PERFECT AND PERFECTED

PERFECT and PERFECTED
In (Phil 1:6) we read "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus". The Greek word here translated as "perfect" [telios], means to come to the end of that for which it was created, or in other words to become completely mature. In this case when Jesus starts a work in our life, when we receive Him as our Savior, He will complete this work. This doesn't mean perfect in the since of being without blemish, like we might use the term to describe a perfect diamond. The word is spelled the same way but the meaning is quite different. As a follower of Jesus we will never be "perfect", or "flawless" until we stand before the throne of God in our resurrected spiritual body! Our spiritual growth from conversion to full maturity is a process that may take years, and involve several stages. We start out as an "infant" when we are "born again" (John 3:3-5), where we need constant care like a natural baby. But just as a natural child goes through several stages of growth, and they gradually become able to care for themselves, so it should be with spiritual children. But just as natural children require good parenting to develop into healthy, well adjusted adults; so do followers of Jesus need good pastoral care.

The growth of an acorn into a fully grown oak tree is a good model to use as a comparison. An acorn has all the DNA to become a mature oak tree that is capable of producing thousands of acorns, which in turn can produce more oak trees. But of course this takes many years, and many stages of growth. So it is with a new born believer in Christ, we are all born with the complete DNA of our Creator God in "seed form". An acorn must lose itself, so to speak, by being buried in the earth, where it dies, and produces a sapling that develops into a tree. This process doesn't happen over night, but takes many years. When we become born again by receiving Christ, we also must die to our natural sinful way of life, inherited from Adam. Instead of being buried in the earth when we are saved, we are buried by being immersed in water, in what we refer to as "believer's baptism" (Acts 2:37-38). This was Peter's reply to their question of what they must do in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Repentance followed be baptism is the scriptural method of beginning our spiritual journey, it follows that a person must be old enough to understand what they need to repent from. A baby cannot do this, and therefore an infant's christening service should never be considered as their "baptism" according to scripture.
Sincerely submitted
Dave Jamer