1: Our Perception of Perfection
Perfection.
Everyone is obsessed with it. It permeates our culture, evident in phenomena like "cancel culture" and the exposure of once-revered figures and institutions for their shortcomings. If you are like me and have attempted to start a workout routine, the algorithm fills your feed with toned muscular guys showcasing the latest fitness trends. Within our communities, the pressure to maintain a facade of perfection remains prevalent, echoing the Western ethos of keeping up appearances. In faith spaces, we often talk about the perfection of Jesus. Jesus is begotten of God. The heart of the Gospel revolves around the injustice suffered by Christ, the innocent and perfect one, on the cross and how God transforms this into salvation. But amongst all of this, should our understanding of perfection, particularly in the context of divinity, undergo a reevaluation?
Recently, I stumbled upon a thought-provoking TikTok video that presented a theory challenging the conventional notion of God's perfection. The video's premise was intriguing: if God is perfect, then nothing more can be added to God. Therefore, the act of Creation would imply a departure from that perfection, raising questions about the inherent flaws within the Cosmos. The video's central question, 'How could flaws come out of a flawless source?', serves as a guiding light in this thought experiment. While I appreciate such intellectual exercises, I believe the video misses the mark in its definition of 'perfection '. Instead of viewing perfection as an unattainable state devoid of any need or growth, perhaps a more fitting term is 'completeness '.
God is the ultimate complete being. Nothing outside of God is needed to sustain God's self because everything is already within God. God is a Trinity, three in one. Imagine a triangle. It's the strongest of all shapes because unlike a line with two points or a square with four, all weight is equally balanced between all three sides. Three of anything is equally balanced. Biblical passages like 1 John 4:16 and Matthew 18:20 underscore this communal nature of God.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16)
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
A relationship with only two points is called a 'duality'. In unhealthy states, it pits the two against each other. Much of the unhealthy disagreement we see in the world today is built on views that are dualistic in nature. Forget the dualistic thinking of choosing between two points—within the Trinity, there's no need for competition or comparison. The Early Church Fathers described the Trinity as a Cosmic dance where all members were in perfect step with the others.
So here's the bottom line: God's needs are fully met within the Trinity. When God created the Cosmos, everything sprang forth from God's self as the source. John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-16 paint this picture beautifully—the Word, the Son, creating all things, not to fill some void in God, but to extend the perfect community that already exists within the Trinity.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)
From God's perfect union springs forth all existence, a testament to God's boundless goodness and selflessness. In a nutshell, God offers us this relationship not because of lack within God but out of pure goodness and love.
