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Tamam, Jesus, And God’s People

Tamam, Jesus, And God’s People

Last updated on: October 5, 2023 at 12:27 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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Tamam, Jesus, And God’s People 2023-10-05T12:27:37-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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Over the weekend, like the rest of the country, I was heartbroken over the senseless power trip happening in the House of Representatives. The leadership has forgotten that they are supposed to represent the people and not just a party or a political agenda.

Washington D.C.

Image by Pixabay

The showdown is a rivalry between old-school versus new-school politics. Regardless of whose side you’re on, it is still politics as usual in America, nothing has changed.

Greed
Obsession with power
Lies

The saddest part is that this was happening in what is supposed to be the “conservative” party. Satan is having a field day not just in the world, but amongst God’s people. Many people are starting to realize the hard truth; none of us are perfect because our hearts are evil.

Perfection

Yet, Jesus commanded his followers to be perfect because God is perfect. The late Billy Graham expressed, “You and I will never be perfect in this life; as long as we live on this earth we’ll still be sinners, and our ability to commit sin will always be with us.”

Christians

Image by Pixabay

Still, Christianity calls believers to live to God’s standard, not this world’s (Romans 12:2-4.) Jesus was referring to the Jewish teaching that God is perfect in every way.

Judaism teaches that the Messiah will also be perfect in every way. He will bring both political and spiritual redemption whereas everything will be perfect. God’s level of perfection is far superior to that of man’s.

Tamam

In Judaism God’s perfection is called tamam and some of its meanings are: perfect, complete, wholly, and finished. This idea of perfection goes back to God’s command in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:13; 32:4, 2 Samuel 22:31.)

If you think the world is bad now, we have nothing on what the ancient world was like. Idolatry, child sacrifice, and bestiality were common religious practices that even God’s people welcomed at times.

Ancient ruins.

Image by Pixabay

It’s no wonder God commanded his people to be holy and set apart from the sick, corrupt, and evil world. God’s people need to be proactive in being like God and all of their ways. Below are ways to be perfect like God.

Righteous
Selflessness
Compassionate
Honesty
Omnipotent
Flawless
Just

Part of the reason Jesus offended the Pharisees and some of the Jewish people is that Jesus simplified God’s perfection. Forgiving sins and being perfect are actions and attributes of God alone.

The Pharisees often tested Jesus to find fault in Him and failed. They wanted to prove He was just a human. When the Pharisees handed Jesus over to the Romans, Pilate himself found no fault in Jesus (Luke 23:7). Jesus showed compassion when the Pharisees displayed corruption.

Compassion

Only Jesus was sinless and truly perfect. Jesus had the right and authority to judge, yet withheld his power and authority. His ways were perfect like God’s. The Pharisees and religious leaders consistently abused their power and authority.

Helping each other.

Image by Pixabay

They accused others of sin instead of having compassion. No wonder Jesus associated them with Satan (John 8:44). Again, earthly power and greatness blind and lead us astray. Or as the Apostle Paul says, it “puffs us up (1 Cor. 8:1). This is why Jesus gave the Pharisees seven woes (Matthew 23:1-39).

They lacked justice
they were cold-hearted
They were blind
They were only self-righteous
They were Greedy
They were uncompassionate

Jesus never let His power or authority go to his head. Jesus displayed a perfect balance between leadership and servanthood. He was humble compared to the pride of this world. He gave Grace, mercy, and compassion because Jesus is Tamam.

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