Today, we are confronted by an invasion of morality that seeks to define right and wrong, good and evil, and justice and judgment without invoking the concept of sin, the narrative of the Garden of Eden, and the reality of an omniscient God. Books such as Good without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe and The Atheist’s Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life without Illusions are examples of such a hermeneutic. Right and wrong are nothing more than a decision collectively determined in light of a pain quotient or perceived damage. Good and evil are what we make them. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and imperfection is simply a disclaimer when things don’t go according to plan. After all, “nobody’s perfect.”
While many things can be said about the culture’s wavering ideas of right and wrong and good and evil, the idea of imperfection is an interesting one. “Nobody’s perfect” is the mantra of those who are confronted with their deficiencies. And while the statement is true, it is a good bridge to help people cross into the narrative of the Bible, one that bespeaks sin, righteousness, and judgment.
While I am unaware of the common grace origin of “nobody’s perfect,” biblically, the phrase finds its genesis in the Garden of Eden. No one is perfect because the first man, Adam, and his wife, later named Eve after the announcement of the good news, ate of the tree from which they were forbidden to eat (Gen. 3:1–7). Consumed by guilt and shame and encamped by sin, their previous existential reality was eclipsed. The construct that the Triune God provided, which was an already/not yet paradigm implanted within Adam, was subverted. Adam knew; his wife knew; God knew. The implementation of a new idea (i.e., sin) into the original construct—humanly speaking—prompted the Lord to alert a search and rescue team. Interestingly, he both searched and rescued (Gen. 3:8–15).
The biblical account of Adam and Eve’s disobedience provides the one and only narrative that adequately grants the suitable reason for our imperfection. “Nobody is perfect” is correct! A follow-up to that address is to ask the question “Why?” If the biblical answer is untenable to many modern hearers, how can Christians address the issue and biblically steer non-Christians to the God-ordained story?
We must help non-Christians understand that imperfection, biblically speaking, isn’t the lack of symmetry in our feet and hands. Imperfection isn’t a haircut that does not meet our standards. Imperfection is a result of the fall. Although Adam and Eve were not all they could be prior to the entrance of sin (1 Cor. 15:50), they were created perfectly. Their hands may have been asymmetrical, but their hearts were perfectly aligned with their creator. However, when Eve was deceived (1 Tim. 2:13–14) and Adam disobeyed his God (Rom. 5:12), the result was disdain for each other and for their creator. The consequences are war between people, confusion about sexuality, and death. The result is imperfection.
Imperfection is a biblical category that helps us align our thoughts with the grand narrative of the Bible. It helps us to ask the question “Why?” Regardless of our religious affiliation, we all see the destruction caused by ISIS; we all see natural disasters taking the lives of thousands; we all witness our loved ones ushered into eternity. Why? It’s because nobody’s perfect. That statement invites us to take people on a journey through the Scriptures, exposing sin and its effects, yet also providing the only remedy—Jesus Christ.
The next time you’re sharing your faith with someone, ask that person if he’s perfect. I can nearly assure you of the answer. After that, ask him to define perfection and why he’s not perfect. You might be surprised how “nobody’s perfect” opens the door for the entry of God’s word and his gospel. Take that person down the road of sin. Help him to better understand how his imperfection—that is, his sin—causes him to lust after women and objects. Pray that the Lord would cause him to see how his imperfection creates a heart bent toward hatred. Use of the category of imperfection can point him toward the reason for it (i.e., sin).
Morality isn’t what we make it. Good and evil aren’t defined according to our own standards, and perfection and imperfection are not limited to how well we perform on an exam. God defines these categories. Since these are words we often use (i.e., good, evil, perfection, imperfection), a witnessing encounter is closer than you think. People are curious. They are searching for truth. It’s just a matter of where they’re searching. Will you help them to see that nobody’s perfect, including yourself, and let them know the reason why the Perfect One bore our sins in his body on that tree?
Leon M. Brown is the pastor of Crown and Joy Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. He is presently pursuing his PhD in Hebrew. He is the author of Words in Season: On Sharing the Hope That Is within Us (Gospel Rich Books, 2013). He is married and has two children.
