Eric Poulin

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(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.

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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:

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“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.

“Those who will not live by the Law, will die by the Law!” – Moses – 10 Commandments.

Law of Moses – strict law and strict punishments. Based on fear. Try to curb behavior by the knowledge of the consequential punishments of certain behaviors. This requires a very explicit list of behaviors and attendant punishments.

Christ brought a higher law. No specific punishments, except warnings that such punishments will be deferred and executed by God Himself in a final judgment. This model is based on developing love, which will eradicate bad behavior.
However, even among those who believe, those who have direct evidence of God’s existence and claim to know that He exists and lives, those who know of a final judgment – they still commit sin. Why? Is it because the temptation is so great? No, we are told that we will not be tempted above that which we are able to bear. What is it about individuals who claim to have such knowledge of God and feel devoted to Him, but who still commit sin, who chose to turn their hearts away from the Lord? Those who have felt the power of the atonement in their lives but still choose evil. We are they who try to love as Christ does, but sometimes we consciously choose darkness. Are we lazy in our minds/spirits? What steps can we take to purge evil behavior? We try, but time and time again, we return back to bad behavior. These people are addicted to sin. I think we all find ourselves in this profile to some degree.

Is everyone addicted to sin through routine behavior? How can one turn their life over to Christ?

These are interesting questions, but answering them, if there is an answer, will not solve my problem. The only way to solve my problem is to look to the Lord and give up my sins to Him. Only by learning of Him and becoming more like Him can I shed my sorrows and addictions. Seeking a scholarly answer to the reasons behind my behavior will not help me. The only thing that will help me is turning to the Lord.

This warning from a Batman costume is very telling.

Caution: Cape Does Not Enable User To Fly

One cannot simple put on church clothes and expect to be able to perform Priesthood duties with no other thought. It is not a white shirt and a tie that makes a Priesthood holder… it is personal worthiness, sacrifice and service.

I see it so often, even in my own life, where I put on the costume and act the role without giving real thought to the fact that I am acting as a representative of Jesus Christ. We don’t become the powerful priesthood holder by the way we dress or “act”, its through our actions, through choices we make when no one is looking, by consistent obedience and service. For my part, its time to up my game some; tighten up the loose ends in my life and make adjustments here and there to make sure I’m on the right path—and am not simply putting on the costume and acting the part, but being the part.

[Commence introspection here]

I changed the scoring mechanism in the Book of Mormon Game yesterday. Its now much easier to play, telling you when you have the right book, and then when guessing the chapter, tells you you need to guess higher or lower until you get it right.
There is a 20 second penalty for each incorrect guess, so it remains competitive for those who really know their stuff, but “playable” for anyone who wants to sharpen their skills and get to know the Book of Mormon better.
Also, the reading tab is going to be updated soon so you can have a place to track your reading and auto-start where you left off.I’m hoping to complete that in the next 2 weeks!

Today I launched the Book of Mormon Game (http://bookofmormongame.com), a new, completely free, online audio scripture chase game.

It’s a fun and competitive game which reads the Book of Mormon to you from a random place and you have to find where its reading from and race against a timer. Your scores will show along with ward/stake members. This game can help you become more familiar with the Book of Mormon and is a fun way to get in your daily scripture “reading”.