Jesus taught “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). After His resurrection He added, “even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48). I find it interesting that while mortal – even as “Jesus, the Son of God” – He seemed reluctant or often unwilling to point to Himself as perfect.
Is this commandment to be perfect just lip service? Some sort of trite, meaningless idea? How would we even become perfect in this life if we wanted to?
LDS teaching might lead us to believe that “perfect” doesn’t actually mean perfect and that we only need to be made “complete,” “whole” or in death become “just men made perfect.” But if this was the case why would Jesus not say “Be ye therefore perfect as just men made perfect are perfect.” Or “as Abraham or Job became perfect.” He said as “I and my Father are perfect!”
It is my understanding that in order to even begin to exercise faith in God we must know His true character (Lectures on Faith). If we suppose we are nearly like God, or will shortly become perfect as He is after we die, perhaps we are fools who greatly and grossly underestimate the power and greatness of our Father.
Joseph taught:
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.
Will we attain unto perfection in this life simply by being “good people”? It is a great accomplishment to be good and more importantly to be made whole and to be redeemed. In fact this is the only requirement for us now I believe, to be redeemed. But Christ commands us to be perfect even as He now is, and as His Father, for innumerable eternities, has been. Would He give us a commandment that could not be fulfilled? Or is His commandment to continue beyond this life also?
Jesus taught that for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25). Surely to become like God, it will be much harder than to pass through the eye of a needle. It will surely be just as Christ had to do — to drink from a cup, which even for Him seemed at the time impossible.
I will not likely be crucified in this life. I will definitely not suffer for sins of others in Gethsemane. I am not to be a Savior as He was. Yet He invites us all to pick up our crosses and follow Him, to be like Him, to be like God.
Surely it is not all to be comprehended in this world and will be a great work beyond the grave. In the meantime, being healed is the goal. Passing through the veil in this life is the invitation. I believe He will teach us and lead us to Him if we will let Him. Help Thou mine unbelief Lord.
This is what I believe. He is amazing. He is to be worshiped. Only He and His Father are truly perfect in our sphere. Only They can save us.
Perfection is in the love, when one can truly love everyone, with all their heart, to where they would suffer death, in the most distressing manner that can be inflicted upon them, and only return forgiveness and loving kindness, as Jesus did on the cross by his example of how to show love for even your enemies, what is more perfect love than that?♡
A good way to get to this point is following the instructions of Jesus Christ, doing all those things he said to do, writing down a list and checking them off, one by one as you do them, and to be all the ways he said to be like, checking them off one by one, as you be those ways, and come to know all those things he said to know, memorizing all these things, he said to do, be and know, doing them, being those ways, and knowing all those things, seeing eye to eye, with Jesus Christ and God, in all these things.♡
Beautiful Robert. Thank you
One that comes to mind is
A new command I give you : Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another
John 13:34–35
In John 13 he is washing the feet of of Judas along with the other disciples. The man he knew would betray him…he washes his feet and then gives a new command.
I’m no rocket scientist or theologian but it seems like gay brothers and sisters would not be discluded in this command.
Perhaps it’s time to learn how to wash their feet.
Good to wash their feet and to love them dearly as you love all God’s children, but remind all, that forbidden carnal desires, taught of God, are what they are, and this includes desire for many wives, and multiplying gold and silver, and the lifting up of one’s heart above another, and that the “All things common” had in the first church set up by Jesus Christ first chosen Twelve of Judah, with Peter, and the second witness and testament of “All things common” set up by the chosen Twelve of the Nephiltes, of Manasseh, is still pending of the Twelve of the House of Ephraim, them being as silly doves, and unwise sons, gone away from this command to be “Equal” in their temporal things, “All things common” as the first church, and the second church, and now lastly Ephraim’s turn, for this honor, calling, and election, of having and living a “United Order” gone a whoring away from, building building to adore, above the care of the poor, and putting the tithes and offerings consecrated for God, into these buildings, and out to the exchangers, which thing is forbidden of God, until after you are equal, with stewardships of inheritances, of homes and lands, with covenants and deeds that cannot be broken by the church, sufficient for the needs and wants of the poor. That they are poor no more, from this “Feast of Fat Things”, well prepared, and imparted unto the poor and needy among you. This as a wedding invitation answered, the wedding supper set, the bride brought out of the closet, oil in your lamps, fully trimmed and waiting for the bridegroom to come forth, saying, “Here I am”, Ephraim, having repaired the breach and restored the paths to dwell in finally.♡
For “if” not, O house of Ephraim, remember what happened in Shiloh, where even the whole city was destroyed, leveled to the dust, and your whole seed cast out, as salt without savor, good for nothing. Let not this happen again, but be wise, and acknowledge your offence against God, and return and atone, and finally give ear and hear, and fullfill Hosea 14:8 becoming equal in your temporal things, and this not grudgingly, as none of the church of the living God are exempt from.♡