The adage “the perfect is the enemy of the good” has been around a long time. Recently, productivity experts have put a twist on it to emphasize the consequence: “the perfect is the enemy of the done.”
We all know the truth in these sayings. All of us at times neglect to do what we can do for fear of not doing it perfectly. Our cultural term for this is “perfectionism.”
What Fuels Perfectionism?
What we call perfectionism is not the same as the pursuit of excellence, though sometimes the lines can blur. When we pursue excellence, we’re determined to do something as well as possible within a given set of talent, resource, and time limits. But perfectionism is a pride- or fear-based compulsion that either fuels our obsessive fixation on doing something perfectly or paralyzes us from acting at all — both of which often result in the harmful neglect of other necessary or good things.
What’s behind our perfectionistic tendencies? We’re complex beings, so it’s rarely just one thing. In unusual cases, its primary cause is a clinical disorder or spiritual bondage. But as a rule, perfectionism nearly always has its roots in our desire for acceptance and fear of rejection. It can be the garden-variety, pride-fueled, general fear of what people will think of us, or it can be a crippling, conditioned fear of failing instilled into us by an abusive past or present authority figure. And if we’re honest, sometimes it’s a convenient excuse not to do something hard. In other words, it’s not really perfectionism, but indulgence wearing a disguise.
Perfectionism is a common-to-man temptation we all face in our fight against sin. And the wonderful news is that God wants us to live in freedom from its tyrannical rule over us.
“You Must Be Perfect”
But to understand and believe this, we must first understand something Jesus said that sounds contradictory: “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This sure sounds like a demand for perfection on the face of it. And it is, and therefore it isn’t.
Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, made this statement as the impossible culmination of the (fallen) humanly impossible standards of what it means to not sin in anger, lust, divorce, swearing oaths, and retaliation, as well as what it means to love our enemies.
But just before he launches into this “perfection” section of his sermon, Jesus gives us a clue to what he means: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus came to perfectly fulfill on our behalf God’s demand on us for perfection.
That’s why the New Testament authors write things like, “by a single offering [Jesus] has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). There is the key to what Jesus meant, and the key to our liberation from the tyranny of perfectionism. Because Jesus perfectly lived, died, and rose again for us, he has already purchased our perfection. And God the Father, though not unaware of the remaining sin that contaminates everything we do, sees us as perfectly righteous in Christ.
In God’s eyes, we have been perfected by virtue of being joined to Jesus by faith, which frees us from needing to earn his or anyone else’s approval through perfectionism. We are free to engage imperfectly in our sanctifying fight against sin!
Imperfect Saints Fill the Bible
The Bible nowhere encourages us toward perfectionism. It promises us perfection — imputed perfection now (2 Corinthians 5:21) and future perfection in the age to come (Revelation 21:3–4) — as a free gift of God’s grace, so that we will be free from perfectionism.
That’s why God goes to great lengths to expose the imperfect, clay feet of the Bible’s faith heroes. Abraham, the great model of faith, has his Hagar episode. Moses, the great Christlike prophet, has his disqualifying rock incident. Aaron, the great Christlike high priest, has his golden calf disaster. David, the great Christlike king, has his Bathsheba affair. Peter, the great apostle and Christ-confessor, trips over his clay feet throughout the Gospels and beyond (Galatians 2:11–14). And Acts and the Epistles give us a warts-and-all view into the imperfect lives of the earliest Christians.
God knows our perfectionistic temptations and tendencies, and so he fills the Bible with stories of his amazing and phenomenally patient grace toward sinners who continued to imperfectly fight with, and stumble in, their sin throughout their earthly sojourns. He wants us to know that perfection in behavior and motivation is completely out of our experiential reach in this age.
Live Free from Perfectionism
God has something far better for us to strive toward than our idealized imaginations of perfection, which only end up enslaving us.
Perfectionism’s subtle, but great danger is its self-orientation. Since it is a fear- or pride-fueled effort to win approval for the self, its primary focus is de facto on self, not God or others. In other words, perfectionism, even in the battle against sin, is not motivated by love or faith. And “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
But God wants us to be free — free from the tyranny of pride and fear. He wants us to live in the freedom of knowing that he has our past, present, and future perfection issues completely covered.
In our ongoing battles with sin, God is not looking for perfect, externally performed behavior or perfect, internally performed motivation from us. God is looking for love and faith, knowing full well both will be imperfect, no matter how much we grow in them.
You Are Free to Fight Imperfectly
God is calling us to the wonderfully refreshing experience of getting our eyes off ourselves and how we’re measuring up, and onto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He wants us to stop pursuing or being paralyzed by perfectionism so we are free to pursue love (1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Timothy 1:5) and pursue trusting him with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5). And if perfectionism has an inordinate influence on us, God will mercifully design circumstances to defeat our best efforts to fight sin “successfully” until we learn where our freedom really comes from.
In Christ, you are free! You are free to follow Jesus imperfectly. You are free to fight the fight of faith defectively, because that’s the only way you will ever fight for faith in this age.
Perfectionism is a ponderous weight we must lay aside in the race of faith (Hebrews 12:1). God doesn’t want us to focus on performing perfectly; he wants us to focus on living out a childlike, dependent faith through authentic acts of love (Galatians 5:6).
Adam and Teddy can continue to cast stones when they can prove they have obtained sinless perfection ......... But neither can because they continue to Lord it over people by causing strife and division on here which by the way are sins
It can be safely asserted that those attempting to correct and expose false teaching actually love the false teacher more than the false teacher’s “friends” who never see fit to point out the false teacher’s errors but simply allow the him to continue along his destructive path deceiving others and deceiving himself
we need the righteousness of God, not your wrath so no wonder you have words always and never are afraid to let your words be few that you mockingly speak.
the words are to lay aside all evil, and be doers not deceiving hearers only, that is the perfect law of liberty as told, to be unspotted from the world..
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Fulfil the royal law and perfect law of LIBERTY, love our neighbour is not by sinning against them doctrine, keeping all and not offending in any point, mercy rejoices against judgement, how does mercilessness..
James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Hebrews 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
This is absurdity in teaching (article) that David is supporting BECAUSE David cannot do a Bible study himself (yet blindly posts this error article!), as he has proven many times of his incompetence! Then to make matters WORSE, rsvp and moon don't even point out the OBVIOUS twisting and changing the author is doing to the CONTEXT of the verse in question! There are many more examples of false teaching in the article but nobody cares???
This Jon Bloom, author of this article states CLEARLY in his own ABOMINABLE words - Perfectionism is a ponderous weight we must lay aside in the race of faith (Hebrews 12:1).'
Yeah, he claims Hebrews 12:1 is saying - 'Perfectionism is a ponderous weight we must lay aside' when it is the opposite said in that verse! WOW!
Can anybody read??? What a CULT teacher this satanist clown is and nobody but me READS the verse and his obvious false message error, Bible verse twisting, satan like LIAR is doing here? The verse SAYS to 'lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us' NOT that PERFECTION POWER from heaven that we are to 'lay aside' THAT is 'every (available daily) weight' that is a GOOD THING! Lets look at that verse, shall we!!!???
'Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (spirit angels!), >>>let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,<<<
Its simple friends, RIGHTEOUSNESS IS 'running the race with patience that is set before us' BY POWER ON HIGH IN HEAVEN! GET IT??? Your either filthy still (unrighteous) or clean still (righteous) at His coming, the choice is yours!
Its just such a wonder that persons like David try to find CULT articles to SUPPOSEDLY 'prove' the 'Heretical Sinless Perfectionism' buzz wording of his, when its obvious now its the opposite in proof! The truth of the matter is the evidence 'Keeps Mounting' that David is a CULTIST and his CULT
deceptive articles he keeps force feeding (doing the talking for him! LOL! ) to his readers is PURE garbage!
Friends, you be the judge, read your Bible! Does the verses say we are to lay down 'Perfection from heaven aside' because its JUST SUCH a 'ponderous weight' and burden to keep BY CHOICE???
RSVP posts - 'Adam and Teddy can continue to cast stones when they can prove they have obtained sinless perfection ......... But neither can'
Neither me or Adam has EVER said we was perfect! So why the false accusations and assumptions? Its all a distraction to you from REAL Bible study and admitting your mistakes in beliefs, right?
rsvp goes on to say - 'because they continue to Lord it over people by on here which by the way are sins'
So correcting your error is 'Lording causing strife and division it over you' when you LORD your false doctrine over and over on this forum? And how is it a sin to correct you?
Sooo you just conveniently CLAIM we are 'causing strife and division' because you cannot debate/discuss it rationally!
Actually you then don't practice what you preach do you, because according to your false doctrine, discussion is a sin but then you are off the hook because you claim to keep sinning everyday personally. You keep admitting it! Why because you love your pet sins?
Adam and I claim the promises of the Bible that 'greater is He (YHWH) that is in us than the devil is in this world!' Its only YHWH that can cause you to be SINLESS in the here and now, NOT Adam and Teddy. Got it now false accuser???
If anyone else besides Adam needs a loyal cohort and gullible follower to defend your false teaching then call Flat Earth Teddy.
Teddy is highly qualified to take your case. In fact, let’s take a look at just a few of Flat Earth Teddy’s credentials.
1) Flat Earth Teddy believes the earth is flat, not round, that’s why he’s called Flat Earth Teddy
2) Flat Teddy says if you believe the earth is round then you must believe the Chinese are walking around upside down—I’M NOT KIDDING‼️‼️YOU COULDN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP IF YOU TRIED‼️‼️ READ HIS POSTS FOR YOURSELF‼️‼️ No, Flat Teddy is not a comedian because comedians are funny on purpose!
3) If Flat Teddy can’t refute what you say and he doesn’t like it he just lies about you. Ask ALL the people on the forum about Flat Teddy’s lies that he has told about them—but don’t ask Adam because he lies about people too. Don’t forget Adam tells lies about other people on the forum too yet claims he is sinless and perfect after his alleged ”salvation”. In fact, GET THIS both Flat Teddy and Adam claim perfectionism. Buy based on his posts, I don’t think Flat Teddy understands Sinless Perfectionism.
Well, there’s at least 3 standout Flat Teddy credentials to get ya started but there’s more!! This man is QUALIFIED!!
Speaking of 'loyal cohort(s) and gullible follower(s)' of a CULT atheist teaching system, its none other than David here and rsvp! Now rsvp is NOT as obsessed with the shape and design of the earth as David is (yet David NEVER starts a thread to prove his 'ball/sphere' shaped earth but his actual conscience is bothering him??? ) but they both BELIEVE the ATHIEST CULT doctrine and therefore defend it to the BONE, when its NOT even mentioned in the Bible, PERIOD!!!??? DO you find that strange friends THAT SUPPOSED 'christians' like David and rsvp CLAIM to be, would defend atheist that teach the earth is a 'ball and or sphere' by design??? So its simple David, since you are so taken up with your 'ball/sphere' shapped earth! PROVE IT?
But notice something else about David, he accuses others as 'lying' yet NEVER shows PROOF on this in forum quotes of words and or posts? That is very ODD because THEN its David that is LYING saying others are 'lying' with no proof??? Do you think David would make a 'good' prosecutor? NOT
hardly, right? He has PROVEN NOTHING AS OF YET!!! LOL!
But let me show you one of his LIES here that he accuses me of. David says that 'I say' -Teddy says if you believe the earth is round then you must believe the Chinese are walking around upside down' when I NEVER SAID I believed that! Look at all my long ago past posts! I SAID the ATHIEST CULT doctrine system teaches that people are supposedly hanging upside down in Austraila! I certainly don't believe they are but I make fun of that teaching! David does not know the difference of what I'm saying or does he? So David is the actual LIAR in misrepresenting me in what I say! Right?
So again where are the 'lies' I supposedly have said about David? There is none because he has provided no evidence for the jury! The man is UNQUALIFIED to do so and has provided ZERO proof Adam has done so either! Its all a distraction from the thread SUBJECT, you see?
So getting BACK to the THREAD SUBJECT, both David and rsvp have not proven their heresy doctrine from the Bible of their 'continual sinning perfectionism' that they teach and NOT FOUND IN the Bible! You see friends what David and rsvp want us to believe in the context of their teaching, is that the more you sin daily, the more perfect and righteous you are!!! Now is that a OXYMORON or what? As David says about himself - 'I’M NOT KIDDING YOU‼️‼️YOU COULDN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP IF YOU TRIED‼️‼️' (If you listened to the devil like David and rsvp do! ) 'READ HEIR POSTS FOR YOURSELF‼️‼️' These two really have the 'credentials to get ya started' on the wide path to destruction in continually sinning!
YICKS! Its time to RUN from them because they don't teach RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH, now do they!? OUCH!
But that is not all David is 'QUALIFIED' to do, its his ENGLISH that is so clear in understanding, when he says - 'Buy based on his posts' ??? What
does he mean, that we need to purchase his posts from him now? Can you sell and 'Buy' things like 'posts' on CDFF? Anyway why would anyone want to 'Buy" from a false teacher like David that also LIES about what people actually state in their posts?
So what has David proven by this CULT author and teacher of article he posted in this thread? That the author is twisting Scripture to his own destruction, which is a sin, so David and rsvp are accomplices! OUCH!
Then to make matters WORSE, rsvp and moon don't even point out the OBVIOUS twisting and changing the author is doing to the CONTEXT of the verse in question! 
There are many more examples of false teaching in the article but nobody cares??? 
WOW! 
What a CULT teacher this satanist clown is and nobody but me READS the verse and his obvious false message error, Bible verse twisting, satan like LIAR is doing here? 
The verse SAYS to 'lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us' NOT that PERFECTION POWER from heaven that we are to 'lay aside' THAT is 'every (available daily) weight' that is a GOOD THING! 
Lets look at that verse, shall we!!!???
The truth of the matter is the evidence 'Keeps Mounting' that David is a CULTIST and his CULT 
) to his readers is PURE garbage! 
