Matthew 5:48 (DRB)

Passage

Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:46 For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?

Matthew 5:47 And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?

Matthew 5:48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "perfect", "heavenly", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "perfect", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "And if you salute your brethren only...", giving immediate footing for "therefore" and "perfect". In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "perfect" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.