BUCKHANNON, WV — The word perfect carries heavy weight in modern Christian conversation. For many believers, it sounds like a demand to reach flawlessness, sinlessness, or moral precision. But when we let Scripture interpret Scripture, stay inside the original languages, and remove any denominational filters, a very different message emerges. In the Bible, being perfected never means becoming instantly faultless. It means remaining in the process of being shaped, matured, and carried toward God’s intended purpose. And the original verb tenses, from the mouths of Jesus, Paul, James, and the writer of Hebrews, make that unmistakably clear.
The primary New Testament word translated “perfect” is τέλειος (teleios), meaning complete, mature, brought to the intended goal. Its related verb τελειόω (teleioō) means to bring to completion, to carry forward to full maturity. None of these terms ever mean “flawless” in the modern Western sense, despite us often interpreting the words that way; this is why it’s important to really dive into the Bible and Scripture to really, really find out what it says and means in a language, historical and contextual sense. I also want to point out that the sources we use for these articles can be located and used by anyone, anytime, anyplace. Technology is at the tips of our fingers and can be accessed in a moment, there’s no need to take someone’s word for it: use the resources available, look for yourself, research for yourself, and decide based on what the word says, not what this Church or that Church says, or this Pastor or that Pastor, or this denomination or that denomination says.
Instead, they describe an ongoing developmental process, something unfinished but actively being moved toward its intended end by God Himself. The Greek present tense carries a continuous-action force, meaning Scripture is not talking about a moment of arrival but about a life of being shaped.
Jesus sets the tone in Matthew 5:48 when He says, Ἔσεσθε οὖν τέλειοι – esesthe oun teleioi, usually rendered “be perfect.” But the phrase literally means, “You shall remain in the process of becoming mature/complete, as your Father is complete.” And the context interprets it: Jesus is discussing love for enemies, instructing His disciples to grow into the fullness of the Father’s character. Jesus is not commanding instant flawlessness; He is calling believers to stay in the process of becoming shaped by God’s love until maturity is formed in them. Scripture interprets Scripture, and in this case, the interpretation is built right into the surrounding verses.
The writer of Hebrews makes the process even clearer. In Hebrews 10:14 we read, μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκές – mia gar prosphora teteleiōken eis to diēnekes, “For by one offering He has brought into a completed state forever those who are being sanctified.” The grammar matters:
- “has perfected” is perfect tense – a completed, once-for-all action accomplished by Christ.
- “are being sanctified” is present tense – an ongoing, continuous action happening right now.
The relationship is intentional; Christ’s finished work establishes your position, while God’s Spirit continuously shapes your daily life: there is no contradiction; the believer stands complete in Christ’s sacrifice, yet is being continually matured into Christ’s likeness.
Paul speaks the same language in Philippians 1:6, saying God will keep on carrying forward the work He began until the day of Christ Jesus.; the word ἐπιτελέσει (epitelesei) means to keep pushing something toward its intended completion. This is God’s process, not ours, and believers are called to remain in it, respond to it, and yield to the shaping power of the Spirit.
James adds his voice by telling believers to let endurance remain in its ongoing work so that they may be mature and complete (τέλειοι), lacking nothing (James 1:4). Maturity comes through endurance, not instant transformation. Trials produce growth, and growth produces a fuller reflection of Christ. Nothing in James’ teaching points to flawlessness; everything points to patient, steady, Spirit-driven development.
Paul removes all doubt when he explicitly says that he himself was not perfect in the modern sense: “Not that I have already obtained it or have already been perfected…” (Philippians 3:12). The verb ἐτετελείωμαι (eteteleiōmai) means “brought to the final, completed end.” Paul says he has not reached it. Instead, he continues pursuing Christ with perseverance. His message is simple and freeing: perfection is not instant attainment but ongoing pursuit under God’s shaping hand. Being perfected is God drawing you further into Christ’s likeness day by day, trial by trial, obedience by obedience.
When the Word interprets the Word, using its own language and context, the picture becomes unified and unmistakable. Biblical perfection is not flawlessness; it is maturity. It is not arrival; it is remaining in the process. It is not self-effort; it is God’s craftsmanship. It is not instant holiness; it is the Spirit continuously forming Christ in the believer.
Being perfected means:
1. God began the work.
2. God sustains the work.
3. You remain in the process of that work.
4. And God brings the work to its intended completion.
This is how the early believers understood the teaching and this is how Jesus framed it; this is how Paul taught it, how James reinforced it, and how Hebrews clarifies it with precision. The believer’s daily walk is not meant to be a crushing burden of impossible moral expectations but a steady yielding to the Spirit’s continuous shaping. Christ’s sacrifice establishes the foundation; God’s ongoing workmanship shapes the structure; endurance builds the walls; and love, God’s own love, becomes the defining mark of maturity.
At the Appalachian Post, all Faith & Life analysis follows a strict Sola Scriptura method grounded in the earliest manuscript evidence, the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, and the historical context in which each passage was written. We allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, avoid denominational bias, and base every conclusion solely on what the biblical text itself says as preserved in sources such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint Greek, and early New Testament manuscripts. Our aim is to present God’s Word faithfully—using original-language grammar, historical background, and manuscript accuracy—without personal opinion or modern cultural interpretation, so readers encounter Scripture as it was given, preserved, and understood by the earliest believers.
Primary First-Hand Sources:
— Holy Bible (Original Hebrew & Koine Greek Texts)
Secondary Attribution-Based Sources:
— Lexical and grammatical reference traditions used strictly for language clarification (no interpretive authority assigned)
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