In our society, there is a pervasive trend of lowering standards, a dumbing down that affects both physical and spiritual lives, leading to a misunderstanding of perfection. Rabbi Harold Kushner suggests that God would not demand perfection from us, knowing it is beyond our reach, as it could set us up for failure. Yet, God's command to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 is clear: "Walk before Me and be perfect." This condition preceded the covenant where God promised to multiply Abraham exceedingly. Similarly, in Matthew 5:48, God instructs all to "be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," indicating that perfection is a universal expectation, not just for Abraham. The misconception often lies in equating perfection with being sinless. While Christ was both sinless and perfect as a human, Abraham was not sinless yet was considered perfect. The Hebrew word for perfect in Genesis 17 means entire, full, without blemish, complete. The Greek word in Matthew 5 translates to finished, having reached its end, or mature in a physical sense. The English definition of perfect aligns with this as lacking nothing essential, without defect, complete. The common thread in these definitions is completeness, akin to a finished puzzle with all pieces in place. God's command to be perfect is a call to spiritual maturity, to become complete in His character. In I Corinthians 14:20, we are urged not to be children in understanding but to be full-grown, mature. Ephesians 4:11-16 describes this process of growth, where God's gifts equip Christians for service, building up the body until reaching real maturity, the fullness of Christ. This growth is not instantaneous but a process of becoming complete, not remaining as children susceptible to deceit but growing into Christ, the head. Striving for perfection, redefined as striving for maturity, is both necessary and obtainable. As Christians, we must grow into complete individuals, overcoming challenges and striving for excellence, not settling for mediocrity or a mere participation trophy. Mistakes and sins will occur, as James 1:2-4 acknowledges, but trials test faith and produce endurance, leading to mature character and integrity. Colossians 3:12-14 emphasizes that love binds all virtues together in perfection, acting as the glue that holds the pieces of our spiritual puzzle in place. Society's attempt to lower standards and accept average as sufficient is a tactic to hinder growth. Yet, we must resist this and strive to mature, to become complete, to be perfect as God commands, aiming for eternal life rather than temporary recognition.

Perfection is completeness, ripeness like fruit, and the fullness of the stature of Christ. The biblical Hebrew and Greek words carry the sense of without spot or blemish, whole, sound, mature, and ripe, all of which describe Christ's character. Excuses such as "I'm not perfect" or "only one man was perfect" do not excuse anyone from Paul's instruction to go on to perfection. Perfection does not come easily. Like children growing to adulthood, believers need endurance and diligence, and they must expect to suffer in the process, as Christ Himself learned perfection through the things He suffered. It cannot be developed in isolation, because Christ ties being perfect as the Father is perfect to how people treat one another, and God Himself keeps working with us and never leaves us. Mature believers will draw jealousy and hostility, as Job, called perfect by God, was turned on by his friends and wife, and as Christ was despised above all men. Its fruits are peace, soundness, patience, faith, good works, a controlled tongue, and love that casts out fear, along with willingness to give up what is dear for God and man. In everyday life perfection means maturity and increasing completeness. Being entirely without fault awaits the change of human nature into God's nature. Paul admitted he had not fully arrived, yet he pressed on with a mind set on the prize. Those who go on to perfection will never be cast out of their inheritance, and even the faithful of Hebrews 11 await in their graves so that all inherit God's Kingdom together.

As human beings, we often consider ourselves mature, unable to imagine being anything less. Yet, God has not left the definition of maturity to us. The standard is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Our Savior set the example of spiritual maturity, never sinning even once. Though our goal is spiritual maturity or completion, the standard by which we gauge our progress is absolute perfection. While it may be impossible to live a sinless life now, we can strive to be blameless or perfect, like Abraham. We may not reach absolute spiritual maturity until our change comes, but that remains the ultimate goal. In the spirit-inhabited Kingdom of God, our every thought will be under control. Until then, the best way to reveal any remaining immaturity is by comparing ourselves against the absolute perfection of Christ. Should we strive for perfection? Rephrased, should we strive for spiritual maturity or try to be complete Christians? The answer is clear. By making the effort to grow and working to become complete, we are carrying out our responsibility. We must overcome and grow, striving for excellence in all we do, working with our might to become the complete, mature, perfect Christian. A life of overcoming and growth is not easy, and because of that, at Christ's return, mere participation will not suffice. Our reward will be Eternal Life. Even though we will make mistakes and commit sins along the way, we can still become perfect. As unfinished puzzles, God, as the Master Puzzle Builder, is working to fill in our empty spots. As we build character and endure trials, more pieces are added. True, godly love binds all the virtues together in perfection, holding the pieces of our puzzle in place. Thus, we indeed can, and must, become perfect.

God expects growth from all of us, as shown in the way we come into our inheritance, the Kingdom of God, little by little, conquering our enemies with His help. Christ compared His Father's Kingdom to a mustard seed, smaller than all seeds on earth, yet it grows to become greater than all herbs. God has given us a great potential that is too big for us now, beyond our current imagination or ability to handle. Yet, if we patiently grow, in time the Kingdom will come to fit us perfectly, and we will feel at home there.

Let us press forward toward perfection, as urged in Hebrews 6:1-2, leaving behind the elementary principles of Christ and not revisiting the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith toward God, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. We are called to advance toward maturity, aiming for perfection as God permits. God truly desires us to make an honest attempt at righteousness, striving toward perfection despite the imperfections we see in ourselves. Perfection, as defined in Strong's 5051, means to complete, to be a completer or perfecter, particularly one who reaches the goal to win the prize. Jesus Christ, having been perfected through suffering, became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, as stated in Hebrews 5:9. His path to Saviorhood followed testing in hardship, remaining obedient to His Father, and proving fit to be the Savior of mankind. We, too, are called to follow His example, striving to overcome the tests that confront us, qualifying us for God's Kingdom. God does not ask the impossible; each of us is given tasks according to our own ability, as illustrated in Matthew 25:14-15, where talents are distributed based on individual capacity. Christ rewards each for their individual perfection based on what they could accomplish, not burdening us beyond what we can handle. The race toward perfection requires diligent effort, as Paul describes in I Corinthians 9:24-27, urging us to run spiritually to obtain an imperishable crown, disciplining ourselves to avoid disqualification. We must make constant, consistent exertion, not allowing ourselves to be diverted, keeping the goal in view, and denying ourselves to reach the conclusion of the race with Christ as our example and strength. Finally, in I Peter 5:10, we are encouraged that the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, will, after we have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Eating unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread reminds us that we are to become unleavened, purified, and perfected, so the feast's primary focus is on the unleavened bread, not merely on keeping leaven out. Perfection is a goal reached by going on from the elementary principles, which involves bearing and enduring, and may include suffering. Christ Himself, the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10; 5:8-9), and Paul pressed toward the goal in the same way. We are God's workmanship, created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). What we are perfected in is love. God is love, and He is molding us into the likeness of His Son, changing our lust-filled, sinful human nature into His divine nature. Keeping His commandments shows that the love of God is perfected in us (I John 2:3-5). When Christ returns, we will be like Him (I John 3:2). In the resurrection, with an incorruptible body, we will be perfected in love and will no longer sin, just as God does not sin. Peter's list of added virtues, ending in love, outlines this conversion process. The seven days of eating unleavened bread also depict perfection, since seven symbolizes it. Cleaning out leaven profits nothing unless we are replacing our carnal nature with God's nature of love. Christ commands, "You shall be perfect in love, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).