"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven."
-Math 5:48
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory."
-Rom 3:23
"Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him."
-Moroni 10:32
First the Lord commands us to be perfect. Then we learn that no one is perfect but Him and God. Then we learn that through Him we are perfected.
Is anyone perfect though? No, even with faith in Jesus Christ we are still prone to forget or put at naught God and His commandments from time to time. Thus, it is our duty to always strive to look to God, remember His word, and repent of our sins to be saved with God. Its not a weekend retreat or here and there belief. We can't pick and choose the times. Narrow is the road and straight is the way. Having faith in Jesus Christ means remembering Him and His greatness and our own nothingness, as King Benjamin puts it-
For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—
I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—
I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.
Atonement means Christ's suffering for our sins so that we won't have to but be perfected by our faith in Him. Its like if we bought something we couldn't afford and instead of going into bankruptcy we turned to someone who had enough wealth and paid for us. We sin, He pays. No one else can pay, for all have sinned and all are in debt.
Two great scripture stories to illustrate our need to depend on Christ more than ourselves or the world-
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
-John 8:3-11
In the story, we can easily put ourselves in the place of the sinner. Satan wants us to pay for our own sins because then we are in his power. Christ makes the point that we are only to believe in Him and sin no more to be free of the chains of our sins.
If we believe in Him and strive to sin no more then He will not condemn us. So, what we can do is strive to sin no more but also realize that we aren't perfect without Him. Then, we will be perfected in Him. Satan wishes only to throw rocks at us.
Isn't it interesting as well, that He who had no sin had all the rocks throw on Him? Wherein then are we ever justified to doubt or be ungrateful to God?
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
-Numbers 21:5-9
Once again we can easily place ourselves in the role of the sinner. But, this time the Lord sent fiery serpents to the sinners. Was that punishment? Yes, but it wasn't eternal punishment. All God wanted to do was remind us that it is through Him that we are healed and delivered from our state of uncleanliness. God can easily prove that He is right and we are wrong but what would be the point? He would rather us be righteous with Him than punish us, for our sins. Thus, He gives us this time to repent and look to God for our salvation. Notice that all the people had to do was look at the Serpent to live. Obviously, the Serpent represented Jesus Christ.
"And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal."
-Helaman 8:15
"O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever."
-Alma 37:46
