February 23rd - Be Perfect

“Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven…anyone who says, you fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell…If your right hand offend you, cut it off, it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell…love your enemies…be ye PERFECT even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:20,22,30,44,48)

There you have it out of the mouth of Jesus himself. In order to avoid the fire of hell all you have to do is to love your enemies, avoid calling anyone a fool, cut off any limb that is offensive, and be PERFECTLY righteous like our heavenly Father. 

If that is the only way to enter the Kingdom of heaven, the apostle Paul had some bad news for us...

"There is none righteous, no not one...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:10, 23)

The good news is that after His death and resurrection Jesus taught Paul that although all sin and miss the mark of God's perfection resulting in DEATH, all would be SAVED out of death by the GRACE of a loving God - as a FREE gift.

"For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life..." (Romans 6:23)

"By GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH...it is a the GIFT of God not a result of works." (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

“...as in Adam all DIE, even so in Christ shall all be MADE ALIVE...Listen, I tell you a mystery…the DEAD will be raised imperishable…DEATH...swallowed up in victory…through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:22,51-57)

SALVATION is a GIFT from God by His GRACE. A person of FAITH believes that is the TRUTH and that Jesus is the only WAY to eternal LIFE in the Kingdom of heaven. 

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

No one can be saved by being PERFECT like our righteous heavenly Father.