(Matthew 5)
43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I (says the Saviour) say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Perfect… in short, just be perfect.
Ok, no problem…
Ooops, I just lost perfection by demonstrating pride by insinuating that perfection is easy. Maybe this is harder than it sounds…
I often find it an interesting technique to gain a deeper understanding of a gospel principle to compare 2 passages of scripture that seem to contradict each other, and then figure out where my misunderstanding is and how they aren’t actually in opposition to each other.
For example, we have the commandment we just ready to be perfect, then we have Romans 3:23 that says: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Let’s listen in on a conversation between “Confused Person” and “Spiritual Genius” as they work out how these discuss what it means to be perfect:
Confused Person: So, does God actually expect us to be perfect to achieve exaltation? or… is that just a mistranslation from the bible?
Spiritual Genius: Yup, He does. In fact, even the Book of Mormon, which doesn’t have the same translation issues the bible does, quotes the Saviour saying in 3 Nephi 12:48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
So, ya, we’re definitely commanded to be perfect.
Confused Person: But, isn’t it absolutely impossible to achieve perfection in this life? I thought only Jesus Christ was perfect. How are we supposed to keep this commandment or are we just doomed?
Spiritual Genius: Well, you are probably doomed.
Confused Person: Wait, what?!
Spiritual Genius: Just kidding. As often happens when God asks something of us that seems impossible, it comes down to fully understanding what is being asked more carefully. In this case, what do you think it means to be perfect?
Confused Person: Well, I thought it was obvious. Doesn’t ‘being perfect’ mean not making any mistakes. I mean… I’m not a complete idiot, I know we can repent, but if I keep sinning I’m definitely not perfect right. How am I supposed to become perfect so I stop sinning?
Spiritual Genius: Ok, so to you, being perfect means that you no longer sin?
Confused Person: Ya, is… there another way to understand it?
Spiritual Genius: Well, one way to understand ‘perfect” is never making any mistakes or errors. In this case, of course, we can never achieve it, and only the Saviour has achieved this distinction. For the duration of the Saviour’s life. both as a child and adult, He was never out of harmony with the Father’s will.
Another way to look at being perfect is to have all flaws and errors removed. In this sense, it’s probably better to restate your question to “Do we have to be perfected to achieve exaltation?”
So the difference is between being perfect and being perfected.
Being perfected is something that can be achieved over time through repentance and striving to be more like the Saviour.
Confused Person: Ok, well I definitely prefer thinking about it that way. At least, that seems to make the scriptures work together better. But repentance is mainly for when I commit sins or errors right? I think perfection might be more than that… I could remove all of my flaws and still not have all of the attributes of perfection, couldn’t I? Doesn’t perfection mean taking on all of the positive attributes of God, not just removing all my flaws?
Spiritual Genius: Yes, that’s a great insight. True perfection means more than just not committing any sins, it means actually becoming like Jesus Christ. That means all of the positive attributes of God, we must make our own. Joseph Fielding Smith once said:
“Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to accomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the grave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things, and receive all things, even the fulness of the Father’s glory. I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God. “But here we lay the foundation.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., comp. Bruce R. McConkie, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954–56, 2:18; italics added.)
Confused Person: Ok, so I have time on my side… Perfection is required, but I have time after mortality to achieve it. I guess my duty is to keep striving to become like the Saviour as best I can, improving each day as much as I can.
Spiritual Genius: You’ve got it. Don’t get discouraged when you make mistakes. Instead, pick yourself up, repent and keep on striving! Remember the Saviour said in D&C 67:13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.
So there we have it. We should become perfect like Jesus Christ, little by little, ever striving for perfection, even as we make mistakes and repent ad overcome them. This is part of the whole endure to the end commandment too.
Like all of us, I have a long way to go, but I keep on striving. I know as God looks down upon us that he can be pleased with my efforts so long as I continue to repent and do my best, which I commit to keep doing.
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