"Perfection Required"

“Perfection Required”

While in seminary I paid my school and living expenses by working in Denver’s Sears warehouse. I was assigned to the furniture division one day and helped fill an order for a customer who was outfitting her entire house, (A dedicated truck was needed for the delivery.) What I most remember about this incident was that the customer service representative made it a point to tell us, “This lady is spending a lot of money and wants everything spotless.” This was the only way she’d receive the goods—any flaw was unacceptable.

This long-ago experience came to mind recently as I listened to Dr. Tony Evans’ broadcast “The Alternative” while driving around Lakeland. He closed the program by saying (paraphrased), “There are only two ways of getting into Heaven: to be perfect or by God’s grace.” (I pulled over and made a few quick notes before the thought had a chance to escape from my gray matter.) Just as the Sears client wouldn’t accept merchandise that wasn’t in perfect condition God in His holiness can’t accept imperfect people marred by sin (like me) into His presence. Since none of us could ever meet this condition (“There is not a righteous {person} on earth who does what is right and never sins.”—Ecclesiastes 7:20) Heaven would be a lonely place. This wasn’t God’s desire but how could it be avoided?

Enter Jesus. Some seven centuries before He came to earth God’s prophet wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to {his or her} own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6. emphasis added). Jesus’ friend and disciple put it this way: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree….” (1 Peter 2:24, emphasis added). Jesus could do this because “…God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT, emphasis added).

By our sinful thoughts, words and actions each of us deserves to be separated from God forever (“For the wages of sin is death….”—Romans 6:23a). However, this isn’t the end of the story because Paul goes on to say, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b, emphasis added). This is the greatest example of God’s grace (or undeserved kindness) ever.

God has acted and the provision has been made. The response is up to each of us.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan