For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Devotion

It has always irritated me when perfection is demanded or expected of someone in any way. Whether it be a coach, friend, partner, spouse, etc., I think having high standards is fine, but demanding perfection just never sits right with me.

Why? I’d assume, besides the personal afflictions and experiences that shape the way I view life, it comes from believing that demanding perfection can oftentimes stem from arrogance and ignorance. When a coach demands perfection, they may be assuming they have the key to unlocking it in you, and you just need to align with them. When a friend, spouse, or loved one demands perfection, it may stem from a lack of grace and/or having expectations even they cannot live up to.

“Now what does this have to do with Faith, A.J.?” Well, we have a tendency to become like those people listed above when it comes to our faith. We demand perfection from ourselves when it comes to things like thinking the right things, saying the right things, or feeling the right emotions. Any doubt, question, or emotion we may have is to be stuffed down and tucked away. As if we have to be flawless in these areas to even approach God.

But see, that’s the beautiful thing about this gift (Eph. 2:8,9) we call faith: WE do not have the power to perfect it. We shouldn’t look to ourselves, but to Jesus, the One who is called, “the founder and perfecter of our faith“ (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

Now, we’ve talked about what “perfect faith” (by our definition) is not, but how does the Bible use the word “perfect”? There are occasions in the New Testament where the word perfect (teleios) is used. Verses like Hebrews 12:2, Matthew 5:48 and 19:21 give us an example of the word teleios or perfect in action, and these translations in their context are more accurately described as “complete” or “whole.” Philippians 3:15 and Hebrews 6:1 use the word teleios to mean “mature.”

Why is this important? Because, if we truly want to put pressure on ourselves to have a perfect faith, we need to know how the God breathed Word defines perfection. Teleios means something has fulfilled its purpose or achieved the goal for which it was made. It is whole, complete, or mature. Your faith, being a gift from God, is meant to fulfill its purpose in drawing you nearer to the Lord.

What makes a teleios faith is the understanding that you are trusting in God, who is the only true example of the word whole, having wholly fulfilled his eternal purpose, achieving his every goal now and forevermore. Your faith can rest in the fact that God is with us in every aspect of our lives, even the ugly, dirty, no good, low down moments. Your faith in God is where you can embrace your imperfections because it is rooted in the One who is, was, and always will be perfect. You can feel your hurt because his pain gave us everlasting life. You can feel your doubt because he is with you through every question. You can wrestle with why this life we live—and the expectations we have about this faith we hold—isn’t perfect because his sacrifice on the cross gives us hope for the life to come. Our faith reminds us that, when we reach eternity, we will then truly be described as perfect.

PRAYER

Lord, I lay myself at your feet exactly as I am: an imperfect, broken sinner, who is made righteous only by Jesus who himself is perfect. I pray your Spirit would work to eliminate any false conceptions of what my faith should look like and that my faith will simply be honest and lasting, resting on the knowledge that no matter what, you are working things out for my good. Amen.

A.J. Jeffries
Graduate Resident, Worship

Resources

• Listen to Take You at Your Word by Crossings Venue Worship.
• Watch the message What If Faith? by Senior Pastor Marty Grubbs.

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