On to Perfection

 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. 

- Hebrews 6:1-3

When a child is born, there is an expectation for the child to grow up and someday become an adult. The child is also to exhibit some characters of the parent. The course of nature sees to that. In a few cases, however, this expectation is not met.

As Christians, our Lord Jesus also expects us to grow and become perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). You might then say how can one be perfect if Jesus said no one is good, save one, that is God (Luke 18:19). That is a valid question, and the answer to that is, in Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Oh, the blessed state when it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. How then do we move unto this state of perfection? It starts from when we are translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. At this stage in a believer’s life, old things pass away all things have become new (II Corinthians 5:17). At this stage in the believer’s life, we are shown care and love by our Lord (which we most at times feel with our emotions) and bestowed with gifts from Him.

There is a temptation to remain at this point in our Christian life, and most times, we fall into this temptation and cease to press on to perfection. Moving unto perfection does not mean that this care and love cease to exist. It means that we step into a purer care and love void of the elements of this world and become one with the giver of this love and care. We can draw a parallel from the tabernacle in the Old Testament. It had three partitions: The Outer Court, The Most Holy, and the Holy of the Holies. We are born again into the outer court. Then we progress into the Most Holy, where we are sanctified by the blood of Jesus and ultimately press onto the Holy of Holies where the Shekinah dwells. There we communion with God through the blood of Jesus.

What sad reality is that most at times, we remain in the Outer Court or sometimes move onto the Most Holy but, we fail to press onto the Holy of Holies where we can enjoy communion with God and become more and more like Him (Holy, Perfect). Here is where the writer of Hebrews admonishes us. He says we should leave the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ and move on to perfection, not despising these elementary principles, for they are of great importance but laying them as a foundation. It can only be by total dependence on God (Hebrews 6:3).

When we think about pressing on to perfection, what readily comes to mind is that a lot of things needs to be done, as Martha taught, but as Jesus said, one thing is needful (Luke 10: 40-42) that is what Apostle Paul sheds light on in his letter to the church in Philippi. Philippians 3: 12-14:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Beloved, I admonish you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to leave those things that are behind and press on to those things ahead that will lead to perfection. The Lord is calling you into the Holy of the Holies where His Shekinah is. There we behold Him as He is, and we are transformed from one degree of Glory to another till we become like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18)