"Sinless Perfection" before God.

[Hobie]

We have this verse given to us....

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

And we have...

Genesis 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

And Christ Himself says....

Matthew 19:21
Jesus said unto 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.

And then we have this...

John 17:22-24 King James Version (KJV)

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

So what does it mean.

 

[MWinther]

It is true, we must try and understand the biblical concepts in modern terms, because the words are used differently in the bible. 'Perfect', I suppose, means 'complete' and 'whole', i.e., a person who is not conflicted but harmonious. Modern people tend to use the word in another sense, e.g. "he is perfect for the job". This does not mean that he is harmonious, or has fine character, but that he is good at what he is doing. He could have many weaknesses.

The word perfect in the bible is derived from the Greek word teleios. It means complete in all its parts; or full grown, of full age.
Its received meaning is the completeness of Christian character. If you are whole as a person, then you are holy, i.e., void of sin. So sinlessness and perfection are almost synonymous.

'Love' is another example. Carter Lindberg (Love - A Brief History Through Western Christianity) explains that 'love' in the bible rarely refers to subjective feeling, which is how we modern western people see it. Rather, it has to do with a communal ethos, e.g., to be helpful toward your neighbour. Ancient people didn't think in interior terms but in terms of exterior conduct.

 

[DAN P]

We have this verse given to us....

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

And we have...

Genesis 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

And Christ Himself says....

Matthew 19:21
Jesus said unto 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.

And then we have this...

John 17:22-24 King James Version (KJV)

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

So what does it mean.

And here is what I see in Matt 5:48 .

#1 It is talking about God the Father .

#2 the Greek word be / esomai is in the Greek perfect tense and it is obvious that this , is yet to come , i believe , in the great tribulation or in the Millennial Kingdom ,

#3 Look up G5046 and see how they translate , perfect .

dan p