Perfectionism
SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 10:11-14
“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Jesus is our high priest. Unlike the priests who made sacrifices before Jesus came, the sacrifice of Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection holds the power to take away sins and make us perfect forever.
With that being said, let’s talk about striving for perfection. There are two extreme mindsets that come with accepting this sacrifice. The first is the mindset that takes advantage of grace, and uses Jesus’ perfect life as an excuse to keep on sinning. The second is the mindset that is so focused on striving for holiness, that it forgets grace altogether, which prevents the person from fully accepting the wholeness and perfection that Jesus has already won.
If you have a type-A personality, it’s likely that you strive for perfection. If the standard of perfection was possible for a human to attain, there would be no need for Jesus. If you find yourself striving, God is calling you to rest within the unforced rhythms of grace. A deeper level of freedom comes when you understand the implications of Jesus’ perfection in light of your imperfection. He makes you whole and holy in every place where you are lacking. He has made you perfect forever. This is not at stake when you mess up.
Your identity is not found in your pursuit of perfection. We live in a world full of measurable success - grades, incomes, likes on social media, the number on the scale, and so much more. There are so many numbers in our world, and so many marks that we do not meet, especially in comparison to those around us. But your identity is not found in these transient things, your value is already secure in Jesus. There are so many marks around you that you will not reach, and you will never ever reach perfection. This isn’t a truth to shame us, it’s a truth that liberates us, and brings us into the freedom to be human, and to live within the rhythms of grace. It’s okay to fall and then get back up again. Shame comes with striving. Freedom comes when you fully accept Jesus’ perfection on your behalf. You are valuable, you are loved, and you are secure in Jesus. Your value is not contingent on the marks you do or do not meet. You are more than what you produce.
Rest in grace, knowing that you are free to be human. Jesus is our high priest and he offered the sacrifice that would atone for sins and make us perfect forever. Fully accept his perfection on your behalf, and the voice of shame will become quieter and quieter as his grace liberates you. Christ is in you, and you are in him. He covers your imperfection with his perfection. It dishonors the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice when you use grace as an excuse to sin, but so does lessening the wholeness he brings to you by trying to be Jesus, and trying to be perfect on your own. Doing that is essentially forsaking his sacrifice. So don’t disregard what he did for you by trying to be perfect on your own. Pursue holiness, but do not forget your limits in being human. Do not forget the standard Jesus reached in your place, because you are incapable of reaching it. Honor him by accepting his perfection fully.
“He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
APPLICATION:
Consider this week a few areas of your life where you are placing impossible pressure on yourself. Begin to lean into Jesus’ perfection, understanding that you cannot reach that mark, and accepting his sacrifice in the place of your insufficiency, not using grace as an excuse to sin, but as a reason to rest in the reality that you are human.
Hebrews 10:11-14
“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Jesus is our high priest. Unlike the priests who made sacrifices before Jesus came, the sacrifice of Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection holds the power to take away sins and make us perfect forever.
With that being said, let’s talk about striving for perfection. There are two extreme mindsets that come with accepting this sacrifice. The first is the mindset that takes advantage of grace, and uses Jesus’ perfect life as an excuse to keep on sinning. The second is the mindset that is so focused on striving for holiness, that it forgets grace altogether, which prevents the person from fully accepting the wholeness and perfection that Jesus has already won.
If you have a type-A personality, it’s likely that you strive for perfection. If the standard of perfection was possible for a human to attain, there would be no need for Jesus. If you find yourself striving, God is calling you to rest within the unforced rhythms of grace. A deeper level of freedom comes when you understand the implications of Jesus’ perfection in light of your imperfection. He makes you whole and holy in every place where you are lacking. He has made you perfect forever. This is not at stake when you mess up.
Your identity is not found in your pursuit of perfection. We live in a world full of measurable success - grades, incomes, likes on social media, the number on the scale, and so much more. There are so many numbers in our world, and so many marks that we do not meet, especially in comparison to those around us. But your identity is not found in these transient things, your value is already secure in Jesus. There are so many marks around you that you will not reach, and you will never ever reach perfection. This isn’t a truth to shame us, it’s a truth that liberates us, and brings us into the freedom to be human, and to live within the rhythms of grace. It’s okay to fall and then get back up again. Shame comes with striving. Freedom comes when you fully accept Jesus’ perfection on your behalf. You are valuable, you are loved, and you are secure in Jesus. Your value is not contingent on the marks you do or do not meet. You are more than what you produce.
Rest in grace, knowing that you are free to be human. Jesus is our high priest and he offered the sacrifice that would atone for sins and make us perfect forever. Fully accept his perfection on your behalf, and the voice of shame will become quieter and quieter as his grace liberates you. Christ is in you, and you are in him. He covers your imperfection with his perfection. It dishonors the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice when you use grace as an excuse to sin, but so does lessening the wholeness he brings to you by trying to be Jesus, and trying to be perfect on your own. Doing that is essentially forsaking his sacrifice. So don’t disregard what he did for you by trying to be perfect on your own. Pursue holiness, but do not forget your limits in being human. Do not forget the standard Jesus reached in your place, because you are incapable of reaching it. Honor him by accepting his perfection fully.
“He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
APPLICATION:
Consider this week a few areas of your life where you are placing impossible pressure on yourself. Begin to lean into Jesus’ perfection, understanding that you cannot reach that mark, and accepting his sacrifice in the place of your insufficiency, not using grace as an excuse to sin, but as a reason to rest in the reality that you are human.
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