Ultimate Perfection Comes In Heaven
We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.- Colossians 1:28 NASB
Does your life seem to be a complete mess sometimes?
Five days’ worth of laundry that still needs to be folded is on the floor, and the dog just made a bed in the middle. The kids have left a container of who-knows-what and don’t-ask-why on the bathroom counter. A set of muddy wheelchair tracks go straight across the living room. A pile of pill bottles is scattered across the kitchen counter from last night’s “dinner time meds” handout.
Even worse, maybe you were angry and bitter and yelled at your kids.
Maybe you felt unappreciated. You pouted to your spouse about the lack of recognition for all the things you do, day in and day out.
WAY MORE THAN ALL THOSE OTHER TYPICAL FAMILIES WHO PROBABLY HAVE BEAUTIFUL HOMES AND EVERYTHING IS CLEAN AND THEIR KIDS ARE SWEET AND THEY ALL GO PLACES ON SATURDAY AND HAVE A NICE TIME TOGETHER BECAUSE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS GRAB THEIR PURSE AND WALLET AND WALK OUT THE DOOR AND…
Even for the believer, things are far from perfect. And I’m not just talking about the laundry. Sounds like there may still be some sins left to confess between here and heaven.
But for the believer in Jesus Christ, there is perfection. First, we have positional perfection. That means that no matter what we do, how messy our house is, or how mean we are to our spouse and kids, God credits to us Christ’s righteousness. (Isn’t that something to be glad about? Phew! There’s no way I could live up to that standard.)
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.– Hebrews 10:14 NASB
This does not make our day-to-day life and actions perfect, but it does make us perfect regarding our standing regarding heaven. Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us, and we are now “perfect” in the sense that we have become acceptable and may one day enter the presence of God.
But what about NOW? I’d like to be perfect NOW.
Sorry. That’s not going to happen.
Even for the mom who always looks so put together on facebook.
In Colossians 1:28, Paul speaks of how diligent he was to proclaim God’s word (doctrine) to admonish them and teach them, so that one day…eventually…if they believe what he is telling them about Jesus Christ…they may be presented complete (or perfect) in Christ.
That’s not just the positional perfection we are experiencing now. That is the ultimate perfection of the believer in heaven.
So don’t sweat the small stuff.
The believer has positional perfection now. The believer will have ultimate perfection in heaven. When you sin, confess it and move on. And when everything seems to be a complete mess, know that one day in heaven, those pill bottles will be gone, that medical equipment will no longer be needed, and you won’t be apologizing to your spouse for the way you treated them this morning.
One day, it will all be perfect.
Thank you for your post Annie Beth! What a gift He has given us in Christ’s righteousness. And the hope of Heaven is the ultimate perfection we can actually attain one day. Thank you for giving freedom to us through your words.