Perfection: Loving as God Loved

[Woody]

Matthew 5:44-48

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Therefore - perfection is loving as God loves.

[phkrause]

Excellent thought Woody.

And here is how the CJB reads for Matthew 5:44-48

44 But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. 46 What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! 47 And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! 48 Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

[Woody]

Yes pk. And even though we may not have that love as we should in our character Jesus sees us as clothed in that perfection.

"So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. " DA 357

[phkrause]

Yes pk. And even though we may not have that love as we should in our character Jesus sees us as clothed in that perfection.

"So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. " DA 357

You gotta love that statement and Jesus for standing up for us.

[Gibs]

Well there is a lot of proclamation of love but the proof of it never seems to come to fruitition in too many cases it seems.

If we truly had love as God does we would not do any wrongs, sins. Mans idea of love is far from what God is. Yes God is love and we prove we do not know Him when we prove His love isn't in us by the things we do and advocate.

1Jo 2:3 ¶ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jo 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1Jo 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1Jo 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

The thing He didn't do in the beginning He is not going to do now. What is that? Make any to be sinless. It is up to the person, man or woman.

"God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automation. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have been no development of character. . . . It would have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have sustained Satan's charge of God's arbitrary rule. {CC 13.3}

God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers, and presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to his allegiance. Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree of life. . . . {CC 13.4}

Again God has made it so man has no excuse as Adam and Eve do not. His Divine Nature He will impart when full broken upon Him.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: Woody

Yes pk. And even though we may not have that love as we should in our character Jesus sees us as clothed in that perfection.

"So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. " DA 357

You gotta love that statement and Jesus for standing up for us.

Yes. Way COOL.

[Woody]

"Perfection now is ours only in Christ, but the ultimate, all-comprehensive transformation of our lives into the image of God will take place at the Second Advent ...Neither Christlike character traits nor faultess behaviour is the ground of our acceptance with God. Saving righteourness comes from the one righteous Man Jesus and is conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit. We can contribute nothing to Christ's gift of righteousness - we can only receive it. No one other than Christ is righteous; independent human righteousness is only filthy rags. " Seventh-Day Adventists Believe p. 145-6

[Woody]

"Like Him. This points to the fulfillment of God's plan for fallen man -- restoration to the divine image...It is God's design to restore that similitude by giving man victory over sin and over every temptation. The restoration will be completed AT THE SECOND COMING." 7 BC 649

[Woody]

It's kinda hard to have perfection when we are held accountable for the things we never even DID.

Quote:

"The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity. God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing. “ [5BC 1085]

[skyblue888]

"Perfection now is ours only in Christ, but the ultimate, all-comprehensive transformation of our lives into the image of God will take place at the Second Advent ...Neither Christlike character traits nor faultess behaviour is the ground of our acceptance with God. Saving righteourness comes from the one righteous Man Jesus and is conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit. We can contribute nothing to Christ's gift of righteousness - we can only receive it. No one other than Christ is righteous; independent human righteousness is only filthy rags. " Seventh-Day Adventists Believe p. 145-6

This is not from the pen of Ellen White as you know.

sky

[Woody]

Quote:

This is not from the pen of Ellen White as you know.

Wow. Has it come to the place that we are only able to quote one author?

You are right. IT comes from the General Conference.

Considering that Ellen White described the General Conference as "the highest authority that God has upon the earth" (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 492).

I suppose we ought to listen. :)

[skyblue888]

Woody, could you find and quote for us the later statements from the same source about the G.C. being the voice of God? Thank you.

sky

[Gibs]

This was stated in 1901 and she said "it has been some years since I have considered the G C as the voice of God".

It has been some years since I have considered the General Conference as the voice of God.--17MR 216 (1898). {LDE 50.3}

That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be--that is past.--GCB April 3, 1901, p. 25. {LDE 50.4}

It certainly has fallen very much since then.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Woody]

I never stated that the G C was the voice of God.

[skyblue888]

Fair enough.

But if the G.C. is no longer the voice of God she cannot be the highest authority either especially when we are told that "The self-condifent management of men has resulted in putting God aside and accepting the devisings of men." T.M.481 (1907)

Many times the Lord asked for a change but the change never materialized.

"There will be no material change until a decided movement is made to bring in a different order of things." T.M.360.

The testimonies have warned us that this order of things will wax stronger and stronger until the return of Christ.

So the Lord will be forced to finish the work in a manner very much out of the present or common order of things and in a way that will be contrary to every human planning (T.M.300) through the men of His own choosing.

sky

[nuff sed]

I don't remember exactly where I read it but the original quote as I remember it was "The General Conference in Session' here's another... 3T 492- "Highest authority that God has on earth"... Nuff Sed

[Woody]

thanks nuff sed

[Gibs]

She saw it different soon after that nuff sed.

This was stated in 1898 and 1901 and she said "it has been some years since I have considered the G C as the voice of God".

It has been some years since I have considered the General Conference as the voice of God.--17MR 216 (1898). {LDE 50.3}

That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be--that is past.--GCB April 3, 1901, p. 25. {LDE 50.4}

She had turned it around for a short time in 1901 and then they spun it right back and EGW had no more say. There has been no turn around since in no way shape or form.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Woody]

I don't remember exactly where I read it but the original quote as I remember it was "The General Conference in Session' here's another... 3T 492- "Highest authority that God has on earth"... Nuff Sed

While it may or may not be the voice of God at the current time - it DOES remain the "highest authority that God has on earth". :)

[skyblue888]

Woody, it is no more the highest authority today than the Sanhedrin was in the days of Christ. In fact we are told that "when light goes forth to lighten the earth, instead of coming up to the help of the Lord, they will want to bind about His work to meet their narrow ideas." T.M.300

This is exactly what happened in the days of Christ.

History will be repeated to the very letter.

sky

[Woody]

Woody, it is no more the highest authority today than the Sanhedrin was in the days of Christ. In fact we are told that "when light goes forth to lighten the earth, instead of coming up to the help of the Lord, they will want to bind about His work to meet their narrow ideas." T.M.300

This is exactly what happened in the days of Christ.

History will be repeated to the very letter.

sky

Well - you may not recognize it as a reliable reference. But I have the right to quote it. Just as you have the right to ignore it.

You may feel that Ellen White is the only authority one can quote from. But I myself am more well rounded and like to reference a number of SDA sources.

[Gibs]

If we have the Love we ought and need, the 10 commandments are our will and desire to always do,

7, 8 (1 Peter 1:22). Working With Love.--"Pure love is simple in its operations, and separate from every other principle of action. When combined with earthly motives and selfish interests, it ceases to be pure. God considers more with how much love we work, than the amount we do. Love is a heavenly attribute. The natural heart cannot originate it. This heavenly plant only flourishes where Christ reigns supreme. Where love exists, there is power and truth in the life. Love does good and nothing but good. Those who have love bear fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life (YI Jan. 13, 1898). {7BC 952.5}

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.