perfection

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perfection

religion

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July 23, 2026

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In Christianity, the concept of perfection is a significant theme, particularly emphasized in the New Testament. Jesus's instruction to his disciples to "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48) highlights this ideal. This perfection is understood as reflecting the image of God, which can be disfigured by sin but restored through Christ.1

Historically, the idea of deification, or "partaking" in the divine character, was central to Christian anthropology for the first millennium and a half. This concept suggests a profound communion between God and humanity, an ultimate enhancement of the Christian view of the human being, moving from "child of God" to "friend of God". Perfection, in a broader sense, can also refer to a state of completeness, flawlessness, or exceptionally high quality.123

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Christianity
Monasticism
…on the Christian ideal of perfection, have traditionally been traced to the first apostolic community in Jerusalem—which is described in the Acts of the Apostles—and to Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness. In the early church, monasticism was based on the identification of perfection with world-denying asceticism and on the view…
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…on the Christian ideal of perfection, have traditionally been traced to the first apostolic community in Jerusalem—which is described in the Acts of the Apostles—and to Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness. In the early church, monasticism was based on the identification of perfection with world-denying asceticism and on the view…
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Christianity
Progressive human perfection
For a long time Christian anthropology maintained that the human was a complete being, placed in a finished world like a methodically provided-for tenant in a prefabricated, newly built residence ready for occupation. Redemption was understood just as statically: salvation appeared in the teachings…
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For a long time Christian anthropology maintained that the human was a complete being, placed in a finished world like a methodically provided-for tenant in a prefabricated, newly built residence ready for occupation. Redemption was understood just as statically: salvation appeared in the teachings…
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William Lloyd Garrison
…embraced doctrines of Christian “perfectionism,” which combined abolition, women’s rights, and nonresistance, in the biblical injunction to “come out” from a corrupt society by refusing to obey its laws and support its institutions. From this blend of pacifism and anarchism came the Garrisonian principle of “No Union With Slaveholders,”…
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…embraced doctrines of Christian “perfectionism,” which combined abolition, women’s rights, and nonresistance, in the biblical injunction to “come out” from a corrupt society by refusing to obey its laws and support its institutions. From this blend of pacifism and anarchism came the Garrisonian principle of “No Union With Slaveholders,”…
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Holiness movement
” Perfection was to be the goal of all those who desired to be altogether Christian; it implied that the God who is good enough to forgive sin (justify) is obviously great enough to transform the sinners into saints (sanctify) through the Holy Spirit, thus enabling…
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” Perfection was to be the goal of all those who desired to be altogether Christian; it implied that the God who is good enough to forgive sin (justify) is obviously great enough to transform the sinners into saints (sanctify) through the Holy Spirit, thus enabling…
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monasticism
Spiritual perfection
The quest for spiritual intensification is elitist—even when, as within Christian monastic orders, humility is required. Withdrawal from society is necessary because the instrumentalities of perfection cannot normally be acquired and activated in the surroundings of everyday life. The basis of monastic life is…
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The quest for spiritual intensification is elitist—even when, as within Christian monastic orders, humility is required. Withdrawal from society is necessary because the instrumentalities of perfection cannot normally be acquired and activated in the surroundings of everyday life. The basis of monastic life is…
Read More