If Thou Wilt Be Perfect

We don’t act so that we can be saved. Our actions are the effect of our salvation, not the cause of it. What we do and who we are is the result of the change generated by God’s saving grace.

The saint and the sinner can do the same act, but only one will be holy in the eyes of our Lord. Until you understand that the devil himself can tithe, recite Bible verses, do good deeds, even miraculous things, until you understand that the devil can do what a saint can do, then you’ll never understand it is not the effect, but always the cause that matters. In short, what's in the heart?

This was the point Jesus made to the young wealthy man when he asked, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

Jesus, in essence, recited the decalogue to him and the young man said that he did all of those things.

Then Jesus tells him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)

The young man was wealthy and couldn’t do as Jesus asked.

Jesus knew the man’s heart. He saw that he was obeying the Ten Commandments, but none of it came from a holy heart. A good heart yes, but not one turned, repented and made new again in Christ heart. The man still had a worldly heart with worldly priorities. He was a wealthy man which opened up all the doors of the world to him. But he wanted the doors of heaven to open up to him too, while keeping one foot grounded in the world.. It doesn’t work that way. Jesus Christ and heaven are an all or nothing proposition.

When Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect…” Jesus was telling the young man that if he wanted to be complete and whole and go to heaven then to do as he told him. To be complete and whole each of us must give up all of the things of this world and dedicate our heart, mind, body, spirit and soul to Jesus Christ. To be perfect we must shed ourselves of this world. 

“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:5-6).

Bill Hitchcock