What the New Testament Says About the Attributes of GodExemplo

IN MATTHEW 5, we listen to Jesus breaking down God’s way, God’s Kingdom, and God’s original desire for how life should work in our world and our lives. If you have read or listened to it, you may respond to many of His statements in two ways: "That sounds like a better world!" or "Wow, that sounds perfect . . . but I have failed in all those areas."

Jesus ends the chapter with the words “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven [God] is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That seems like a tough standard to keep, or even think about keeping! Perfection is mindblowing when we think about it in moral terms. Like, love my enemies when they have hurt me? Don’t ever lust? Never lash out when I’m angry? All of these things feel very impossible, but the emphasis here is not simply on us. Jesus emphasizes that God is perfect. He establishes that as impossible as it seems for us—broken people—to be perfect, God remains perfect. And this is still His desire for us. One of God’s defining characteristics is that He is without flaw—perfect in every way.