A Theist your question on being perfect is good for all of us to dwell on, you asked if it's possible to be perfect as God is perfect, the simple answer is no, if it were then what Jesus did would not have been necessary. As a matter of fact if any man could be perfect as God is perfect then God the Son would not have had to come and fulfill that role so there could be a perfect sacrifice for mankind, the sacrifice to end all other sacrifices because even the sacrifices were not perfect. Only God is good so only God is perfect, there has been nothing perfect since the fall of man except for God, even the creation itself lost it's perfection to corruption. So outside of God nothing is perfect nor can anything be perfect until the second coming of Christ.
You also asked why Jesus would ask us to be perfect as God is perfect and I believe Drich has answered that most appropriately. Jesus is asking us to love everyone as God does and that would be with an unconditional love. Jesus said we are to love our enemies, now our enemies are going to be the hardest ones to love it's why Jesus used them as the example, if we can love our enemies everyone else should be easier for us to love. Jesus went on to say that we should cloth them give them food and shelter, in other words we are to supply their needs as our Father in heaven supplies our needs and His enemies needs. As Drich pointed out God causes it to ran on the evil and the good alike, He treats all of us as equals. So are we to treat everyone as equals and to do so means we need to love them as we love others. Now does this mean we are to love everything about them, by no means, for God hates the sin of all mankind and we even as sinners are to hate the sin. It is this that Jesus wants us to strive to perfection, can we, I'm doubting we can because of our fallen condition, but we are to try our best by asking God's guidance in this area of our lives.
Here's something else to consider, in Leviticus God tells his people (Israelites) to be holy as I am holy. Now I'm sure God never expected fallen man to be able to be as holy as He is, we do not have the attributes He does to be able to do this, so why would God say such a thing that is impossible for us to do. Just as in Matthew when Jesus said we should be perfect as God is perfect Jesus gave us the example ie. the area in which we were to try and accomplish this. God had given the Israelites the food laws previous to saying they are to be holy as He is holy. Those food laws were for a specific reason, the animals, insects, fish and mammals that the Canaanite people were eating was put off limits to the Israelites so that they would have a distinction from those people, circumcision is part of this as well. God did not want them to eat what was common to the Canaanites so that they would be separate from them, this is what God meant by being holy. Separate yourselves from those who do not believe in Me as I separate Myself from sin. These customs and /or laws were given so the Israelites would be a separate people. But why, because God wanted them to stand out among the other people so they would be noticed, because He was bringing a message to the world through them about himself and to do so they could not be like those around them that rejected God. as long as they were obeying these food laws and other laws given them by God they would be avoiding living as the unbelievers did, separate from a sinful people, separate as God separates himself from sin.
So no we can't be perfect as God nor as holy as God but we are to strive to be, so that we will be separate from the world in which we live and participate daily. In this way people will take notice of us as different from the world and might just listen to what we have to say about the God who actually made us different. Only with God's help can we be different, being different is part of the gift of salvation through grace and being different is one sign we have that salvation.
GC
You also asked why Jesus would ask us to be perfect as God is perfect and I believe Drich has answered that most appropriately. Jesus is asking us to love everyone as God does and that would be with an unconditional love. Jesus said we are to love our enemies, now our enemies are going to be the hardest ones to love it's why Jesus used them as the example, if we can love our enemies everyone else should be easier for us to love. Jesus went on to say that we should cloth them give them food and shelter, in other words we are to supply their needs as our Father in heaven supplies our needs and His enemies needs. As Drich pointed out God causes it to ran on the evil and the good alike, He treats all of us as equals. So are we to treat everyone as equals and to do so means we need to love them as we love others. Now does this mean we are to love everything about them, by no means, for God hates the sin of all mankind and we even as sinners are to hate the sin. It is this that Jesus wants us to strive to perfection, can we, I'm doubting we can because of our fallen condition, but we are to try our best by asking God's guidance in this area of our lives.
Here's something else to consider, in Leviticus God tells his people (Israelites) to be holy as I am holy. Now I'm sure God never expected fallen man to be able to be as holy as He is, we do not have the attributes He does to be able to do this, so why would God say such a thing that is impossible for us to do. Just as in Matthew when Jesus said we should be perfect as God is perfect Jesus gave us the example ie. the area in which we were to try and accomplish this. God had given the Israelites the food laws previous to saying they are to be holy as He is holy. Those food laws were for a specific reason, the animals, insects, fish and mammals that the Canaanite people were eating was put off limits to the Israelites so that they would have a distinction from those people, circumcision is part of this as well. God did not want them to eat what was common to the Canaanites so that they would be separate from them, this is what God meant by being holy. Separate yourselves from those who do not believe in Me as I separate Myself from sin. These customs and /or laws were given so the Israelites would be a separate people. But why, because God wanted them to stand out among the other people so they would be noticed, because He was bringing a message to the world through them about himself and to do so they could not be like those around them that rejected God. as long as they were obeying these food laws and other laws given them by God they would be avoiding living as the unbelievers did, separate from a sinful people, separate as God separates himself from sin.
So no we can't be perfect as God nor as holy as God but we are to strive to be, so that we will be separate from the world in which we live and participate daily. In this way people will take notice of us as different from the world and might just listen to what we have to say about the God who actually made us different. Only with God's help can we be different, being different is part of the gift of salvation through grace and being different is one sign we have that salvation.
GC
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
