First of all, comparing christians to paralized people is, how shall I say it..... STUPID. RIDICULOUS.
And you say we can't. Why? Jesus said BE YE PERFECT. Perfect in what?
Matthew 5:43-48 (NASB)
[SUP]
43 [/SUP]"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [SUP]
44 [/SUP]"But I say to you,
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [SUP]45 [/SUP]so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on
the evil and
the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and
the unrighteous. [SUP]
46[/SUP]
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [SUP]
47 [/SUP]"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing
than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [SUP]
48 [/SUP]"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Verse 48. Be ye therefore perfect, he concludes this part of the discourse by commanding his disciples to be
perfect. This word commonly means finished, complete, pure, holy.
Originally it is applied to a piece of mechanism, as a machine that is complete in its parts. Applied to men, it refers to completeness of parts, or perfection, when no part is defective or wanting. Thus Job (
Job 1:1) is said to be perfect; that is, not holy as God, or sinless-for fault is afterwards found with him, (
Job 9:20,
42:6) but his piety was
proportionate-had a completeness of parts-was consistent and regular, he exhibited his religion as a prince, a father, an individual, a benefactor of the poor.
He was not merely a pious man in one place, but uniformly. He was consistent everywhere. This was the meaning in Matthew. Be not religious merely in loving your friends and neighbours, but let your piety be shown in loving your enemies; be perfect; imitate God; let the piety be complete, and proportionate, and regular. This every Christian
may be; this every Christian must be.
Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.
5:1-2. Each Christian should
be an imitator
of God because he is God's child. As a child imitates his parents,
so ought a believer to imitate God (cf.
Matt. 5:48;
Luke 6:36).
The
and should be translated "that is" in order to convey the idea that
Ephesians 5:2 explains how a believer is to imitate God: by walking in
love. The supreme example of this love is Christ's love for His own—He
loved us; seen graphically in His sacrificing His life on behalf of those who would believe. He willingly
gave Himself up (cf.
v. 25;
John 10:11,
15,
17-18;
Gal. 1:4;
Heb. 9:14). This
offering was a fragrance pleasing (and thus acceptable)
to God (cf.
Lev. 1:17;
3:16;
Isa. 53:10). (The idea of
fragrant offerings is also spoken of in
2 Cor. 2:15-16;
Phil. 4:18.)
Christians can imitate God by loving others, even to the point of death if necessary (
1 John 3:16).
The Bible Knowledge Commentary