Talk: Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him
The command to be perfect
God gives His children commandments because He loves us and he knows what will make us happy. Sometimes they surprise us or seem beyond our capacity. In Genesis we read that “when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” (Gen 17:1)
The command to be perfect. It is certainly a tall order, and no one would claim it to be easy. But it is a command none the less. The command was reiterated by the Savior in the sermon on the mount. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” ( Matt 5:48) The Joseph Smith Translation is even more firm in the wording of the command, and Christ also repeated the command to the Nephites but added Himself as an additional exemplar of perfection.
In the well known seminary scripture, Nephi said unto his father: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Ne 3:7)
We are commanded to be perfect and God will not ask us to do the impossible. So how will God prepare a way for us to be perfect?
As Moroni wandered the America's following the destruction of his people he pondered the promises extended to his people, and the salvation they had rejected. In his concluding word to us, members of a future generation, he offers an explanation, and a promise regarding God's command to be perfect.
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.” (Moroni 10:32)
Come unto Christ
Let's analyze the parts of that scripture. Moroni offers two requirements of us, which are followed by two results, or consequences. - Deny yourselves of all ungodliness - Love God with all your might, mind and strength
Based on these criteria the results are - God's grace is sufficient to perfect you through Christ - You will know the power of God
Let's start with the Love of God, since it is the first commandment. ==Love God with all your might, mind and strength==
President Benson, in perhaps the greatest talk on this subject of Loving God said,
“To love God with all your heart, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing, It is no lukewarm endeavor.-It is total commitment of our very being - physically , mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - to a love of the Lord.
The breadth, depth, and height of this love of God extend into every facet of one's life. Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal, should be rooted in a love of the Lord.”
The scriptures are full of examples of those that Loved God, let me relate two.
Joseph of Egypt was a slave in a strange land. He had been sold out and abandoned by his family and from a worldly perspective, his salvation was a kind master, Potiphar. When Potiphar's wife accosted Joseph, what were his options? Where might his allegiance lie? - Joseph put God ahead of his employer’s wife - Joseph put God ahead of his job - Although ending up in prison, Joseph knew who he was loyal to. - Consider his statement -- How can I sin against God?
Isaac was the covenant son of Abraham, through whom countless posterity would come. Parents may appreciate the difficulty of willingly sacrificing a child. Abraham's love of God made him willing to kill his son. His hand was not stayed until an angel revoked the command. The symbolic parallels to Christ and His Father are still inspiring and bring to the heart and mind the sacrifice of the Father in offering up His only begotten son.
Deny yourselves of all ungodliness
The ministry of the sons of Mosiah contains the account of Aaron, who after he had taught the king, “the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, //and I will give away all my sins to know thee//, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.” (Alma 22:17-18)
The very thought of coming to Christ implies leaving behind ungodliness. How could we expect to approach our Savior, either spiritually or literally, unless we leave behind every unholy aspect of our lives. The king's phrasing is interesting. He offers to give away his sins. Why would we choose to retain our sins when Christ has offered to take them from us?
We must repent, and change.
Perfect through Christ by Grace
Amulek, missionary companion of Alma profoundly taught about the atonement and Christ's sacrifice in the 34th chapter of Alma.
11 Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.
12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world. (Alma 34:11-12)
Why is the Atonement infinite? God has decreed just laws, for which punishments are affixed. (Alma 42) Christ knows how much he suffered for each of us, and is a personal Savior. Could he count the drops of blood, or measure the length of his agony? He's knows each of us, and His love and kindness know no bounds. The atonement was infinite because He who deserved zero punishment willingly accepted punishment for the penitent.
"And this [was] the whole meaning of the [Mosaic] law, [to] point to [Christ's] great and last sacrifice; infinite and eternal."
15 And thus [Christ] shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. (Alma 34:14-16)
You will Know the Power Of God
Partaking of the cleansing power of the atonement brings a personal awareness of the power of God. Experiencing God's grace, and his enabling power will convince us of the power of God, especially regarding his love and mercy. Enos recorded that “there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Enos 5-8)
In the concluding chapter of President Spencer W. Kimball's book //The Miracle of Forgiveness, //he deals with the miracle of forgiveness itself. Of all the miracles Christ worked, his greatest were the cleansing of hearts.
God will wipe away from their eyes the tears of anguish, and remorse, and consternation, and fear, and guilt. Dry eyes will replace the wet ones, and smiles of satisfaction will replace the worried, anxious look.
What relief! What comfort! What joy! Those laden with transgressions and sorrows and sin may be forgiven and cleansed and purified if they will return to their Lord, learn of him, and keep his commandments. And all of us needing to repent of day-to-day follies and weaknesses can likewise share in this miracle.
Can we not understand why the Lord has been pleading with man for these thousands of years to come unto him? Surely the Lord was speaking about forgiveness through repentance, and the relief that could come from the tenseness of guilt, when he followed his glorious prayer to his Father with this sublime entreaty and promise: Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30.) (The Miracle of Forgiveness,Chapter 23)
The knowledge that we are doing God's will can stengthen us us to overcome any obstacle and provide the peace and assurance to have joy in life. We are that we might have joy, and there is nothing so powerful and empowering as knowing that your course of action pleases God.
Return to God's command to Abram to be perfect. Immediately following that command, God told him of the conditions of his covenant with him. We too are heirs of Abraham and our potential inheritance is exaltation and eternal life in the kingdom of God. If we come unto Christ, we can be perfected in Him.
Our Heavenly Father loves us, and sent his Son Jesus Christ to provide a way for us to return to God's presence and be exalted. If we lean on Christ, He will help us reach that glorious, and perfect, destination I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
