Friday, September 03, 2010

Perfection VS Perfectionism

Our goal is perfection, not perfectionism. The Word of God is absolute. But it is false to assume from this premise that the Bible provides a tidy list of do’s and don’ts, all of which must accord with a respectable and middle class common sense. Although the law required priests to have a  certain lineage which the usurping priests of Christ’s day did not have, the Bible still treats Caiaphas as the genuine high priest (Jn. 11:51); Hezekiah requested that God receive certain defiled Israelites coming to the reinstituted Passover (2 Chr. 30:17–19); Namaan received permission to escort his master into the house of Rimmon, and there to help him bow (2 Kgs. 5:17–18); David unlawfully ate the showbread and was praised by Christ (Mt. 12:4); and Christians should have no trouble eating meat that was offered up to an idol (1 Cor. 8:4). Perfectionism has the appearance of wisdom, but it is a work of the flesh. We do not counter perfectionism with imperfectionism; we counter perfectionism with obedience.
Douglas Wilson, Future Men, pg. 26.

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