Jesus' call to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48) is rooted in God's command to "be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2). But how can sinful and imperfect human beings be holy and perfect? We cannot, but through Jesus' redemption, we are declared holy and righteous before God. Through Jesus' sinless life and his innocent suffering and death all this has been done for us. Though we do still struggle with sin and its effects in our life, our calling in Christ is to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who persecute us. It is Jesus at work in us which enables this to happen.