This was the confirmation verse (a verse given specially at the time when He publicly confessed his faith in Christ) for the first man at whose funeral I officiated today.
God speaks to Abram and says:
“I Am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless.”
Most translations use the word “blameless” here. The original Hebrew literally means “complete,” or “whole.” Elsewhere in the OT this word is translated as “with out blemish” and even “perfect.”
We often read this as a command. The God who creates this covenant with Abram declares his just requirement of those who would be his: Be whole. Be complete. Be without blemish. Be Perfect. This is God’s demand. That we would be perfect in love for him and for one another. But who among us (let alone Abram!) has done this?
The original language does leave room for this to be a promise–not merely a command. “Walk before me and you will be: complete, whole, without blemish, perfect.” How wonderful. How true.
For there is one (and ONLY one) who has truly been totally whole, complete, without blemish and perfect: Jesus, the spotless “lamb of God.” This Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf. His own righteousness, his own perfection is credited to our account as we trust in him. And our wicked thoughts, words and actions are given over to him wholly (along with the deserved punishment for these acts) through his death on the cross.
The end result is that all who trust in Jesus are counted whole, complete, without blemish and even perfect in the sight of God on behalf of Jesus. wow.
Not only that, but Jesus has promised to one day return and raise our bodies from the ground making them gloriously new. On THAT day–we will experience, not merely by faith, but by sight our own wholeness, completion and perfection in Him.
Thank you, Lord Jesus.