Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.—1 Cor. 10.24
Christian Perfection
The Direction
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
—Matthew 5.48.
The Present Reality
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
—Ecclesiastes 7.20.
Resources on Christian Perfection
- Keeping God’s Commandments Perfectly by Thomas Vincent
- Man’s Inability to Keep the Law Perfectly by Thomas Watson
- A Letter on Christian Perfection addressed to a Methodist by James McKinney
The Doctrine of the First Reformation
Q. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
A. No; but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience, yet so that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
Rom. 7.14; Rom. 7.22,15; James 3.2.
—Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 114.
The Doctrine of the Second Reformation
Q. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A. No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God,[y] but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.[z]
[y] Eccl. 7.20; 1 John 1.8,10; Gal. 5.17. [z] Gen. 6.5; Gen. 8.21; Rom. 3.9-21; James 3.2-13.
—Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 82.