"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.", 1 John 4:17
The Bible is clear that as Jesus is, so are we in this world. This is an incredible blessing that is ours in Christ Jesus. Notice that the scripture does not say that we are like Jesus in heaven. It is very clear to make the blessing specific to this time and this world. If we are "as he is" then we have all the righteousness, blessings, power, knowledge, wisdom and supernatural health & prosperity that Jesus had on earth. Everything that he had, we also now have in him. Thus, the scope of this scripture is simply breathtaking, but I would like to concentrate on the deliverance from sin in this world.
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.", Matthew 5:48
The command here is to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect. This seems like a hard saying that leads one to question whether the language used is really saying what we think it says. The Greek word for 'perfect' is 'Teleios', meaning a fullness, maturity, or perfection. The context for the scripture is forgiving our enemies and the translation of 'perfect' seems entirely appropriate in this instance. This would also rule out an interpretation of the scripture that reduces it solely to imputed righteousness that is only available for the forgiveness of sin. While it is true that the perfection of Jesus is imputed to us, the context of the scripture is clearly concerning our behaviour here on this earth. So what does this scripture imply for us?
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.", Hebrews 10:14
In Jesus, we have been completely sanctified and perfected forever. This is the result of the one offering that he made of himself. So deliverance from sin on this earth is a key part of salvation and one that we should be hungry to receive. If you have not been believing in this promise until now, then the best time to start believing in it is today. Just like forgiveness of sin, the deliverance from sin is always received in the same manner, through faith in his name. Clearly, Christians today are not as perfect as Christ, because their faith in this promise is not yet perfect. Paul said in Philippians 3:12 that he was not yet "perfected", but he was pressing on for the upward goal. So to bear the fruit of this wonderful promise, we must also start believing in the wonderful promise of 1 John 4:17.