Born to Perfection

Born to Perfection

John 3:1-17

Genesis 4:1-4a

Wilfredo Baez, Ph.D.

Perhaps John Wesley’s most important teaching is his doctrine of Christian Perfection.  It is also one of his most misunderstood teachings.

When any clergy member of the UMC is ordained they are asked if they intend to go on to perfection in this lifetime.  The correct answer to the question is “I do” or “Yes. “ And everyone hedges and adds the statement “with God’s help.”  Then everyone laughs.

Interestingly, this question was not posed originally to clergy but to lay members of the church in their class meetings.

So are you going on to perfection in love in your lifetime?

Most people respond “Are you kidding.  Of course not.  Nobody is perfect.  Why are you asking such a silly question?”

But Wesley’s question does not presuppose that someone is going to be sinless his/her whole life long.  Rather Wesley is asking a motivational question.  He is asking a question about intention.  Do you intend to go on to perfection in love in this lifetime?  Are you committed to going on to perfection in love in this lifetime?

Jesus charged his disciple, “Be perfect as God is perfect.”

In order to succeed in fulfilling this commandment it is necessary to believe that you can accomplish it.  If you don’t believe that you can, you can’t.  And in order to believe that this is possible you have to believe Jesus.  If Jesus commands that you do something, you can do it.

Look at Abraham.  He and Sarah were old. God said to Abram:  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God made a promise of land to Abram; to Abram’s offspring.  Did I tell you that Abram and Sarai were old; old beyond child bearing years?  God promised them children and innumerable descendants.  As far as Abram and Sarai were concerned was what God was directing them to do was impossible.  But Abram believed God and God’s promises to him came through.  What if they did not believe?

Look at Nicodemus.  Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 

Nicodemus was incredulous:  “What are saying?  What you are saying is absolutely impossible.  Where did you study science?  I’m a grown man.  I’m bigger than my mother.  How am I going to be born all over again?”

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no-one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

“Be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect.  Leave your home.  Take your family and all of what you can take of your possessions and go to where I send you.  I will give you descendants and make of you a great nation and a blessing to all who would embrace you.  Be born gain, born from above, born in the Spirit.  Live in the light of resurrection.”

Abram and Sarai had their doubts but followed God’s instructions none the less.  Nicodemus had his doubts. And you have your doubts about being perfect.

Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

You can be born again!

To be born again is to remember your spiritual origin, made in the image of God as you are.  What does God look like?  Look in a mirror, but not a physical mirror, a spiritual mirror.  Being born again is awakening to your original nature before original sin.  Look within to your spiritual essence.  Detach from who you think you are and be aware of the “you” who is thinking, feeling and acting.  Forget the past or learn from the past and get on from it.  Engage the present.  Change your mind about the future.  Believe what Jesus has said.  Believe what God has said.  That is how dreams and promises come true. 

Remember the song, “I believe I can fly.

I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me

If I can see it, then I can be it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread wings and fly away

I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly$
I believe I can fly

Hey, 'cause I believe in you

KELLY, ROBERT S. / SADOK, CATHERINE

To be born again you have to die.  Your body doesn’t have to die, but your ego has to die.  You have to let go of your way of thinking, perceiving and conceiving and discover a new way of being, perceiving and conceiving; a new way of being human; a new way of being you.  And to do this you have to radically trust God and trust life rather than resist God and resist life.  You have to accept reality as it is and live forward in faith.  That’s why you want to look to Jesus.  Eternal life comes from believing in Jesus; that is, by putting your entire trust in Jesus.

Have any of you ever done a trust fall or a trust lift?  In a trust fall, you fall back into someone’s arms trusting that the person will catch you.  In a trust lift, you lie down and a group of people lift you and rock you.  You feel like you are floating up as they lift you and floating down as they put you down.  To be born again from heaven or in the Spirit is to be a spiritual person, in the body, in the world, but not in the world, transforming the world by virtue of being alive, awake and aware in it, consciously choosing your response to it from moment to moment.  This is the path of Christian Perfection.