| Matthew 5:48 Display Chapter and Footnotes 48 Therefore, be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect."8 [There are many scripture references to the requirement of perfection in the New Testament, (click to see), and in the Old Testament too! (click to see). Only the power of God can change a man to be perfect, and the completion of His perfection process of you is when Jesus appears to crush the head of the Satan under your feet. Rom 16:20. We must be righteous as He is righteous, 1 John 3:7-10. We must be merciful as He is merciful, Luke 6:36. We must become pure as He is pure. 1 John 3:3. But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct, 1 Pet 1:15. So that we walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6, and as he is, so are we in this present world. 1 John 4:17. There is no flexibility and no equivocation in any of these stated requirements.] | 1 John 3:7-10 Display Chapter and Footnotes 7 Little children, let no man deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.3 [Jesus only spoke, judged, and did as He was prompted and ordered by God; to practice righteousness we also must be able to only speak what we hear Him order us to say and only do what we are ordered to do by God. This ability only comes after we have crucified our selfish spirit, as sin has been destroyed by the Spirit through bearing the inward cross of self-denial; then we are walking the same way He walked and in the world as He was with perfection, purity, and holiness. Everyone who practices righteousness is born of him, 1 John 2:29. — The Greek in this verse for little children is Teknia <5040>; these are yet to be freed from sin and without salvation.] 8 He who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God is revealed [in us], that he might destroy [in us] the works [sin] of the devil.4 [Let no man deceive you, saying that you can still be sinning and belong to God; those still sinning serve the devil. Christ is revealed in our flesh to destroy the works of the devil, by condemning the secret sins in our heart, and then destroying even our desire to sin. Paul confirms Jesus destroying the works of the devil in each purified believer: "the God of peace shall crush Satan under your feet shortly." Rom 16:20.] 9 Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed [Christ] remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.5 [To be born again, you must be crucified, which destroys all desires to sin in you. As a new creature you are then raised to heaven by Jesus who shows you the Father, and then you belong to Jesus and the Father. Once you are in the Father's hand, you are protected from ever sinning again. "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; instead God protects the one he has fathered, and the wicked one does not touch him." 1 John 5:18.] 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed [distinguished]: whoever does not live righteously is not of God, neither is he who does not love his brother. [If you are still sinning, you are a child of the devil, regardless of what your blind guide priest or minister says differently. From the Word of the Lord within: "If you are still sinning, you belong to sin and not to Me."] Display Chapter and Footnotes | Luke 6:36 Display Chapter and Footnotes 36 Therefore be merciful, as your Father also is merciful. [The only way you can be as merciful as the Father is to have crucified your sinful nature so that you hear God direct all your words just before speaking and to do only what you are ordered by God; that is the only way Jesus judged, spoke, and acted — always and only as he was commanded by God. We must be righteous as He is righteous, 1 John 3:7. We must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, Mat 5:48. We must be merciful as He is merciful, Luke 6:36. We must become pure as He is pure, 1 John 3:2-3. But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct, 1 Pet 1:15. So that we walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6, and as he is, so are we in this present world. 1 John 4:17. There is no flexibility and no equivocation in any of these stated requirements.] | 1 John 3:3 Display Chapter and Footnotes 3 And every man who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He [Jesus] is pure.2 [From the Word of the Lord within: "We must become like Him to merge with Him." What hope?—The hope of being like Him and of seeing Jesus appear in your heart is the hope that saves and purifies you; for we are saved by hope. Rom 8:24. You must have this hope for the power of God to be released to purify you. For of this you can be sure, that no sexually immoral, or impure, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Eph 5:5. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Mat 5:8. — Christ in you, the hope of glory.] | 1 Peter 1:15-16 Display Chapter and Footnotes 15 But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct;5 [So you must be holy, perfect, pure, and righteous. You must perfect holiness.] 16 Because it is written, "Be holy; for I am holy." [From the word of the Lord within: "You must be holy as I am holy. Pursue righteousness and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."] | 1 John 2:6 Display Chapter and Footnotes 6 He who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way that He walked. [We must be righteous as He is righteous, 1 John 3:7. We must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, Mat 5:48. We must be merciful as He is merciful, Luke 6:36. We must become pure as He is pure. 1 John 3:2-3. But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct, 1 Pet 1:15. So that we walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6, and as he is, so are we in this present world. 1 John 4:17. There is no flexibility and no equivocation in any of these stated requirements.] | 1 John 4:17 Display Chapter and Footnotes 17 In this [abiding or dwelling in God] love is brought to perfection, so that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this present world. [As God is perfect, holy, pure, and merciful, so are his children in whom love is perfected. Notice! John is saying that crucified true Christians have been changed and perfected so that they are the same as God in this present world — not after they pass away, but while on earth!] |