Are You Perfect?

[This article was written by Bill Reeves and has been reformatted for viewing online.]

1 Jn. 1:5-10, the controverted text (ver. 7) and context:

“And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin [conditionally, ver. 9!]. If we say that we have no sin [that is, deny the reality of sin as the Gnostics did], we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If [conditionality] we confess our sins [anytime they are committed], he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned [as the Gnostics did, and therefore would not confess their sins] we make him a liar [as they did], and his word is not in us [as it is not in them].”

The phrase “walking in the light” has been used by neo-Calvinistic brethren to assert that if one is “walking in the light” (as they define it), that God continually cleanses them of their sins even as they sin! The bottom line of the issue is the so-called “depraved nature” in man.

“Are you perfect?” is the question often stated by the proponents of this error in an effort to stop the mouths of their opponents. The question is totally invalid, until the terms are defined! Let them tell us what they mean by the word “perfect” in their question. They don’t do it! It is a scare tactic. The question is supposed to halt the one questioned, because no one wants to appear as if he never sins, nor could ever sin again in the future, that he is absolutely like God in sinlessness (although he actually is, when pardoned by God – he has no sins!).

The neo-Calvinist talks about continual cleansing (1 Jn. 1:7) for “sins of weakness and of ignorance” (but of course not for willful sins, they tell us). All sins are sins of weakness! Has anyone ever heard of “sins of strength”? Or is that so-called “weakness” in the person his “depraved nature? Who’s responsible for the “weakness”? Some questions need to be asked! If we all commit “sins of ignorance,” of just what sin am I ignorant? How do you know that I am ignorant of some sin that I am committing? Prove it! What are you doing about showing me my sin of ignorance? What are you doing to get me out of ignorance?

What is the solution to ignorance? KNOWLEDGE! INFORMATION! GOD’S WORD! Preach it, and there will be no ignorance where it is preached! The solution for ignorance is teaching: Acts 18:25, 26, “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John: and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately.” 1 Jn. 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin.” If I read the Scriptures, I know what sin is and that takes care of any ignorance! The neo-Calvinist is not interested in eliminating ignorance but in justifying his continuing in sinful conduct.

We are told that Ananias and Sapphira committed a willful sin, that they sinned deliberately (so God did not automatically cleanse their sin but struck them dead). Yes, they sinned deliberately, or willfully, and so did Peter and Barnabas. Gal. 2:11-13, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because he stood condemned. For before that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing them that were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation.” They chose to be hypocritical about the matter!

Challenge: Name one sin that you (usually a Christian of many years) used to commit because you did not know that it was a sin, and now that you are no longer ignorant of it, you have ceased committing it. (Will everyone readily answer and give a list? No! For the most part they can’t and won’t.)

The phrase “walk in the light” has to do with action and conduct. It does not have to do with a state that is parallel to one’s “being in Christ.” 1 Jn. 2:4-6, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (this is relationship) he that saith he abideth in him (relationship) ought himself also to walk (action, conduct) even as he walked.” See the difference?

• “Walk in darkness” = habitual practice of sin (because one denies the reality of sin).
• “Walk in the light” = habitual practice of the truth (because one admits the reality of sin).

John has two persons in mind: the Gnostic and the one following the commandments of Christ Jesus. He is NOT talking about two Christians: one who is “weak and often sinning” and the other who thinks that he is so absolutely perfect that he never sins!

“Are you perfect?”

As already noted, this is a captious question, designed to entrap. The one asking it never defines the word “perfect” to the one that he is questioning. But, I answer the question: “Yes, I’m perfect.” What about you, brother, sister? Speak for yourself!

• Noah was perfect. Gen. 6:9, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, [and] perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God.”
• Paul was blameless. Phil. 3:6, “as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.”
• Yes, I’m perfect! Anything wrong with being what I am commanded to be? Matt. 5:48, “Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

2 Cor. 13:11, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” Is anyone comforted? Of the same mind? Living in peace? Now, in this life? Then one can be perfect now!

Heb. 5:14, “But solid food is for fullgrown men, (perfect, same Greek word as in Mat. 5:48) [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.” A perfect man is one who can discern good and evil. Can you do that?

No one needs to be ignorant of sin. Rom. 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

“Perfect,” as applied to Christians, means mature, complete persons.

• 1 Cor. 2:6, “We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown (perfect, Gr. teleois): yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought.”
• Phil. 3:15, “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect (Gr. teleoi), be thus minded.”
• Col. 1:28, “whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect (Gr., teleon) in Christ.”
• 2 Tim. 3:17, “That the man of God may be complete (Gr., artios), furnished completely unto every good work.”
• Jas. 3:2, “For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect (Gr., teleios) man, able to bridle the whole body also.”

The Scriptures are given so that we will not have to sin.

• They are complete, 1 Cor. 13:10, “but when that which is perfect (Gr., teleion, the perfect thing) is come, that which is in part shall be done away.”
• 1 Jn. 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin.”
• Eph. 3:3,4, “how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ.” I can understand just exactly what Paul understood about the gospel.

Knowledge

Do you know everything?” we are asked.

Let me ask: Do you know anything? What is it and how are you so sure? What is it about God’s will that cannot be understood?

• Filled with knowledge. Rom. 15:14, “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”
• Abound in knowledge. 2 Cor. 8:7, “But as ye abound in everything, [in] faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and [in] all earnestness, and [in] your love to us, [see] that ye abound in this grace also.”
• Enriched in knowledge. 1 Cor. 1:5, “that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge.”

“Do you know everything?” we are asked. Answer: “Yes, if mature.” 1 Jn. 2:20, 21, “And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” They, like we, had revelation from the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth.

I know what sin is, what is sinful. I am not ignorant of sin! People can come to the knowledge of the truth. Has anyone ever done it?! 2 Tim. 3:7, “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Eph. 3:14-19, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.”

Man can know. Man is not ignorant of good and evil, if he wants to make the discernment.

• Gen. 3:22-24, “And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever—therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
• Matt. 13:11, “And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
• Jn. 7:17, “If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or [whether] I speak from myself.”
• 2 Pet. 1:12, “Wherefore I shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and are established in the truth which is with [you].”
• 1 Jn. 2:20, “And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things.”

Christians are able because they are KNOWLEDGEABLE.

• Rom. 15:14, “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”
• 2 Cor. 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work.” There is no good work of which we are ignorant, if we abound unto every good work!
• 2 Tim. 3:15, “And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

What can be lacking, then?

Seek and Find

Jn. 5:39, “Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me; and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life.” Everyone who searches the scriptures, and everyone should do so, finds what it takes to obtain eternal life. The one who does not search, is not going to find.

Paul prayed for the perfecting of Christians. 2 Cor. 13:9, “ … this we also pray for, even your perfecting.” Did he pray for the impossible?

Eph. 1:15-19, “For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which [ye show] toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention [of you] in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might.” Did he pray for the impossible? Are we using this God-given power?

Phil. 1:9-11, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Did he pray for the impossible? Are we filled with the fruits of righteousness?

Col. 1:9-11, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Did he pray for the impossible? Does this sound like Paul wants Christians to be “weak and often sinning”?

Conclusion

Instead of excuse making for our sins, lethargy, indifference, luke-warmness, fruitless living, negligence, inactivity, self-pity, half-hearted Christianity, let us:

1. Be what we’re commanded to be: perfect, knowledgeable, abounding in good works.
2. Seek in God’s word daily, in order to find that maturity of character that makes one truly a son of God, rather than an excuse-making religionist who doesn’t intend to ever be mature.
3. Be what we are able to be, and do what we are able to do, because God has given us the power!
4. Heb. 10:24,25, “and let us consider one another for provoking to love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom [is] with some; but encouraging [one another], and by so much the more as ye see the day drawing near.”

Yes, we are:

1. perfect, if we are mature.
2. know all things that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

No, we are not weak and often sinning, unless we choose to be so and do so! We are all what we choose to be and to do. God put the responsibility on each one; each one shall bear his own burden (Gal. 6:5).

Returning to the question at the beginning: Are you perfect? I answer: Yes! I was baptized into Christ in 1937, and if after 81 years I am not perfect, mature, I never will be!

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[Editor’s note: It has been several years since I posted an article on this site that was written by someone else. I decided to make an exception this week and post this article by brother Bill Reeves. Brother Reeves passed away last week after faithfully preaching the gospel for over seventy years. In addition to being an example in doing the work of an evangelist, he also made it a point to be an encouragement to me personally in my own modest efforts to preach and teach the word of God. I’ve always appreciated him for that. About ten years ago, I heard brother Reeves preach in a gospel meeting in Bowling Green, Kentucky. One point he made that week that has stuck with me ever since was when he talked about those who say that “no one is perfect” – as if that were an excuse to sin – and he said, “Well, I am.” He was making the same point as he did in this article, hence the reason why I chose this article to post. Brother Reeves was able to do an incredible amount of good for the cause of Christ throughout his 93 years. He will be missed. —Andy]