Imperfectionism
1 John 2:1-19
· Mankind
continues to strive for perfection
* Benchmarks * Your expectations
* My expectations * God’s expectations
**If everything could be figured out, you wouldn’t need miracles!*
· Perfect job · Perfect complexion
· Perfect spouse · Perfect height
· Perfect house · Perfect weight
· Perfect children · Perfect shape
Interestingly enough, we must
come to a paradoxical conclusion:
Seemingly, both God and the world seem to be pointing people towards
perfection.
Well, that can’t be right . . . right?
I John 2:1-19 (notice verse 15)
There is an old proverb in English, to err is human, to forgive, divine (Alexander Pope, “Essay on Criticism”).
So, what’s up with verse 8 then?
James 2:8-13
Judge and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom . . that’d be nice, right?
Hebrews 8:6-13
Uh-oh! God found fault NOT with His covenant, but with the people.
· What
happened? Well, they got so enamored by
being God’s chosen people that
they forgot about
the relationship.
· They were more concerned about being a nation
and reclaiming their past glory that they forgot
who put them there.
· Worship became a ritual.
· Sacrifices were impersonal.
Luke 21:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
The clay jar = you and me
A clay jar is an interesting comparison. From the outside, that jar may look perfect and beautiful, but shine a bright light from the inside and it reveals all the cracks and flaws. It’s still perfect, as it can still do what it was intended to do, but only the one that created the jar knows the weaknesses. In the same way, when mankind fell, it was necessary for God to reveal the “cracks” and what it was going to be like for humanity. God also saw that humanity could still be used for the purpose that they were created for. A good jar maker knows how to fix the cracks.