So should we not do everything in our power as mere humans to live up to the ideals of Jesus as best as we are capable of?
Yes, we should. But we each have our own gift. For some very few, it's a gift of martyrdom, or devoting our entire lives to living to the highest ideals possible in the name of Jesus - like a missionary, nun, priest. That's not to say the rest of us don't have our gifts - maybe teaching and molding young minds, maybe helping others - maybe being a warrior. Warriors have to do things during war that the rest of us would never be able to do, it is their gift.
If good people don't fight and live to fight another day - if good people don't have lots of babies and raise them up to be good people - then all is lost for us. We have to survive in this world. We try to be the best we can be, but there are monsters in the closet and under our children's beds and there are fire-breathing dragons that want to burn our homes down - there are vile, repulsive creatures that want to kill you and rape your wife and daughters.
We have to deal with it.