“…even as I am.”
The attributes of Christ. Admirable? Motivating? Depressing? Some years ago, I was a bit startled to learn that women sit in church meetings on Mother’s Day Sundays hearing about how wonderful people’s mothers are or were and about the magnificence of mothers in general and it makes them… depressed? Apparently so—at least some of them. (Men, I now think, react similarly to hearing about great fathers, but not to the same degree.)
Might we react similarly when people talk about the attributes and character traits of the Savior? I hope not. It is true that he has commanded us to be “perfect.” And it is true that we are not. I suppose we could get depressed about our shortcomings (though that wouldn’t be very productive). As I understand it, though, “perfect,” in the sense he used it, means “complete” or “finished.” And, as I understand it, after much striving to become like Him—striving which will be good for me but ultimately insufficient—He will be the one to actually make me complete and finished and… Tough to bring myself to add, here, “perfect,” but it seems that we should. There is no good reason to beat myself up over my inadequacies vis-à-vis the Savior—or any person for that matter.
Jesus said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” It is interesting to equate (or at least associate strongly) eternal life with knowing God. It is even more interesting when considering Joseph Smith’s teaching that, in order to exercise faith, which is clearly essential, we must have “a correct idea of [God’s] character, perfections, and attributes.” I cannot actually exercise faith in the Savior or in my Father in Heaven if I do not have a reasonably accurate understanding of their attributes.
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” Jesus taught. So becoming familiar with the Son makes us familiar with the Father—one of the great blessings for us of his condescension.
The Savior also said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” Of course, salvation is from Christ, himself, not from the Jews, so the meaning of “of the Jews” needs to be considered. But today, Mormons could say a similar thing to many: “You don’t know God to the extent that we do. We know what we worship and we can help you know, too, and find Him. For salvation is from Christ and in His Church you will find legitimate authority through which you can bind yourself to Him in covenants He recognizes.”
Of course, we don’t know everything there is to know about God by a long shot. Much remains to be revealed. As a Church and as individuals, we learn about Him incrementally. The Old Testament taught us much. The New Testament much more. The Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants… more yet.
I was interested to read from Robert L. Millet that Joseph Smith’s own understanding of God the Father having a body of flesh and bones took time to develop and was not had at the conclusion of the First Vision as I had believed (and been taught)—or at least that’s what the preponderance of evidence strongly suggests. (To find that reference, click here and search the text for the word “corporeal.”) So we, too, come to know of His nature and “character, perfections, and attributes” “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.”
But there is much that we do know, including that God is a perfect man with a physical body, that God the Father is a separate person from God the Son, that we are literally His children (we have a Mother also), and that He not only wants us to be like Him, He facilitates exactly that for those who will receive His offerings.
God the Father possesses every good attribute in its perfection. So does the Savior. If we come to know the Son, we will come to know the Father and we will understand better what we should become, ourselves. The Son showed us that he is kind, merciful, compassionate, loving, and sensitive. He is also humble, obedient, and submissive. And He is strong, resilient, courageous, and steadfast. And He is all other good things. (One blogger has posted a list of 60 character traits of Christ, complete with biblical scripture references. It’s a neat list.)
In next Thursday’s class, we will talk more about “the character of Christ.” In the meantime, let us strive to acquire the attributes He has acquired. And let us be filled with gratitude, reverence, joy, and confidence knowing that He, in all His perfection, will yet be both our judge and our advocate—and will make us complete if we let Him.
“…but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
A week ago, we discussed salvation being a free gift available to us through the grace of Christ—but one that must be received and, hence, does not come without condition. He requires us to be completely committed—“all in,” as they say. He requires our whole hearts and all that we have and are. Consider:
“And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
“And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
“And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)
For what it’s worth, here’s my translation of the original Greek text in plain Juchau English…
“A random man comes up to the Savior and says to Him, ‘I’m committed to you. I will go anywhere you want me to go and do anything you want me to do.’ To which the Savior replies, That’s great, really great—but you must understand what it’s like to be sincere about being with me. It will not be the least bit easy and there will be little if any rest. You’re going to have to buckle up, big time.’
“Then the Savior says to a different man, ‘Follow me.’ And the man says, ‘Yes, of course, but first I must tend to my father’s funeral.’ And the Savior replies, ‘There are no ‘buts’ in following me. Following me comes first—ahead of the otherwise most important things in your life, including your family. Come now, right now, and help my cause.’
Then a third man says to the Savior, ‘I’m committed. I’m in. But before I really get started, I need to run tell my family good-bye.’ The Savior shakes his head sadly and says, ‘You must not have heard the previous conversation. There are no ‘buts.’ There are no false starts. You’re in or you’re out and if you’re in you’re all in—in which case you’re going to be with me for a long time—otherwise…not so much.’”
The Savior expects this kind of commitment from us. And he expects us to publicize and formalize our commitment through actual covenants made with him in sacred and symbolic rites, such as baptism and others in LDS temples. Through these covenants we promise to follow the Savior, keep His commandments, remember Him always, and steadfastly strive to be like Him. They’re not casual promises—at least they shouldn’t be, which He made clear, Himself, in Luke 9.
Of course, promises made must be promises kept. Or… hmm… how true is that, really? I fell short of perfection well before I promised the Savior that I would strive to be like Him and making those promises didn’t fix all my imperfections, unfortunately. I’m still impatient, rude, lazy, and myriad other bad things much too often. What if I don’t really keep completely my promise to follow His commandments and be like Him?
Well, this is where we come back to the heart. “I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.” He wants our promises to be sincere. He wants our commitment to represent true dedication. He wants us to give our all in frank and honest effort to show that our whole hearts, minds, and souls are with Him. But He knows we will fall short and so He agrees to forgive our follies if we strive with sincerity—and even to forgive our more significant sins if we return our hearts to Him and reset ourselves on the path of honest striving after we have erred. It is the best deal ever offered to anyone at any time.
I cannot earn my salvation. If I had to, it would be utterly hopeless. Only the Lord can give it to me. He will do that if I receive HIm: if I commit to Him and if I am truly sincere and devoted in my efforts to follow Him. If my commitments are real and my efforts sincere, I can enjoy knowing that, in fact, I don’t have to be perfect today (or even tomorrow) and I, along with the Lord, can tolerate with patience the time it takes before He, ultimately, makes me complete. THIS is what living after the manner of happiness is all about. I’m going to swing for the fences, miss, and still circle the bases. He’s going to lead me around them.
[A topic for another day is the formality of those commitments and the authentic authority under which they are required to be made.]
“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" 