THEOLOGY

LECTURE ELEVEN

On the doctrine of Christ

Of Charity

The effects which flow from charity

Followers of Christ and charity

1. Having examined the effects which flow from charity in the words, works, and actions of the Savior, we see that in scripture the Savior acknowledged that his actions flowed from the will of his Father: they were all done selflessly; they were all good. Christ’s motivation was pure love. Everything that he did beckoned others to come unto him and to come follow him.
2. As Christ did so, the Father honored him by witnessing to others, both through the Spirit and through signs, that he was the Christ, and that his actions were pure acts of charity in-line with the Father’s will.
3. “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.” 3 Nephi 18:24-25
4. As we turn our attention to the effects that flow from charity, which we witness in the followers of Christ, we must look for, and expect, the same evidences and results. 
5. Are the actions done in accord with the will of God, the Father?
6. Are they done selflessly?
7. Were they good?
8. Was the motivation charity, the pure love of Christ?
9. Was the central purpose to cause others to turn to Christ and follow him?
10. Was Christ the light which was extended, or was it another?
11. Finally, do signs follow those performing said acts, which Christ testified would follow?
12. Christ teaches us that signs will follow faith, both in New Testament times, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17-18, as well as in the latter-days: “Therefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost. And these signs shall follow them that believe—In my name they shall do many wonderful works; In my name they shall cast out devils; In my name they shall heal the sick; In my name they shall open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf; And the tongue of the dumb shall speak; And if any man shall administer poison unto them it shall not hurt them; And the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them. But a commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation.” D&C 84:64-73
13. We see that, although we might not know or understand the motivations of the heart to judge whether an act was performed by one having charity versus by one who is acting in a charitable (or possibly even a selfish) manner, God honors true followers through the signs that follow.
14. An examination of an action or an effect of true charity would contain these core components: a) did the words or actions call others to come unto Christ? b) were the words or actions honored by God in some way we can witness? c) were the words, actions, or signs void of any self-aggrandizement, pride, or boasting?
15. Often, we can look for the words “I” or “me” or “myself” when it comes to the words, actions, or signs. If those are put forth as the source, then it is quite easy to see the motive.
16. Let us first turn to Moses, who we will see acted and spoke the words which the Lord gave him at almost all times. However, in one instance he very much displeased the Lord. “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” Numbers 20:10-12
17. Yes, Moses performed a miraculous sign; but in this instance, he so displeased the Lord by taking the glory to himself, that he was not permitted to go into the promised land with the children of Israel.
18. We can turn to example after example where Moses did deliver the words, actions, and signs which the Lord commanded in a humble and meek manner, taking no glory for himself. Even standing before and rebuking Pharaoh, arguably the mightiest man on earth, Moses was completely humble and submissive to the most high God. We see then that even those who have obtained charity must constantly be on guard to ensure that it is charity and the will of God which is the foundation of, and motivating factor for, all words and actions.
19. Perhaps the act in which we most clearly witness the pure love of Christ in full force in Moses was when the Lord God threatened to destroy Israel for their wickedness and then raise up out of Moses a new, great nation.
20. “And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” Exodus 32:9-14 
21. Instead of agreeing with the Lord, Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel.
22. Moses could have chosen the easier path, allowing the Lord to start over with him as the head of a new people. Instead he chose the path that would afford as many as possible an extension in their probationary period of mortality that they might repent and turn to Christ. And the path that honored the promises between God and the fathers–Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
23. As discussed in Lecture six, having obtained a hope in Christ, it is only natural for us to desire the same for all peoples. Therefore, the purest actions we witness by those who have attained hope and charity such as Moses are those which point others to Christ, that they, too, might partake of the fruit of the tree.
24. Once a lawyer came to the Savior, tempting him with what he considered a difficult question, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Matthew 22:35
25. The Lord answered saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40
26. The Lord boiled down 613 commandments in the Law of Moses to two, and taught that on these two commandments not only the entire law is dependent, but all the words of the prophets as well!
27. Then, meeting privately with his disciples at the Last Supper, the Savior gives them a higher law. No longer is the measuring stick the love that one has for oneself (i.e. love thy neighbor as thyself). Christ sets the love which he has for us, his pure love, charity, as the new measuring stick which shows the world that we are his followers, his disciples.
28. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34-35
29. We should note with interest that the final writings of many of God’s messengers center around the love of God—charity. The epistles of John to the churches; the letters which Mormon wrote his son, Moroni; the admonitions of King Benjamin to his people; and many others—all center on the love of God.
30. When we obtain hope and charity we “know as we are known”. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
31. When we obtain hope and charity we “become the sons of God” and we become “like him”. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3
32. We see an example of being “like him” enacted in a beautiful and poignant sacrifice made by an entire people. We know them from the Book of Mormon as the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. These were Lamanites who were converted to the truth through the preaching of the sons of King Mosiah and their companions.
33. We should remember that at one time the sons of Mosiah had desired to destroy the church of Christ and frustrate the work of God; but they, along with Alma the younger, were converted in a miraculous, Pauline manner. Such was their conversion that, “…they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.” Mosiah 28:3-4
34. So great were the efforts of these sons of Mosiah and their companions amongst a bloodthirsty and murderous people that they brought thousands to know Christ. These converts to Christ took on the name Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
35. Other Lamanites, including Nephite dissenters such as Amalekites and Amulonites, were angry with these new converts. So great was their wrath that they were stirred up to battle with the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi because of their newly found faith.
36. Instead of preparing for war, their king, who had taken on himself the name of his people, Anti-Nephi-Lehi, encouraged them to bury their weapons and to turn to Christ. “And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.” Alma 24:16-17
37. What gave this people such assurance?
38. “And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations. Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.” Alma 24:14-15
39. The people known as Anti-Nephi-Lehites knew their sins had been forgiven.
40. They knew the word of God.
41. They knew the love of God.
42. Then they recommitted through an act of incredible selflessness and bravery.
43. “And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth. And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.” Alma 24:17-18
44. They buried their weapons and covenanted that they would rather give up their own lives than take the life of another.
45. Then, they proved their commitment to this covenant as their brethren came upon them, armed for battle.
46. “Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword. And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.” Alma 24:21-22
47. This act of sacrifice had an immediate effect upon their attackers.
48. “Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword— Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done. And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them. And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.” Alma 24:23-26
49. Can we expect to stand in the presence of God with martyrs such as these, who willingly laid down their lives for their brethren, if we are not willing to do the same?
50. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
51. Prayer, preaching the word, showing forth charity in all we do, pointing others to Christ, are all effects of charity, yes. But if one is unwilling to give up their life in the process of bringing others to Christ, then for whom do they labor? Is it for God’s glory? Or is it for their own? And, if for their own glory, have they truly obtained charity? In whom have they placed their trust? Is it in God, or is it in the arm of flesh?
52. Christ has commanded all those who would follow him to “…be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
53. This phrase is often questioned in commentary and discussion. But to see what Christ meant we only need look at the entire paragraph which leads up to this phrase:
54.  “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
55. Heavenly Father is perfect because he is no respecter of persons. He loves one and all. He sends his sun and his rain on those who are his friends and servants as well as upon those who are his enemies and fight against him.
56. Christ commands us to do the same that we might be perfect as the Father is perfect.
57. We must obtain that which is perfect, charity, so that we can do as he did: loving those who would be our enemies; blessing those who curse us; doing good to those who hate us; praying for those who use and persecute us.
58. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
59. Charity is “that which is perfect” because it flows from Him who is perfect.
60. Charity is attainable in this life.
61. From charity flows all good.
62. If we obtain charity, our words, actions, and the signs which follow become the Lord God’s words, actions, and signs; and as such, they are perfect.
63. How then can we not earnestly covet such a gift? How can we not wear out our lives in labor and our voices in prayer, laying all on the altar, that we might obtain charity, the pure love of Christ.