Religious Perfectionism

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Religious perfectionism was the dominant spiritual stronghold that people struggled with during the time of Paul’s ministry, and it’s an issue that many of us as believers still struggle with today. This kind of perfectionism was the idea that what brings us into right standing with God is following all of the rules of the law, and the 613 commands of the temple, as we discussed yesterday. Paul says, we’ve been set free from all of that, therefore, “Stand firm, do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” After affirming the reality of their freedom, Paul now underscores the importance of resisting the urge to return to a life of spiritual bondage.

Now that Jesus has done His part in setting you free, you now have to do your part, which is to stand firm. You have to quit vacillating between Christ and the world from which you have been set free. You can’t teeter-totter in life, see-sawing back and forth between freedom and restriction.  

If you want to understand the true meaning of the Gospel, you have to learn to reject the idea that what makes you righteous is your ability to follow all of the rules, rites, and rituals without fail. Stop thinking that what justifies you in the sight of God is whether you adhere to a list of do’s and don’ts. We are saved, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:9, “by grace… not of works lest any man should boast.”

You have done nothing to save yourself from eternal separation from God. Rather, God saved you, in spite of you, because He loved you that much. He doesn’t expect perfection from you, so you don’t have to expect it of yourself. Instead, just keep following your Heavenly Father one step at a time, striving to be obedient, but understanding all the while that you won’t obey perfectly.