Perfectionism

     “You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48*

     Okay Jesus, I guess I have to be perfect. There are many Christians with a mindset people refer to as perfectionism. When people ask me why I try so hard and am so irritated when I fail, I think of the verse above. We are commanded to be perfect. 1 John supports this by saying those who continue to sin are not truly of Christ (1 John 3:3-6). Jesus says if we love Him we will follow His commandments in John 14:15. Even more, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says Christians have the power to overcome temptations through the Holy Spirit (“He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability…”) . So there is no excuse.

     There is biblical support for perfectionism–upon first glance. The call Jesus gave to be perfect, quoted at the beginning of this article, is given in the Sermon on the Mount. This famous sermon in Matthew 5-7 opens with the Beatitudes (how faithful followers of God will be blessed) and an explanation of what it means to be  God’s light. Then comes a long list of don’ts. We should not hate, divorce, lust, give retaliation, or hate our enemies. Here, Jesus is talking about hypocrisy. Then he says “be perfect.” Jesus is expressing that our aim should be perfection and love rather than following the rules outwardly (not murdering, not committing adultery) while committing these sins in the heart. He is not saying we will never sin, but that it should be our aim to follow God from the heart.

     The other “supports” for perfectionism listed above are also meant to drive Christians in the correct direction, not assuming perfection of all true believers. For example, 1 John 3:4-6 specifically talks about whether a person consistently lives in righteousness or sin. The context of 1 Corinthians 10:13 is likewise about fleeing from idolatry and being careful we do not think we are a Christian when we do not live as a Christian. Other passages that seem to support perfectionism are often to encourage the church to reflect on whether their lives truly pursue Christ or not. If someone is not pursuing Christ in the way they live, they are not a true believer.

     In my experience, perfectionists do not typically struggle with thinking they are Christians when they are not (although people who falsely believe they are Christians are abundant; see Matthew 7:21-23). Instead, they struggle to have assurance that they are Christians because they look at passages like these and compare them to how much they sin. But these passages are not referring to salvation being earned by works (or works-based salvation). We are already forgiven. These verses are talking about how the patterns and motivations of a person show whether he or she is a true believer or not.

     The danger of having a measure in our heads of how perfect we have to be is falling into legalism. This mindset is shown in Jesus’ parable about the legalistic Pharisee and the humble tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). Legalism has an undertone of “you have to reach this bar or you are not good enough.” Legalism looks to good works for assurance instead of Christ and condemns bad works as worthy of judgment despite Christ. Rejecting legalism leads to a mindset of humility in good works and a dependence on the sufficiency of Christ despite bad works.

     The Bible is full of verses that sound like we have to measure up to something or we don’t make it into heaven. But these verses are always a warning to pursue Christ-not because we can lose forgiveness or mess up too much, but because it is evidence for our salvation. It either increases or dramatically decreases our assurance that we are truly saved. James, although wrongly referred to as support for works-based salvation, shows how a person’s lifestyle does not get them saved. James 2:17-18 says true faith in Jesus as Lord is shown in our works and is evidence of true salvation. It is not works-based salvation (works + faith = salvation), but that true faith leads to salvation and works (faith = salvation + works).

     It is good to pursue perfection; Jesus says those who hunger for righteousness will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6). But this desire and craving must be balanced with an understanding that only God is truly good (Luke 18:19) and we will still struggle with sin while we live on earth (Hebrews 12:5-11). “Perfectionism” is beyond the point of righteously pursuing perfection to the point of feeling a desperate need to be perfect. We do not need to be perfect. God has made us perfect in His own eyes through Jesus if we accept Him and strive to live with Him as Lord of our lives.

     To get rid of perfectionism, it is important to identify the root of why a person strives for it. Common reasons to be desperate for perfection include wanting to impress people, hidden legalism, and wanting to please God. Perfectionism that wants to impress people can be reworded as doing good things for the praise of the people around us. Jesus confronts doing good things to impress others in Matthew 6:1-6. Doing good things for the sake of others’ approval is not rewarded by God; it is a form of pride. Everyone struggles with pride, but it is an idol we have to fight because it seeks our praise instead of God’s.

     Feeling like we have to be perfect is a hidden form of legalism that you may already know is wrong but not recognize in yourself. If you doubt your salvation because of how much you sin or how depraved you think your mind is, think about whether you are practicing (putting effort into) righteousness or sin on a consistent basis. There is not a specific measure in which you are expected to be without sin.   You are expected to practice it. As you practice, you will get closer to being without sin. Please do not guilt trip yourself for sins when God no longer sees you as guilty. If you do not see yourself practicing righteousness, try to focus less on needing to fix everything and more on the freedom and love found in Christ’s sacrifice (Romans 6). Not because you have to earn salvation, but because you are thankful to God for the forgiveness He has given and the price that He has paid.

     If you are being driven to perfectionism because you desire to please God, that is a good desire. But it can still be an idol. All Christians should desire to please God with how they live. We should all live lives of worship (Romans 12:1-2). Wanting to please God becomes an idol when two things happen: 1) we begin to dwell on mistakes instead of resting in Christ’s forgiveness and 2) we focus more on works to serve God instead of a heart that serves God. It is good to desire perfection, but we will still struggle with sin in this life. A perfectionist focusing on that sin often feels unforgiven, angry, and depressed about how little they do right when it should lead them to worship and thank God for His grace. Serving God well leads to joy and peace, not anger and bitterness (Galatians 5:22-23). God has forgiven us (Romans 5:8-9), we have power to overcome sin (Romans 6:6-11), and God will use even our sin for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).

     In a certain mindset, perfectionism seems to make sense because Jesus commands us to be perfect and we have power to overcome temptation through the Holy Spirit. But this mindset is idolizing our actions instead of focusing on the grace given to us through Jesus Christ. We should desire and pursue perfection, but we will continue to struggle with sin until we are fully glorified.  Saying we should be perfect or have to be perfect is downplaying God’s grace, “for freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Let us not submit to a yoke of legalism or perfection. Let us agree with God in His judgment that we have Christ’s perfection and seek to live a righteous life for God’s glory. What a great joy it is to be free from the law and sin (Romans 7)! Thank God for His grace toward us when we were still sinners.

     I urge you to give up whatever version of perfectionism you hold onto. Even if you desire to serve God, and that is why you struggle with it, you will do better letting go of that expectation of yourself. Jesus was perfect because we can’t be. If we have a better mindset about how God can and will use us in our imperfection, perhaps we will dream bigger. Holding ourselves back from something because we don’t think we are good enough leads to undesirable results. Having faith in God and pursuing big dreams leads to bigger results because we do more and push ourselves past what we think we are capable of. Let us hold fast to God’s truths that He is strength in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), He has set us free and sin no longer has dominion over us (Romans 6:14), He will use us for His glory (Romans 8:28), and God loved us enough to choose us before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:3-6).

     Perfectionism, no matter how holy it looks or feels sometimes, is worshiping something other than God or not trusting His grace to be sufficient for you. God’s grace gave us eternal life; it is definitely enough for each mistake, weakness, and sin. We do not have to be perfect, praise God! We have freedom and mercy in His grace, praise God! Let us have hearts of thanksgiving instead of fear, dread, and judgment. We were made for His glory, and He did not mess up. Thank You, God, for Your grace that surpasses all our sins when we trust in You!

*All scripture in this article is referenced from the English Standard Version (ESV) translation.