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Teleios!

 
As a Free Methodists pastor, I not only teach, but preach about three distinct kinds of grace that we can experience in our life with God: prevenient grace, justifying grace and sanctifying grace.
 
We most certainly want to progress to the highest form of grace which is sanctifying grace of becoming holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Sanctifying grace is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit that changes us so that our lives are increasingly conformed to the mind of Christ.
 
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, referred to this lifelong process of sanctification as becoming "perfected in love" or “going on towards perfection.” We must surrender daily to the world and to “self” to become more holy and like Jesus.
 
Sanctifying grace draws us toward Christian perfection, which Wesley described as a heart "habitually filled with the love of God and neighbor" and as "having the mind of Christ and walking as he walked."
 
What that means to me, is that salvation through Jesus comes with an expectation that I will begin to grow in my faith and to live in such a way to become more godly, Christ-like in all that I am and in how I am becoming. I need to grow. I need to mature in faith.
 
That’s what makes what Jesus said about “being perfect” so powerful. Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. That word again…perfect. What is required of us is not to be “mistake-proof” or “sin-proof” as that is impossible as a mortal human. It’s all about discovering the word that Jesus used for “perfect.”
 
The Greek word is “teleios” which means to be “mature” or to strive towards holiness. The fact is clear: God did not lower His standard to accommodate humans; instead He set forth His absolute holiness as the standard in which we must seek after.
 
Yes, we realize this standard can never be reached by human effort, we can at least, by faith, trust in God to allow holiness and righteousness to be reproduced in our lives. We can definitely, by all means, become more and more perfect in our spiritual maturity.
 
As Methodist believers, we know that John Wesley believed we could become perfect in love in this life. If Jesus invites us to seek perfection, perfect love is possible. He didn't mean we would be free from mistakes, temptation or failure. For Wesley, growing and become spiritually mature as a Christian is all about being filled with love, which happens by the grace of God.
 
One way to gauge if we are becoming “perfect” or “more mature” in our faith, is by examining ourselves and truthfully answering this profound question: Am I any further along in my faith than this exact moment one year ago…five years ago….a month ago?
 
The goal of “being perfect” and maturing in faith is to do all that is necessary to ensure we are not the same person today we were just a month ago or even one year ago. We should see it….our friends and family should notice…the difference and change taking place in you as a person that follows Jesus.
 
This is why we should worship with fellow believers on Sunday. This is why we invest our time getting involved in a Bible study group to learn deeper truths of Scripture. For some of us, that means finding a godly, wise mentor to help us one-on-one. Others, may find a small “band”…that is, a small group of 2-3 people who can keep each other accountable in striving to live in holiness.
 
We all need to grow. We all must “teleios”…that is “grow up” as a Christian who is being intentional with reaching greater depths of spiritual maturity.  We may not be there yet; but by God's grace, and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can, as John Wesley would exclaim, "we're going on to perfection!"

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