Living the good life

“He had a good life,” someone may say of the recently deceased friend or relative. However, the more pressing question is: “Did he live a good life?” But then what is a ‘good’ life?

One of the ‘hard’ sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount was: “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Some Christian teachers, seeing insurmountable difficulties in this saying, have tried to explain it in terms of translation: there may be shades of meaning in the word rendered ‘perfect’. But I ask you, can you imagine Jesus saying he wanted his followers to aim at second best? How could he, speaking in God’s name, sanction anything less than his own perfect character? If he did, it would be a moral lapse on his part.

What a relief therefore, that this perfect God who accepts nothing less than perfection, has provided us less-than-perfect men and women (known in the Bible as ‘sinners’) with a solution. He has offered us his forgiveness; he will be merciful to us; though such grace only comes our way when we embrace the Easter message. Jesus’ death on the cross sees an exchange taking place. Our imperfections are like debits going into our ‘God account’ and Jesus takes these on to his own account. Then he transfers to us his own credits of perfection.

For those of us who find it in our hearts to accept that this is the way of things and who desire to receive that forgiveness, an amazing thing happens. No longer are we content to say “Well no-one’s perfect are they?”. Instead, we want to be what Jesus wants us to be – perfect. That’s a goal that cannot be faulted. The fact that perfection will not come in this earthly life is irrelevant and certainly doesn’t need to dampen motivation.

An early follower of Jesus named Paul, moved by Christ’s love for him said: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me…. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on…”

Don’t accept second best. Why not let Jesus Christ take a hold of you and then aim at perfection?