I appreciate hearing talks that clarify the Mormon Church’s position on man’s perfectibility. Misunderstood, this doctrine at best can discourage, and at worst can encourage a “holier than thou” attitude. We wish to avoid these pitfalls, and understand what Joseph Smith really said.
To begin, when Mormon’s speak about being perfect, it is understood that we mean being “perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28; Moroni 10:32-33) We do not believe that people can be perfect independent of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Of course some headway can be made if we are compliant with the commandments, but mere compliance still needs the transformative power of the Atonement.
Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, casually referred to as the Mormon Church, clarified this interplay between Christ’s grace and our responsibility. The third and fourth articles of the Mormon faith say:
“We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Articles of Faith 3,4)
This post is not the place to get into a full-blown technical discussion on the relationship between grace and works, and the necessity of both covenants and Christ. But Mormons do believe that grace and works are an interactive—and even symbiotic—process. We need both to develop completely.
Joseph Smith clarified the nature of works (or obedience) in relation to our salvation. He said:
“To get salvation we must not only do some things, but everything which God has commanded. … We may tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs, and still not obey the commandments of God [see Luke 11:42].” (Chapter 13: Obedience: “When the Lord Commands, Do It”, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),158–70.)
That quote needs some unpacking. He says that we need to keep all of the commandments. Simple enough. But then he follows it with a statement that seems to contradict the first. He says, quoting Jesus, “We may tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs, and still not obey the commandments of God.”
This Biblical expression refers to the law of tithing, and the necessity to pay one-tenth on all things, including mint and rue (common kitchen spices). This part of the quote emphasizes the importance of being obedient to the point of paying tithing on the inconsequential things, such as the loose change we find in between the sofa cushions.
But then Christ points out that even though we are so precise and so exacting with our observance, we are still not being obedient. It would be like telling a person who takes his tithing out to six decimal places that he is not a full tithe-payer.
This does not seem to make sense. On one hand, we are told we need to keep all the commandments. Then, if we keep all of the commandments with microscopic precision, we are still not being obedient. This seems absurd.
The best way to make sense of this is to keep two things in mind. First, this is a classic example of an antinomy. We have two laws that seem to contradict, but when we look again we see that the key is to keep both in balance. This is like some of the roads in Utah which have both a maximum speed and a minimum speed. We understand the need for speed limits, but in winter there is a temptation to go slow because of bad road conditions. However, going too slow—even in the name of safety—can also be problematic. It backs up traffic. Hence the two laws. The key is to dive between the two limits.
The second point of this is that there is a danger in trying to be super-obedient. We can try so hard and have all of the external and measurable aspects of obedience or perfection down, yet we can still miss the internal and non-measurable aspects of perfection, such as love, justice, mercy, and faith. (Cf. Matthew 23:23) And, of course, the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I think Joseph Smith hits it on the head. There is a difference between perfection and perfectionism. Even though we are externally compliant, there is a solid center that can be missing. These are such things as the Beatitudes or the virtues listed in 2 Peter 1. Joseph Smith’s call was to have a balanced and sane discipleship, a discipleship that is internal, external, and Christ-centered.
Yes, perfection is possible, as long as we keep ourselves in perfect balance and solidly grounded.
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