A recent experience motivated me to make a study of perfection—of the
requirements to enter into the Kingdom of God. My purpose is to clear the
confusion I felt and to clear any misconceptions others may have of placing a
time limit on perfection.
Nephi
states, “Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your
probation, then ye are unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God,
wherefore, ye must be cast off forever. (1 Nephi 10:21).
First,
we must recognize that Nephi tells us that “we must be cast off forever” if we
“have sought to do wickedly” in this
life. Earnestly striving to build His Kingdom is far different from seeking to
do wickedness.
Also, Nephi
was not perfect, and he expresses his weakness in words we can relate:
“Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and
marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart csorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine
iniquities.
“I am encompassed about, because of the
temptations and the sins which do so easily abeset me.”
“And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins;
nevertheless, I know in whom I have atrusted.
“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me
upon the waters of the great deep.”
Matthew cautions us to “[w]atch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (26:41).
Nephi groaned because of his
sins, and often we may hear ourselves say something like, “What is wrong with
me? Why do I keep making the same mistake?” When we express such consternation,
we represent how “the spirit indeed is willing,” but we fall into temptation
because “the flesh is weak.”
But, we have the atonement. Alma teaches that “there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.” (5:21) He cleanses us, and he makes up for our imperfections. For this purpose, Jesus Christ came into the world so that we could be cleansed from all iniquity and return to live with God again.
Bishop Shipley gave a talk last
Sunday where he taught us the importance of faith in the atonement in order for
the atonement to work for us. Both Corihor and Sherem were not saved because
they did not have faith in the atonement. On the other hand Zeezrom and Alma
the younger were saved because they did have this faith.
One final point I wanted to make is that we must be resurrected before we can become perfect. Elder Russell M. Nelson explains that “Jesus attained eternal perfection following his resurrection” and that “[r]esurrection is requisite for eternal perfection” (Perfection Pending, October 1995 General Conference).
According to Alma, we are resurrected before we are judged:
23 But God ceaseth not to
be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the
atonement; and the atonement bringeth to
pass the resurrection of the dead; and the
resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and
thus they are restored into his presence,
to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.” (Alma
42:23)
Yes, “no
unclean thing can dwell with God,” but we are made clean through the blood of
the Lamb.
President
Spencer W. Kimball states that “[w]ere it not for the blessed gifts of
repentance and forgiveness this would be a hopeless situation for man, since no
one except the Master has ever lived sinless on the earth” (Miracle of
Forgiveness 20).
Although
there is not a time limit in this life for perfection, there is however a time limit
for repentance: “This life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will
take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be
prepared to come forth. It will take them a thousand years to do what it would
have taken but three-score and ten to do in this life” (11).
As long
as we have faith in the atonement, repent, keep our covenants and strive to
live worthy, enduring to the end, our hearts single to serving God, we will be
saved at the last day and enter into the Kingdom of God to dwell with Him.
Related Talks:
“Perfection Pending” Russell M. Nelson, October 1995 General Conference
· “What Does It Mean to Be Perfect?” Cecil O. Samuelson, January
2006 New Era
