“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked”
(1 John 2:6).
It is a clear invitation from the Lord Jesus, to be perfect as our Father is perfect, and a clear invitation from John the apostle, to walk just as the Lord Himself walked.
Now come, let us have a look at some of the characters of God the Father and the Son, so we can learn how we need to be in order to accomplish the Lord’s command to be perfect as our Father, and to walk as the Lord walked.
His love for us is unconditional.
His gifts to us are unconditional.
His faithfulness toward us is unconditional.
And the word says: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Also He: “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45).
And He also: “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
Here it becomes clear that the main meaning for the word “unconditional” is that:
The generous gifts that God showers us with, do not depend on our attitude toward Him, or on our situation, because God is love, and He is faithful, He forgives, He is kind, and compassionate, and bears all things…
This is the nature and the character of God, regardless of the nature and character of those with whom He is good.. and this is what the verses we examined show.
For Christ has died for all mankind, while we were still sinners, and He makes His sun rise, sends His rain, and showers His blessings on the evil and on the good together.
And when the Lord requires from us to be perfect and to walk like Him, He’s asking us to have the same nature and character as His exactly, i.e. to do all that He does without any prior conditions. And that would be:
To love others without stipulating that they love us in return.
To forgive others without stipulating that they apologize to us first.
That the woman submits to her husband without stipulating that he treats her well.
That the man loves his wife without stipulating that she submits to him first.
That we submit to the spiritual leaders that the Lord has established over us, regardless the way they behave with us.
That we submit to the authority and the laws, regardless if these authorities defend our rights or not.
This is the love and submission without any condition in return, that the Lord has commanded us..
Why this speech?
Because the majority of believers, even if the percentages vary, ties their love, their forgiveness, their hearts and submission to others, to the extent others respond and enter with them in this racetrack. This is in contradiction with the word of God, and a violation to His commandment; and keeping on with this behavior will complicate things, especially in the area of relationships between believers, between them and their spiritual leaders, between them and their family members, and most importantly between them and the Lord!!!
What does the word of the Lord say in this context?
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you… But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:27-36).
Free love, kindness and gifts, without any prior conditions.. Moreover, love for our enemies, kindness to those who hate us, blessing to those who curse us, and prayer to those who spitefully use us!!!
This is if we want to be merciful and perfect as our Father, and to walk as the Lord walked!!!
What does the word of the Lord say also? Here I wish that all of you would read those passages even if they are many, with a spirit of prayer and careful examination, in order to give the Holy Spirit the time and liberty to talk to us through them, and to plant it deep within us so it will bear the required fruits:
“Wives, submit to your own husband, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:18-24).
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her… So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” (Ephesians 5:22-29).
“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward –arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel– rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughter you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:1-9).
“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:1-5).
“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:1-3).
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men– as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.” (1 Peter 2:13-18).
There is a clear insistence on these commandments in the word of God:
The Lord Himself.. the apostles Paul, John and Peter.. and also Titus..
Thus, when the word of God mentions the same thing so many times, it most certainly highlights the importance of the matter, and the necessity for us to submit to it and to do it..
Beloved: those are the commandments and this is the behavior, they both represent the practical Christianity, which every believer has to apply in order to be called son of God and to be perfect like Him.
Moreover, if we examine closely these commandments, we wouldn’t find any condition that the other party needs to fulfill in order for us to do what we have to accomplish.. it is the exact opposite..
Submission and love without any prior conditions.. rather love for the enemies.. blessing, prayer and kindness to those who spitefully use us, submission to the spouses even those who are nonbelievers, and also submission to the violent and unjust rulers..
With insisting on the fact that all that we accomplish, in all those areas, we have to accomplish as to the Lord’s and not to the other party..
So when the Lord loved the church and gave Himself for her as the word says, He loved her with her flaws and weaknesses, and He didn’t put a condition for us to be perfect and flawless for Him to love us and give us His salvation, blessings, healing and deliverance…
A completely free and unconditional love..
And it is for this love.. and behavior.. that we were called dear beloved..
We became Christian believers and sons of God, for free, on the account of the blood of Jesus Christ and our real faith in Him. And we received this position freely, without playing any role in it, other than accepting Him with a real faith coming from the heart.. but we will not become Christian, saints and real sons of God by our behavior.. if we don’t submit to the word of the Lord, obey it and execute it with an extreme precision, not neglecting the smallest details, and if we don’t walk as the Lord walked.
And this is what the apostle Paul said:
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).
Therefore, our unconditional love.. and our unconditional obedience to the word of the Lord.. or in other words: to be like our Father, and to walk as the Lord walked, this will restore our relationships with each others, our family relationships, our relationships with our leaders, and our relationship with the Lord..
And this will open the closed doors that we have constantly waited for to open and that were still closed, and we wonder why?
And as I believe most of the questions and confusions will find an answer today, when we decide to repent of everything contrary to the word of the Lord that we studied today, and we decide to walk as the Lord walked.
Our relationships with each other will be healed and changed, our family relationships will be healed and changed, our ministry will be healed and changed and will bring much fruit.
