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We strive to become perfect as our Father is perfect. Our spark of God that is within us is perfect however, the material body is prone to imperfection because of our thoughts and actions. No one can be perfect unless that have attained that which is God-like. To be perfect as He is perfect.
It's truly amazing to me that there are six people who voted YES, they are indeed perfect. I know who they are, but it's just flabbergasting that they really believe it. Explains a lot.
(I'm assuming you really do know who they are and aren't just guessing. Just in case you didn't notice, though, it's a public poll and you can see who our perfect posters really are by clicking on the number who voted each way.)
And in case you didn't notice, there are now 9 perfect people, although I know at least one of them voted the way she did just to drive a few people crazy.
I noticed that a few of the perfect people explained why they voted as they did. Several, however, didn't. I guess they just thought it would be so obvious to the rest of us that we wouldn't need any explanation.
I read a very interesting article on being perfect once. It explained the difference between being perfect on our own and being "perfect in Christ." Here's why we can't possibly be perfect on our own...
Most people on the forum are familiar with the grading system used by a lot of highschools and colleges in the U.S. A student's GPA (grade point average) is based on a point value assigned to each letter grade as follows: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, E or F=0. Each semester, all of the students grades are added up and then divided by the number of courses he received a grade in to come up with an average. When calculated one semester at the time, a student can receive a perfect 4.00 average by getting straight A's.
Let's say you started school and got straight A's the first three semesters. At the end of the third semester, you'd have a 4.00 cumulative GPA. If, though, you were to get an A- in one class during your fourth semester in one of four classes you took that semester (getting A's in the others), your GPA for that semester would be 3.91. Your cumulative GPA would be higher still because of all the other A's you'd got so far. Well, you could be justly proud of yourself. A 3.94 GPA is outstanding by any standard. But suppose you were striving to get a perfect 4.0 cumulative average during your college career. That one A- you got blew it for you -- not just for one semester but forever! You could continue taking classes till you were 90 years old and you'd never get your cumulative GPA back to 4.0. You might get it up to 4.999999999 but 4.999999999 isn't a perfect GPA.
It's the same way with sin. If you cheated in school one time when you were 10 years old, you've sinned. If you shoplifted a bottle of nailpolish one time when you were 14, you've sinned. If you so much as lost your temper at the guy who cut you off on the freeway one time in your life, you've sinner. You are no longer perfect. Do our 9 perfect posters realize this?
In my next post, I'll explain what my understanding is of what it means to be perfect in Christ. It's from the same article. Then maybe we can continue our discussion with everybody's feedback.
Being "perfect in Christ" is something entirely different from being individually perfect. Here's how I believe it works...
I believe that we are ultimately saved by grace, apart from our works of righteousness, notwithstanding our obedience and faithfulness. To me, that doesn't mean that all that is required of us is a one-time (possibly even momentary) faith in Christ and then a life lived anyway we want. It means walking the walk if we're going to talk the talk. But we already know that we as mortals are simply incapable of perfect behavior. So how can we ever be perfect? Here's how I believe perfection comes...
When we are baptized, we are not only cleansed of the sins we have committed (and repented of) up to that time, we enter into a covenant relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. A covenant is, of course, a 2-way agreement, a promise between two parties. When we enter into this covenant relationship, we renounce all of our competing loyalties and agree to put our Savior first in our lives from that time forward. So, to this new union, we bring our desire for perfection and our loyalty. Christ brings perfection. Spiritually, the two of us become a partnership. His assets and our liabilities flow into each other and merge. Now this would be a problem if He didn't have sufficient assets to counter our liabilities, but He does. Not only does He have sufficient assets, He has absolutely unlimited assets. He is perfect. No matter how great our liabilities, His assets are greater. Together we make up a new creature. The old creature, the imperfect me, no longer exists. The new creature, is the person I have become through our union. I am personally very much imperfect, but as a partner with Christ, I am perfect in Him. It happens at once, as soon as I enter into the covenant. It can be undone, but won't be as long as I remain committed to the relationship.
Consider it from a mathematical perspective. If Jesus Christ is infinite and unlimited, and I am finite and limited, what do we add up to together? Well, what is the sum of an infinite, positive quantity (Christ) and a limited, negative quantity (me)? It's infinity. Infinity plus any amount, be it positive or negative, equals infinity. It is such a beautiful doctrine. It's beautiful because it guarantees me what I need to enter Heaven -- perfection in Christ. But it's also beautiful because of what it makes me here and now -- a better person. It gives me a reason to be all I can be, to strive to be what a daughter of deity has the potential to be. It offers me a new opportunity each and every day of my life to recommit myself to my Savior, to renew the covenant I made with Him at baptism and to allow Him to lift me up each time I fall. To me, that's what being "perfect in Christ" means.
I'm perfectly imperfect, who is loved perfectly, as I strive for perfection
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