“What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘Be ye therefore perfect’?,” For the Strength of Youth, Feb. 2023.
To the Point
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Be ye therefore perfect”?
The Savior said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This is not an invitation to do everything flawlessly. It is an invitation to better understand Heavenly Father’s plan and follow Him.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for perfect means complete, whole, or fully developed, having reached an end-goal. Jesus Christ invites us to strive for that kind of perfection. And He alone can help us to reach it—eventually.
Our Father in Heaven wants us to have the physical and spiritual perfection He has. Then we can have a fulness of joy like He has. Through Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and atoning sacrifice, we can be made perfect—eventually.
Heavenly Father knows that we cannot be perfect in this life. But in His plan, we can choose to have faith in Jesus Christ, make covenants, strive to keep God’s commandments, and repent whenever we falter. Then He can bless us in this life and—eventually, after this life—make us perfect.