Does the Christian precept "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" Matt. 5:48; seem formidable?—a demand that is beyond the capacity of any human being to fulfill?
In fact, this injunction from Christ Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is a promise as well as a demand. A thorough study of the Master's teaching must convince us that perfection is not an unattainable ideal but one that is presently possible to demonstrate. We have his example of exalted humanhood to inspire us, and all who are willing to apply themselves obediently and diligently to putting his words into practice can achieve comparable perfection in its fullest sense—not only in the absence of defects but in the most positive expression of spiritual excellence.
Perfection is, in fact, the absolute and eternal state of man's true being. The Bible shows that God, the divine Father of all, is perfect, and that man, His spiritual creation, is inseparable from Him— made and maintained in God's image. These facts are simply spelled out by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health, where she writes, "The standard of perfection was originally God and man." And she continues farther on, "God is the creator of man, and, the divine Principle of man remaining perfect, the divine idea or reflection, man, remains perfect." Science and Health, p. 470; Thus everyone can and should claim and aim to demonstrate present perfection—in character, existence, and accomplishment —according to God's law.
