“Be ye therefore perfect”

Jesus told us, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). But . . . perfection? Is that even remotely possible to attain?

When we look at the world today and also examine our own lives, things may look very far from perfect. Yet, every day we’re also aware of examples of very refined achievement. We board airplanes engineered according to the laws of aerodynamics regarding lift and thrust. We drive over bridges designed and built according to strict architectural precepts. In another aspect of aspiring to high standards, many aim to express honesty, fairness, wisdom, and genuine care in interactions with others. But whatever the arena of life, it’s vital for humanity to strive toward, and ultimately adopt, the only true, perfect model of thought and action—one that flows from the ever-dependable intelligence that is divine Principle, God. 

The Bible shows us that God is the source and basis of all perfection. For example, the book of Genesis establishes that man is created in God’s image and likeness, which means that each of us is fashioned from a model of complete perfection. Our role is to open our thought to understand this fact and accept how God has created us: spiritually perfect—good, intelligent, whole, and loving. As Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wrote in her work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “God is the creator of man, and, the divine Principle of man remaining perfect, the divine idea or reflection, man, remains perfect. Man is the expression of God’s being” (p. 470).