Perfect is the enemy of good

I once got into an argument with a friend over the most perfect representation of a circle that we could manifest, because I argued the definition of a circle can't literally be manifested, in that whatever we try to display as a perfect circle is going to be made up of particles which do not perfectly conform to the definition of a circle in their arrangement.

The "point" was that we can still get "close enough" that the differences don't matter, unless the "point" is talking about whether perfection can exist or be manifested in our container of reality.

It's the same with Bible translations to English. The Bible wasn't originally written in English, and so part of the reason there are many different translations is that each translation is trying to address something that the translators thought was missed or reflected inaccurately in some other translation.

Folks also point to the numerous denominations and sects of Christianity, and try to argue that since there are so many, then something must be wrong, because if things were correct in the first place, there'd be no need to have such divisions and distinctions.

But for the same reason that we can't actually create a perfect circle, no human organization meant to bring glory and honor to God out of gratitude and obedience is going to be perfect. And before any Orthodox try to get a word in edgewise, the only way this dynamic does not apply is if those who are part of the church are no longer human, or at least, no longer possess their flesh.

These various examples are all related to the concept of perfection, and how sometimes we are willing to admit that it's logically coherent but not actually "real", and other times we'll act as if anything but perfection is simply unacceptable.

All of these topics revolve around whether perfection is possible, and unfortunately there isn't a lot of agreement on this, in large part because there's really only three options:

1) Nothing can perfect
2) Something can be perfect
3) Everything can be perfect

Basic Christian teaching is aligned with #2. Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life, but the rest of us have all sinned and fallen short. Even in salvation, we are not made perfect in and of ourselves. Christianity rejects #1 because that would undermine the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Christianity also rejects #3 because there are some who are damned to eternity, or simply destroyed, depending on who you talk to.

The problem then with #2 is that people try to put forth whatever they've got as being "more perfect", and that said perfection is supposed to be significant. Rarely does it occur to such people that the scribes and Pharisees which Jesus spoke most contentiously about had that exact same mentality.

The "problem" with such behavior is evidences through a weight lifting analogy. I know that I cannot bench press 1000lbs. Even if I trained really hard, I could not achieve that, for various reasons. That does not mean that if I currently bench only 100lbs, I should not try to bench more, it's just that "more" is calibrated.

Likewise, we should seek out continuous refinement through sanctification, but we will not achieve perfection in this lifetime. That we don't achieve perfection does not make the journey pointless, but it does mean that trying to compare just how unfinished one person is to another isn't all that helpful.

To cite a few passages:

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. - Matthew 13:3-8 (NKJV)

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. - Philippians 1:15-18 (NKJV)

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. - Luke 15:4-7 (NKJV)

We are to try, and that we will not achieve perfection is not a reason to not try, and we are even empowered by God to walk in obedience and to be refined over time.

Do not focus on the distinctive, the things we know are going to be wrong or incomplete or incorrect, because we're dealing with humans, and humans are imperfect.

This does not mean calling a square a circle, but it does mean that if we end up with an ellipse or a poorly rendered raster graphic, that we do not take up arms to "Burn the heretic, kill the mutant, purge the unclean."

Have grace and good will towards those who preach the Gospel, who guide people towards repentance of sins and faith in Jesus Christ, even if imperfectly. God cares more about the people they seek to reach than the rituals and traditions of those who are already saved.