God's Moral Perfection

The Bible declares that God is perfect in his nature ( Matt. 5:48 ), knowledge ( Job 36:4 ), law ( Ps. 19:7 ), will ( Rom. 12:2 ), beauty ( Ezek. 16:13–14 ), work ( Deut. 32:4 ), way ( 2 Sam. 22:31 ), home in heaven ( Heb. 9:11 ), gifts ( James 1:17 ), love ( 1 John 4:18 ), goal for believers ( Phil. 3:12–14 ), and place in Christ for believers ( Col. 1:28 ). In summation, the heavenly Father is perfect ( Matt. 5:48 ).

Support in Scripture for God's moral perfection is plentiful: "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he" ( Deut. 32:4 ); "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the L ord is flawless" ( 2 Sam. 22:31 ); "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect" ( 2 Sam. 22:33 ); "Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?" ( Job 37:16 ); "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the L ord is flawless" ( Ps. 18:30 ); "The law of the L ord is perfect, reviving the soul" ( Ps. 19:7 ); "The L ord will fulfill [perfect] his purpose for me; your love, O L ord , endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands" ( Ps. 138:8 ); "O L ord , you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago" ( Isa. 25:1 ); "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" ( Matt. 5:48 ); "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" ( Rom. 12:2 ); "But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears" ( 1 Cor. 13:10 ); "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" ( James 1:17 ); "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom . . . will be blessed in what he does" ( James 1:25 ); "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" ( 1 John 4:18 ).

There is also a theological basis for God's moral perfection. First of all, knowledge of the imperfect implies the perfect. We know what is imperfect. But this would not be possible unless we knew what is perfect. Hence, there must be a perfect (called God). Likewise, God's metaphysical attributes demand that God's perfection is absolute. As we have seen, God's nature is morally perfect. But God is infinite and necessary by nature. Hence, God is infinitely and necessarily morally perfect.

In summation, according to the Bible there is one, transcendent, personal, infinite, eternal, self-existent, immutable, morally perfect God who is the first uncaused cause of everything else that exists.

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