Good vs Evil
READ Moroni 7:1-4
What
does it mean to have “obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the
rest of the Lord”?
You have progressed in your journey
to the point that you have received a promise or “hope” from Christ which
enables you to enter into His rest or the fullness of His glory (see Ether
12:4; D&C 84:24).
This promise or hope applies in
this life as much as to the next; in fact, if you have not received a hope from
Christ in this life that your life’s path is pleasing to Him, what will change
for you at death? Will your faith in
receiving that hope increase now that you have proof that there is life after
death? A religion that doesn’t have the
power to rend the veil for you now won’t help you once you have passed through
that veil – what assurance do you have that it will?
What
is implied by the phrase “from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with
Him in heaven”?
They are entering into His rest
now, in mortality, and should continue to do so until they finally rest with
Him in heaven (see D&C 132:22-24).
Entering into His rest now is meant
to help you “recharge your spiritual batteries” so that you can continue to
wade into the darkness of this mortal sphere and do His will – including
distributing that light and love He has given you to others. Christ’s experience with the woman with the
issue of blood (see Luke 8:43-48) shows us that “virtue” or light or spiritual
power leaves the giver (or mortal source/repository) in order to heal or bless
the other. Christ left His disciples
many times in the early morning or late night to pray and meditate – to “enter
into the rest” of God or abide with God so that He could be refilled with
light; we have been offered the same opportunity.
Why
does Mormon think these church members have obtained this hope from Christ?
Not just through revelation
confirming that it has happened.
But through the “proof” of their
“walk” or the way they are living their lives – “peaceably” with regards to
other people.
Note:
this is interesting given the fact that the Nephites were already an evil
society when Mormon was born and continued to deteriorate through his lifetime
until they were destroyed; perhaps Mormon misjudged them – they seemed
righteous because of their outward performances but they lacked inward
sanctification; or maybe one of the reasons they were destroyed is that men and
women who knew God and Christ actually betrayed Them and turned away from the
light becoming Perdition, after having received this hope or promise of their
exaltation from Christ; or maybe these people Mormon is referencing here ended
up dying martyrs deaths at the hands of an evil society that would not repent
when commanded to do so?
READ Moroni 7:5-10
Is
it always true that those who “do” good “are” good?
Good = valid; sound; complete or
sufficiently perfected; having physical and/or moral qualities best adapted to
its design and use; virtuous (see Webster’s 1828 Dictionary).
Good = precisely as God is (see
Matthew 19:17; LoF 7:9).
Verse 5 seems to say that you are
only as good as the works or outward performances that you do; so, if you
appear to do good works or even actually do them, regardless of the state of
your heart or spirit or your intentions, you must be good.
But if “works” refers to results
and not activities, then the meaning of the verse changes from “if you perform
good works, you must be good” to “if you accomplish good ends or results, you
must be good”; this is particularly true using the second definition of good
listed above – if your works result in enabling the immortality and eternal
life of man, then you are “good”; and these results won’t happen unless your
heart and spirit are actually “good”, as God defines the word.
Why
can’t “evil” people be “good”?
Their actions may appear “good” –
i.e. prayer, giving a gift or act of service.
But since their intentions are not
aligned with God – i.e. they do not offer the gift or service or prayer with
“real intent” – but are seeking some other reward or are doing the activity for
some other reason (not to enable the immortality and eternal life of man),
their “good” works or activities will not result in “good” outcomes (especially
for themselves, as their activities are not counted as “good” in heaven by God
but as “evil”).
How
do the intents of one’s heart define what “counts” as good or evil?
“Being evil” refers to the intents
of one’s heart – i.e. the person’s intent is not to enable the immortality and
eternal life of man (including their own and all others) but to serve their own
will, it makes them an enemy to God and “evil” or “not good” or “not aligned
precisely with God” (see Mosiah 3:19; Matthew 12:30).
So, if you perform “good”
activities but do them grudgingly or with the intent to manipulate or compel,
they are not “good” activities from God’s perspective.
This even extends to how God sees
the gifts that an “evil” person gives – they cannot give a “good gift” to
another in need, not because the one in need wouldn’t consider it good (at
least if they weren’t being controlled by it, then they would resent the gift),
but because the gift is judged by God as “good” based on what it does for the
giver and not the receiver.
READ Moroni 7:11-13
What
is the definition of “good” and “evil” that Moroni is asserting here?
Good = everything that comes from
God.
Evil = everything that contradicts
or opposes that which comes from God; which the devil has picked up and is now
championing.
Note: since the devil was once an
angel of light who had authority in God’s presence, he cannot be the origin of
evil; “evil” is anything out of alignment with the Eternal Laws that God
upholds and is completely aligned with or would cease to be God (see D&C
130:20-21; D&C 88:21-24; D&C 105:4-5; LoF 7:9).
What
is implied by the fact that both God and the devil “invite and entice”
us to follow them?
Inviting, enticing and persuading
are the only ways that God or Satan can influence us in this life; God has
given us our agency which means He will not control or compel us (see D&C
121:34-46), and Satan cannot take that agency away, unless we give it up to him
through our choices and behaviors.
God chooses not to violate our
agency (see Moses 7:32).
Satan is bound and cannot compel
us, although he’d love to (see Moses 4:3).
Entice = to instigate by exciting
hope or desire; to incite or tempt in a bad sense; to allure in a good
sense. We usually think of enticement as
a subtle form of temptation that only Satan uses but God will also entice us
with heavenly rewards.
READ Moroni 7:14-19
Why
must we “take heed” or be cautious of not misjudging good and evil?
Because it is much easier to do
than we think. This idea should really
give us pause.
Because if we do it, we are damning
ourselves because we must be precisely as Christ is or we cannot be saved (and
flipping good and evil means we are now doing evil thinking it is good,
resulting in us being precisely what Christ is not, without realizing it).
How
might we think evil could be of God or that which is good to be of the devil?
We really, really think we know
what is good and what is evil and how to tell the difference, and as a result,
we have faith in what we think we know or in other words, we act on what we
believe is true – but we run the real risk of unbelief (believing in and acting
on things that are wrong, believing they are right).
We really, really don’t necessarily
know what is good and what is evil because God’s thoughts and ways are on such
a different plain than ours that we cannot comprehend them unless we are filled
with the same spirit or intelligence or light or glory; in other words, the
“Spirit of Christ” or Holy Spirit/mind of God (see Isaiah 55:7-9; Moses 1:4-5;
LoF 5:2).
We trust mortal authorities and
institutions to tell us what is “good”, assuming that a) they know, b) they
haven’t flipped the definitions for their own purposes, c) they haven’t added
their own standards, practices, precepts and philosophies, or d) although what
they know is true, it is such a small part of the great whole or fullness of truth
that the application of what is known can be incorrect or woefully incomplete
in any given situation – i.e. they mistake virtue for righteousness, as in
doubting that God would command Nephi to kill Laban.
What
way to judge good from evil has the Lord given us and how is it used
effectively?
The Spirit of Christ or light of
Christ, which is given to everyone who enters this world; in fact, it sustains us
all and this whole creation from moment to moment (see Mosiah 2:20-21).
Which will show us good from evil
with a perfect knowledge, as we know the difference between brightest day and
darkest night.
If it persuades you to believe in
Christ and invites you to do good, it is “good”.
This requires that we understand
what “good” is (i.e. what is God’s will?
What are His ways and thoughts?
What are His “good things?” What
are His objectives and what “means” or actions are required to deliver those
results? What does it mean to be
“precisely” like Jesus Christ, and nothing else? For He is the prototype of the saved man, and
God’s work and glory is our immortality and eternal life or in other words,
that we become precisely as He is, which requires that we do what He did).
Judging effectively requires that
we “search diligently in the light or Spirit of Christ and lay hold upon every
good thing and condemn it not”; implied is that the natural man would condemn
it because they would not recognize it for what it really is; implied is that
the light or Spirit of Christ will lead us to or bring us in contact with
things that we must “lay hold of” but does not compel us to lay hold of them;
implied is that we must labor in the spirit or light to obtain more and more of
it so that we can “see” and comprehend things of the light more clearly,
otherwise we may not even see the “good things” or may not have sufficient
light within us to recognize that they are “good things” or in other words, we
can still “judge wrongly” if we have not searched diligently in the light of
Christ, as light cleaves to light.
Laying Hold of Every Good Thing
READ Moroni 7:20-21
What
are “good things”?
The truths or knowledge or
intelligence or light or spirit or glory that, if we had a fullness of, would
make us precisely like Christ (D&C 93:36-37; D&C 88:36-41; LoF 7:9,
15-16).
Obtaining or laying hold upon these
“good things” requires receiving them, comprehending them, and aligning one’s
life to them i.e. doing them; they cannot be understood or incorporated into
the being until they are experienced and embraced, hence one of the reasons for
mortal probations (see D&C 93:26-32).
READ Moroni 7:22-28
What
is Christ’s role in enabling that we can receive every good thing?
Every good thing comes of Christ;
i.e. these elements are His and we are created of His materials and are
sustained in this creation from moment to moment by His power (see Mosiah
2:20-21, 25); He is the “observer” that holds all creation in order (matter) so
that it doesn’t devolve into chaos (waves).
His atonement enabled Him to claim
“rights of mercy” from the Father by answering the ends of the law, with which
Christ can save us by advocating for us and all other things that He created
that have faith in Him and honor His sovereignty, including the stones of the
earth (see Luke 19:37-40).
He can make us His Sons and
Daughters through covenant, which is a true miracle considering our current
state.
What
is our role in receiving every good thing?
We must exercise faith in Christ.
We should receive or believe on the
testimonies or experiences of others who have walked the same path of faith
that we must walk; others include prophets/prophetesses, angels and gods.
We must act on the witness of
others without knowing the truth of the matter with a perfect knowledge or for
certain; we must cleave unto or seek to align ourselves with every good thing
we find on the way back to Christ’s presence.
In other words, we must choose to act in faith in Christ.
Faith: Manifested by Receiving
Angels and the Occurrence of Miracles
READ Moroni 7:29-34
What
principles govern the ministering of angels?
Angels minister to mankind
according to the word of Christ’s command; He deploys them and He gives them
their messages.
They show themselves unto those who
have strong faith, a firm mind, and whose hearts/minds are godly in their
desires, thoughts and actions – these individuals are “chosen vessels” to
receive the ministering of angels because they have qualified to be such (see
Alma 13:3-9; 3 Nephi 28:30-31); however, this doesn’t guarantee that they will
be visited or at least when they will be visited, as these things are done in
the Lord’s wisdom. Also, there is
precedent for the Lord to send angels to “minister” to those who do not meet
the above criteria (i.e. Laman and Lemuel, Alma II) however, these experiences
were not sublime or welcomed by the recipients.
Angels do not come to those of an
unstable and emotional constitution – they deliver further light and knowledge
and require one to have enough light already to comprehend the intelligence
they have been asked to relay; dark entities prey on those of an unstable and
emotional constitution and who lack the light to discern where their message
hails from (see Alma 12:10-11; 2 Nephi 1:13).
When you have become sufficiently
sound in your mind, stable in your faith, and obedient in your approach to His
commands, you free God to send His angels to minister to you.
What
is the role of ministering angels?
To call men and women to repentance
(see Mosiah 27:18). Implied in this is
that those who fulfill the criteria laid out above still have much to repent
of.
To declare the word of Christ unto
mankind (“have faith in me, repent, be baptized, come unto me” see 2 Nephi
32:3; Moses 7:27-28; Helaman 16:14; Alma 13:22-24) – to declare the gospel or
good news.
To do the work of the covenants of
the Father; to repentant people, God can offer to restore His covenants through
His angels; God will offer a rescue mission designed to raise and redeem those
who repent, but He will not offer another covenant if no one is willing to
accept the offer; instead He will send a message, and when rejected He will
seek other people to be His and send His heavenly messengers to them.
To make the elect “heirs of
salvation” and to minister to such or teach them the principles of Godliness
they need to know but can’t be taught by other (mortal) men or women (see
Hebrews 1:14; D&C 7:6; 2 Nephi 32:1-7; Alma 12:9; 3 Nephi 19:32-36).
To educate and prepare men and
women to behold God’s glory (and God’s glory is intelligence, or in other words
light and truth); ultimately the greatest truth is God Himself. If we entertain
angels and are instructed, we acquire the strength, fortification, knowledge,
(or in other words, the ordination) so it is possible to pass by the sentinels
who can bar our entry; and we must pass by them to enter into the glory of the
Lord (see Alma 12:28); going from belief to faith (in the Book of Mormon, the
word “faith” is used when an angel has ministered to someone) is a natural
progression as soon as any person with a firm mind in every form of
righteousness has been tried and found committed to the truth (we should ask
why that is not the case today); a person acquires “knowledge” when they have
an audience with Christ; the Book of Mormon intends for all those who read it
to acquire knowledge of Christ. They are to meet Him and to know Him. Hence the
saying by Joseph Smith: “a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge”;
saving knowledge comes from “knowing” or meeting with and being ministered to,
by Jesus Christ; angels prepare people to be ministered to by Christ.
To prepare the way among mortals
that they (those who are ministered to) can bear testimony of Christ to others
who have not received these angels (i.e. the “residue of men”), so that they
(the residue) can begin to exercise their faith, too and the Holy Spirit may
change their hearts (that they may receive the ministry of angels themselves
when they have the faith, mental firmness, and godly desires/thoughts/actions
to receive them); those who receive and entertain angels have an obligation to
declare their (the angels’) words, so others may have faith in Christ (the
sender of the angels). Words coming from the angels give hope and confidence
that God is no respecter of persons. This pattern vindicates the covenants of
the Father.
READ Moroni 7:35-39
Why
do people not receive the ministering of angels?
Because they lack the faith to
receive them – to see them or have them “appear” unto them (although they may
be there unseen – but this is because of the lack of faith of the one receiving
the messenger).
Because of their “unbelief” or
their belief in things that are not true or to have an incomplete or inaccurate
understanding of truth; they do not believe that angels exist, or they do not
believe that they can or will appear to mankind, or they do not believe that
they will appear specifically to them; they have “dwindled” or moved from a
state of belief (with true and complete doctrine) to a state of unbelief;
miracles end because of unbelief – God will not violate our agency to believe
(until the end…).
Does
it matter if we don’t have angels appearing to us?
Yes.
It is a proof of our personal lack
of faith or the level of our unbelief (believing things that aren’t true – i.e.
we have been taught and now believe that “supernatural” spiritual experiences
are unnecessary and are actually a bit suspect, and if believe Heber J Grant,
Mark E Petersen, Bruce R McConkie or Dallin H. Oaks, they are actually
unwanted).
It means that “all is vain”; our
performances and other actions don’t matter because we don’t have the faith in
Christ to receive His messengers (including Christ Himself) or see His
miracles; which means we don’t really have faith in a Christ that can send such
messengers (or come Himself) or it shows that we feel we have all the knowledge
we need and don’t want any more (see 2 Nephi 28:5-10).
The Restoration is marked by the
First Vision, the appearance of Moroni, the visit by John the Baptist, the
return of Peter, James, and John, and the voice of God in the chamber of old
father Whitmer; these events identify it as something quite different from
other Christian religions - it is not another sect but is God’s latest work
among mankind; when angels stop ministering to the Latter-day Saints, then the
original faith has ended among us and at that point we have become like any
other Christian sect.
Why
would people (and leaders) devalue spiritual gifts, miracles and the ministry
of angels by enthroning standards of behavior and outward performances while
discouraging the sharing of experiences associated with the power of Godliness?
Because
mankind (and particularly religious leaders) can control behavior, standards,
and the performing of outward ordinances but they cannot control God and His
gifts.
They try
to equate visible, measurable things as blessings from God to prove their
“righteousness” and authority from God – to each other and to themselves.
They
call spiritual experiences “too sacred to share” as a way of quieting people
from talking about them – which results in spiritual experiences becoming
counter-cultural, in time; but in reality, they are not happening among the
leaders (and will stop among the members if not believed in and asked for),
otherwise the outward signs of prosperity and the measurable standards of
behavior and performance would not be stressed so much; but those in authority
are threatened by the spiritual gifts and experiences of others because they
cannot control them and are not experiencing them personally; this is
particularly true when leaders have equated authority to preside with spiritual
power – they must quiet all other voices (see also Numbers 11:26-29) or be seen
as not as worthy and righteous as others who are experiencing them. Religious leaders who want to be popular with
the world (i.e. gain lots of converts) are in a particularly difficult
situation because the world disbelieves, mocks and hates people who say they
believe in spiritual experiences.
When you
experience the “real thing”, there is no need to pretend something else is the
power of Godliness – whether it is a mere human virtue, a standard of behavior,
a rite or performance or an inspired moment (not to be confused with the gifts
of the spirit, ministry of angels or miracles which defy human comprehension),
but if these things are brushed aside, then faith itself has failed.
Has
God stopped sending angels to minister to men and women in our day?
No, He continues to send them to
those who believe, desire and qualify (see above).
If you’re not receiving the
ministry of angels, it’s not because He doesn’t want to send them to you; it’s
because you lack the faith, firmness of mind, and godliness to ask for them
(see 1 Nephi 15:8-11) or receive them at this time (see D&C 67:10-14).
In fact, if you’re not receiving
angels and miracles, the Lord pronounces a “wo” or curse upon you because it
proves that you don’t have the faith in Christ to be redeemed or enter back
into His presence in the flesh (see Ether 3:13; D&C 132:21-25), making His
work void (see Moses 1:39).
What
is a “chosen vessel” and who are the “residue”?
Chosen vessels are not a limited
number of Church leaders and the residue are not the balance of the Church –
angels are not respecters of persons, are not obligated because of Church
callings, and can come to anyone at any time (see Alma 32:23).
A “chosen vessel” is whoever is
visited; they are chosen by Gods and angels and not be other men (see D&C
121:34-46); they can be men who fight against the Church (Saul or Alma II),
righteous women (Mary at the Garden tomb), youth (Joseph Smith; see Joel 2:28)
or children (3 Nephi 17; 1 Samuel 3:1-10).
The “residue” of men are those who
have not yet exercised the faith to receive these visitations but need the
testimony of those who have to bolster their faith (see LoF 2:54-56).
What
must we do to receive the ministry of angels and have miracles (“supernatural
spiritual experiences”) occur in our lives?
Repent (of sins but also of
unbelief and a hard heart) and offer one’s whole soul in sacrifice (see Omni
1:26; 3 Nephi 9:19-20).
Meekness of heart; pride in
spiritual experiences or self-righteousness will preemptively disqualify you
from receiving the ministry of angels, except to curse you.
Obedience to God’s commandments so
that you can be filled with more light.
Build and exercise faith in Christ
and faith in His desire for you to receive angels (see 3 Nephi 7:18), and later
to come unto Him in the flesh and be saved.
Prayer and supplication for further
light and knowledge; you must have the faith to ask and you must want to
experience these things; you must have questions for the Lord to answer.
Patience in the Lord’s timetable;
you must “wait upon the Lord” as Moses did upon Mount Sinai for 6 days before
God appeared to him (see Exodus 24:13-18).
Hope in Christ
READ Moroni 7:40-44
What
does it mean to “attain unto faith?”
Attain = to achieve or accomplish,
to gain, to reach or come to a place or object by progression or motion.
To attain unto faith means to
exercise faith (act on belief) to the point that the object of faith is proven
to be true through experience; one’s knowledge becomes perfect in that thing
and one’s faith is dormant or “attained” (see Alma 32:34).
What
is hope?
Hope is a promise.
The hope or promise is that through
His atonement and resurrection, Christ tells you that you will be
saved.
It’s not a general scriptural
promise but a specific promise to you from the Lord, that the path of life you
are on is according to His will (see D&C 88:75; LoF 6:1-6).
Why
must you have a hope to be able to attain unto faith?
To be able to muster enough faith
in the face of opposition to receive a perfect knowledge, one must have
received a hope or promise from a source beyond repute (i.e. a God who cannot
lie and has the power to do what they promise) – not just from an “old book” of
covenants or promises given to others.
Unless you have this hope from
Christ, your faith will fail or you will “grow weary in your mind (belief)” and
fail (see LoF 6:12; D&C 122).
How
is such a hope gained?
Through the sacrifice of all things
(see LoF 6:7-11).
Which sacrifice requires faith in Christ
to offer.
This is why you cannot have any
hope or a promise from Christ unless you first exercise faith in Him; it can
seem like a circular argument and it is circular but it’s like a helix, meaning
that it’s a “three dimensional” circle that rises – one receives the idea that
God exists and has certain attributes (information gained from those who have
seen Him or have said they have); then one chooses to exercise enough faith
(belief + action) to put that idea to the test; there is a trial of faith that
takes place and if the individual endures it in faith (and the idea they were
testing was true), God gives them a confirmation or proof that the idea actually
is true. This pattern continues as God
asks the individual to sacrifice, in faith, more and more earthly things for
heavenly promises until one is ushered into Christ’s presence to receive a hope
or promise from Him of salvation (they have attained unto faith, in this thing
– receiving a promise of salvation), after which, the cycle continues until
they finally receive that salvation which was promised.
Why
must such a person be meek and lowly of heart?
If they are not easily imposed
upon, their pride and impatience will derail them such that they will never
continue along the path of faith to receive a promise or hope from Christ in
salvation.
Only if they are meek and lowly of
heart, will they submit to the Lord in all things, as He did with the Father
(see Helaman 10:4-5; John 8:25-29; 3 Nephi 11:11; 3 Nephi 27:13-14) – otherwise
they will follow their own wills or desires.
Charity, the Pure Love of Christ
READ Moroni 7:45-48
What is charity?
God’s love which begins with, centers in
and emanates from God.
The pure love of Christ.
A Gift of the Spirit.
Primary characteristic of the Divine Nature.
A barometer of our hearts or our covenant relationship with Christ;
the ultimate litmus test.
What does it mean
to say that charity "begins with and centers in and emanates from
God?"
Pure love
comes from a pure source, from God. It begins with God,
is extended by him to man (to all creation), and sheds "itself abroad in
the hearts of the children of men" (see 1 Nephi 11:22).
We love Him because He first loved us. His love is proactive – it is part of His
nature. It is unconditional, meaning it
is infinite and doesn’t depend upon our reciprocating it. It is a trait of God, not a relationship;
although it is the critical enabler of any relationship being built.
His love for us is epitomized in His condescension: the God of
Israel left His heavenly throne to be born in a stable to a poor family from an
obscure area and to work out the atonement, which He later described as
follows: “which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to
tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body
and spirit – and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink –
nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my
preparations unto the children of men.” (see D&C 19:18-19). Pure love is “sacrificial” in nature – it is
a gift from one to another; the giver gives it without conditions of
reciprocation attached to it. This is
how one can love without “attachment”.
Love is the connective vehicle or enabler through which light/energy
or intelligence/truth or God’s glory/power is transferred from one being to
another; it transcends space and time from one heart to another. Sadly, hate works the same way with
darkness.
What does it mean
that charity is a gift of the Spirit?
It means that we can only feel it as we receive it from God.
We cannot conjure up God's love within ourselves without Him
putting it into our hearts.
We do not “work on our charity” any differently than we work on
our prophesy, visions or discernment – which is not to say we don’t “work on
it” but that the way we do so is by entreating the Lord to grant us these “best
gifts” that we might become like Him and help others to also do so.
Charity is that gift of the Spirit which motivates us to greater
goodness – we can serve people without loving them but we cannot truly love
them, as the Lord does, without serving them and ultimately sacrificing all
things for them.
What does it mean
to say that charity is a primary characteristic of the divine nature?
"God is love" - it is the "sine quon non" of
the gospel ("without which not" or the requisite element for a
condition or event to be possible).
It will make us more like Him than anything else we can do because
it IS Him. It will purify us. It will make us truly His sons and daughters
(give us His "family resemblance").
Charity endures forever; “Endless” and “Eternal” are two of God’s
names, as is “I am” which means “I exist”; implied is that He exists forever,
in an endless and eternal state; charity is His defining characteristic and
motivates all His works and it endures as long as He endures (see Moses 1:39;
LoF 3:18, 24), and as He has life in Himself, that means it endures forever.
God has a fullness of joy and happiness comes from having charity
for others; it is paradoxical but sacrificing all things for another brings
true happiness to the one making the sacrifice; God has sacrificed all things
for us and has a fullness of joy and love, as a result.
How is charity a
prime indicator of our covenant relationship with Christ?
Those who come unto Christ become as Christ – they partake of His
divine nature, receive His attributes and come to love as He loves.
Obtaining the Pure Love of Christ is one of the keys to abiding in
the gospel covenant and retaining a remission of our sins - we will not be able
to stay in covenant if we don't have charity.
If we love Him, we will keep His commandments and He will manifest
Himself unto us in the flesh (see John 14:15-23), enabling us to know Him with
a surety.
In reverse: a prime indicator of the world’s continuing towards
the fullness of Iniquity is that the love of men waxes cold and faith in Christ
dies (D&C 45:27).
Who we truly are is manifest in how we feel toward God and His
creations, which are primarily manifested in how we feel toward and treat each
other (see Matthew 25:31-40) and how we keep His commandments (see John 15:17).
How
does charity endure all things?
Through His Atonement, Christ
endured all things.
He performed the atonement because
of His perfect and pure love for us (see John 15:13-15).
God is love; His love enables “virtue”
or light to be given, by sacrifice (the action which proves the love is pure),
to all creation, whether it is returned to Him in kind or not; because He
endures forever, His love endures forever.
How do we receive
the Gift of Charity?
First, accept Christ’s atonement through faith, repentance and
baptism in water.
Second, come unto Christ by living the terms of the baptism covenant
(offering your whole soul) and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost (which shows
that the Lord has accepted of your sacrifice) and be baptized or purified in
heavenly fire.
Third, pray with all the energy of your heart to be filled with
charity.
What
is the relationship between charity and hope?
Charity is a gift from God; it
allows you to love others unconditionally. When resting secure in your own
future state, you can love and hope for others in a way you could not if you
were still worrying about your eternal welfare.
In addition, as your nature has
been changed as a result of the hope or promise you received from God – your
desires have now been transformed and are aligned with God’s through sharing
the same mind or Holy Spirit – you most desire the immortality and eternal life
of others because you love them as God does.
How
is the gift of charity manifested by mortals in this life?
Because suffering is real here…only
here on earth, out of God’s direct presence, do we have the opportunity to
sacrifice all things to relieve the suffering of others.
Christ manifested charity when He
was here performing the atonement and throughout His life – and we must also do
if we are to become like Him (see D&C 138:11-14; Luke 23:34).
While we don’t have the capacity in
this life to atone for the sins of others, we do have the capacity (and must
exercise it) to forgive other’s trespasses against us and to intercede on their
behalf before the Lord, especially when it is undeserved (we were sinned
against without warrant and the perpetrator never repented); we must provide
mercy to others (see 3 Nephi 12:38-45) as charity cures sin (in us as we
forgive, allowing Christ to forgive us, and in others as their hearts are
touched, see 1 Samuel 25:23-28) and if we do not extend mercy but instead
insist on judgment, we will be judged by the same standard we have set for
others, and we will fail that judgment.
Going
back to Mormon’s question in verse 20, “how can we lay hold upon every good
thing?”
Exercise faith in Christ.
Receive a hope from Christ of our
salvation.
Seek after the gift of charity with
all our hearts.
Serve, bless, love, forgive, and
intercede with charity like Christ, until we actually become like Him (see
Moroni 7:48; Alma 5:14; 3 Nephi 12:48; LoF 7:9, 15-16).
We exercise faith (act - repentance, baptism, obedience)
in the hope (promise) we have received that we might receive the gift of
charity which is his defining attribute (become like Christ, see and love
people like He does).
Love is the great commandment. It
was the reason for Christ’s coming to redeem us. His love for God is why He
submitted in all things to the will of the Father. It is what He expected as the great sign of
His followers. It was the duty of those who claim to follow Him.
