Prostitutes, Perfection, and Power
Have you ever thought about how many prostitutes are recorded in the Bible? Rahab, Lilith, Gomer, Dinah (Jacob’s daughter), Tamar (daughter-in-law of Judah), the Moabite women, the Midianite harlot, Jephthah’s mother, Oholah and Oholibah (Ezekiel 23), two mothers in 1 Kings 3, the woman with the alabaster jar…just to name a few…
Crazy, I know!
But if I’m being honest, I love that God empowered many of these prostitutes within His Kingdom. I think I love it because of how offensive it is to religious systems. There is nothing quite like the Gospel spreading in a plethora of ways. Multiple puns intended...
You know what else is offensive to the religious? When God gives you your perfection freely as a gift.
Wait, what? I thought I fall short of His glory (insert Romans road bible verse)? I can’t possibly be perfect in the midst of my shortcomings and sin (insert your typical Sunday morning sermon)?
That would be true if your perfection was based on your performance.
But what if God was waiting on humanity to wake up to a perfection they already possess because of what Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago? If this is true, then my performance can’t remove my perfection. Therefore, when God thinks about you He sees you as complete in Christ…already perfect! These aren’t my words. It’s the message of Jesus! He canceled our indebtedness (Col 2:14). He remembers our sins no more (Heb 10:17, Heb 8:12). Our transgressions are removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). John introduced him as the "Lamb that takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29 (not to mention that the word ’sin’ is singular); and this perfected reality was prophesied by Isaiah when he said this would happen through the Messiah in Isaiah 43:25.
The only thing that isn't perfect is how you think about your perfection. Because we’ve been taught that it isn’t humble to claim perfection, we walk around with a false humility claiming “I’m still in process.” Yet again, the only thing that is in process is your mind catching up with the reality of who you are as a son or daughter in the Kingdom of God.
The fullness of God already dwells in you. Wake up to your identity. Wake up to your perfection. Wake up to your power. This power is freely given from God, even giving us the free choice to abuse it. People recorded in Scripture abused this power in the name of God all the time…Moses, Elijah, and even my favorite Old Testament character David. However, the power we already possess isn’t to overpower people but to empower people. To help everyone understand and believe they matter. To help you and I love without limits. To help us bring heaven to earth.