THEOLOGY

LECTURE SEVEN

On the doctrine of Christ

Of Charity

How Charity is Obtained

Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision of the Tree of Life

1. Having outlined how charity is obtained, we now turn to further examples in scripture which demonstrate the way to the love of God, the pure love of Christ, charity.
2. One of the early defining events of the Book of Mormon was the experience wherein Lehi dreamed of the Tree of Life as recorded in 1 Nephi 8. Shortly thereafter his son, Nephi, prayed to see what his father had seen and was given an open vision of the dream interspersed with other, future events which shed light on the meaning of the symbols which Lehi was shown. Nephi’s vision and explanations are recorded in 1 Nephi Chapters 11 thru 15, sometimes referred to as Nephi’s “panoramic vision” because of its all-encompassing nature.
3. Central to both the dream and the vision was the Tree of Life.
4. In his dream Lehi partook of the fruit and proclaimed “…I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy…” 1 Nephi 8:11-12
5. As Nephi prayed to know and understand the things his father had seen, he “…was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken? And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.” 1 Nephi 11:1-5
6. We note here that again the Tree of Life was so central to these events that it was the first question which was posed to Nephi: “Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?”
7. As the conversation with the spirit guide continued, the Tree of Life continues to be the first and central symbol discussed: “And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. And he said unto me: What desirest thou? And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof…” 1 Nephi 11:8-11
8. Instead of telling Nephi directly the interpretation, the Spirit begins to show Nephi future events. Nephi witnesses the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in detail—some 600 years before it occurred!
9. “And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou? And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins. And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” 1 Nephi 11:12-21
10. Witnessing this event—this condescension, Christ’s moving from a higher kingdom or degree of glory to a lower kingdom, to come into mortality as the Son of God—must have been humbling to Nephi. The love and gratitude which he must have felt were overwhelming; and the understanding of the profound event poured out on him as the Spirit continued its query:
11. “Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” 1 Nephi 11:21-23
12. The Tree of Life is the love of God, the pure love of Christ, charity.
13. It is the fruit of this tree, the tree of life, or the love of God, from which we all must partake—which we must all internalize. This fruit is “the most desirable above all things”. This fruit is described as “sweet, above all”, “white, to exceed all whiteness”, “pure, above all that is pure”, and, when tasted, fills the soul with “exceeding great joy”.
14. This love “sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men” as it is partaken, and then as it is shared.
15. No one can partake of the fruit of the tree of life selfishly. Charity and selfishness are incompatible.
16. No one can partake of the fruit of the tree of life pridefully. Charity and pride are incompatible.
17. Leading to the tree was a straight and narrow path along which ran a rod of iron. The rod is the next central portion of the vision. For if one believes the Tree of Life exists, and can be partaken of, then the question which follows must be, “How can I get there and partake?”
18. In answer to this question we only need continue following Nephi’s vision and conversation with the Spirit, which continues:
19. “And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him. And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.” 1 Nephi 11:24-25
20. Here Nephi is shown the rod of iron which leads to the love of God—for here the fountain of living waters are added to the tree of life as another representation of the love of God; but let not an additional symbol distract us as our focus is the love of God or charity.
21. Then, to help Nephi understand better the rod of iron, or word of God, he is shown the work, ministry, and miracles of Christ:
22. “And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God! And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove. And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not. And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.” 1 Nephi 11:26-30
23. Here we read of Christ “ministering unto the people, in power and great glory” as well as angels “descending” to men to “minister unto them”.
24. Often, we think of the word “minister” as a calling or position—someone exalted or to be honored. But the word minister came from Latin, meaning “servant”. We see then, that a minister should be one who serves others, caring for their needs, helping, nursing, or lifting them up even if it requires condescending on the part of the one performing the ministry.
25. This definition and understanding of the word “minister” fits perfectly for Christ and for the angels—both of which “came down” to care for needs, helping, teaching, inspiring, guarding, and lifting up.
26. The vision continues: “And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out. And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.” 1 Nephi 11:31-33
27. Here we witness that Nephi saw the miracles which Christ performed in his ministry. He healed and cast out devils and unclean spirits. Yet despite this ministry and these miracles the “Son of the everlasting God” was “taken” and “lifted up upon the cross”, allowing himself to be “slain for the sins of the world”. 
28. The iron rod is the word of God.
29. The Word of God is Jesus Christ.
30. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5, 10-14
31.  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
32. It is Jesus Christ, his word, his life, his ministry, his atonement for our sins, his gospel, and his doctrine which we must embrace in order to reach the tree of life, the love of God, from which we might partake and obtain the fruit of the tree, filling our souls with that which is most desirable above all, charity. 

Author’s Note: My spouse reminded me of an epiphany we had many years ago while reading Lehi’s dream which I feel is appropriate to include here. The central point is a simple question – How did Lehi come to the tree of life? Pay careful attention to these verses:

“…for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness. And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me. And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him. And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste. And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field. And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.” 1 Nephi 8:4-10

Often, we mistake the man who bade Lehi to follow him as a true messenger due to the fact that he was dressed in white. But where did the man lead Lehi? He didn’t lead him anywhere. Lehi was in a dark and dreary wilderness when he started following the man, and he was still in a dark and dreary waste as he followed him, even after many hours. The entire time he followed the man in white he was in darkness. It was not until after he prayed unto the Lord for mercy that he was shown the tree of life and beheld the fruit of the tree.

Such is life. Men can only lead us so far. No matter what our condition we will have to turn to the Lord for further light and knowledge at some point.

Those who participate in LDS Temple services also see this same principle enacted. There is much light and knowledge delivered by the Lord through messengers—angels, apostles, etc. But in the end, we cannot pass through the veil into the Lord’s presence until we obtain direct light and knowledge from the Lord through the veil and appropriately act on that knowledge in such a way that the veil is parted and we are permitted to enter in.