A student asked some advice, so I replied. The question and the answer are both very general, so in case this helps anyone:
Why does the Christian conception of God impose divine standards of morality upon humanity, given our inherent fallibility? Furthermore, considering the theological premise that all individuals have sinned, how can one reconcile the expectation of moral perfection with the reality of human imperfection? Does this not suggest an intrinsic paradox within the framework of sin and redemption in Christian theology?
God is the ultimate source of all the order and beauty we see in the universe. When we study the natural order, we are studying the products of the divine mind. His standards are the highest standards: why would his aim for us be any lower than the best of the good and beautiful order that we occasionally see in this fallen world? He expects to remake us in this life; we are born again, we are new creations, and we are walking through the “refiner’s fire,” and it occasionally hurts, but it is not meant to be torture. Indeed, our walk with God is rather our source of deepest joy because he is holy and yet loves us, and we wish to be as he is; and as we are made in his image, he expects us to drop away our sinful dross and become the true metal.
But this is only to explain why God has high standards. I would say—and I hope I am putting all this the right way—that he forgives and understands when we do not live up to the highest standards. Perhaps you are reading Matt 5:48: “Yet if you read the Sermon on the Mount, you might find yourself puzzled: ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’” Still, if anyone is telling you, or indeed if you are telling yourself, that you must constantly worry about being morally perfect, then I have some things to say:
(1) This sort of constant worry is itself a minor sort of failure (of trust, or of understanding). Get rid of it! (This is not to say it is itself a sin; but it is certainly a mistake.) Why do I say so? Read on.
(2) But in many other places we read the grim truth that “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10; except, of course, Jesus, who is God); and we will sadly go on sinning, hopefully less as we grow with God, but never entirely stopping. Don’t believe anyone who says he has stopped sinning; he is either deluded and does not know God’s high standards, or else he is perpetrating a kind of fraud. There are not many people who claim to be sinless, of course. Even Paul said he was the greatest of sinners.
(3) Our reaction must not be to simply give up and think of ourselves as worthless, for the Lord forgives us and loves us greatly.
(4) Our posture toward our own sin, therefore, should be one of humility, not to be like the “pious frauds,” or simply, those who think they are already perfectly sanctified in this life; and repentance, always striving, but striving in peace, knowing we are loved and forgiven in the Lord.
(5) I think a healthy “fear of the Lord”—an actual virtue, repeatedly praised in Scripture—is essential. But if the Lord is our heavenly Father, then when we fear him, we are not feeling worthless; rather, we are earnestly concerned to do his will and not to disappoint him. We can disappoint him; but he gives us abundant grace and is, as the word has it, “longsuffering” (very tolerant toward our weakness).
(6) I find that humility and gratitude (both greatly undervalued virtues) will naturally spur me on to a healthy desire for moral perfection. These two virtues guard us against both pride and despair.
Is there a sort of balance to be sought here? Yes, to be sure. The Lord does not want to wear you out; he wants you to be happy and to get sleep and to do your work. Wisdom, both philosophical and biblical, can acknowledge all of this. Re-read Matt 6:25-34. He said this in the very same sermon in which he said you should be perfect!
Added later:
As to the “intrinsic paradox,” I leave that as an exercise to the reader. But here’s a hint: glorification in the eschaton.
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