Editorial July 24, 1926 Issue

Perfection

Ella W. Hoag

From the beginning of time God has been demanding perfection of men. It is said of Noah that he "was a just man and perfect in his generations; and it is also recorded in the Scriptures that "the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." From then until now mankind has, however, largely relegated the possibility of expressing perfection to a future after death. As a consequence, although perfection in all things has been acknowledged as a highly desirable goal, the efforts towards it have almost invariably been sporadic, so feeble has been the belief of the possibility of its present attainment.

Jesus demonstrated perfection. Whatever he undertook to do he did perfectly. Never once did he fail to prove his God-given ability to bring his every undertaking to successful completion. Jesus therefore demonstrated perfect dominion over each and every temptation; he proved his God-given power to express perfection at all times and under all circumstances. We learn from the Bible that it often required long and continued effort on his part to resist evil so completely that his triumph over it was perfect—as, for example, his struggle in the wilderness. He however never faltered, but proved perfection possible of demonstration in every human experience.

And Jesus is our Way-shower, our great Exemplar! What he did, we too not only can but must do! Indeed, his entire life-work was to show us how to go and do likewise. Although the Bible affirms this in most positive language, mankind has continued through long centuries to believe that Jesus alone had the power to demonstrate perfection while walking upon this earth. It has therefore gone its way all unmindful of the fact that the same perfect ability belongs to all men as the sons of God.

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