tribe, of which no one attended to the altar; for it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, in respect to which tribe Moses said nothing concerning priests. And moreover, [this] is still further evident, if another priest is raised up according to the likeness of Melchisedec, who was not a priest after the law of an external commandment, but after the power of imperishable life. For it is testified, Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec. For there is an abrogation of the commandment which goes before, on account of its weakness and unprofitableness; for the law made nothing perfect, but was the introduction of a better hope through which we draw nigh to God.
For the law constitutes men chief priests having infirmity, but the word of the oath which is after the law the Son made perfect forever.
which is a type of the time at hand, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshipper as to the conscience,
For by one offering he has perfected forever the sanctified.
God having provided something better for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
and to the church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge the God of all, and to spirits of the righteous made perfect,
perfect you in every good work to do his will, doing in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever; amen.
But let patience have a perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
All good giving, and every perfect gift, comes down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of turning.
But he that looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer of work, he shall be blessed in his doing.
For in many things we all offend; if one offends not in word he is a perfect man, able to keep in subjection also the whole body.
whom not having seen you love, in whom believing though now you see him not you rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious,