02.01.02 - Perfection

B. Perfection: God is perfect in His character, irreproachable and blameless in every possible way. So be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48. When firmly grasped, God’s perfection – perfection in every way and according to any conceivable true standard – is a clarifying concept, illuminating His motives. God’s perfect character will never be less than the highest, the best and the purest that the human mind can comprehend.

1. God is Good (Exodus 18:9 KJV; Exodus 33:19; 2 Chronicles 6:41; Psalms 23:6; Psalms 25:8; Psalms 27:13; Psalms 31:19; Psalms 33:5 KJV; Psalms 119:68; Psalms 145:7 a; Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19; Romans 2:4; Romans 11:22; Titus 3:4-5 KJV): The Lord is good to everyone, His kindness extends to everything He has made.

Psalms 145:9.

God’s character is good (Hebrew tobh: èåá); it is the antithesis of evil. So how does goodness respond to sinful man? In His goodness, God always has our best interests at heart. Therefore His desire for us to be free from evil and devoted to good is genuine. Even though we are sinful and by nature unworthy of His blessing, in His goodness God has nevertheless found a gracious way to redeem us from sin without compromising His character, namely, by giving us the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

2. God is Holy (Exodus 3:5; Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 21:8; Psalms 22:3; Psalms 30:4; Psalms 99:9; Isaiah 6:3; Isaiah 43:15; Isaiah 55:5-9; Isaiah 57:15; Acts 3:14; Revelation 4:8): But just as He who has called you is holy, you too should be entirely holy in your behavior. For the scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16.

God’s character is holy (Hebrew qadhosh: ÷ãåù); it is completely separate from evil. So how does holiness respond to sinful man? In His holiness, God can never compromise His perfect standards for any reason. Therefore His commitment to condemning evil and rewarding good is inviolable. But even though we are sinful and by nature deserving of His judgment, in His holiness God has nevertheless found a merciful way to justify us in spite of our sin without violating His character, namely, by judging His Son, Jesus Christ in our place.

3. God is Faithful and True (Deuteronomy 32:4; Joshua 21:45; 2 Samuel 7:28; 1 Kings 8:56; Psalms 33:4; Psalms 36:5; Psalms 89:1, Psalms 89:33-34; Psalms 111:7-8; Psalms 119:89-90 & Psalms 119:160; Psalms 143:1; Psalms 146:6; Isaiah 11:5 b; Matthew 24:35; John 1:14; John 7:28; John 14:6; John 17:3; Romans 3:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13 & 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 6:18; Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 11:11; Hebrews 13:5-6; 1 Peter 4:19; Revelation 3:7 & Revelation 3:14; Revelation 15:3; Revelation 16:7):

O Lord, thou art my God.
I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name.
For thou hast done wonderful things.
Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Isaiah 25:1 KJV

God’s character is faithful and true (Hebrew: ’omen, ’emeth: àîú ,àîåï); it is actively opposed to evil. So how do truth and faithfulness respond to sinful man? In His faithfulness and truth, God is entirely reliable and trustworthy in all that He promises to us and does for us. Therefore His veracity and dependability in offering us a way through Jesus Christ to escape the evil of death and embrace the good of eternal life are beyond reproach. So even though we are sinful and by nature objects of His wrath, in His faithfulness and truth God has nevertheless found a way to make peace between Himself and us and to remove the enmity between Himself and us, caused by our sins, without corrupting His character, namely, by reconciling us to Himself through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

4. God is Sovereign (Job 25:2; Psalms 93:1-2; Isaiah 40:21-23; Isaiah 45:21-24; Isaiah 46:10-11; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 18:5-10; Dan. 3:34-36; Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 28:18; Romans 9:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:20-21; Php 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 4:11): But the Lord shall be seated as king forever: He sets up His throne for judgment,to judge the world in righteousness,to render justice to its peoples.

Psalms 9:7-8.

Sovereignty comes from God’s perfect character. No one else has a legitimate right to rule over the universe. He is the absolute sovereign within His own creation, and therefore the one Person to whom all honor is due. Sovereignty thus speaks to God’s moral authority and right to order the universe however He chooses. From the standpoint of His transcendence of the moral universe, He is sovereign by virtue of His goodness, holiness and truth (essential qualities independent of His creation). From the standpoint of His supremacy within the moral universe, He is sovereign by virtue of His love, righteousness and life (qualities applying to His creation which correspond to goodness, holiness and truth). Only God is qualified to be the ultimate judge of the morally accountable creatures He has created, and thus to hold them responsible for their actions.(4) As de facto ruler of the universe (through His perfect nature) and de jure ruler of the universe (through His perfect character), God possesses the sovereign authority . . . . .

1) to demonstrate love to His sinful creatures out of His own goodness – not ignoring their sins, as evil suggests He should, but paying for them Himself by the death on the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ, in their place (redemption). We call the result of this act of His sovereignty grace (Hebrew chen: çï; Greek charis: χάρις ).

2) to administer justice to His sinful creatures out of His holiness – not abandoning them to their sins, as evil suggests He must, but forgiving them Himself on the basis of the death on the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ, in their place (justification). We call the result of this act of His sovereignty mercy (Hebrew chesed: çñã; Greek eleos: ἔλεος).

3) to give life to His sinful creatures out of His truth and faithfulness – not allowing them to die in their sins, as evil suggests He will, but reconciling them to Himself through the death on the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ, in their place (reconciliation). We call the result of this act of His sovereignty peace (Hebrew shalom: ùìåí; Greek eirene: εἰρήνη).

5. God is Love (Deuteronomy 10:14-15; Isaiah 63:9; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; John 15:13; Romans 5:6-8; Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 2:5-9; Ephesians 3:19; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:16-19).

Whoever does not have love, does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:8.

Having love for His creatures, is a natural consequence of God’s goodness. Out of the intrinsic goodness of His character, God loves us with a perfect love, desiring to help us in our sinful state. However, He does not overlook His holiness and justice in the process and forgive our sin without consequence (as evil suggests He should). Therefore God had to find a way to reach out to us in love without compromising His character, and did so did through the gift and sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf. Grace is the biblical name for God’s policy of lovingly redeeming us from our sins through Jesus Christ. We accept and receive God’s gracious offer of love and redemption by accepting and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior.

6. God is Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalms 7:9; Psalms 11:7; Psalms 33:5; Psalms 45:7; Psalms 89:14; Psalms 111:7-8; Psalms 119:142; Psalms 145:7 b; Isaiah 30:18; Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 61:8; John 7:18 [not NIV]; Romans 3:4, Romans 3:21-24; Romans 8:1-4; Romans 11:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:23-24; Revelation 16:5).

Demanding justice for His creatures is a natural consequence of God’s holiness. Out of the intrinsic holiness of His character, God must deal with us in perfect justice, righteously condemning us in our sinful state. However, He does not overlook His goodness and love in the process and abandon us to our sins (as evil suggests He will). For God found a way to treat us as righteous without compromising His character, and did so through the gift and sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf. Mercy is the biblical name for God’s policy of justly forgiving us on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ. We accept and receive God’s merciful offer of justification by accepting and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior.

7. God is Life (Deuteronomy 30:20 b; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 10:12; Job 33:4; Psalms 16:8-11; Psalms 36:9; Jeremiah 10:10; John 1:4; John 3:16; John 5:26; John 6:57; John 11:25; John 17:3; Acts 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 John 1:1-2; 1 John 5:20 b; Revelation 1:18) I am the way: the truth and the life.

John 14:6.

Saving the lives of His creatures, is a natural consequence of God’s truth and faithfulness. Out of the intrinsic veracity and trustworthiness of His character, God honors His gracious and merciful promise to restore us to Himself and thereby to eternal life, delivering us from the condemnation of death accruing to us in our sinful state. In doing so, however, He has not failed to resolve the competing demands of His goodness and love on the one hand, with those of His holiness and justice on the other (as evil suggests He must). For God has found a way in accordance with His character to eliminate the wall of sin and consequent wrath which separates us from Him, and has done so through the gift and sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf (He died that we might have life). Peace is the biblical name for God’s life-giving policy of reconciling us to Himself on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ. We accept and receive God’s offer of life, peace and reconciliation by accepting and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior.

Summary:

God’s goodness overflows with love, providing grace for sinful Man:
    though evil says a loving God can’t condemn,
    He did condemn His Son that we might live,
    redeeming us in love with the blood of Christ.

God’s holiness overflows in justice, offering mercy to sinful Man:
    though evil says a just God can’t forgive,
     He did forgive us, by condemning His own Son,
    making us righteous through the blood of Christ.

God’s faithfulness and truth overflow in life, producing peace with God for sinful Man:
    though evil says that a God of integrity can’t restore us,
    He did make peace between us through His Son,
    reconciling us to Himself and granting us eternal life on the basis of the blood of Christ.

Overall Summary of the Essence of God