Creative Perfection

Blameless. Having no fault. Perfect.

Creative perfection. Imagine that. After all, didn’t Jesus tell his disciples to “be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect?” (Matthew 5:48). However, is it really possible to be perfect in this world?

It has been pointed out that we as creatives must strive for excellence and not for perfection. On one hand, perfection is associated with being overly picky or unreasonable in demanding one’s standards be met for artistry. Excellence, on the other hand, is to have a balanced approach–striving earnestly to be one’s creative best. Such differentiation between excellence and perfection is helpful. However, one wonders if such a distinguishing may be overly reductionistic. Jesus did not only say “you all be perfect” but also then went on to specify the very standard for such creative perfection in the person of the “heavenly Father.” A somewhat high calling, is it not? What then does it mean to be perfect, as the Creator God (heavenly Father) is perfect?

“You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:48

As creatives, we are always on the lookout for the next best or latest thing. We are constantly on the look out for how to improve on our approach and practice: enhanced products, acquiring the right materials, more efficient and effective tools, cutting-edge designs, innovative ideas, agile methods, and even ensuring we get the best people to do the job in just the right way, to name a few. Among other things, we justify our perfectionistic approaches in the name cultural relevance, meeting the standards of the neoliberal market, or the desire to come across as better than others from an aesthetic standpoint.

However, the creative perfection of the Cross in reality has nothing necessarily to do with meeting the requirements of an aesthetic ethos or standard. The perfection of the Cross is a reality only because of the blameless or faultless and therefore “perfect” sacrifice of the Person on the Cross.

Historically, Noah was said to be “perfect” or “blameless” (Genesis 6:9). Yet we also know that he got drunk and the episode escalates to where he eventually cursed Ham’s son, Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27). Adam and Eve, given their “perfect” being-ness and the created order of the world ultimately succumbed to sin. Satan (or Adam, depending upon how we interpret the passage) in Ezekiel 28:13 was perfect in beauty and blameless from the day he was created, until he was found to be unrighteous (v.15).

The truth is that in all our perfection, we can never be as the heavenly Father is perfect, unless we choose to turn from our creative ways and adopt the posture of creative perfection embodied by Jesus Christ on the Cross. The command to be perfect in our creative offerings (i.e., everyday work) therefore is an invitation to journey with Christ and partake in the unique offering of Christ on the Cross.

In other words, it appears that the lifelong companion of creative perfection, in the created order that we live in at least, is the real potential to sin. Both, the probability of perfection and the potential of sin are intertwined within the economy of the Creator’s creativity. But when Adam sinned, sin entered the world and death through sin to all, for all sinned (Romans 5:12), except for Christ, which is what makes the creative perfection on the Cross a unique offering. Our creative works offered to God apart from Christ can never be perfect since it is only Christ who was and is perfect, blameless, completely without sin.

Therefore we indeed can be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, because it is through the creative perfection of the Cross that we share in sonship and daughter-ship, indeed through faith become God’s children. And so it is written, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1a).

And the best part of becoming children is that we can now be audaciously creative despite the threat of sin because “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” because of the creative work offered “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (see Romans 5:20b-21). The old way of doing things no longer applies in this new culture of creative perfection. It’s an entirely new logic.

So, what does it mean to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect? It is to accept the reality of our imperfection. To acknowledge the perfection of Christ. To take up the invitation to partake in Christ’s offering and thereby become children of God without any fear of being judged on the basis on our imperfect offerings, but rather on the basis on Christ’s perfect offering to the heavenly Father. Therefore, to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect is to share in Christ’s creative work perfected on the Cross of Calvary, and thereby to share in the very nature of Christ as we too become like Christ in every way, being perfected in every way by him who by a single offering “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Let’s affirm this by a prayer of faith below.

prayer

lord jesus, apart from you i can never be perfect. thank you for showing me the way to creative perfection and indeed making it possible for me too to be perfect by sharing in your offering on my behalf. my righteousness is as filthy rags before you. but because of your blameless sacrifice i am clean. pure. blameless. indeed without any shame. thank you for no one can undo the work that you have done in my life. for you alone are god. now therefore your creativity is my creativity. so be it. grant me the wisdom and strength to be a good steward of your creativity. in jesus’ name. Amen

scripture for meditation

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

job 23:10, the bible

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12, the bible

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 

revelation 3:18, the bible