Link: Mormon Envy
An interesting take on Mormonism in the form of a book report (of a book written by a non-Mormon).
On the Just and the Unjust
I was reminded recently, by the anguish of a dear friend, that life is hard—and sometimes it is very, very hard. Given the relative ease of my own life (thus far) and the depths of human misery in faraway (and sometimes near) places, I’m hesitant to say that life is hard for all of us, but—at least to some extent—it is. The Savior said, “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” We won’t all be tested in the same ways, but we will all be tested. It is part of life’s purpose and, as resistance does for muscles, provides for us opportunities to grow—even when that last phrase seems like such a cliché when we’re in the midst of significant adversity.
Yet, even knowing that life involves testing and opposition, we sometimes seem surprised, even shocked, that extreme difficulty would come to us. We tend to see ourselves as “the just” and think life unfair when the rain falls, as it surely will. Echoing the Savior, Longfellow said (as my mother often reminded me during rainy—meaning most—days in Seattle) that “Into each life some rain must fall.” We ask how this can be and why life is unfair and where God is, for heaven’s sake, and how He could let such things happen to us.
Adding to our confusion and perceived injustice is our knowledge that blessings follow obedience, which they surely do. But that’s not to say that the opposite is true: that adversity follows—and only follows—rebellion. Certainly negative consequences follow poor choices, but the worst consequence can follow even the best choices. Just consider the great martyrs.
Lawrence Corbridge said,
“Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier?
“He said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; … and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you will make it.”
I agree. We do not—indeed cannot—always see specific tests coming. And there is no guarantee that when they come, our prayers and pleas for relief will be answered in the time and manner we want. But. Whatever happens, if we will place our trust in the Savior, walk with Him, and allow Him to walk with us—patiently, submissively, and constantly striving for the best outcome—we will be better off than if we dismiss God and try to go it alone.
“Wilt thou be made whole?”
Mormons are frequently accused of believing that they are saved by works. To make matters worse, many Mormons believe that Mormons believe that we are saved by works – or at least partially so. To be fair, it is a tricky matter—both in substance and semantics. I will explain how I see it.
First, it is clear that we are saved by the grace of Christ and through no other way. Period. An appeal to the Book of Mormon may be of even more value and less ambiguity than an appeal to the Bible. 2 Nephi includes these teachings: “Salvation is free.” “…it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.” And, “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (I interpret “after” to mean “in spite of,” the whole point of that verse being to emphasize that grace is what saves and not the things “we can do.”) Paul said to the Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
It is said that Mormons believe they earn their way to heaven on their own merits – at least in part. But this is not at all what Mormons believe. Jesus taught (in the Bible; Mormons believe in the Bible), “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Similarly, King Benjamin taught, “there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” And Nephi taught that we succeed by “relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save,” speaking of Christ. He does not say “partially” nor make reference to our contributions.
But, of course, if salvation is a free gift from Him who loves all and love them perfectly and has the power to give or retain His grace… why, then, are not all saved?
I like to think of the answer to that question beginning with this verse from more recent scripture:
“For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.”
The free gift of the Savior’s grace must be received.
How does one receive this gift? It is by giving ourselves “wholly” to Him who “purchased” us. “I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.” In fact, he requires “all thy heart,… all thy soul, and… all thy mind.” Everything. If we give Him everything and thereby meet the conditions of free but not unconditional salvation, He gives us the full weight of His grace. It is an exchange entirely in our favor.
But, again, what does it mean to give him everything and how do we do that? More on that in my next post. For now, here are a few great references on the topic of grace and LDS reliance on the Savior…
“Salvation: By Grace or by Works?” by Gerald Lund
“The Way” by Lawrence Corbridge
“Grace Works” by Robert L. Millet
“…free to choose liberty or captivity…”
There are few people who can answer the question, “What is the purpose of life.” Even fewer who can answer the questions of where we came from and what happens after this life. Granted, there are myriad details about the heretofore and the hereafter that Mormons don’t know, but, relatively speaking, we know a lot.
Taking the Plan of Salvation—or “Plan of Happiness”—in rough chronological order from life before birth to life after death, we recently (in our YSA Seminar Series) identified 21 principles inherent in the plan. For each of these, we identified a statement to test our agreement of those principles. See which of them you agree with and which you think we got wrong. These principles help answer such difficult questions, “Why does God let horrible things happen to good—even to innocent—people?” “Why do people go to war in the name of religion?” And, “Why doesn’t God give me all the things I ask for?”
Family: I am a child in a large, eternal family. I have a father and a mother.
Nature of God: God has a physical body. He is perfect in his character and decision-making. He has the understandable motivations of a father and wants me to become like Him.
I Need to Grow: I am not like my heavenly parents in some ways. I lack an immortal body and I lack mastery of choosing right over wrong.
Mortality is Essential: To become like my heavenly parents, I must receive a body—even if only a temporary one for now—and I must master choosing right over wrong. To do this, I must come to earth.
The Veil: Even though I have long existed before mortality, I cannot access any memories of pre-mortal life while I am on the earth—and this is good.
Agency: In order to grow, each person must have freedom to make their own decisions.
Choice and Opposition: In order to make decisions, I must have choices between good and evil and I must be free to make them. In fact, I cannot make a good choice unless the possibility also exists for me to make a bad choice. I must be confronted with both good and bad.
Consequences: My ability to choose between good and evil would not be complete unless I am permitted to experience the full consequences—whether good or bad—of my choices.
Intervention: God may but is generally not likely to intervene and spare me from negative choices—or spare me from the negative choices of other people when I am innocent. He is not likely to step in and “fix” things for me.
Faith: Learning to make the best choices involves exercising faith—trusting in someone I cannot see, in a plan that cannot strictly be “proven” to me as true, and without a perfect knowledge that those choices will lead to the best outcome for me.
Sin and Death: All sins—any sin—separates me from God and disqualifies me from being with Him—period. Any sin on my part causes a spiritual “death” which separates me from God.
Justice: God is just and He administers justice. Justice cannot be cheated. He doesn’t bend or break the rules for me. This applies to both God the Father and God the Son.
Proxy: Within the rules of eternity, one person can stand in for another. Within the rules of eternal justice, one person can pay another person’s penalty—at least provided that the one paying the penalty is perfect or has god status.
Repentance: If I have acted in a way that separates me from God, the Savior can reconcile me back to Him if I change my heart, change my behavior, rely on the Savior, and re-orient myself toward following my Father in Heaven.
Mercy: God the Father—and God the Son—possess the attribute of mercy in its perfection. They are kind and generous without becoming unjust.
Grace: Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and is our judge. If we are to receive all the mercy He can give us, it will be solely because He offers us—and we receive—His grace.
Covenants: Covenants (which always include ordinances) are the means through which I qualify for Christ’s grace. I must make them under proper priesthood authority and keep them.
Time: Time matters! Though growth will continue after this life, this life is the time to prepare to meet God and there is a sense of urgency both to become the best I can and to help as many as I can.
Immortality: After this life, I will live, eventually with a resurrected body, and will never die.
Glory: After this life, I will live in a state of glory.
Eternal Life: If I keep make and keep the right covenants and thereby qualify for Christ’s grace, I will receive that grace and I will not only return to live with my Heavenly Parents, but I will become like them.
“…posterity, wisdom, joy, and influence.”
To what extent are followers of Christ obligated to not just follow but to lead? Must all followers of Christ lead? Can that leadership be passive? Can I get away with leading “merely” by example? Or must I lead with active intent?
What did the Savior say? Certainly his instruction to “let your light so shine” (on a conspicuous candlestick, no less) was aimed at all of His followers. Likewise his identification of disciples as “the salt of the earth” seems like an admonition to all. To Peter, he said, “strengthen thy brethren” and “feed my sheep.” Can we excuse ourselves from doing the same by thinking he was speaking exclusively to a priesthood leader? I don’t think so.
In a talk given in 2001, Sherry Dew described righteous women who inherit eternal life as enjoying “eternal increase in… influence”—as well as wisdom, joy, and posterity—all things we desire in this life and not merely the next. Influence is a desirable and worthy possession. We should strive to both acquire it and exercise it as best we can – for the purpose of leading others to Christ.
How do we acquire influence? We care. We accept. We love. We offer real encouragement (not nagging or riding). We make it personal. We get involved with others and build friendships. Introverts may need to overcome some things – though being the life of the party isn’t a requirement.
The Savior acquired influence by spending time with people. He reached out to those who particularly needed reaching out to. He walked and talked with people, asked them questions, and provided relief. He certainly set an unwavering example of devotion to His Father in Heaven and to principles of love and commitment. His consistent example provided authority for his words.
You and I must set an example, but we must also strive to do more. We should be with people providing sincere love, acceptance, support, and encouragement. We should even dare to teach in the right ways. We should strive to influence for good and be intentional about it. It isn’t enough to set an example and hope somebody catches on – though whatever example we set, good or bad, others will most certainly “catch on.” We must seek to acquire and exercise influence for good.
According to Church Handbook 2, “being a faithful disciple in order to help others become faithful disciples—is the purpose behind every calling in the Church.” Further, it says there are four specific things we can do:
- Remember names and become acquainted with people. (Moroni 6:4)
- Love without judging. (John 13:34-35)
- Strengthen individuals “one by one.” (3 Nephi 11:15 and 17:21)
- Build friendships and visit with people. (D&C 20:47)
Those are things we can do!
The challenge: Increase our own discipleship, but don’t wait to be perfect before reaching out to others. Identify the people we can influence and develop sincere love, interest, and caring for them. Strengthen relationships and in our relationships provide encouragement toward greater discipleship of the Savior. Be sincere enough in our efforts that these relationships will endure beyond the unwillingness of others to more fully embrace the Savior. We can do this. Doing so brings great rewards to all of us.
Living "after the manner of happiness" 