The Path to Perfection

When talking about the atonement, it is important to realize that it wasn’t just an event that happened thousands of years ago. It is something that is happening right now. 

The word “atonement” literally means “to make at one”, specifically referring to the process of transitioning those who are at odds with one another to unity and peace. This unity and peace is not only intended to be with God, but with man as well. This unity is fully realized when we complete the process of fully gaining Charity.

Charity, the Pure Love of Christ

The scriptures are filled with passages that have multiple potential interpretations or meanings.  In some instances, the multiple meanings are given to enrich our understanding.  In other instances the true meaning is hidden by our perception and bias so that we cannot see because we don’t have eyes to see and we cannot hear because we do not have ears to hear. 

A clear example of this is given in the following scripture:

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” – Moroni 7:47

Here, we learn that “charity is the pure love of Christ.” But what does that really mean?

If you were to ask a room full of 100 people to describe what this phrase means to them, you would get three different responses, all of which are correct.  The word “of” can mean, “for”, “from” or “like”, and so we get the following three meanings of charity; 

1. The pure love from Christ – Christ loved us first.  This describes the love Christ has for us.

2. The pure love for Christ – This describes our love for Christ.

“We love him, because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19;  

3. The pure love like Christ – We love others like Christ loves others.  Our love has become like his love.

All three of these definitions are correct and apply to us at different stages of our progression as we gain the fullness of charity. We start out without any charity but end with complete charity in our perfected state.

There are five main stages of the atonement which take the most vile person and changes that person, over time, to become a perfected Saint. Each phase represents our internal desire and focus. Let’s go through them together.

Stage 1 – Do Anything to Save Yourself

When a person first accepts Christ, they usually have no charity and know very little about the gospel. They are accustomed to “the world in which they lived” where they have to scratch and cheat to get by. They are selfish and self serving. They fear God and worry about the eternal world that they have created for themselves. These are they who are under the law.

They know that they sin and are subject to the punishment of sin. In their selfishness, they are seeking a way to avoid the penalties of sin and the punishment of God.

They learn that through Christ’s suffering, they can be forgiven of sins and saved. Most people at this stage believe that Christ suffered the punishment of sin on their behalf, the innocent for the wicked.

They are so anxious to avoid the eternal punishment of their actions that they are happy and willing to allow the innocent to suffer for them as long as they don’t have to. They don’t really care who got them out of trouble or what that person had to go through as long as they can avoid suffering themselves.

It is a very selfish thing to accept the atonement as taught in the world, (that by allowing the innocent to suffer for you, you can avoid suffering for your own sins). It’s like agreeing to let an innocent stranger go to jail for a law you broke. 

For this reason, the atonement is attractive to the wicked and self serving. People seek to save their spiritual lives by allowing the innocent to suffer for them. In exchange, they agree to begin the process of change. They repent or try to repent and leave the natural man that they were to begin learning and following the teachings of Christ.

Stage 2 – The Pure Love from Christ

Some time after a person has accepted Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf, and felt the saving grace, the fear of their own punishment leaves them and they pause to consider how it is possible. Their mind turns to Christ and his sacrifice and suffering on their behalf. It is the first time that they are selfless enough to be aware of what he did for them.

In the process of learning about Christ and what he did to save them, they come to know his love.  So many of us grow up thinking that we know what love is and what it feels and acts like but all we know and have known is selfishness. Up to this point, we have only loved others for what they do for us. We love our friends and family as long as they are kind to us and support us. We hate our enemies who are against us. This is all we have known, so we call it love.  

It is not until we understand Christ’s selfless sacrifice that we realize what true love is. We realize that he loved and suffered for us when we were still his enemy. 

“[Christ] so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God.” – D&C 34:3

For many of them this is the first time they experienced true love. They feel the pure love from Christ.

Stage 3 – The Pure Love for Christ

Learning what love is and feeling his love softens our hearts. We begin to love him back, returning love for love.

“We love him, because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19

This for many is the first time that they learn to truly love someone else. They are devoted to Christ and would be willing to give their life for him just as he gave his life for them.

Their love and understanding of what he has done for them brings them to understand Christ’s love for them and to have a love for Christ in return.

Stage 4 – The Pure Love like Christ

Having experienced true love for the first time, they now know how to love others. 

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” – John 13:34-35

Their love begins to extend to their family and friends. They are beginning to experience charity, but that charity has not yet become perfect and will not until they complete Stage 5.

Stage 5 – Becoming Perfect

Jesus encouraged us to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect. 

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” – Matt. 5:48

We’re often told that Jesus was the only one who became perfect in mortality. This teaching is incorrect and creates the misconception that perfection is out of our reach or will only be achieved some eons after this life. However, the bible tells us that there were many people who attained perfection in this life. Here are some references.

Paul declares that he himself and those he speaks to are perfect or have achieved perfection.

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” – Philip. 3:14-15 

Paul speaks wisdom among them that are perfect:

“Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” – 1Cor. 2:6-7

The Lord says that Job was perfect.

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” – Job 2:3

Asa was also perfect.

“But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.” – 2 Chr. 15:17

Seth was also perfect.

“Because he (Seth) was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and could be distinguished from him only by his age.” – D&C 107:43

Noah was also perfect.

“And thus Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation; and he walked with God, as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” – Moses 8:27

The atonement of Christ is not just about teaching us to be perfect or teaching us how to be perfect, it is literally about making us perfect. 

Before we can see how the atonement makes us perfect, we must first understand what it means to be perfect.