Charity

There seems to be a fine line between those who “make it” spiritually and those who don’t. (When I say, “make it,” I mean those who are able to perfect their faith and receive ALL of the blessings of the gospel in this life AND in the life to come.) This fine line is charity.

This definitive clue is given by Moroni in the Book of Mormon when he says:

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” (Moroni 7:47)

“It shall be well with him.” That, to me, says a lot! Moroni takes the extraordinary step of narrowing the entire scope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Doctrine of Christ, and the Plan of Salvation down to one definitive detail; one essential quality; one key which makes all the difference—the difference between success or failure; the difference between salvation and exaltation or damnation. All the stakes are bet on one fundamental gift/attainment/accomplishment: CHARITY.

Wow!

“It shall be WELL with him.” Where have we heard that word before? Let’s consider 2 Nephi 28.

“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.” (2 Nephi 28:21)

The implication here is that not all is WELL in Zion. One of the central messages in the Book of Mormon and throughout the Standard Works is that the majority of the Gentiles (that’s us, the Latter Day Saints and the Western Europeans) are really botching it! In fact, Nephi, Isaiah, and all the other prophet commentators warn us of our imminent destruction. But again, there seems to be a dividing line: CHARITY. Could it be that one of the gravest indictments against the Gentiles is our lack of charity?

“HEARKEN and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.

“Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city [Zion], but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name.” (1 Nephi 20:1 - 2)

There is a world of a difference between receiving a testimony of the restored Gospel, receiving essential ordinances, and exhibiting the outward virtues of a Zion people vs. actually being a Zion people. I propose that the key difference is charity, the pure love of Christ. For those who have charity, all is indeed well with them.

“Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” (Psalms 95:10)

In what way did the Israelites err in their hearts? They had not charity.

“For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me.” (Isaiah 45:4 - 5)

Our Lord has called us by His name; He has clothed us with His garments of righteousness—preconditioning us to know Him. When we KNOW the Lord, we experience His love; we receive it; we taste it. This love, the pure love of Christ, defines Him and it defines us when we are filled with it. Only by receiving and maintaining this blessed gift can we become like Jesus Christ.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:48)

When we are filled with Charity, our hearts and minds are permeated and imbued with those qualities which inspire and sanctify.

“And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (Moroni 7:45)

The scriptures consistently list dozens of superlative qualities that are essential for salvation. It is essential that we understand that these qualities are not attainable in the absence of Christ’s enabling power. Everything good comes from him. All virtue and righteousness is inspired by Him. We receive these characteristics by inspiration, not through some mechanical process of self-will.

“I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-2, 4-6)

When we “abide” in Christ, He purges our iniquity and empowers us to do His will. He also guides and directs us through His Spirit. This is the Spirit of Truth which is not seen but is true. This is the essence of faith. Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God, through His Spirit, followed by obedience to that Word. Faith is that which is not seen (Spirit), but is true (the Spirit of Truth). It is that principle of action and power whereby Christ works through us to do as He determines, according to our willingness to obey Him. When we have faith, we are the hands of Christ.

Christ exhibits faith when He does the will of His Father. It is the same with us.

Adversely, when we abide in sin, we routinely ignore and reject that voice within us which urges faith, obedience, and repentance.

“What we do depends on how we feel about what we know.” (Author Unknown)

When we love the secular and the profane more than the holy and the sacred, we inevitably choose accordingly. However, when our hearts are aligned with Christ’s, we easily choose to act as He would have us do; we give diligent heed to His voice. We do this because we love Him. And we love Him because He first loved us. He manifests His love by filling us with charity.

How do we actually gain charity? How do we receive that spiritual gift, which is called charity?

For starters, we need to be obedient to that which we know is right. Consistently do what you know is asked of you; such as personal and family prayer, scripture study, and service. Stop doing what, deep down, you know is wrong; such as unproductive media participation, dishonest behaviors, lust, enmity, criticism, etc… It is not hard to make a short and finite list of essential do’s and don’ts. This is not mechanical obedience; this is simply taking steps to do as the Spirit has been urging you to do all along.

Of course, gaining charity requires something more than obedience, simply because none of us are able to obey the Spirit of the Lord perfectly until after we are sanctified.

Receiving the priceless gift of charity requires faith/obedience, immersion, and sacrifice. We have already discussed faith/obedience.

Immersion means that we immerse ourselves in the sacred and the holy. Of course, we are all limited in how much prayer and scripture study we can accomplish in a day, or any other period of time. Personally, I spend a lot of time just getting things done. However, I have found that I can usually devote a spare corner of my brain toward spiritual reflection, prayer, and even song. This is a mental discipline which takes time and effort to develop. Through this process we displace Satan’s voice within us with that righteousness which comes from above.

Sacrifice is like extra credit in school. The Lord requires 100% for salvation; but since that is impossible in our fallen/natural man condition He gives us the Law of Sacrifice. We are commanded to offer sacrifices in similitude of the only Begotten of the Father. (Moses 5:7) When we do this, we are recognized as servants/sons/friends of Jesus Christ and our stain is removed, our obedience is perfected, our offerings are accepted, and we are ushered into the presence of the Lord.

When we are obedient to the Light of Christ, the power of the atonement is activated in our behalf. When we offer righteous sacrifice as we are inspired by the Spirit, the power of the atonement becomes fully activated to such an extent that Christ is able to accomplish his “perfect work,” even His “strange act” within us.

It is perfect because it perfects and it is strange because it is unanticipated. We labor in obedience and sacrifice, consecrating everything to the Lord, giving our all, holding nothing back, even if we are slain. The manner of Christ’s rescue is always up to Him; hence, the time and manner of his rescue and redemption is always a surprise. This is a strange act, indeed.

Charity is God’s gift to those who obey His voice, are immersed in His Spirit, and who offer sacrifices according to His law. This type of obedience, immersion, and sacrifice is only possible for those who completely forget themselves (hence, a broken heart) and submit themselves completely to Christ and His glory. Successfully pulling this off is the most rewarding and exhilarating experience imaginable. In fact, it is unimaginably sweet and glorious.

Personally, I am still in the process of learning how to do these things. However, as I have studied, prayed, and fasted that I might understand the keys of salvation, these promises and these truths have been revealed to me. I know this doctrine is true.

Jesus Christ is our Lord and King. He is our Savior and Redeemer. When His love fills our hearts we are empowered and sustained. We are purified and sanctified. We are exalted into His presence.

Of this I testify, in His holy name,

Amen.