Bible verses about "perfectionism" | LEB

¹⁵ For the law produces wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.

¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn infants long for the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, ³ if you have tasted that the Lord is kind,* ⁴ to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God. ⁵ And you yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in scripture,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."* ⁷ Therefore the honor is for you who believe, but for those who refuse to believe,
"The stone that the builders rejected, this one has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋*," ⁸ and
"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,"*
who stumble because they* disobey the word to which also they were consigned. ⁹ But you are a chosen race,* a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, ¹⁰ who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, the ones who were not shown mercy, but now are shown mercy.* ¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your* soul, ¹² maintaining your good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, by seeing your good deeds they may glorify God on the day of visitation. ¹³ Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king* as having supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For the will of God is as follows: by* doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free persons, and not using your* freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.* ¹⁸ Domestic slaves, be subject to your* masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust. ¹⁹ For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrows while* suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you* sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you* do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps, ²² who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth,* ²³ who when he* was reviled, did not revile in return; when* suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, ²⁴ who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed. ²⁵ For you were going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

³¹ This God, his way is blameless; the promise of Yahweh is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

¹⁵ And he said to them, "You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For what is considered exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

¹ And I, when I* came to you, brothers, did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony* of God. ² For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my preaching were not with the persuasiveness* of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, ⁵ in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. ⁶ Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing, ⁷ but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, ⁸ which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ But just as it is written,
"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man, all that* God has prepared for those who love him."* ¹⁰ For* to us God has revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? Thus also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God, ¹³ things which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.* ¹⁴ But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one. ¹⁶ "For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?"* But we have the mind of Christ.

³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be made complete by the flesh?

² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual,* able to hold in check his whole body also.

²⁰ Surely there is no one righteous on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our* sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

¹² Not that I have already received this,* or have already been made perfect, but I press on if indeed I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ.* ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself to have laid hold of it.* But I do one thing, forgetting the things behind and straining toward the things ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

¹ Consequently, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did. By* sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are living according to the flesh are intent on the things of the flesh, but those who are living according to the Spirit are intent on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mindset of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not subjected to the law of God, for it is not able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person _⌊does not belong to him_⌋*. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ Jesus* from the dead will also make alive your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you. ¹² So then, brothers, we are obligated not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba!* Father!" ¹⁶ The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together with him so that we may also be glorified together with him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now. ²³ Not only this, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while we* await eagerly our adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it eagerly with patient endurance. ²⁶ And likewise also, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unexpressed groanings. ²⁷ And the one who searches our hearts knows what the mindset of the Spirit is, because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, ²⁹ because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined, these he also called, and those whom he called, these he also justified, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring charges against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ* is the one who died, and more than that, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or hunger or lack of sufficient clothing or danger or the sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,
"On account of you we are being put to death the whole day long; we are considered as sheep for slaughter."* ³⁷ No, but in all these things we prevail completely through the one who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

⁸ If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

⁹ And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, because the* power is perfected in weakness." Therefore rather I will boast most gladly in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may reside in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in calamities, in persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.