There, but for the grace of God, go I
As the holidays are already upon us, we tend to gather together. Friends, family, coworkers, you name it, we congregate and break bread together. (Yes, that’s a very Christian way of saying it, it’s still true in secular contexts, 😎 deal with it). As I’ve been entering into this season, I’ve been reminding myself, and been reminded by conversations with others, of one of my most core philosophical and theological stances. I’m going to detail it out and argue in favor of this principle with the hope that it will be helpful to you.
Progress is Perfection
That’s the idea in a three word phrase. So long as you are improving, you are on the path of perfection. Yes, that’s right, perfection is a path. The goal is not “be perfect” but “do better”. Not “be better”, not “stop at good enough”, not “be anything”. If you are working to do better, day in and day out, reflecting back on how you can improve, making effort, putting in work, being intentional, you are perfect. Now some might complain that this doesn’t show results, since someone horribly damaged might not show the same progress a righteous man does, but that is both incorrect and the point: you can’t judge perfection by the results. It’s not your place and not your job. “Judge not lest ye be judged by the same measure”
This is not to say that your impact on the world is unimportant. Perfection is not proud. If you cause someone harm, you make amends. If you fail, you try again. Results matter, but they have no impact upon your perfection. Perfection is an orientation of thought, from which deeds flow. It is, at least in my opinion, the path to drawing closer to God.
A Psychological Argument in favor
Over the past few years (okay, it’s probably been longer, but lets not get into that), I’ve learned a lot about self talk. How you explain the world to yourself. The little voices in your head you use to evaluate how things go. There are lots of different kinds of self talk. I think that “Progress is Perfection” self talk is among the better forms. Now I didn’t come up with many of these phrases, I’ve heard them over the years from multiple sources. But I wanted some examples of what it looks like for anyone who might want to imagine trying this out. So…
I’m not where I was before
I can do better next time
I can only do what I can do, I’ll do more tomorrow
I’ll look out for that next time
I can do that
Practice makes perfect
That last one might seem ironic, since I just got done telling you perfect isn’t a goal, but the entire process of practicing is what I’m talking about. Every day is “practicing”. Each day is a rehearsal for the next. And each time you practice, things get a little more automatic.
I’ve read it takes 21 days to form a habit. The goal of the practicing I’m talking about is to make a habit out of trying to do better. Never make the exact same mistakes. Make a new mistake each day from not making the old mistakes. Either someday you’re not making mistakes any more or you’ve died. This is what I want you to take from this: Make new mistakes and get better. If you make a mistake, you knew it was a mistake, and you did it anyway, that’s failing. To err is human, to be negligent is criminal.
Biblical Argument in favor
This is perhaps the more shaky argument, but I’ll do my best to make it in a coherent way.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 6-10
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Luke 9:23-25
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:22-26
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Corinthians 13:5
Whew, that’s a bunch of scripture. I like scripture. It is not something I often cite, for I know it makes others uncomfortable, but I do so enjoy it. I would say the crux of my mentality is from 1 John, but it’s certainly not the only passage the points in the way I suggest. You confess your errors (sins, literally “missing the mark”), and they are cleansed from you. You are thereby made worthy. But if you then claim you are without sin, you make a liar of Him. So we all fall short, we all fail, but are justified so long as we walk in the light with Christ.
This, however, is not a reason to do whatever we desire, for we still have sin. If one is to walk with Christ, one must have faith and walk in the light. To deny themselves daily and pick up their cross. To test themselves, for in walking with Christ, they will pass unless they fail to test themselves.
It is in this way I say that by the grace of god, I walk in perfection. For I get up with the intent to meet my day’s challenges and do better than the previous day. Not that I am without failure or error, I err constantly in all things. No, I argue that it through grace I am able to keep trying to do better. My mistakes are not held against my efforts the next day, the next hour, the next minute.
Do better
So let us not be satisfied with how we were yesterday, but make an effort to do better. You can never achieve perfection, since it is not a state. But you can always be doing perfection, since in the practice of the process, you make effort to improve daily. I hope that my perspective brings light to your day and hope for your endeavors.
Go with Peace
-Wo’ah the Wise