From the March, 2000 issue of *Touchstone*

Raising the Bar by Thomas S. Buchanan

Raising the Bar

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
—Matthew 5:48

For my three-year-old son, a very good day is one during which he has not once wet his pants. As a very young man, the bar of success for him is not very high. As adult Christians, the standard that we are to use was given to us by our Lord during the Sermon on the Mount, wherein he told us that we must be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect.

The word Christ uses for perfect also is used to denote a type of completeness or an attainment of full maturity. In this sense, Christ is calling us to become fully mature men and women, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. We are to put away childish things, to use the words of the Apostle Paul. We are to become Christian men and women, but more like the unfallen man than the fallen one. This is what it means to be perfect: to be the person God created us to be—whole, complete, and mature.

THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:

Thomas S. Buchanan is the George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware. He has studied at UCSD, Northwestern University, and MIT, and has held visiting professorships at the University of Western Australia and the University of Aix-Marseille. He has served as department chairman, deputy dean, and institute director, president of the American Society of Biomechanics, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. He is on the Board of Trustees of Saint Katherine College, the editorial board of Touchstone, and the board of The Fellowship of St. James.

• Not a subscriber or wish to renew your subscription? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of publishing!

personal subscriptions

Purchase Print &
Online Subscription

Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!

RENEW your print/online
subscription

Purchase
Online Subscription

Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives including pdf downloads for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!

RENEW your online subscription

gift subscriptions

GIVE Print &
Online Subscription

Give six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for the reduced rate of $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!

RENEW your gift subscription

Transactions will be processed on a secure server.

bulk subscriptions

Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.

kindle subscription

OR get a subscription to Touchstone to read on your Kindle for only $1.99 per month! (This option is KINDLE ONLY and does not include either print or online.)

Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.