Understanding "the Why"

It was high council Sunday today.  Our speakers were Brother and Sister Taylor from Barstow.  In her talk Sister Taylor altered a quote from Sister Elaine Cannon who was a former YW General President (the quote was used by Sister Wixom in her address in last October's conference).  She read the quote in this way: "There are two important days in a [person’s] life: The day [they are] born and the day [they find] out why."  This quote has stuck with me for the rest of the day.

As I share it now, I'm reminded of the line from the Church film "Man's Search for Happiness" that states: "Your birth is a matter of record.  You take it for granted."  We all know when we are born because that day is celebrated every year (okay, unless you're a Jehovah's Witness), but there are so many people out in the world who don't know why they are here.  They think they flared into existence at some time along the gestational path and are now here to live out their lives and die when the time comes.  As far as they can tell, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for their existence and they have no belief that they came to this earth "trailing clouds of glory" (“Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth [1924], 359).

I find the whole idea to be depressing.  I burst onto the mortal scene, try to make through my growing up years, gain relationships (or not), get married (or just move in with as many partners as I see fit), try to make a decent living, save up for retirement, do some traveling and then pop back into whatever netherworld I came from when life is over and spend the eternities as a spirit, a consciousness, or nothing with no real connections to anyone.  Yikes.  Why would I sign up for something like that?  In this scenario, I can see why people would do all they could to obtain the most money, power, possessions, fame, notoriety, or whatever they could before succumbing to an inevitable death.  If there is no life after this one, then perhaps I would think that the best thing to do would be to make as big a splash as I could while alive in order to not become just another name on a gravestone.

As members of the Church, we should know the "why" of our existence.  We are not here by chance.  As President Thomas S. Monson testified, "a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.

"Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones. We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions" (Ensign, May 2012, 91-92).

Because of the veil of forgetfulness, some people do not believe this answer or refuse to consider it as an answer, but that doesn't preclude us from testifying of its truthfulness.  That is also part of the test as I see it.  For those of us who have come to recognize the answer, we cannot allow the finger pointing of those in the great and spacious building to deter us from that knowledge.  How much worse would it be for us to allow ourselves to be bullied away from the truth rather than dare to stand alone, if need be, in defense of that truth?

Brother Taylor talked about eternal perspective.  During his talk he referenced a talk given by President Kimball entitled, "Tragedy or Destiny".  I remember having a pamphlet of this talk back in my missionary days.  Brother Taylor quoted several things from this talk, and I found it in the Priesthood and RS manual of 2006.  As I was looking at it to see if I could pull anything from it that was quoted by Brother Taylor, I instead came across a quote that Bro. Taylor didn't use, but that I found to be very profound.

The quote is from Orson F. Whitney who served as an apostle from 1906 to 1931: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven" (Teachings of President of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, [2006], 16).

Interesting thought.  Sometimes, I believe, we (I) get so caught up in the "here and now" we forget that God's timetable is eternity.  Coming back to the "why are we here" question, He and Mother in Heaven are trying to teach us about ourselves, and they are trying to teach us that lesson by allowing us to experience it for ourselves.  If They take the pain and the sorrow and the suffering away, how will we be able to understand the pleasure and the joy and the blessings and have gratitude for them?  It would be too easy for them to be "helicopter parents" and just hand us all the answers or immediately give us what we want when we want it or to take away the consequences of our choices—good or bad.  But what would we learn?  If anything, we'd become like spoiled teenagers who expect life to be handed to them and who feel they can do anything they want because of the lack of consequences.

In a sense, that was Lucifer's proposal: to either hand us all the answers or toss the rule book aside or both.  But in the end, what would we learn?  Nothing.  No progression; no growth; no chance to truly find out the "why" of our existence.  Honestly, despite the pain and problems we face, I'd rather have this life than the one Satan proposed.  I suppose that's why I fought against his alterations.  In fact, that's why all of us who are here as mortals fought against his alterations.  If we remember that we fought tooth and nail to have this life as it is presented to us, then we may have a greater appreciation for it and for what Father and Mother are trying to teach us as we muddle along.  When we truly do understand the "why" of this life, it makes so much more sense and has such a beautiful symmetry to it.  I hope I can always remember the "why" and help others to understand it as well.

Unexpected Lessons

On Friday after work, I headed up to Camp Hinckley in the Big Bear area to serve as the chaperone for the priests in our ward who were going to be attending the Priest and Laurel Conference put together by our stake YM and YW leaders.  Actually, I should amend that statement by saying that I was going to chaperone the priest who would be attending.  Isaac has been sick all week and just started getting over it by Wednesday.  Jennifer and I didn't feel that subjecting him to cold mountain temperatures was a good idea so soon after recovering.  Another priest was involved in high school basketball and the other two had not indicated an interest in going.  That left one.

On my way to work that morning, I ran over something at 15/215 interchange that flattened my back driver's side tire.  Thankfully, I was able to keep control of my car and drive it to the next exit to put on the donut (that was fun, especially when I realized I'd left my cell phone at home--I'm such a knucklehead sometimes).  I got to work late.  Luckily, a Costco is not far from work and I was able to get new tires (all of them needed replacing anyway).  But the unexpected problem caused me to leave later for Big Bear then I'd planned.

Trying to navigate in the dark was interesting (this was a moment when have a GPS would have been advantageous).  At one point, I was stopped on the right road while looking for that road on the Google map I had printed before leaving work, but I didn't know I was on the right road until I drove away and came back to it 10 minutes later. *sigh* When I finally arrived, I went into the lodge and found out that the one priest who was going to come had become sick that morning and wasn't there (cue The Price Is Right "fail" music).  I was told that I could go home if I wanted to.  For a moment, the idea sounded appealing, but at the same time I couldn't justify it.  I asked, "Do you need my help?" and was told that an extra adult presence was always welcome. "Well, I'm here and I've got all my stuff.  I might as well stay."

So I ate pizza and watched the youth who were in attendance participate in get-to-know-you, bonding and problem solving games.  It was fascinating for me to watch.  These were things that my stake didn't do when I was a teenager.  However, knowing me at that age, I'm not sure I would have participated (difficult to say for sure, but I find myself leaning more toward "not").  After the lodge was cleaned up, I went to cabin where I would be with two other adults leaders and about five young men (I think--it might have been six--some were upstairs and some were downstairs and I'm not sure if I saw all of them).  I had a room to myself.  I got ready for bed, did a little writing and went to sleep at the call for lights out.

The next morning after breakfast, a series of classes were held.  The first was given by Brother Dan Andrus from the Phelan Ward.  He is the principal of Serrano High School.  He talked about making the types of important decisions all youth and young adults make starting at their priest and laurel years to about 5 to 10 years thereafter.  While he was talking to the youth, his presentation for me was a reminder of how we all should make decisions no matter where we are in life.  He quoted D&C 8:2 where the Lord told Oliver Cowdery "behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost" concerning the gift he had given him to translate.  Later, when Oliver's attempts to translate failed, the Lord gently chastened Oliver by stating, "Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you ... But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought" (D&C 9:7-9, emphasis added).  The thing that the Lord taught Oliver in this instance is that he should pray, but he should also make an effort to solve the problem himself before praying.

Sometimes we think, "I have a problem, I'll pray about it and the Lord will tell me what to do."  If this were the case, the Lord would have told the Brother of Jared to make the stones that would serve as lights in the barges.  Instead, the Lord asked, "What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea" (Ether 2:25, emphasis added)?  Jared's brother came up with a solution and in faith, brought that solution to the Lord and then he saw the Savior's finger.  God wants us to put in some legwork and make some decisions and then come to Him and talk it over.  If the decision is a good one, the Holy Ghost will manifest it unto us through the burning bosom or some other way we may feel his influence.  It's too easy to just turn things over to the Lord.  If he gave us the answer every time we asked, what would we learn?  Where would be our opportunity to exercise our moral agency?  This life is a test.  Father will not make our decisions for us.  He'll help to confirm whether our decisions are correct or not, but He will not take our agency from us.

The second presentation was by Brother Vaughn Thomas, the Stake YM president.  His topic was conflict resolution.  He gave a handout listing the 10 commandments of conflict resolution (I've edited them a little):

1. Conflict is a reality.  There is no escaped the fact.  Hiding won't solve anything.

2. You can't wish the problem away.  Keeping your feelings cooped inside won't work.

3. Learn to deal with the problem, not the person.  Don't make it personal.

4. Be respectful.  Listen to the other person.  Zoning out is not the solution.

5. Be assertive.  Being assertive means putting your views forward confidently and calmly.

6. Learn to negotiate.  This is the most important skill that will serve you in the long term.

7. Stick to the present.  Don't drag in past issues; it will only muddy the conflict further.

8. The silent treatment does not work.  Sulking won't solve the problem.  Talk it out.

9. Be understanding.  Try to put yourself in the other person's shoe.  Don't get defensive.

10. Learn to say sorry.  Doing so will not make you a wimp.  Only a strong person has the strength to say "sorry."  This simple word can work like magic.  Try it!

He also showed a video stating that conflicts usually come about because a person has an unfulfilled need.  The problem is that the other party, instead of trying to find out what that need may be and then negotiating with the person to help fulfill that need, usually digs in because they are feeling attacked and immediately attacks back.  This was also a good class for me because I have problems with conflict resolution sometimes and it also gave me some insights to pass along to Ben to help him with a conflict that has come up between his companionship and the ward mission leader and bishop in his new area.

After these two classes, I knew why it was good for me to come even though I technically didn't need to.  I needed to hear these two lessons.  The third lesson discussed easy ways to solve common household problems; I knew nearly all of them.  The fourth was interesting in that it was taught by Brother Gibbons who is the institute teacher in our area.  He teaches Jennifer's seminary inservice meetings.  He talked about conversion and testimony and how important they are.  I was so into his lesson that there were times I wanted to raise my hand and chime in with answers.  I had to remind myself that he was asking the youth--not me. J

Funny thing: on my way home I stopped at our local Conroy's flower shop to buy Valentine flowers for Jennifer (I caved to the corporate flower shop overlords who make Valentine's Day a "holiday"--it was for an excellent cause J).  While there, I watched an interesting example of the right and wrong way to handle conflict resolution.  While I was standing in line, a group of women were looking over a bridal bouquet prepared by one of the workers.  The leader of the group didn't like the ferns used at the base of the bouquet, she said it didn't match with the online picture she had seen (there was the problem).  The worker replied that the ferns in the picture were a type that weren't in stock at the moment because of all the Valentine's bouquets had used up their supply (conflict).  The lady said she had ordered the bouquet months in advance for the wedding and wanted what she ordered (escalating conflict).  The worker deftly solved the problem by going in the back and coming out with a different fern that did give the base of the bouquet a fuller look (negotiation).  The lady was happy with this and the worker left to make the agreed upon changes (problem solved).

However, then another worker (who had been blowing up balloons and had no idea what was going on) decided to but into the already solved conflict and remind the lady what had already been said: the type of fern she wanted was not available during Valentine's day (digging in and attacking).  The lady, to her credit, calmly put balloon worker in her place by restating that she had ordered the bouquet several months in advance and that the problem was being handled.  A situation that could have blown up into a heated argument that didn't need to happen was rendered harmless and balloon lady sheepishly went back to blowing up more balloons--which she should have continued doing and not stuck her nose in where it didn't need to be.  I hope I can take these lessons more to heart and do a better job at resolving conflicts and making decisions and staying true to the gospel.

Redemption Cometh In and Through the Holy Messiah

Today in Sunday school, we studied 2 Nephi chapters 1 & 2.  It's such a bummer sometimes that we only have 40 minutes of Sunday school time to talk about a chapter as rich in doctrine as chapter 2.  2 Nephi 2:6 jumped out at me as we were talking about it today.  The verse states simply: "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth."

For me, the word redemption is the key in this verse.  Earlier, father Lehi declared to Jacob, "Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer" (verse 3).  In verse 6, Lehi reiterates this point, but also gives the idea deeper meaning.  Lehi unflinchingly teaches Jacob that for any of us to be saved physically from the inevitable death of the mortal body and saved from the spiritual mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed, we need someone to step in and redeem us from these things.  Elder Christofferson taught, "Among the most significant of Jesus Christ’s descriptive titles is Redeemer. ... The word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom" (Ensign, May 2013, 109).

Lehi makes it clear that Jesus is the only one who can hold that capital "R" title of Redeemer because He paid the obligation or debt for us to overcome mortal death.  Even more importantly (to my mind), Jesus also ransomed us from the punishment of our sins.  "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent," Jesus declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith (D&C 19:16).  Elder Christofferson stated, "The Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane and His agony on the cross redeem us from sin by satisfying the demands that justice has upon us. He extends mercy and pardons those who repent" (Ensign, May 2013, 110).

In conjunction with Lehi's description of Jesus as our Redeemer, what also struck me today were the words "in" and "through".  Lehi proclaims that the redemption Jesus offers comes in and through Him and Him alone.  Bear with me, my English major geek side is going to show, but usually these words are prepositions, however, as I've looked at them in the context of this sentence, I find that in this case they are adjectives.  Adjectives are used in sentences to qualify or define a noun.  In this sense, these two words qualify and define the Holy Messiah.  The adjective definition for in that fits in this circumstance is "located or situated within; inner; internal" (dictionary.com; "in" #19).  This makes sense to me because the Atonement allows redemption to be "located or situated within" the Savior.  Because of His voluntary sacrifice, any hope we have to be redeemed from our inevitable physical death and saved from our sins comes to us because the Atonement is an inner or internal part of Christ's being.

Concerning the word through, the adjective definition that fits for me in this instance is "having completed an action, process, etc.; finished" (dictionary.com; "through" #17).  Jesus was the only person who could complete the action and process of the Atonement because of the life he lived as a mortal man.  Jesus was not free from temptation.  Paul testified that the Savior "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  Our Elder Brother was not free from the burden of temptation or the limitations of the physical body, but in all points, He remained above the weaknesses of the flesh.  Otherwise, He would not have been able to cry, "It is finished!" at that final moment upon the cross (John 19:30).

When considered in the light of these definitions, we now see that redemption is located or situated within the Savior because He has internalized the redemptive power by completing the action and finishing the process of the Atonement.  Understanding this concept as taught by his father, Jacob is later able to teach that the "keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there" (2 Nephi 9:41).  How can anyone but Jesus stand in that spot?  No one else has or could atone for us or redeem us in the way that He has.  In this way, Jesus becomes the central figure in all that we teach because it is in and through Him that the gospel and the Church that bears His name functions.

Because of the fullness of His grace (embodied in the act of freeing all of us—His brothers and sisters—from death and our own spiritual fall), and His truth (given to us when He gave us His word in our premortal life that He would complete the assignment He had accepted), we can rely on His promises (and those of our Heavenly Father) to not only bring us back into the Celestial courts we left when we were born on this earth, but to live the life that God lives for eternity.  This is good news of the gospel.

Grace & Works - In Harmony Together

Today in Gospel Doctrine we talked about 1 Nephi chapters 12 through 14 and our teacher Sister Martin asked a question that also appeared in the student study guide that Jennifer had asked me this morning: "What are some doctrines that are difficult to understand in the Bible but plain and precious in the Book of Mormon?"  The reason Jen asked me the question this morning was because she said she was having a tough time coming up with an answer.  Her reasoning was that she was studying the Old Testament for seminary this year and everything was making sense to her as she studied her manual.  I pointed out to her that the manual was her advantage.  I said that along with the Old Testament scriptures, she also had the words of modern-day prophets along with the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price.  I mentioned both to Jen and in class how the Book of Mormon helps us to better understand the doctrines of baptism, the Atonement, the Fall, and grace—to name a few.  I also stated that the Book of Mormon helps to clarify how seemingly opposite gospel concepts like grace and works and mercy and justice operate in harmony together.

During the course of my mission and at various times since, this idea of grace vs works has appeared on my radar screen.  Thankfully, I’ve noticed over the last ten to fifteen years a shift in the understanding that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have concerning the doctrine of grace, but there still seems to be times when other Christian denominations gather in the grace foxhole while their Mormon counterparts gather in the works foxhole and lob Biblical and Book of Mormon grenades at each other in an attempt to prove the doctrinal superiority of the one concept over the other.

From my own experience when confronted by this situation, the main argument of the grace foxhole is the claim that believing in Jesus Christ is all that is needed to be saved.  The objection to the idea of works comes mainly from Ephesians 2:8-9 (there are others, but these are the two verses I’ve heard the most) with a claim that any attempt to say that works also plays a part in the equation would be an attempt to “earn” our way into heaven.  The immediate counter would be Nephi and his statement that that we are saved by grace “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23) and on the merry-go-round we go, arguing back and forth about the merits of one principle over the other.  What I find interesting is that when both sides are so desperate to prove the supremacy of their position neither acknowledges the compatibility of both doctrines and how they work together for our benefit.

In order to understand the harmony of both these doctrines, we first need to look to Jesus who set the standard.  Lehi, a Book of Mormon prophet, taught his son Jacob (one of Nephi’s younger brothers) that “no flesh . . . can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8).  What Lehi explained to his son is that for anyone to dwell with God, he or she would not only need to rely on the grace of Christ, but His merits and mercy as well.  One of the definitions of “merit” in Webster’s is “character or conduct deserving reward, honor, or esteem.”  This definitely describes Jesus; His character is without equal and even though He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet [He was] without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  Furthermore, His conduct was perfect in every situation.  A definition of the word “mercy” is “compassion or forbearance shown to an offender.” Since the rest of us “have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), the Savior’s ultimate expression of mercy towards us, His spirit brothers and sisters, comes through His Atonement which allows the rest of us to overcome our sins.

During the time He spent with the Nephites after His resurrection, Jesus declared to them that “no unclean thing can enter into his [Father’s] kingdom” (3 Nephi 27:19).  If not for the Atonement, Jesus would be in the unique position of being the only person worthy to actually enter Father’s kingdom under these conditions.  Thankfully, His vicarious work and sacrifice in our behalf gives us the opportunity to overcome our sins and enter Father’s kingdom cleansed from the stains of our sins.  Because of His sinless life, however, Father has also given Jesus the calling, if you will, to be our ultimate Judge and at some point “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).  As Jacob explained to the Nephite people: “the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there” (2 Nephi 9:41).  As the Judge and Keeper of the gate, Jesus, based on His merits and mercy, can dictate to us, who fall way short of the life He lived, what is needed for us to qualify to enter through the gate He diligently protects.

What are His qualifications for those desiring to pass through the gate?  He declared to His disciples: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, emphasis added).  “Keep” suggests that we “be faithful to” the commandments He has given us.  How do we “keep” or remain “faithful to” the commandments?  By doing or accomplishing what He asks of us.  How can He honestly judge us unless He has some sort of criteria upon which to base that judgment?  If confessing and believing in Him was enough (see Romans 10:9), why would Jesus also declare to his disciples, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).

Belief and confession are the beginning of discipleship; being “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22) is how we show our devotion to Him.  We do the works of Jesus when we are “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12), and He judges us based on our actions.  In John 5:28-29, Jesus proclaims that "they that have done good" will come forth in "the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." Doing good or doing evil is work; and that work is either rewarded or condemned.  By doing His works, we show our desire to be Jesus’ disciple and friend; for, as He also declared: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14, emphasis added).  Why would Jesus tell us that we are only His friends by doing something rather than just believing in Him if doing wasn't important?

As can be seen by this explanation, our works do not earn us a spot in God’s kingdom, but they are used as a way for the Savior to judge who we are and who we are becoming.  I agree with Paul.  If we use our works as a way to boast of ourselves then we have totally missed the point.  In fact, the first way we go off the rails with our works is when we make those works about us rather than the Savior.  As in all things, Jesus is the exemplar.  His works were not accomplished for the sake of self-aggrandizement or as a way to show off.  He declared to the people: “the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (John 5:36).  If He had done anything for the sake of ego, or fame, or worldly power, Jesus would have succumbed to the final two temptations of the adversary after His forty day fast (see Matthew 4:5-11).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded us to let our “light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, emphasis added).  When we understand this concept, then we understand that our attitude about our works that is key in how we will be judged.  If this was not so, why would Jesus give the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46)?  The people who are counted as sheep aren’t boasting about the things that they did.  In fact, they are surprised and say, "When saw we thee a stranger or naked or sick or in prison?"  It appears to me that they weren't helping in order to boast about it, they were helping because they had the pure love of Christ and wanted to assist their fellowmen.  The offered reward: “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34) comes as a total surprise.

The second way we go off the rails with our works is when we think that it is the works of the law that saves us instead of the works of Christ.  What Paul was also trying to remind the meridian-day saints was that the law doesn't save us.  The Jews in the time of Jesus were so overly focused on keeping the Law of Moses, the Pharisees and scribes created what I will call "definition laws."  An example of this concerns keeping the Sabbath day holy.  In order to keep this law, the religious leaders created an exhaustive list of laws defining what it meant to actually keep the Sabbath day holy.  One of the reasons the Pharisees were constantly mad at Jesus, was their claims that He was a Sabbath breaker for healing the sick on that day.  In reality, Jesus wasn't "breaking" the Sabbath day; He was breaking the law created by man that defined breaking the Sabbath day.  The Pharisees (and some of the regular people) were so caught up in the appearance of things that they completely lost sight of what keeping the Sabbath day actually meant.  They seemed to think that the appearance of them supposedly keeping God's commandments was what would save them instead of understanding the importance of God's grace.  Paul, like Jesus, kept trying to remind the saints of the difference and to help them understand that keeping the Law of Moses by itself would not save them.

Like the Pharisees, if any member of the Church thinks that only doing the works of the gospel law will save them, they are mistaken.  We cannot earn our way back into Father’s presence.  To do so would ignore the Atonement and the merits and mercy of our Elder Brother.  In such a scenario, the keeper of the gate is no longer the “the Holy One of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:41), it is us and such a claim would be impossible to sustain.  The Book of Mormon prophet King Benjamin taught that even if we serve God with our "whole souls yet [we] would be unprofitable servants" (Mosiah 2:21).  To which President Dieter F. Uchtdorf added: “Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline” (Ensign, May 2015, 109).

Even after realizing that it is only Jesus who saves us, however, we need to also understand that our works do count for something.  While we shouldn’t boast about our works (because they amount to nothing when compared to the Savior), John recognized that we will be "judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to [our] works" (Revelation 20:12); or, in other words, our works show the Savior that we have become something during our time here on earth.  It is interesting that John is the only one to use the phrase "judged ... according to their works" in the Bible and he does it twice in the book of Revelation (verses 12 and 13).  The Book of Mormon, however, connects this idea about 24 times (some examples: 3 Nephi 27:15; Mormon 3:18; Alma 12:12; Mosiah 3:24; and 2 Nephi 28:3).

It is the Doctrine and Covenants that wraps the two doctrines together.  When Jesus stands as our Advocate before the Father He will not expound upon some long parchment looking list of our accomplishments, instead He will say: “Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified” (D&C 45:4).  After this reminder, Jesus will then direct Father’s attention to us: “Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life” (D&C 45:5, emphasis added).  As President Uchtdorf testified: “Therefore, our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace. Virtue will garnish our thoughts unceasingly, and our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God” (Ensign, May 2015, 109).

I am grateful for the way the gospel helps me understand that my small acts of devotion allow me to show my gratitude for the Savior and His sacrifice.  I am not saved because of all the good works I have done throughout my life; I am saved because those good works reflect my belief on His name and then Jesus uses His exemplary life, His grace and His merits and mercy to make up the difference for my tiny yet heartfelt endurance.

Computer Virus – Spiritual Viruses

As I mentioned at the beginning of my last post, for the last 7 months we've been dealing with a computer bug, virus, worm, cough due to cold (whatever you want to call it) that locked up our Windows programs.  I’m not sure what happened exactly—one day all the Windows programs became constipated and didn’t work properly.  I ran a malware program and I think it rooted out the virus, but by then it was too late.  One by one, each Windows program locked up L.  I attempted to reset my computer to an earlier time frame, but the virus wiped out any times previous to its introduction.  I was stuck and could do nothing but watch helplessly as our Windows programs continued to seize up and stop working.

First, Internet Explorer went down, then the PowerPoint program became inoperable (thankfully, Ben had already completed and presented his senior project).  Next we lost our access to our Word documents.  At first, we could still access the program, but we couldn’t save anything to the Word folder; we had to save them to the desktop.  Any emailed Word documents would not open on our computer.  Also, we could copy and paste Internet information to a Word page, but we couldn’t copy anything from the page to the Internet (like me writing posts on a Word document and then trying to paste them into my blog).  Eventually, we lost access to the program.  Several other systems locked up along the way.  Finally, half way through the Temple Preparation lessons with Ben and Alana, the Windows Media Player died.

The virus appeared only to attack Windows programs.  In some cases, we were able to use alternate programs to overcome the loss of the Windows program.  We used Google Chrome to surf the web.  Downloading Real Player and modifying the remaining temple lesson clips to that format allowed me to continue to use them in the Temple Prep lessons for Ben and Alana.  We adapted, but we were still without half our programs.  Alana’s dad, who works with computers for a living and is way more expert in their workings than I am, asked if he could take a run at our problem; two days later he admitted he had never seen anything like our situation.  He had been able to restore Word in order for us to use it and had other things working on a very rudimentary level, but said that was the extent of what he had been able to unlock.

Since we had not been given an operating systems disk when we purchased our desktop tower, he suggested we purchase such a disk and reboot the operating system to see if that would wipe out the aftereffects of the virus.  Getting Ben on his mission and adjusting to the economic impact prevented me from immediately doing so, but I was finally able to purchase a Windows 7 disk for half price on Amazon and take our computer “back to formula” (to quote from the 2002 Spider-Man movie).  The reboot worked and now things seem to be working quite well once again.

As I’ve thought about this situation within the context of my comments about the seer stone I can’t help but wonder if this situation can serve as a modern parable of sorts.  Elder Kevin W. Pearson testified: “Two of Satan’s most powerful tools are distraction and deception” (Ensign, May 2015, 114).  In my previous post, I discussed the deception side of the equation.  In this instance, I believe the distraction side is manifest.  I am presently recovering from a recent cold virus that knocked me out.  I had to take two days off from work and had the weekend and MLK day to recover.  During this time, my focus was on the part of myself that was not well.  Because my energy was turned inward, I wasn’t as cognizant of things outside my own sphere—I was distracted from many of the things around me and grouchy at times.  Satan attempts to introduce viruses, Trojans, or worms into us to lock us up spiritually.  Viruses such as anger, envy, jealousy, covetousness, pornography, rationalization, are just a few maladies that the “the enemy of [our] soul[s]” (2 Nephi 4:28) uses to turn our operating systems inward and render them ineffective.

Concerning anger, President Hinckley stated: “So many of us make a great fuss of matters of small consequence. We are so easily offended. Happy is the man who can brush aside the offending remarks of another and go on his way.  Grudges, if left to fester, can become serious maladies. Like a painful ailment they can absorb all of our time and attention” (Ensign, Nov. 2007, 63).

Of envy Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “It has been said that envy is the one sin to which no one readily confesses, but just how widespread that tendency can be is suggested in the old Danish proverb, ‘If envy were a fever, all the world would be ill.’ The parson in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales laments it because it is so far-reaching—it can resent anything, including any virtue and talent, and it can be offended by everything, including every goodness and joy” (Ensign, May 2002, 63).

President Henry B. Eyring had the following to say about jealousy: “Discord or jealousy inhibits the ability of the Holy Ghost to teach us and inhibits our ability to receive light and truth” (Ensign, May 2011, 63).

Counseled Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin concerning covetousness: “Beware of covetousness. It is one of the great afflictions of these latter days. It creates greed and resentment. Often it leads to bondage, heartbreak, and crushing, grinding debt” (Ensign, May 2004, 40).

Many in Church leadership have discussed the ills of pornography, and I will turn to President Boyd K. Packer: “Pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home … Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife” (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 75).

And of rationalization, Elder Richard G. Scott warned: “Satan would have you rationalize—that is, twist something you know to be true into a pattern that appears to support your deviation from truth. Rationalization leads you down blind alleys in life. It drains spiritual power. It barricades the path to happiness because it distorts your understanding of truth” (Ensign, May 1990, 75).

What I notice about each of these viruses is how they can distract the infected individual from the Spirit and from those who could help him or her overcome the spiritual illness.  It is better for us to do all we can to prevent such viruses by strengthening our spiritual immunity through daily recommended doses of prayer, the scriptures, and “pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20).  However, at those times when viruses creep in despite all our preventative measures, repentance is the elixir that can take us “back to formula” when a spiritual virus knocks us off course from the “strait and narrow path” (2 Nephi 31:18; additional posts on this important principle here and here).

Satan will try to make us think that once we have succumbed to his viruses, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will reject us.  What we need to remember, however, is the statement Jesus made to the scribes and Pharisees: “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick” (Luke 5:31).  Yes, Father has decreed that “no unclean thing can inherit [His] kingdom” (Alma 40:26), but He isn’t treating our lives as a one and done NFL football playoffs or the NCAA basketball tournament.  Through the Atonement of Christ, there is an opportunity to play our way back into life’s tournament.  Jesus took upon Himself the role of Savior because He loved all of us in a way no Older Brother ever has.  God’s only begotten Son will not forsake or abandon us, but will seek for us even when we are “Wandering from the fold of God” (“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson).  We can be healed; we can be rebooted.  I am so very grateful to know that when I stumble, the hand of Jesus “is stretched out still” (Isaiah 10:4).

Seer Stone Insight

After fighting through a computer virus that has been affecting my desktop computer for roughly 7 months and finally posting my December posts, I'm ready to tackle 2016 (and the crowd goes wild). J

 

On January 3rd, it was Bishop Galindo's turn to bear testimony as the one conducting and he gave our ward a scripture challenge—one that I found different and intriguing.  Usually when a bishop has given us a scripture reading challenge, it has always been to read the Book of Mormon within a certain time-frame.  Since this is Book of Mormon year in Gospel Doctrine, I thought that would be the case with this challenge.  Instead, Bishop Galindo asked us to read the Doctrine and Covenants by Easter Sunday.  As he did so, he talked about his love of history and how the Doctrine and Covenants has helped him to better understand the history of the Church during its formative years.

 

Today as part of our block of sections, we read Section 28.  I need to offer a quick synopsis of this section in order to set up the insight I had after we read it.  A man by the name of Hiram Page, one of the eight witness of the Book of Mormon, claimed he had a stone and that he was “receiving revelations by its aid concerning the upbuilding of Zion and the order of the Church” (Section 28 heading).  The problems with this scenario were twofold: 1) some Church members believed what Hiram was claiming to be receiving from his stone, including Oliver Cowdrey who at that time was the “second elder” of the Church (D&C 20:3); and 2) with the Church only 5 months old at the time (give or take), Hiram claiming to be receiving revelation for the entire Church undermined the prophetic authority God had given to Joseph Smith.  In His response to this problem, the Lord taught his fledgling saints that when it came to matters affecting the entire Church, “no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. … For,” the Lord continued, “I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead” (D&C 28:2, 7).

 

Whenever I have taught this section or heard others teach about its principles, what I outlined above has been the main focus.  However, when we read it tonight, I had a different reaction.  As I said above, the reason for this section had to do with a stone Hiram Page had obtained.  A stone that he claimed was giving him revelation which he was writing down and passing off to other members as coming from the Lord.  During previous readings of this section, I’ve taken that fact at face value.  Perhaps some would scoff at my perceived naiveté, but the Urim and Thummim was described by Joseph Smith as “two stones in silver bows … fastened to a breastplate” (JS-H 1:35, emphasis added), and he used those stones to assist him in translating the Book of Mormon.  Additionally, several section headings of the Doctrine and Covenants mention that Joseph “inquired of the Lord through the Urim and Thummim and received this response” (Section 6 heading; see also 3, 11 & 14), meaning that Joseph received revelation from the Lord through the instrumentality of those stones.  I’ve understood that the Urim and Thummim was a part of the “gift of God” (Book of Mormon Title Page) Joseph was given to accomplish his work in the beginning of his ministry.   As such, I figured Hiram Page had found a similar stone and had some experience where he felt he was receiving revelation from it and had decided, “If Joseph can receive revelations from a stone, why not me as well?”

 

Back in August of last year, however, as part of the ongoing Joseph Smith Papers project, the Church released a picture of the “seer stone” which was also used by Joseph for a time during the translation process and also for a period afterward.  The release of this picture, at the time, “created no small stir and division amongst the people,” with the media crying “Lo, here!” and antagonists of the Church calling “Lo, there!” and others “contending” that the Church had not been very transparent and how could they not tell us members about it earlier (JS-H 1:5).

 

I had heard stories about Joseph’s seer stone during my lifetime.  With a bit of research, one could have easily found references to the seer stone.  For example, in an Ensign article from 1993, Elder Russell M. Nelson quotes David Whitmer’s description of how Joseph used the seer stone: “Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man” (Ensign, July 1993, lds.org).

 

I’m sure someone might take such a description and immediately scoff at how strange and primitive it must have been to see such a thing.  On one level, I suppose I can understand such a reaction by people living in these “enlightened” times.  But upon reflection is the above description any more odd then a person sleeping with their phone in order to feel “connected” at all times?  Just a thought.  Anyway, in terms of Joseph Smith using the Urim and Thummim and the seer stone, I wasn’t put off by these descriptions.  They were interesting to me in terms of method, but my testimony of the Book of Mormon is based on the spiritual confirmation I received initially after asking the Lord about it in prayer and continue to receive even today from the Holy Ghost.

 

Nevertheless, as we read Section 28 today, a new perspective came to mind for me.  I recalled the picture I had seen of the seer stone and I began to contemplate this image and to think about how nondescript the stone is.  This picture of the seer stone was released in August of last year.  As can been seen, the stone is egg shaped; mostly chocolate brown in color with lighter brown swirls.  While it doesn’t look like any old rock, it doesn’t particularly look overly unique either.  And this is what brought me to my newfound insight.  Because there isn’t anything overly unique about the size, shape, coloring and character of the seer stone Joseph had, I now have a better understanding of how Satan deceived Hiram Page into thinking that he now had a stone just like Joseph’s.  When Satan caused Hiram’s stone to function in general terms like Joseph’s, I better understand how Hiram could have been fooled into thinking that he was receiving revelation for the Church just like Joseph and started passing off the things he was writing from his stone as general church revelations.

 

My new insight into Section 28 is a reminder that Satan is, as President James E. Faust described, “the greatest imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the greatest forger ever in the history of the world” (Ensign, May 2003, 51).  From the moment Joseph Smith knelt in the grove we now describe as “sacred,” Satan has been using all his power to try and stop the work of God from rolling forth (see JS-H 1:15-16).  Why not attempt to undermine the authority of the Prophet by deceiving one of the eight witnesses with a similar stone that appeared to work in much the same manner as Joseph’s?  It is important to remember that while in some cases the devil rages “in the hearts of the children of men, and [stirs] them up to anger against that which is good”, he also seeks to “pacify, and lull [us] away into carnal security” (2 Nephi 28:20-21, emphasis added).  In using a stone that he convinced Hiram Page was just like Joseph Smith’s, the devil attempted to lead the fledgling Church members “carefully down to hell” (ibid, vs. 21).

 

As the master devil Screwtape taught his apprentice Wormwood, “doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. … It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. … Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts” (The Screwtape Letters, [1962], 56, emphasis added).

 

The importance of remaining on the Lord’s side of the line and constantly seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost is so important.  President Faust cautioned that “in the future the opposition from Satan will be both more subtle and more open. While in some ways it may be more blatant, it will be masked with greater sophistication and cunning. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it” (Ensign, May 2003, 52).  Nearly 13 years later, we are living in that future.  Sin is everywhere masked in subtle packaging, but also blatantly thrust in front of our faces through advertisements, movies, music, Internet and in so many other mediums and methods.

 

May we always strive to beware of the counterfeit stones that Satan attempts to place in our lives.  As President Faust reminded us, “Each of us has moral agency, and the gift of the Holy Ghost will sharpen our impressions of what is right and wrong, true and false. It is the responsibility of the prophets of God to teach the word of God, not to spell out every jot and tittle of human conduct. If we are conscientiously trying to avoid not only evil but the very appearance of evil, we will act for ourselves and not be acted upon” (Ensign, May 2003, 51).