How to Be Perfect in God's Eyes: A Spiritual Perspective
The quest for perfection is deeply ingrained in the human psyche. From childhood, we are often taught to strive for excellence, to avoid mistakes, and to present our best selves. This pursuit extends into our spiritual lives, where we often internalize the idea that to be "good enough" for God, we must achieve a state of flawless performance, strict adherence to every rule, or an impossible standard of sinlessness. This can lead to a spiritual treadmill, where we constantly feel we are falling short, burdened by guilt, and perpetually striving for an elusive ideal.
However, both A Course in Miracles (ACIM) and the Bible offer profound insights that challenge this conventional, human-centric understanding of perfection. They invite us into a more liberating, compassionate, and ultimately, more truthful perspective—one rooted in God's unchanging love and our inherent identity.
Beyond Flawless Performance: God's Unchanging View
Our earthly understanding of perfection is largely based on observation and comparison. We look at our lives, see our mistakes, our perceived shortcomings, and the ways we deviate from an ideal, and conclude that we are far from perfect. This self-assessment, often fueled by the ego's judgment, can lead to deep self-condemnation, pervasive anxiety, and a persistent feeling of never being "enough" or truly worthy in God's eyes. It creates a cycle of striving and disappointment.
However, the divine perspective is radically different. From God's vantage point, our perfection is not something we achieve through arduous effort, flawless behavior, or a lifetime of self-improvement. Instead, it is something we already are by virtue of our creation. It is an intrinsic quality of our being, woven into the very fabric of our spiritual DNA.
A Course in Miracles states this unequivocally, cutting through all self-doubt:
"You are perfect as God created you, and so is everyone else." (ACIM, T-9.VII.1:1)
This isn't a future state to attain after much struggle; it's an eternal truth about our current being. It profoundly suggests that our perceived imperfections—our errors, our flaws, our moments of unkindness—are merely illusions, temporary misperceptions of our true, unblemished nature. When we "fall short" in our human experience, it's not a change in our inherent, spiritual perfection, but rather a temporary forgetting or obscuring of it, much like a cloud temporarily hides the sun without diminishing its light. The sun remains perfect, even when unseen.
The Bible echoes this foundational truth, particularly in the profound creation narrative:
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27, ESV)
To be created in God's image implies an inherent likeness, a reflection of His perfect nature, His love, His wisdom, and His wholeness. This divine imprint means that, at our deepest spiritual level, we carry His perfection within us. While the entry of sin into the world, through the choices of humanity, introduced separation and obscured this pristine image, the essence of our creation remains. The image may be distorted or veiled by ego, fear, and guilt, but it is never truly destroyed. We are, at our core, reflections of divine perfection, awaiting our recognition of this truth.
Perfection as Wholeness and Oneness
If perfection isn't about being flawless in the human sense, what is its true nature? Both ACIM and the Bible consistently point towards a profound understanding of perfection as wholeness, completeness, and a return to our true, unified identity in God. It's about integration, not eradication of perceived flaws.
ACIM emphasizes that our "sinlessness" is not something we earn through good deeds, but a given, an inherent state that was never truly lost, only forgotten:
"The Son of God is innocent." (ACIM, W-pI.34.Heading)
This "innocence" is far more than merely the absence of wrongdoing; it signifies the inherent purity, intactness, and wholeness of our spiritual Self, which remains eternally untouched by the ego's frantic illusions of separation, guilt, and fear. To be perfect in God's eyes, then, is to recognize and accept this inherent sinlessness, to remember the profound truth, "I am as God created me" (ACIM, W-pI.94.Heading). It's a process of letting go of the deeply ingrained self-condemning thoughts, the narratives of unworthiness, and the beliefs that tell us we are anything less than whole, complete, and eternally beloved. It's a radical shift from self-judgment to self-acceptance rooted in divine truth.
The Bible, while unflinchingly acknowledging the pervasive reality of sin and our profound need for redemption, also powerfully points to a miraculous restoration of wholeness through divine grace. The Apostle Paul beautifully articulates this transformative process:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
This concept of a "new creation" speaks to a profound spiritual transformation, a being made whole and complete not by our own strenuous merit or perfect performance, but by the overflowing, unearned divine grace of God. Our perfection in God's eyes is inextricably tied to His active intervention and His act of reconciliation, through which He presents us as:
"...holy and blameless and above reproach before him." (Colossians 1:22, ESV)
This is a profound gift, a state of being in right relationship with God, established through His love, rather than a daunting checklist of human achievements or a tally of our moral successes. It's a declaration of our inherent worthiness through His eyes, not ours.
The Role of Love and Forgiveness
So, if we are already perfect in God's eyes, what then is our active role in this understanding? It is not to strive to become perfect, but to accept this profound truth about ourselves and, crucially, to extend it to others. Both spiritual traditions unequivocally highlight love and forgiveness as the essential path to experiencing, expressing, and living from this inherent perfection.
ACIM teaches that the Atonement is the primary means by which we remember and reclaim our true, perfect state:
"The Atonement is the guarantee that you will escape from guilt, and that you will finally remember God." (ACIM, T-2.I.4:1)
In A Course in Miracles, the Atonement is not about a sacrificial act designed to appease an angry God, but rather about the correction of the fundamental error of separation—the mistaken belief that we are separate from God and from one another. It's the profound recognition that this separation never truly occurred in reality, and that we remain eternally one with God and each other in spirit. When we practice true forgiveness—forgiving ourselves for perceived errors and forgiving others for their perceived trespasses—we are not condoning wrongdoing. Instead, we are simply seeing past the ego's illusions of sin, guilt, and attack, to recognize the perfect, whole Self that God created within ourselves and within every brother. This act of seeing with love, rather than judgment, is precisely how we experience and affirm our own inherent perfection.
The Bible also elevates love as the ultimate fulfillment and expression of God's divine will and the very essence of His nature. When Jesus famously says, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48, ESV), this command is not given in isolation. It comes directly in the context of radical love: extending love to enemies, praying for those who persecute you, and being merciful, just as God is merciful. This "perfection" is clearly not about rigid legalistic adherence or a checklist of external behaviors, but about embodying the boundless, unconditional, and all-encompassing love of God in our interactions and our very being. It's a call to reflect His character.
As 1 John 4:18 (ESV) powerfully reminds us:
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."
When we choose to operate from a place of perfect love—allowing God's love to flow unhindered through us—we are aligning ourselves with our true, perfect nature. This divine love naturally extends forgiveness, cultivates compassion, fosters understanding, and embraces acceptance, thereby mirroring God's own perfect attributes. It dissolves the illusions of separation and the fear that accompanies them, allowing our inherent perfection to shine.
Living in This Understanding
To truly grasp and live from the understanding of being perfect in God's eyes, then, is not a burden of endless striving but a profound liberation. It is a shift from earning to accepting, from doing to being. It is about:
Accepting God's View of You: This involves a conscious and ongoing release of the deep-seated need to earn or prove your worthiness through performance or external validation. Instead, you are invited to rest deeply in the profound truth that you are already loved, already whole, and already perfect precisely as God created you. This acceptance is a radical act of self-love rooted in divine truth.
Practicing Forgiveness as a Way of Life: Actively forgive yourself for all perceived errors, knowing deeply that these mistakes are not a part of your true, eternal identity. Extend this same transformative forgiveness to others, consciously choosing to see past their ego's illusions, past their perceived faults or attacks, to the Christ-Self, the perfect essence, within them. This consistent practice of forgiveness is the most practical and potent application of recognizing and experiencing inherent perfection in yourself and others.
Embracing Unconditional Love: Make a conscious choice to live from a place of unconditional love—for yourself, for every person you encounter, and for God. This love is not merely an emotion but an active state of being, a boundless generosity of spirit that is the most authentic expression of your inherent perfection. It transforms every interaction.
Remembering Your Divine Source: Regularly dedicate time to connect with the divine through prayer, quiet contemplation, meditation, or simply moments of silent reflection. In these sacred spaces, affirm your unbreakable oneness with God, reminding yourself of the eternal truth of your perfect creation. This consistent reconnection strengthens your awareness of your true identity and allows the light of your inherent wholeness to illuminate your path.
Perfection in God's eyes is not about achieving an impossible, external standard or eradicating every human flaw. It is, instead, a profound journey of remembering and accepting the perfect, loving, and whole Being you already are. It is the undoing of the beliefs and illusions that obscure this truth, allowing the radiant light of your inherent wholeness to shine forth, transforming your life and your perception of the world.
