"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
— Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
Matthew 5:48 can sound like an impossible standard, but it comes at the end of Jesus' teaching on loving enemies, and that context shapes what "perfect" means. This page gives the verse, what the key Greek words mean, where it sits in the Sermon on the Mount, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about loving your enemies and Love and enemies.
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The verse
The King James reads: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
"Perfect" is teleios (G5046), complete, mature, having reached its goal; it comes from telos, end or goal. "Therefore" is oun (G3767), which links the verse to what came just before. "Father" is patēr (G3962), and "heavenly" is ouranios (G3770), of heaven.
Where it sits in Matthew 5
Verse 48 is the last line of a paragraph that starts, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Jesus says this is how you become "children of your Father in heaven," because "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).
Then he asks two questions: "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?" (Matthew 5:46-47). Verse 48 follows with "therefore."
Luke records the same teaching with a different word: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).
What the verse is saying
Because of the "therefore," the perfection Jesus means here is about love that is complete. Love that reaches only friends is partial. The Father's kindness reaches the good and the evil alike, and his children are called to love the same way, all the way out to their enemies.
Teleios also carries the sense of maturity and reaching a goal. The same word shows up in "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). The verse is less a demand for a flawless record and more a call to grow up into the Father's kind of love.
Questions people ask
What does Matthew 5:48 say?
In the NIV it says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The KJV says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
What does "perfect" mean in Matthew 5:48?
The Greek word is teleios, which means complete, mature, or having reached its goal. In context it points to complete love, love that includes enemies the way the Father's kindness reaches everyone.
Does Matthew 5:48 mean I have to be sinless?
The verse comes right after Jesus' teaching on loving enemies, and the "therefore" ties it to that teaching. It is a call to love the way the Father loves, not a claim that anyone already has a flawless record.
How is Matthew 5:48 different from Luke 6:36?
They come from the same teaching. Matthew says, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect," and Luke 6:36 says, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Both point to the Father as the pattern for how to treat enemies.
What verses go with Matthew 5:48?
Matthew 5:44 (love your enemies), Luke 6:36 (be merciful), Luke 6:27-28 (do good to those who hate you), and 1 John 4:18 (perfect love drives out fear) are close companions.
