Questions & Answers
With Dr. Bob Burrelli, Grace Bible Church
Paul's desire for the maturity of the Corinthians is remarkable; even in his farewell address in 2 Corinthians 13:11 he slips in commands for Godly living: listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. Whereas most versions head that list with the command to mend your ways, or the like, the King James has, "Be perfect . . .", which has led some to the view that believers may reach the point where they no longer sin this side of heaven.
Such a doctrine is not Paul's and is clearly false. Jesus' clear provision for believers to confess their sins in prayer (Matt 6:12), John's assurance of Jesus' forgiveness to believers who confess their sin (1 John 1:9), and Paul's own admission that he had not reached such a state of perfection (Phil 3:12) are just some of the evidences that perfection is not attainable now. Furthermore, besides the immaterial makeup of a Christian, redemption includes his body as well, which will be made perfect in glory. And let's not forget God's promise to complete the work of salvation He began in each believer when Christ returns (Phil 4:6).
What is Paul teaching and how should we understand the King James Version? The single Greek word behind that translation has the idea of putting in order, restoring, putting into proper condition, making something complete. When we consider the context of chapter 13, where Paul is exhorting the church to shape up spiritually and for each believer to examine himself to see if he is in the faith (v. 5), together with the fact that this church was notorious for sinful, interpersonal problems, the King James translation is qualified. Paul is commanding them to fix any sin issues between themselves in order to make their relationships with each other complete and Godly.
I am grateful for the King James translation at this point because the ambiguity it presents in seeking perfection is a great occasion not only to denounce the false teaching of perfection to be attained now, but also to teach the proper understanding of what it means to conform to the image of Christ. While it is impossible for any Christian to reach perfection this side of Heaven, perfection should be every Christian's goal. God's command to be holy as He is holy, for example, is a command to strive for perfection. We must strive to have the kind of relationship with God and with other Christians that we know we will have with them in Heaven someday. If we boil Paul's epistles down to their bare essence, the message would be; "You are perfect in Christ. Now start living that way!"