Does God demand perfection ?
Question:
They quote Psalm 15:1 as proof of this belief.
(Psalm 15:1) says, using a Christian English translation of the Tanak;
"Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is BLAMELESS and does what
is righteous, he who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander in
his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow
man, who despises a vile man, but honor those who fear the LORD, who keeps
his oath even when it hurts, and lends his money without usury and does not
accept bribes..."
Christian Missionaries say :
"...God DOES require perfection.Have you kept all of this small list
that David claims is required? The word BLAMELESS, is defined as being
without fault "
In other words,Christian missionaries see this as meaning we have to be
perfect. However, a look at the Hebrew shows that this is not the case.
The word translated here as "blameless" is tamim (tav-mem-yud-mem sofit).
It is found in many other verses, and looking at it in context elsewhere
can help to elucidate its meaning.
From the Torah :
Genesis 6:9 "These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a just man and
perfect [tamim] in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Since Noach
was human, he was not perfect, but yet he was "tamim". If Noah can be
"TAMIM", so can I, and so can any of his decendents (everyone).
From the Navi'im ( Prophets ) :
(2nd Samuel 22:26.) "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful, and
with the upright( tamim ) man You will show Yourself upright [tatamim]"
Appearently, in addition to Noach and David (see Psalm 18 below), there are
other tamim people.
From the Ketuvim :
Psalm 18:
1. "To the chief Musician of David, the servant of the LORD, who spoke to
the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD saved him from the
hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul;"
The stage is set, the Psalm is about David, a man who was not perfect, and
yet, it says in this Psalm 18 : verese 22- 24) :
"For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from
my God. For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His
statutes from me. I was also upright [tamim] before him, and I kept myself
from my iniquity.. Therefore has the LORD recompenses me according to my
righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight."
David was capable of being tamim, so are you, and so am I. (See also 2
Samuel 22:24 for the same statement about being tamim as verse 24 of this
Psalm)
(Job 12:4.) "I have become a laughing stock to my friend; I, who called
upon God, and he answered me. A just, blameless [tamim] man is a laughing
stock."
Job, a non-Jew, is "tamim" so can I be, so can you be. Whether you are a
Jew or a Muslim or a Christian ( If they stop worshiping flesh )
What does God Require , seeing that God does not require perfection ?
Michah 6:8 says :
"It has been told you, O' man, what is good, and what the LORD does require
of you, only to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God".
God is forgiving and merciful, He forgives us when we fall short of the
mark. God expects us to strive to do good, but knows that we are but human
and imperfect .
"Then I acknowledged my sin to You; I did not cover up my guilt... and You
forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:5
"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2Ch 7:14
"on account of sins. When our transgressions prevail over us, thou dost
forgive them." Ps 65:3
"Thou didst forgive the iniquity of thy people; thou didst pardon all their
sin. " Ps 85:2
'The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving
iniquity and transgression,..'Nu 14:18
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon." Isa 55:7
"And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned
against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have
sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me." Jer 33:8
Answer:
...Matthew 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
...James 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."
...Can't live perfectly? Neither can I. This drove me to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
...I humbled myself before Jesus Christ and trusted in Him for salvation; when I did, some great stuff happened:
...Romans 5:1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
...I am justified in God's sight - now He looks at me "through rose-colored glasses" - I am legally righteous in His sight, I am "declared righteous" by God. He looks at me just-as-if-I'd-never-sinned (justified) - Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Forget what missioaries say. They are full of crap. God wants you to live as the best human being that you can. Simple.
... that is the longest question I've ever read (well actually it got boring in middle of it and I didn't read all of it ) hehehe atleast I'm telling you the truth...
He doesnt demand perfection. He asks for it. But he knows that it's virtually impossible so he's made it possible to clear your slate of transgressions.
NO, GOD did not ask us to be perfect!
In his works is perfect. For us on the other hand, he demands excellence!! striving and maintaing virtue.
not really. just do good deeds and God really accepted it.
The Tanak is NOT another word for the Bible. Christians do NOT use the Tanak, Jews do. Christians use the Bible, and anyone that says otherwise is not being truthful. In answer to your question, yes God does require perfection. But he knows as a human you could not attain perfection because you are an imperfect being. That's why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He bridges the gap between us and sin. No man can get to heaven except through belief in Jesus Christ, and forgiveness of his sins, followed by a personal relationship with Jesus. Before Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, only Jews were allowed into heaven. But only if they regularly made the sacrifices required, and kept all of Gods laws and commandments. Jesus bridges the gap so that we no longer have to make sacrifices, however we do still have to keep Gods commandments.
TO ENTER A KINGDOM THAT IS HOLY,YOU MUST BE SINLESS AND HOLY IN SPIRIT,BY HAVING A CLEAN SPIRIT INSIDE YOUR SOUL.YOU ARE BUT LIGHT ,RETURNING BACK TO THE HOLY LIGHT.THE REST ARE LEFT BEHIND,UNCLEAN IN SPIRIT ARE PART OF THE SECOND DEATH.
Why would he expect us to be perfect when the only perfect one was his son? He sent his son to die on the cross (a perfect sacrifice), for us because he knew we weren't perfect.
John3:16-18 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son
1 John 1:8-10 (New International Version)
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
I think the question in itself, has answered itself. Does God demand perfection? Maybe yes, in virtues and values... Maybe no, when it comes to physical limitations... Like the partly blind, or sleepy, when she stumbles especially in the dark amidst fierce and real foes, does God demand that she sees like she sees in the light? When she's hungry, her mind travels everywhere without direction, could God demand her to be perfect in answering questionnaires in her examinations? If so, does God encourages her to cheat then? I think not and never. God never want that. Instead, God sends her friends and rescuers, that she be healed of her iniquities in time, before she spoils forever and be thrown to everlasting fires. If she's tired and needs rest, yet emergency springs up in order to help save a sick relative in the middle of the night, who might be between life and death, of course, though she stumbles into thorns and pristles, she'll bravely pierce the night and the darkness just to bring a beloved to the hospital, and be cured of its illness. And she does it, all for the name of "Love". She sacrifices, and suffers a great deal, too, for she knows, God is not blind, like humans who are sometimes. God hears the prayer and the silent cry from the oppressed heart of the poor. God will soon send a golden-silver hand, to miraculously save his own faithful people from death, however imperfect they are in the eyes of the sinful world... But God's heart sees the perfection of their sacrifices. So with beauty. People and ladies with beauty, if uglied by enemies, especially by treachery or cheating, the essence is, in God's eyes, they are perfectfly beautiful... So, I think perfection must have to be based at how God perceives a particular heart, person, or issue... All that good-natured people need to do is just be faithful. To make their utmost struggle for perfection. It is, how they have sacrificed, suffered and loved, that God looks at each person. How and how much they have done so makes them reach a degree of perfection. As compared to those who wants to get things the easy and dirty way. They are the ones who are imperfect, and not the ones they have uglied in the eyes of the world. And I am really thankful for those beautiful clement EYEs of heaven, there in the skies. It sees me as I truly am! Especially if I only be honest and sincere, too. How I love those EYES! It helps me struggle toward perfection, like soul that journeys with me along my way through life. THANK YOU SO MUCH! And it's just easy to learn, because God has coded me to learn the "Language of Love"*
Perfection is only obtainable in Christ.
That has always been the real message, and the only hope of salvation.
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