According to the Bible, I am now perfect. Right now, just the way I am-- in God's eyes, perfect. I read this this morning, and was quite stunned with the realisation of it. Look at this sentence--'By one sacrifice He (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy'. (Hebrews 10:14)
'Has made' is past tense. It's already been done. Jesus did it on the cross. When God looks at me, He sees only Jesus, because Jesus stands in my place. Perfection in God's eyes means I am justified, made right with God, regardless of my performance.
'Being made' is present tense. I am already perfect, but I am in the process of being made holy. I am legally considered perfect, but now I grow literally into that legal declaration, becoming what I have already been declared. The Holy Spirit transforms me to become more like Jesus, the One who justified me.
My instant perfection is justification, my road to holiness is sanctification.
7 comments:
Wow, that's awesome Ben! I have to keep reminding myself that, because I goof up all the time. Thanks for the uplifting message!
Good message, but you should have a read of Verbal Aspect when it comes to using the greek. The argument is that there is no tense in greek, so we should let the context determine the "tense" of the aorist and present, rather than the verb itself. Arguments based on the tense of the verb are now viewed as exegetical fallacies.
It's what we're being taught at college these days, anyways.
Hi Chris, yes I need to always remind myself that my standing before God doesn't rely on ME.
Hi, Geoff, thanks for stopping by. I did not know any of that, so thanks. Out of interest then, what would be your take on this verse?
The same as you, but I wouldn't use the aorist tense to determine the once for all nature of the cross. I'd use 1 Peter 3:18.
The second part of the verse is tricky! I'd interpret the same as you, but would argue based on the present tense. You find a similar thing in Ephesians in regard to our salvation, the tension between the now and the not yet. I would take perhaps articulate it is that we are striving (being made holy) to be as we actually are (perfect).
i'm no guru on verbal aspect, but we've been looking at it this semester. Rather than viewing things as tense, it is about aspect - how you view the object. The analogy used is someone in a helicopter watching a parade (not the mardi gras, for we wouldn't let our children go to that). The view is perfective, watching it as a while. The present tense is imperfective, and you would be watching the g-rated, heterosexually promoted parade at a street level unfolding before your eyes.
context normally determines tense, not the verb form.
Thanks for that, geoff.
really? I just read over it and it didn't make much sense at all. And I'm not talking about the bad mardi gras references. Some of those sentences don't make any sense and were the opposite of what I tried to say.
kind of embarrassing really.
okay, well had I understood it better I may have written a longer response:) But I didn't want to show my dumb unscholarliness..
Maybe if I knew what a verbal aspect and an aorist was, I may get it a bit better! I am a true pleb, I'm afraid.
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