INDEX:

INTRODUCTION.

CHRISTIANS MUST PERFECT THEIR CHARACTER (Bible Passages).

CHRISTIANS MUST PERFECT THEIR CHARACTER  (MY FAVORITE BIBLE COMMENTATOR).

STATEMENTS TO CONSIDER.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

Let me first state that we should NEVER say we are “saved” or “sinless.”  Job backs me up with Job 9:20-21:  “[20] If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me;  if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. [21] Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul:  I would despise my life.”

 

If You Cannot Become “Sinless,” then “Sin Less.”  Frankly, I am tired of people (Christians) ignoring or downgrading Biblical Perfectionism.  Jesus was perfect and He told us to be like Him.  He would not ask us to do something that was not available to us.  “Christ in you, [is] the hope of Glory,” Colossians 1:27.  Without Christ, of course, we cannot “perfect” our Christian character.  But with Christ you can.  Therefore, we should quit attacking “perfectionism” and being afraid to say it; but rather embrace it.

 

CONSIDER:  It always amazes me the power that is given to the Devil.  For example, the Devil can tempt a person easily, but Jesus cannot save a person FROM their sins; but rater, IN them.  Jesus cannot defeat the Jebusites, Hittites, Ammonites, Moabites, or Devil[ites] that are inside of you, because they are just too strong for us.  But we easily give in and serve sin.  I believe Jesus is stronger than the Devil.  And if we will let Him, He CAN save us FROM our sins; Not IN them.

 

If Jesus cannot save us from our sins, then the drunkenness, smoking and whatever besetment one might have, cannot be “overcome.”  However, we know that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  First John 4:4. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  Philippians. 4:13.  And again, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Colossians 1:27.

 

Since “God is Love,” First John 4:8 & 16, then “Love in you, is the hope of glory.”  Consider “Love” to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

 

Using the Biblical concept of “overcoming (see Romans 3:4; First John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5; Revelation 2:7 & 11 & 17 & 26; 3:5 & 12 & 21; 21:7), we must still ask: “How do we overcome?”  Answer:  Because He “overcame,” Revelation 3:21.

 

A Christian is a follower of Christ, agreed?  Therefore, we are Commanded to be like Him (John 13:15; First Peter 2:21; First John 2:6).  Can you name a sin that Jesus is not efficacious enough to give us victory over, other than the sin against the Holy Spirit?  NO!  Therefore, I cannot believe that God would Command us to be free from sin (John 5:14; 8:14) without providing the power for us to “overcome” whatever sin it is that is besetting us.

 

The Bible never separates the believer’s righteousness from Christ dwelling within the heart (Romans 8:10; Colossians 1:27; SC:63).  The idea that God has all these Commands in the Bible that are really just recommendations and suggestions is an insult to Him and makes His Sacrifice of non-effect; thus exalting the Devil.

 

We are to “agonize, cease, choose, diligent, keep, effort, endure, hold fast, labor, overcome, pray, put off, put on, remain, stand, strive, turn, walk, war, watch, work out, wrestle,” and many more admonitions in the Bible, lest we be “overcome,” by our cherished sins.  We can be and are “overcomers” because we “overcame,” as Christ “overcame;” merely because we allowed Christ to work in our lives.

 

God’s purpose is that we become partakers of His “Divine nature” (Second Peter 1:4; Hebrews 12:10; Ephesians 3:19).  And, God is waiting for His people to become Holy before He Comes (James 5:7).  In fact, God is waiting for a perfected people before He can Come (Second Peter 3:11-12).

 

No yielded temptation is more exciting or rewarding than is obedience to the personal call of God.  Let no professed Christian take counsel of his own imperfections and say that it is impossible for a Christian to live a sinless life.  It is rather, impossible for a true Christian to live any other kind of life.  For “How shall we, that are [not always trying to be, but are] dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  Romans 6:2.

 

 

CHRISTIANS MUST PERFECT THEIR CHARACTER

 

 

The Bible is not saying that I have not sinned, but it does say that I have available to me the Power [Christ] not to sinany longer.  There are many other possible verses that might have been listed based upon the context.  But the following are quite clear.

 

Genesis 5:24:  “Enoch walked with God:  and he was not; for God took him.”

 

Genesis 6:9:  “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Note:  Just because he didn’t stay that way doesn’t mean he didn’t achieve perfection.

 

Second Samuel 22:33:  “God is  my strength and power:  and He maketh my way perfect.”

 

Job 1:1:  “Job; and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

 

Job 1:8 & 2:3:  “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

 

Job 8:20:  “Behold, Go will not cast away a perfect man,”

 

Job 9:22:  “He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.”

 

Psalm 17:3:  “Thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”

 

Psalm 18:32:  “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.”

 

Psalm 26:1:  “I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.”

 

Psalm 37:31:  “The Law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

 

Psalm 37:37:  “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:  for the end of that man is peace.”

 

Psalm 55:22:  “He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

​

Psalm 64:4:  “That they may shoot in secret at the perfect:  suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.”

[Note:  One cannot shoot at a “perfect” person if there is no “perfect” person to “shoot” at].

 

Psalm 106:3:  “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.”

 

Psalm 119:1:  “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Law of the LORD.”

 

Psalm 119:44-45:  “[44] So shall I keep Thy Law continually for ever and ever. [45] And I will walk at liberty:  for I seek Thy Precepts.”

 

Psalm 119:110:  “I erred not from Thy Precepts”

 

Proverbs 2:21:  “For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.”

 

Proverbs 11:5:  “The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way.”

 

Isaiah 1:18:  “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:  though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

 

Ezekiel 28:15:  “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

 

Zephaniah 3:13:  “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:  for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

 

 

Matthew 5:8:  “Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God.”

 

Matthew 5:48:  “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.”

Note:  I realize that these people are not perfect.  But the instruction given is the same.  Christ does not ask us to do something that He does not give us the ability to accomplish.  See also John 17:23.

 

Luke 6:40:  “The disciple is not above his master:  but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.”

 

Romans 6:18:  “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

 

Romans 6:22:  “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

 

Romans 8:1-6:  “[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the Law [God’s Law] could not do, in that It was weak through the flesh, God sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [4] That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [5] For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

 

Romans 8:14:  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

 

First Corinthians 1:8:  “Who shall also confirm you unto the end [verse 7 clarifies this to be at the Second Coming of Christ], that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

First Corinthians 2:6:  “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect.”

 

First Corinthians 9:27:  “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:  lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

 

Second Corinthians 2:14:  “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.”

 

Second Corinthians 7:1:  “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

 

Ephesians 4:12-13:  “[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

 

Ephesians 5:27:  “that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

 

Philippians 2:15:  “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

 

Philippians 3:12 & 15:  “[12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. [15] Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:  and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”

 

Philippians 4:13:  “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

 

Colossians 1:27-28:  “[27] To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: [28] Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”

 

First Thessalonians 5:23:  “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Hebrews 11:5:  “By faith Enoch was translated. . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

 

Hebrews 12:23:   To the general assembly and Church of the firstborn, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”

 

James 2:22:  “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

 

James 3:2:  “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

 

First Peter 4:1-2:  “[1] Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind:  for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; [2] That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”  First Peter 4:1-2.

 

Second Peter 1:10:  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:  for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

 

First John 2:1:  “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.”

 

First John 3:2-3:  “[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. [3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”

 

First John 3:6:  “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not:  whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.”

 

First John 3:8-9:  “[8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him:  and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

 

First John 4:17:  “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.”

 

First John 5:18:  “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”

 

Revelation 14:5:  “And in their mouth was found no guile:  for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

 

Revelation 14:12:  “Here is the patience of the saints:  here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

 

Revelation 22:11:  ”He that is unjust, let him be unjust still:  and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still:  and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

 

 

CHRISTIANS MUST PERFECT THEIR CHARACTER  (MY FAVORITE BIBLE COMMENTATOR)

 

 

“There is no safety nor repose nor justification in transgression of the Law.  Man cannot hope to stand innocent before God, and at peace with Him through the merits of Christ, while he continues in sin.  He must cease to transgress and become loyal and true.”  1SM:213.

 

“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free from sin; for all Heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command.”  1SM:394.

 

“When the Refiner sees His image reflected in you perfectly, He will remove you from the furnace.”  2LtMs, Lt. 2, 1870, paragraph 26.

 

“Perfection alone can meet the standard of Heaven.  As God Himself is perfect in His exalted sphere, so should His children be perfect in the humble sphere they occupy.  Thus only can they be fit for the companionship of sinless beings in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  2SP:225.

 

“Every living Christian will advance daily in the Divine life.  As he advances toward perfection, he experiences a conversion to God every day; and this conversion is not completed until he attains to perfection of Christian character, a full preparation for the finishing touch of immortality.”  2T:505; AG:291; ML:249; RH, May 19, 1885; RH, August 17, 1886.

 

“The Prophets and Apostles did not perfect Christian character by a miracle [meaning they did].  They used the means which God had placed within their reach, and all who will put forth a like effort will secure a like result.”  4SP:305.

 

“Man, who has defaced the image of God in his soul by a corrupt life, cannot, by mere human effort, effect a radical change in himself.  He must accept the provisions of the gospel; he must be reconciled to God through obedience to His Law and faith in Jesus Christ.  His life from thenceforth must be governed by a new principle.  Through repentance, faith, and good works he may perfect a righteous character, and claim, through the merits of Christ, the privileges of the sons of God.”  4T:294.2.

 

“Therefore our sins of selfishness, of unamiable temper, of indolence, of wrong habits and practices, are to be positively and firmly put away.  The one who breaks with Satan is to give no place to his temptations.”  7BC:941; 6MR:157.

 

“Every promise of advantage, made to any living soul, is ever on condition of obedience to God’s Requirements, as specified in His Word.  Never has an unconditional promise been made.  All have access to the Word, and God’s promised favors are always on the conditions given in the Guide Book, the Word of God.  Not one of us needs take one step off the plain path of duty and perfect obedience.  It cannot be expected that those who do not render obedience to God’s Requirements in this life, and who do not accept the Terms He offers, will be reliable.  If such were admitted into the future world, a second rebellion would be begun and carried on in Heaven.”  21LtMs, Lt. 156, 1906, paragraph 5.

 

“None need fail of attaining, in his sphere, to perfection of Christian character.  By the sacrifice of Christ, provision has been made for the believer to receive all things that pertain to life and Godliness.  God calls upon us to reach the standard of perfection and places before us the example of Christ’s character.  In His humanity, perfected by a life of constant resistance of evil, the Saviour showed that through co-operation with Divinity, human beings may in this life attain to perfection of character.”  AA:531.

 

“He holds up before us the highest ideal, even perfection.  He asks us to be absolutely and completely for Him in this world as He is for us in the presence of God.”  AA:566.

 

“At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement.  Sanctification is the work of a lifetime.  As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge increase.  We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges.”  COL:65.2.

 

“When the character of Christ is perfectly reproduced in His people then He will Come to claim them as His Own.”  COL:69.

 

“Christ does not lessen the claims of the Law.  In unmistakable language He presents obedience to It as the condition of eternal life -- the same condition that was required of Adam before his fall.  The Lord expects no less of the soul now than He expected of man in Paradise, perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness.”  COL:391.2.

 

“[311] God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach.  ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.’  This Command is a promise.  The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan.  Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin.  He came to destroy the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning. . .

 

“[311] He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His [312] nature might overcome.  Made ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’ He lived a sinless life.  Now by His Divinity He lays hold upon the throne of Heaven, while by His humanity He reaches us.  He bids us by faith in Him attain to the glory of the character of God.  Therefore are we to be perfect, even as our ‘Father which is in Heaven is perfect.’ ”  DA:311-312.

 

“When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience.  Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.”  DA:668.3.

 

“Jesus died to save His people from their sins, and redemption in Christ means to cease the transgression of the Law of God and to be free from every sin.”  FW:95.

 

“The Saviour took upon Himself the infirmities of humanity and lived a sinless life, that men might have no fear that because of the weakness of human nature they could not overcome.  Christ came to make us ‘partakers of the Divine nature,’ and His life declares that humanity, combined with Divinity, does not commit sin.”  MH:180.

 

“The Christian life is constantly an onward march.  Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for translation.”  ML:249.6.

 

“Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without reserve the Lord’s, not in form, but in truth.  Every impurity of thought, every lustful passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness upon a sinner, to hide his deformity.”  OHC:214.

 

“Are we seeking His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us -- the perfection of His character?  When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads.  Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, ‘It is finished.’ ”  OHC:150.

 

“We are anxious that they should rightly estimate the important truths for these last days, and have correct views in reference to the characters they must develop in order to obtain the redemption promised the faithful and perfect[Please don’t say these are two different classes referred to here; you know better].”  RH. March 29, 1870.

 

“It is perfection that is required; and nothing short of perfection will enable you to see the King in His beauty.”  RH, April 12th, 1870.

 

“. . .we have fixed our minds upon the exceeding great and precious reward; and, in order to obtain it, we must have a perfect character.  The angels of God are watching the development of character.  Angels of God are weighing moral worth; and we are to obtain a fitness here to join the society of sinless angels.  Do you expect that when Christ Comes He will give you that fitness?  Not at all.  You must be found of Him without spot, without blemish, or wrinkle, or anything like it.”  RH, April 19, 1870.

 

“Both you and ourselves fully believe that holiness of life is necessary to fit us for the inheritance of saints in light.” RH, June 6, 1878.

 

“Now, while we point the sinner to Jesus Christ as the one who can take away sin, we must explain to him what sin is, and show him the necessity of being saved from his sins, not in them.  He must be made to feel that he must cease to transgress the Law of God, which is to cease to sin. . . The Law of God given from Sinai is a copy of the Mind and Will of the Infinite God.  It is sacredly revered by the holy angels.  Obedience to Its requirements will perfect Christian character, and restore man, through Christ, to his condition before the fall.”  RH, September 27, 1881 paragraph 16.

 

“He [Christ] came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in His power His people might also live lives of sinlessness.  He desires them by practicing the principles of truth to show to the world that God’s grace has power to sanctify the heart.”  RH, April 1, 1902.

 

“He who has no sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God.”  RH, March 10, 1904; 3SM:360.

 

“To every one who surrenders fully to God is given the privilege of living without sin, in obedience to the Law of Heaven.”  RH, September 27, 1906.

 

“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the Sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a Holy God without a Mediator.  Their robes must be spotless [“without a Mediator”], their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling.  Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort[WHOSE EFFORT?], they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.  While the Investigative Judgment is going forward in Heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the Sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. . . When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His Appearing. . . Then the Church which our Lord at His Coming is to receive to Himself will be ‘a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’  [Ephesians 5:27].”  RH, January 17, 1907; GC88:425; GC:425; SW, January 24, 1905; SW, January 15, 1907.

 

“Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory.  He had kept His Father’s Commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage.  This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.”  RH, March 14, 1912; GC88:622; GC:623; LDE:267; TMK:354.

 

“The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been, just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents, perfect obedience to the Law of God, perfect righteousness.  If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled.  The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.”  SC:62.

 

“Every soul must be saved by his own righteousness.”  ST, September 2, 1889.

 

“We are to live a pure, perfect life for Christ's sake. We are to love perfection because Jesus is the embodiment of perfection, the great center of attraction.”  ST, July 10, 1893, paragraph 3.

 

“The Lord can accept of nothing short of perfection of character, wholeness to God.  Any half-hearted service will testify before the Heavenly intelligences that you have failed to copy the Pattern.”  YI, October 13, 1892; SD:138.

 

“It is not necessary that we should stumble and fall; every point in the passage where we must go has been guarded.”  YI, May 18, 1893.

 

“We are to cease to sin, and to become holy in all manner of conversation.”  YI, August 17, 1893.

 

“Christ is our personal Saviour; and if we are His disciples, our wrong-doing will cease, unrighteousness will come to an end.”  YI, December 8, 1898.

 

“If you will stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, faithfully doing His service, you need never yield to temptation; for One stands by your side Who is able to keep you from falling.”  YI, August 3, 1899; TMK:200; OHC:19.

 

“All sensual, carnal pleasures should be abandoned, and Satan find nothing in us to assail. . . It would not have been inspired of God and written in His Holy Word if it had been impossible for us to reach these high attainments.”  YI, November 10, 1886, paragraph 1 (p. 85).

 

“By His suffering and resistance He made plain to man that perfection of character can be obtained and maintained by humanity.”  YI, December 28, 1899.

 

“He [Christ] overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power.  This is the privilege of all.”  YI April 25, 1901;5BC:1108.

 

“As you move forward step by step, adding to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, God will be with you, and you will never fall.”  YI, January 1, 1903.

 

“Those who expect one day to stand before the throne of the God of gods and Lord of kings, should live each day in such a way that the approval of God can rest upon them.  They should seek daily to remove the blemishes in character that lead to sin, and bring into their lives the perfection of character that all must reveal who have a part in the kingdom of Heaven.”  YI, October 29, 1907.

 

 

STATEMENTS TO CONSIDER

 

 

“God does not live in the sinner.  The Word declares that He abides only in the hearts of those who love Him and do righteousness.  God does not abide in the heart of the sinner; it is the enemy who abides there.”  19LtMs, Ms 46, 1904, paragraph 13; 1Sat:343.1.