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May 08, 2026 06:00am

Why “Being Perfect” Isn’t God’s Goal for You

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If you want me to paint, I need an example. If you want me to understand something technical on a computer, you better give me an example. If you are trying to explain a plan or strategy, guess what? I need an example.

I don’t know about you, but that’s just the way my brain works. To understand something fully, I need to see it in real-life terms and scenarios.

I’m sure that’s why I use a lot of examples when I write. I don’t want you to just read or know something—I want you to understand it on a personal level.

Philippians 3:15–16
“15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

Yikes! Was Paul saying that, as followers of Christ, we should be perfect? How is that attainable? There’s no way I can live up to that! I’m already a failure before I even get started.

But the word perfect here actually means something different. It’s not about being 100% flawless—it means mature.

Let’s read it this way:

“Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” — NLT

Paul was telling the believers in Philippi that those who were mature in their faith knew what was right and wrong. They could recognize a true follower of Christ and identify a false teacher based on what they knew from the Scriptures and what Paul had taught them. The Holy Spirit would continue to reveal these truths as they grew in their faith.

“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.”

Paul wasn’t telling them they had to be perfect. And he wasn’t saying, “Follow me” in a prideful way. It was more like saying, “Join me” instead of “get behind me.” He was encouraging them that if they were mature in their faith, they should pursue and follow Christ—just as he was doing.

Paul knew the believers needed an example. Yes, he was doing his best to follow Jesus, but he had already admitted that he had failed at times. His goal wasn’t for people to follow him—it was for them to pursue Christ and His example, just as he did.

Because the alternative was a life headed for destruction. As Paul stated, there were many people who appeared influential, but they were not pointing others to the truth found in Christ.

It almost feels like Paul wrote this for today.

How many influencers are out there now? Everyone has a platform—a microphone, a camera, and an agenda. They speak with confidence, shine under stage lights, and gather massive followings. But what they share isn’t always truth. In just minutes, they can leave you confused about what’s real and what isn’t. And with AI entering the mix, it’s becoming even harder to discern truth from deception.

Paul said to be mature in your faith. Study the Scriptures. Remember what you’ve been taught. Compare everything you hear and read to the Bible—God’s Word. Don’t fall for everything you see and hear.

Pursue Christ, not this world.

And like Paul said, come with me—I’ll help you along the way.

Let me help. If you’ve ever wondered who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him, I want to show you—not through my words alone, but through the Lord Himself. We’ve created a tool called FOLLOW to help you build a strong foundation of faith and learn how to grow in it directly from Scripture. Visit follow.Lifeword.org. It’s free!

Walk alongside me as we follow Christ together.