Perfection

Home > Philosophy and Religion > Christianity > Christianity: General

perfection. The primary meaning of the term is completeness and in an absolute sense it may be attributed only to God. In the NT, however, perfection is frequently enjoined on the Christian; according to Mt. 5: 48 the perfection required of man is related to that of God (‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect’). From early times martyrdom was described as perfection (or fulfilment) and the term was soon applied also to the state of virginity. From the 4th cent. monasticism came to be regarded as the way of perfection par excellence, and a double standard of perfection developed: ‘Religious Perfection’, involving the practice of the so-called ‘Counsels of Perfection’, was distinguished from ‘Christian Perfection’ made possible by Baptism.

The idea of perfection has played a central part among the Methodists. They regard entrance on the way of perfection as an instantaneous experience, which takes place some time after conversion, and convinces those who receive it that sin is rooted out in them.

per·fec·tion / pərˈfekshən/ • n. the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects: the satiny perfection of her skin his pursuit of golfing perfection. ∎  a person or thing perceived as the embodiment of such a condition, state, or quality: I am told that she is perfection itself. ∎  the action or process of improving something until it is faultless or as faultless as possible: among the key tasks was the perfection of new mechanisms of economic management. PHRASES: to perfection in a manner or way that could not be better; perfectly: a blue suit that showed off her blonde hair to perfection.

Perfection. A term meaning ‘completeness’, in which sense it is only absolutely appropriate to God, though the Gk. term (teleiosis) can also mean ‘consecration’. Whether perfection is possible in this life, even through grace, has been disputed amongst Christians, Protestants being mainly doubtful, though pietists and Methodists see it as the normal consequence of conversion. For the Buddhist perfections see BHŪMI.

perfection In the OT perfection is ascribed to God (Job 37: 16) and in the NT to persons, signifying maturity (1 Cor. 2: 6). The command in the Sermon on the Mount to be perfect (Matt. 5: 48) is changed in Luke 6: 36 to ‘be merciful’. In Matt. it is part of the new ethic of the kingdom, such as non-retaliation, in which the conditions of the kingdom are set out as ideals.

perfection •ashen, fashion, passion, ration •abstraction, action, attraction, benefaction, compaction, contraction, counteraction, diffraction, enaction, exaction, extraction, faction, fraction, interaction, liquefaction, malefaction, petrifaction, proaction, protraction, putrefaction, redaction, retroaction, satisfaction, stupefaction, subtraction, traction, transaction, tumefaction, vitrifaction •expansion, mansion, scansion, stanchion •sanction •caption, contraption •harshen, Martian •cession, discretion, freshen, session •abjection, affection, circumspection, collection, complexion, confection, connection, convection, correction, defection, deflection, dejection, detection, direction, ejection, election, erection, genuflection, imperfection, infection, inflection, injection, inspection, insurrection, interconnection, interjection, intersection, introspection, lection, misdirection, objection, perfection, predilection, projection, protection, refection, reflection, rejection, resurrection, retrospection, section, selection, subjection, transection, vivisection •exemption, pre-emption, redemption •abstention, apprehension, ascension, attention, circumvention, comprehension, condescension, contention, contravention, convention, declension, detention, dimension, dissension, extension, gentian, hypertension, hypotension, intention, intervention, invention, mention, misapprehension, obtention, pension, prehension, prevention, recension, retention, subvention, supervention, suspension, tension •conception, contraception, deception, exception, inception, interception, misconception, perception, reception •Übermenschen • subsection •ablation, aeration, agnation, Alsatian, Amerasian, Asian, aviation, cetacean, citation, conation, creation, Croatian, crustacean, curation, Dalmatian, delation, dilation, donation, duration, elation, fixation, Galatian, gyration, Haitian, halation, Horatian, ideation, illation, lavation, legation, libation, location, lunation, mutation, natation, nation, negation, notation, nutation, oblation, oration, ovation, potation, relation, rogation, rotation, Sarmatian, sedation, Serbo-Croatian, station, taxation, Thracian, vacation, vexation, vocation, zonation •accretion, Capetian, completion, concretion, deletion, depletion, Diocletian, excretion, Grecian, Helvetian, repletion, Rhodesian, secretion, suppletion, Tahitian, venetian •academician, addition, aesthetician (US esthetician), ambition, audition, beautician, clinician, coition, cosmetician, diagnostician, dialectician, dietitian, Domitian, edition, electrician, emission, fission, fruition, Hermitian, ignition, linguistician, logician, magician, mathematician, Mauritian, mechanician, metaphysician, mission, monition, mortician, munition, musician, obstetrician, omission, optician, paediatrician (US pediatrician), patrician, petition, Phoenician, physician, politician, position, rhetorician, sedition, statistician, suspicion, tactician, technician, theoretician, Titian, tuition, volition •addiction, affliction, benediction, constriction, conviction, crucifixion, depiction, dereliction, diction, eviction, fiction, friction, infliction, interdiction, jurisdiction, malediction, restriction, transfixion, valediction •distinction, extinction, intinction •ascription, circumscription, conscription, decryption, description, Egyptian, encryption, inscription, misdescription, prescription, subscription, superscription, transcription •proscription •concoction, decoction •adoption, option •abortion, apportion, caution, contortion, distortion, extortion, portion, proportion, retortion, torsion •auction •absorption, sorption •commotion, devotion, emotion, groschen, Laotian, locomotion, lotion, motion, notion, Nova Scotian, ocean, potion, promotion •ablution, absolution, allocution, attribution, circumlocution, circumvolution, Confucian, constitution, contribution, convolution, counter-revolution, destitution, dilution, diminution, distribution, electrocution, elocution, evolution, execution, institution, interlocution, irresolution, Lilliputian, locution, perlocution, persecution, pollution, prosecution, prostitution, restitution, retribution, Rosicrucian, solution, substitution, volution •cushion • resumption • München •pincushion •Belorussian, Prussian, Russian •abduction, conduction, construction, deduction, destruction, eduction, effluxion, induction, instruction, introduction, misconstruction, obstruction, production, reduction, ruction, seduction, suction, underproduction •avulsion, compulsion, convulsion, emulsion, expulsion, impulsion, propulsion, repulsion, revulsion •assumption, consumption, gumption, presumption •luncheon, scuncheon, truncheon •compunction, conjunction, dysfunction, expunction, function, junction, malfunction, multifunction, unction •abruption, corruption, disruption, eruption, interruption •T-junction • liposuction •animadversion, aspersion, assertion, aversion, Cistercian, coercion, conversion, desertion, disconcertion, dispersion, diversion, emersion, excursion, exertion, extroversion, immersion, incursion, insertion, interspersion, introversion, Persian, perversion, submersion, subversion, tertian, version •excerption