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"As for you, Solomon, my son, know the
God of your father and serve him with a perfect heart and a
willing soul, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all
the mind's thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found
by you; but if you abandon him, he will cast you off forever."
[1CHRON 28:9]
On the third day, putting an end to her prayers, she took off her penitential garments and arrayed herself in her royal attire. In making her state appearance, after invoking the all-seeing God and savior, she took with her two maids; on the one she leaned gently for support, while the other followed her, bearing her train. She glowed with the perfection of her beauty and her countenance was as joyous as it was lovely, though her heart was shrunk with fear. [ESTH D:1-5]
While the holy city lived in perfect peace and the laws were strictly observed because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of evil,
the kings themselves honored the Place and glorified the temple with the most magnificent gifts.
[2MACC 3:1-2]
Can you penetrate the designs of God? Dare you
vie with the perfection of the Almighty? [JOB 11:7]
I have become the sport of my neighbors:
"The one whom God answers when he calls upon him, The just,
the perfect man," is a laughing-stock [Taken from JOB 12:4]
For indeed, my theme cannot fail me: the one
perfect in knowledge I set before you. [JOB 36:4]
Do you know how the clouds are banked, the
wondrous work of him who is perfect in knowledge? [JOB 37:16]
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing
the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to
the simple. [PS 19:8]
From Zion God shines forth. perfect in beauty.
[PS 50:2]
I have seen the limits of all perfection, but
your command is without bounds. [PS 119:96]
The way of the wicked is like darkness; they know not on what they stumble. But the path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day. [PROV 4:18-19]
Remove the dross from silver, and it comes forth perfectly purified;
Remove the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne is made firm through righteousness. [PROV 25:4-5]
I was sleeping, but my heart kept vigil; I
heard my lover knocking: "Open to me, my sister, my beloved,
my dove, my perfect one! For my head is wet with dew, my locks
with the moisture of the night." [SONG 5:2]
One alone is my dove, my perfect one, her
mother's chosen, the dear one of her parent. The daughters saw her
and declared her fortunate, the queens and concubines, and they
sang her praises; Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, as
beautiful as the moon, as resplendent as the sun, as awe-inspiring
as bannered troops? [SONG 6:9-10]
He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among
sinners was transported - Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert
his mind or deceit beguile his soul; For the witchery of paltry
things obscures what is right and the whirl of desire transforms
the innocent mind. Having become perfect in a short while, he
reached the fullness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing
to the LORD, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness.
But the people saw and did not understand, nor did they take this
into account. [WISDOM 4:10-14]
Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is
readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who
seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of
men's desire; he who watches for her at dawn shall not be
disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For
taking thought of her is the perfection of prudence, and he who
for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; Because
she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and
graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all
solicitude. [WISDOM 6:12-16]
Indeed, though one be perfect among the sons of
men, if Wisdom, who comes from you, be not with him, he shall be
held in no esteem. [WISDOM 9:6]
For you show your might when the perfection of
your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke
temerity. [WISDOM 12:17]
Wisdom's garland is fear of the LORD, with
blossoms of peace and perfect health. [SIRACH 1:16]
All wisdom is fear of the LORD; perfect wisdom
is the fulfillment of the law. [SIRACH 19:17]
He who keeps the law controls his impulses; he
who is perfect in fear of the LORD has wisdom. [SIRACH 21:11]
The law is fulfilled without fail, and perfect
wisdom is found in the mouth of the faithful man. [SIRACH 34:8]
So with the smith standing near his anvil,
forging crude iron. The heat from the fire sears his flesh, yet he
toils away in the furnace heat. The clang of the hammer deafens
his ears, His eyes are fixed on the tool he is shaping. His care
is to finish his work, and he keeps watch till he perfects it in
detail. [SIRACH 38:28]
Noah, found just and perfect, renewed the race
in the time of devastation. Because of his worth there were
survivors, and with a sign to him the deluge ended [Taken from
SIRACH 44:17]
You were renowned among the nations for your
beauty, perfect as it was, because of my splendor which I had
bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD. [EZEK 16:14]
Thus the word of the LORD came to me: As for
you, son of man, utter a lament over Tyre, and say to Tyre that is
situated at the approaches of the sea, that brought the trade of
the peoples to many a coastland: Thus says the Lord GOD: Tyre, you
said, "I am a ship, perfect in beauty." In the midst of
the sea your builders placed you, perfected your beauty. [EZEK 27:1-4]
The men of Arvad were all about your walls, and
the Gamadites were in your towers; they hung their bucklers all
around on your walls, and made perfect your beauty. [EZEK 27:11]
Son of man, utter a lament over the king of Tyre,
saying to him: Thus says the Lord GOD: You were stamped with the
seal of perfection, of complete wisdom and perfect beauty. [EZEK
28:12]
He then led me to the inner court where there
were two chambers, one beside the north gate, facing south, and
the other beside the south gate, facing north. He said to me,
"This chamber which faces south is for the priests who have
charge of the temple, and the chamber which faces north is for the
priests who have charge of the altar. These are the Zadokites, the
only Levites who may come near to minister to the LORD." Then
he measured the court, which was a hundred cubits long and a
hundred cubits wide, a perfect square. The altar stood in front of
the temple. [EZEK 40:44-47]
The workers in the City shall be taken from all the tribes of Israel.
The entire tract shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand cubits; as a perfect square you shall set apart the sacred tract together with the City property. [EZEK
48:19-20]
[Jesus said,] "You have heard that it was
said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I
say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute
you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he
makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to
fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love
you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do
the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual
about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as
your heavenly Father is perfect." [Taken
from MT 5:43-48]
Now someone approached him and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He
answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is
only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the
commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And
Jesus replied, "'You shall not kill; you shall not commit
adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your
neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All
of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said
to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have
and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me." [MT 19:16-21]
[Jesus prayed,] "As you sent me into the
world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for
them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth. I pray not
only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through
their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me
and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may
believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave
me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in
me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world
may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you
loved me." [Taken from JN 17:18-23]
The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith that comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence of all of you. [ACTS 3:15-16]
Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have conducted myself with a perfectly clear conscience before God to this day."
The high priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike his mouth.
[ACTS 23:1-2]
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what
is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. [ROM
12:2]
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was
a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a
child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At
present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to
face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I
am fully known. [1COR 13:9-12]
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit,
making holiness perfect in the fear of God. [2COR 7:1]
Although if I should wish to boast, I would not
be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so
that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears
from me because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore,
that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given
to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too
elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might
leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast
most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ
may dwell with me. [2COR 12:6-9]
(But) whatever gains I had, these I have come to
consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider
everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be
found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the
law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the
power of his resurrection and (the) sharing of his sufferings by
being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the
resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already taken
hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I
continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have
indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus). Brothers, I for
my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one
thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what
lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of
God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Let us, then, who are
"perfectly mature" adopt this attitude. And if you have
a different attitude, this too God will reveal to you. [PHIL 3:7-15]
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions
of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I
am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to
bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden
from ages and from generations past. But now it has been
manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is
Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that
we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and
struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within
me. [COL 1:24-29]
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if
one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the
bond of perfection. [COL 3:12-14]
Epaphras sends you greetings; he is one of you,
a slave of Christ (Jesus), always striving for you in his prayers
so that you may be perfect and fully assured in all the will of
God. [COL 4:12]
May the God of peace himself make you perfectly
holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved
blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1THES 5:23]
For it was fitting that he, for whom and through
whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should
make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. [HEB
2:10]
Son though he was, he learned obedience from
what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the
source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God
high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. [HEB 5:8-10]
If, then, perfection came through the levitical
priesthood, on the basis of which the people received the law,
what need would there still have been for another priest to arise
according to the order of Melchizedek, and not reckoned according
to the order of Aaron? When there is a change of priesthood, there
is necessarily a change of law as well. Now he of whom these
things are said belonged to a different tribe, of which no member
ever officiated at the altar. It is clear that our Lord arose from
Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about
priests. It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so, not by a law
expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the
power of a life that cannot be destroyed. For it is testified:
"You are a priest forever according to the order of
Melchizedek." On the one hand, a former commandment is
annulled because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law
brought nothing to perfection; on the other hand, a better hope is
introduced, through which we draw near to God. [HEB 7:11-19]
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to
be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after
the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever. [HEB
7:28]
In this way the Holy Spirit shows that the way
into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer
tabernacle still had its place. This is a symbol of the present
time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot
perfect the worshiper in conscience but only in matters of food
and drink and various ritual washings: regulations concerning the
flesh, imposed until the time of the new order. But when Christ
came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made
by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once
for all into the sanctuary...with his own blood, thus obtaining
eternal redemption. [Taken from HEB 9:8-12]
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and
took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until
his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has
made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. [HEB 10:12-14]
God had foreseen something better for us, so
that without us they should not be made perfect. [HEB 11:40]
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin
that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies
before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and
perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he
endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at
the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such
opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and
lose heart. [HEB 12:1-3]
No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in
festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in
heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made
perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the
sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel. See
that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not
escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how
much more in our case if we turn away from the one who warns from
heaven. [HEB 12:22-25]
Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you
encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your
faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [JMS 1:2-4]
Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that
he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation
should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not
subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his
own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when
sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. Do not be deceived,
my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no alteration or shadow caused by change. [JMS
1:12-17]
Be doers of the word and not hearers only,
deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He
sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked
like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and
perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts,
such a one shall be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he
is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his
heart, his religion is vain. Religion that is pure and undefiled
before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows
in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. [JMS
1:22-27]
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also.
[JMS 3:1-2]
The way we may be sure that we know him is to
keep his commandments. Whoever says, "I know him," but
does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in
him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly
perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union
with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live (just) as
he lived. [1JN 2:3-6]
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love
one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one
another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection
in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and
testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in
him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love
God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains
in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among
us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect
love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and
so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he
first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," but hates
his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother
whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the
commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his
brother. [1JN 4:11-21]
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