14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Finished and not finished. Perfect and in the process of being made holy. Already and not yet. This verse highlights one of the paradoxes of the Christian faith. From God’s perspective when we become Jesus-followers, we are made perfect. Do you feel perfect? Are your actions reflecting that perfection? Do others see that perfection? I didn’t think so! Me either! But just because we don’t see it does not make it any less true. We are more likely to see the other half of this paradox. We are in the process, at least we are supposed to be, of being made holy. That process will take a lifetime. We become Jesus-followers and are instantaneously made a child of God, perfect and complete. And at the same time we begin a process of being made holy moment by moment. There is a lot of stuff that is unholy, not reflective of His character that must be worked out of our character. As we get to know Him, spend time in His Word, rub shoulders & butt heads with others in the Body of Christ, the more opportunities for us to yield to His Spirit arise. It is what we do with those opportunities that matter. We are already perfect because of the work of Jesus. Are we going to let that perfection manifest itself in our lives? A baby is perfect, but not an adult. A small green apple is a perfect apple, but not yet ready to be eaten. We are perfect, but just not yet holy.
The Arnold Journey 