St Pauls and St Barnabas

The Future Indicative - Matthew 5:48 The Future Indicative – Matthew 5:48 We had the joy of welcoming Rev. Josh Lenon from Red Door Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, to St. Paul’s and St. Barnabas (SPB) this past Sunday. His message deeply resonated with our congregation, challenging and uplifting us as he explored the powerful “Future Indicative” in Matthew 5:48. This passage, “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” can often feel daunting. But Rev. Lenon helped us see it as a promise from Jesus—an assurance that God is actively at work in us, shaping us into His likeness. In his message, Rev. Lenon explained that Jesus’ words here are not a present imperative, an impossible demand to be flawless now. Instead, they are a future promise, spoken in what biblical scholars call the “Future Indicative” tense, meaning that this perfection is something we are moving toward, with God Himself leading us on this journey. The perfect