How is God perfect? To what extent does the Bible tell us directly?
Three verses in the Bible seem to stand out more than others. One is Deuteronomy 32:4 which says, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” This verse implies that we believe God to be perfect as a matter of faith.
Who can deny God is perfect? He created the universe and everything that has followed. As a matter of faith, as the universe has emanated from God, so has perfection.
How is God’s perfection measured in the Bible? A direct answer comes from Psalm 18:30 which says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Here, His Perfection is measured in His Truth and His Shield for those who have faith in Him.
Is that a sign of imperfection that God doesn’t shield those who don’t have faith in Him? If so, it seems there is a dichotomy, which is a cousin to imperfection. Why not shield the non-believers? Is it a sign of perfection to have rules and conditions?
Perhaps perfection is in the eyes of the beholder. We don’t know if God sees himself as being perfect, but in terms of our faith in him there are many verses in the Bible that says He is perfect. And one can even say that since, according to 2 Timothy 3:16 the Bible is what God has breathed out, then God, through the Bible, which guides our faith, may see Himself as being perfect.
What does “perfect” mean as an adjective in the common sense? It means 1) To be entirely without fault or defect; flawless 2) To be exactly suitable for a particular purpose or situation…3) To be complete and absolute. 4) To be completely correct, accurate, or exact.
If one has faith in God, who can argue against His being without fault, suitable for a particular purpose, complete and absolute, and completely correct, accurate, or exact if those who have faith in Him read the Bible in its entirety? Who can argue, for example, that God wasn’t there at the right time to get the Hebrews out of the mess they were in, according to the Book of Exodus, for instance, or, in penalizing Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis?
Some may say there are instances in the Bible which seem to indicate God had faltered. Those incidents may include the following:
-His creation of Adam and Eve who went on to sin, causing Him to react by punishing them.
-His having to create the Flood which destroyed most of mankind he helped create because many of them had sinned.
-His backtracking from wanting to destroy the Hebrews in the Wilderness, only to be, albeit supposedly, talked out of by Moses.
-His intending to destroy the Ninevens, only to change His Mind when he saw they repented, in the Book of Jonah.
-His letting His son Jesus enter the world, carrying with him a new Word to help save mankind, when those whom God created were destined for sin.
Regarding this last one, some may argue that God looked, saw the sins of the world committed by mankind, and said ‘OK, let’s try a different tact to promote peace on earth, goodwill toward men, so these people can be saved. Jesus, you’re on!’ Some may argue that God resorted to a Plan B.
But HAS he? There are Verses in the Bible that indicate God controls the future. Among those Verses are Romans 8:28, Daniel 4:35 and Genesis 50:20.
The last Verse, in which Joseph tells his brothers that although his brothers meant evil for him, “God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today,” in describing the people Joseph saved from the famine that took place outside of Egypt, after his brothers had left him for dead in a pit. It stands to show that everything God does is for a purpose. Our thoughts may not be His thoughts, but God may have had a reason for holding back the Word that he later has Jesus pronounce, until such time that mankind, whom God had predestined, can realize, appreciate and have faith in Him through that Word, instead the of creation of mankind who came before being made by mistake.
Three verses in the Bible seem to stand out more than others. One is Deuteronomy 32:4 which says, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” This verse implies that we believe God to be perfect as a matter of faith.
Who can deny God is perfect? He created the universe and everything that has followed. As a matter of faith, as the universe has emanated from God, so has perfection.
How is God’s perfection measured in the Bible? A direct answer comes from Psalm 18:30 which says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Here, His Perfection is measured in His Truth and His Shield for those who have faith in Him.
Is that a sign of imperfection that God doesn’t shield those who don’t have faith in Him? If so, it seems there is a dichotomy, which is a cousin to imperfection. Why not shield the non-believers? Is it a sign of perfection to have rules and conditions?
Perhaps perfection is in the eyes of the beholder. We don’t know if God sees himself as being perfect, but in terms of our faith in him there are many verses in the Bible that says He is perfect. And one can even say that since, according to 2 Timothy 3:16 the Bible is what God has breathed out, then God, through the Bible, which guides our faith, may see Himself as being perfect.
What does “perfect” mean as an adjective in the common sense? It means 1) To be entirely without fault or defect; flawless 2) To be exactly suitable for a particular purpose or situation…3) To be complete and absolute. 4) To be completely correct, accurate, or exact.
If one has faith in God, who can argue against His being without fault, suitable for a particular purpose, complete and absolute, and completely correct, accurate, or exact if those who have faith in Him read the Bible in its entirety? Who can argue, for example, that God wasn’t there at the right time to get the Hebrews out of the mess they were in, according to the Book of Exodus, for instance, or, in penalizing Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis?
Some may say there are instances in the Bible which seem to indicate God had faltered. Those incidents may include the following:
-His creation of Adam and Eve who went on to sin, causing Him to react by punishing them.
-His having to create the Flood which destroyed most of mankind he helped create because many of them had sinned.
-His backtracking from wanting to destroy the Hebrews in the Wilderness, only to be, albeit supposedly, talked out of by Moses.
-His intending to destroy the Ninevens, only to change His Mind when he saw they repented, in the Book of Jonah.
-His letting His son Jesus enter the world, carrying with him a new Word to help save mankind, when those whom God created were destined for sin.
Regarding this last one, some may argue that God looked, saw the sins of the world committed by mankind, and said ‘OK, let’s try a different tact to promote peace on earth, goodwill toward men, so these people can be saved. Jesus, you’re on!’ Some may argue that God resorted to a Plan B.
But HAS he? There are Verses in the Bible that indicate God controls the future. Among those Verses are Romans 8:28, Daniel 4:35 and Genesis 50:20.
The last Verse, in which Joseph tells his brothers that although his brothers meant evil for him, “God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today,” in describing the people Joseph saved from the famine that took place outside of Egypt, after his brothers had left him for dead in a pit. It stands to show that everything God does is for a purpose. Our thoughts may not be His thoughts, but God may have had a reason for holding back the Word that he later has Jesus pronounce, until such time that mankind, whom God had predestined, can realize, appreciate and have faith in Him through that Word, instead the of creation of mankind who came before being made by mistake.
