Holiness vs Perfection

A lot of you know that I see part of my call as a holiness preacher – not your typical you can’t wear makeup, can’t do this, can’t that holiness preacher but the kind that talks about Biblical holiness – holiness from intimacy! That is why many of you have been confused about my stance of perfection. I do NOT believe we are – as of yet – perfect.
Say what, Cait? Yes, that is true – we are not perfect in the tradiational sense of the word.
The Lord has cleansed us by His blood and to Him we are pure and spotless.
PURE – purity is not perfection – purity is a heart condition of a desire to be white as snow before your King. He view us as pure when we seek frevently after Him and desiring the higher calling of closeness which ultimately ends up in the burning away of our SINFUL NATURE!
“If any man be in Christ he is a new creation the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
This is the verse that is most often sent around by the perfection camp. This verse is talking about how He views you as a new creation – you have been washed clean from your sinful nature by Christ Jesus.
But are we perfect?
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar.” – 1 John 1:10.
But, Cait, that’s past tense – that is not after you accept Jesus in your heart.
Is that true? So, you are telling me you have never had a bad thought, swore, thought of somebody in a lustful way, envied after somebody or their things, judged somebody, had greed, had anger, had bitterness, ex cetra ex cetra ex cetra.
Those aren’t sins – you may say – really?
“All wrongdoing is sin…” – 1 John 5:17
Anything that is not righteous is a sin! Therefore any of those things and many more are sins.
The modern day church is on two very opposite sides when it comes to sin – one is the seeker friendly doctrine which will not address sin and is particiually secular humanist in their view and the other is if you sin at all you go to hell.
That is where repentance comes in – He already sees us as pure and spotless but He wants us to come before Him daily and confess our sins.
But, Cait, I cannot confess my sins because that means I make mistakes!
If you don’t confess your sins
Even Paul said, we aim towards perfection. We should desire a lifestyle of perfection and righteousness before the Lord but saying that we are already perfect is calling the Lord a liar.

So what is the difference between holiness and perfection?
The Lord is holy AND perfect however, He is the only blameless One of all eternity – all our goodness is rags before Him.
Holiness is the desperation to be PURE in His sight.
Perfect is Christ alone! He is alone the One without sin.

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