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NOTE
So I’m going to just begin by saying that my major focus this week is going to rest on just one of the three chapters that make up this week’s course of study. And that chapter is Moroni 7. I consider it to be one the “greats” of the Book of Mormon. It ranks right up there with the likes of 2 Nephi 2, Alma 32, 3 Nephi 11, Ether 12. It is a true scriptural feast and contains plenty for us to digest in one week. That’s not to say that there isn’t food for thought in Moroni 8-9 and I will give you a few brief thoughts from those chapters at the end of the video, but as a teacher, if all I had was one chance to teach this week or even two, I would focus my attention on chapter 7. Moroni 7 is one of those chapters that is infinitely complex and deeply doctrinal in its scope and application. And to really grasp it, it needs to be studied slowly, pondered verse by verse and probably read multiple times. And that’s all fine and good if it’s your personal study and you have all the time in the world to examine it. But if I were teaching Gospel Doctrine or a Sunday School class or my family on a Sunday, I’m not sure I could do the chapter justice in one big lesson. So, you’ve got to simplify. That’s what I’m going to try and do with you today. What I do is I divide the message of the chapter into two separate lessons—which is hard to do because it’s meant to be one united message. And I’ll present those two lessons to you here and then encourage you to choose which one you feel your particular audience needs most.
OBJECT
And for both lessons, whichever I chose, I would use the same object lesson and icebreaker to open the lesson. The object I would bring in would be a collection of some sort that I had. Do you collect anything? If so, bring in that collection or some items from it or you could display some pictures of it if it’s not the kind of thing that you could easily transport.
ICEBREAKER
And then, for the icebreaker, display and talk about your collection a little bit. Then, ask them to share some of the things that they collect and what the most prized objects in their collections are. For me, when I was younger, I had a coin collection, a rock collection, a Lego collection, a fossil collection, and a Soda Pop Can collection. Collecting can be a really enjoyable hobby because there's just something fun and challenging about gathering up all the different variations of one specific kind of thing and putting them out on display. The goal of the collector is to complete the collection as much as possible. If I were doing this lesson, I would bring in my coin collection from when I was a kid. And what I really focused on was pennies. They have these wonderful little coin collector booklets that provide spaces for every type of penny that exists placed in chronological order. And you take the pennies and push them into the little cut out holes and they hold the pennies in place. And I remember going to the bank and exchanging dollar bills for rolls of pennies and then eagerly searching through my pile looking for new pennies that could fill in the gaps of my collection. I remember how excited I'd get when I'd find a new penny that I didn't have yet and how satisfying it was to push them into place. Well, after some time, all the holes for the more recently minted pennies were filled. So I began to focus on older and older pennies. I got into collecting what are called Indian Head pennies and these were definitely much harder to find. For these I had to work harder to find them, and I had save up my money and go down to the coin shop and purchase them one by one. That all certainly took some more diligent searching.
Well today we are going to talk about a different kind of collection. And here, whichever lesson you decide to teach from this chapter you can now go in that direction. If I could simplify the chapter into two simple statements of truth this is how I would word them. “Collect Good Things” and “Collect Good Qualities”. These are the two great collections that are prominently displayed in Moroni 7. So after I introduced the lesson in the way I just described, I would then jump into one of the two messages that I wished to emphasize.
I want to be sure to collect good things in my life. Not all collections are created equal. Some things are more valuable than others. Some people collect coins, or stamps, or baseball cards, and those things can become incredibly valuable over time and sought offer. On the other hand, there are people out there that I would say collect things of no worth, no matter how complete or large their collection is. There’s a man who collects traffic cones, a woman who collects the stickers from bananas, and some crazy guy in Australia who has for years collected his own belly button lint. Well, in our lives, we want to make sure that we are collecting good things, things of value, and not things that are evil, or of no value. And the challenge for us as mortals is to determine which is which. What is good, and what is evil? What is true, and what is false? What has value for us, and what has none? Mormon’s going to help us know how to tell the difference. In fact, in verse 16 he’s going to say, “Wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge.”
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And let’s pause for a second and have a little “Liken the Scriptures” question to consider. Is this message needed in our day? Do we live in a time when people struggle to distinguish the difference between good and bad, right and wrong, true and false, valuable and worthless? And if so, do you have any evidence for your answer?
I would say that we definitely live in confusing times. I would argue that, as a society, we don’t really believe in the “Absolutes” anymore: right and wrong, morality, truth, virtue. No, now it’s all relative. It all depends on where you’re from, how you were raised, or your genetic code. They’ll tell you that world isn’t black and white, but grey. There is no right way to live, people just have different lifestyles. Doing such and such a thing isn’t wrong, it’s just how some people live. Dishonesty, vulgarity, sexual immorality, violence, greed, have all been justified as acceptable in the name of freedom of expression or relative truth. Well, Isaiah gave us this timely warning that we can find in 2 Nephi 15:20
20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
That’s our world. Oftentimes it’s the bad that gets praised. Sometimes I’m shocked at what movies get all the academy awards. This is the Best Picture of the year, and its full of garbage. Does the media encourage us to root for the villain and glorify the corrupt, the violent, and the lewd? What’s labeled as good music, or good books, or good places to hang out are often anything BUT. And then that which truly is good is often mocked and disdained. The world will mock good things by calling them "prudish", "old-fashioned", "restrictive", or "boring". I remember at times being called a "goody-goody" by some of my peers when I was younger, and it wasn't meant as a compliment. Being good was not a good thing in their eyes. The Church is often mocked and some even label it as an evil institution because of some of our policies and beliefs. A perfect example of calling good evil.
Truth is hard to distinguish these days. Who’s telling the truth when everyone seems to have ulterior motives? Who can you trust? Politicians? The media? Hollywood? Advertisers? Social Media? Business and Industry leaders?
It can all be rather confusing for us.
SEARCH
So Mormon’s going to help us out here. How can we tell the difference? Moroni 7:12-19 holds the key. And for this, I would just read this full section with my class as they ponder the following question. According to Mormon, how do we tell good from evil in a morally confusing world?
12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
So, what did you get from that? What did we just learn about good things?
Well, verse 12, they come from God. God is the source of all goodness. And the devil the source of all evil and sin. Verse 13 tells us that anything that invites us or entices us to do good things and to love God is good and is inspired of God. And verse 14 reminds us that we’ve got to get this right. We’ve got to develop the ability to recognize things that are inspired of God and things that are inspired of the devil. “Take heed” he warns.
But with that we might stammer back, “But Mormon, how do you really tell the difference. Good things are things that inspire me to do good. Great. But how do I know what’s good in the first place?” Mormon’s answer? Simply put, “Use your judgment!” Mormon assures us in verse 15 that it is given unto us the way to judge, to know good from evil, and the way to judge is PLAIN. It's not hard. How plain is it? It's as plain as the daylight is from the dark night. Well that's reassuring, isn't it? He says it's easy. It's plain. And if I were teaching this chapter I would pause and ask my class if they agree with Mormon. Is it easy to distinguish between things that are good and things that are bad. That might be an interesting discussion to have. My opinion? I agree with Mormon. The world would have us believe that the difference between good and evil is nuanced, complicated, and relative. Perhaps it can become that way if we consistently stifle the spirit. But Mormon assures us here (look at verse 16) that the Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil. We've all been blessed with an innate "goodness detector" in all of our hearts. In verse 18 he refers to it as a "light" that helps us to judge. The light of Christ. Gospel topics defines the light of Christ as "the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost. One manifestation of the Light of Christ is what we call a conscience."
VIDEO
There is an excellent video you might consider showing at this point. It’s called Patterns of Light. And in it, Elder Bednar explains what the Light of Christ is and how it influences and affects everyone. I put a link to this video in the description below.
Well with that Spirit, or light, or conscience, I judge. Is this good or evil? And I’ve got help, built right into my soul. Then, a third wonderful word to help us in our judgment that we can add to invite and entice. He tells us that things of God "persuade" us to do good and believe in Christ. Invite, entice, and persuade. Such great words! There's no force or heavy handedness in them.
Do you see the key that Mormon is handing us here in making judgments. The questions we might ask ourselves as to whether something truly is good and of God, or evil and of the devil?
Does this invite and entice and persuade me to do good?
Does it invite and entice and persuade me to love God and serve him?
Does this persuade me to believe in Christ?
And then,
What does my conscience tell me? What does the light of Christ that I know is inside me telling me, suggesting to me? This is wrong, this is right. This is good, this is bad. Don’t overcomplicate this. I think it’s easier than the world suggests. We kind of instinctively know the difference.
So I ask myself, does this movie I'm watching invite and entice and persuade me to do good, to love God and to believe in Christ? Does the music I'm listening to invite and entice and persuade me? Does this environment that I'm in invite, and entice and persuade me to do good? Does this friend or person I’m considering a relationship with invite and entice and persuade me to do good? Does this philosophy or opinion or idea I’m learning about invite and entice and persuade me to do good? Does this action I’m thinking of taking lead me closer to God and Christ—make me more like them? Yes? Then it’s of God, and it’s good and true. All good things come from Christ. That's clearly stated in verse 22, and in 24. "In Christ there should come every good thing". So if you find something good in this world, you can know for certain that it has been inspired and influenced by Christ through the Spirit.
So what do I do with this innate, God-given gift of judgment? See if you can find the key phrase in verse 19.
I "search diligently" for those good and true things with my judgment, with that light of Christ. That phrase suggests effort. I proactively seek for good things. I go out and collect them. I don't want to be passive. Part of the purpose of our lives here in mortality, and may I suggest part of the joy of it, is in diligently seeking for the good things of life. And when you live in really dark times, you’re going to HAVE TO seek diligently for the light. Speaking of collections here, that idea fits nicely. In coin collecting, there is such a thing as counterfeit coins. Well I don't want counterfeit coins in my collection. I want the real thing. So I use my judgment. Satan is in the business of producing spiritual counterfeits. This movie is so good, let’s give it all the awards. This is a great book, it's very influential. This is great art, it challenges us. Sometimes though, there is evil in these things. They're just counterfeits. I'm going to need to use my judgment to determine whether it is good and true, or evil and false. There will be indicators that will show whether it's real or fake. I decide if it invites, entices, and persuades to do good and believe in Christ or if it invites and entices and persuades to do evil. Then, I spend my life collecting good and true things. Personally, I find goodness and truth in outdoor activities. When I'm in the beautiful creations of my Father in Heaven, it persuades me to love God and believe in Him. It’s a good thing. I find it in great art, music, and literature. I find it in scripture, in culture, in history. I find it in science and biology as I come to a better understanding of the mechanical workings of my Heavenly Father's universe. There is so much truth and goodness out there for us to discover and enjoy in mortality. There's also a lot of garbage. God desires that we spend a lifetime searching for the good diligently. Like a collector trying to complete their collection. Just think about the conclusion of the 13th Article of Faith. It says:
"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
I might add Mormon’s word there. We seek "diligently" after these things.
Another important idea I might add regarding searching for that which is good comes in verse :24. We learn that "there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good". Some of those ways discussed in this chapter include the light of Christ, angels, prophets, and scripture. But there are other ways that truth and goodness can be revealed to us through. There are diverse sources of good and true things. The latter-day church doesn't hold a monopoly on ALL goodness. I can apply my judgment to all things I encounter. Therefore, I can find goodness and truth in the art of Michelangelo, and Cassatt, and Van Gogh. I can find it in the writings of Shakespeare, and Tolstoy, and Alcott, in the poetry of Wordsworth, and Dickinson, and Angelou. I can find it in the music of Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff, and in African American Spirituals. I can find it in movies, and architecture, and sculpture. I can find it in the writings and wisdom of the world's great religions. You will find truth and goodness taught in the Dhammapada, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, and the writings of C.S. Lewis. Of course, you will also find the bad and the false in many of these areas as well. Not all literature and art and movies and world scripture are good or true. How will we know the difference? As stated before, the light of Christ is there to help us judge. It will show us the way to judge.
Collecting The True
Let’s examine another angle to these verses. Perhaps your students will want to take the discussion in this direction. These verses can also help us to understand how to judge that which is true. Not just good, but true. I believe we're all very familiar with the formula that Moroni gives us for determining truth described in Moroni 10:3-5 We’ll examine that formula a little more closely next week but we could summarize it by saying we find truth, and in the case of those verses, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, by reading it, pondering its words in our hearts and then asking God if it's true. And as long as we ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, then the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to us.
That, though, is just one way of gaining a witness of the truth, but it isn't the way--or the only way. We tend to focus on that one, Moroni’s way. But we may forget that the Book of Moroni offers us another formula as well. We have Mormon's way here in chapter 7.
What is Mormon’s way? And let’s apply it specifically to gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. If I wish to know the Book of Mormon is true, I read it and I hold it up against those same guiding questions. Does this invite and entice and persuade me to do good? Does this invite and entice and persuade me to love God and serve him? Does this persuade me to believe in Christ? And then, what does my conscience tell me? Especially as I apply and live what is taught in the Book of Mormon. Has this affected me positively? Does it make me a better person? Do the principles taught within lead to happiness? After we answer those questions I think Mormon would look at us and say, “Then you know something, don't you. It's of God. It’s good. It’s true".
The major difference, I believe, between the two formulas is that Moroni's way places more of the responsibility for "the answer" on God and the Spirit. Mormon's way places a bit more of the responsibility for the witness on the individual—on us. Now I'm not saying that one way is better than the other. It's just two different ways. If one doesn't seem to be working for you. If you've tried Moroni's way and feel like that manifestation of the Spirit has been delayed in forthcoming, then perhaps give Mormon's formula a chance. With Mormon’s formula, God says, "I’ve given you a mind, a conscience, the light of Christ, JUDGE! You come to a conclusion about these words. I know of many individuals who have gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon in just that way. They study it, and as they do, and as they apply what it teaches, they gain a testimony of its truthfulness by the change it makes in their life. How it makes them a better person. How the principles taught within it ring true in their spirits. Mormon's formula gives just as powerful a witness as Moroni's. And you know, in truth, this really isn't a Moroni vs. Mormon kind of thing. I hope I'm not playing that up too much. We can very easily combine both formulas. Perhaps the pondering that Moroni speaks of in 10:3 is referring to this very process of judging things as good or evil. Moroni himself also taught this formula of his father's back in Ether. In fact, he says it a little more succinctly. Take a look at Ether 4:11-12
11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.
So once again, we know that it's true because it persuades us to do good and to believe in Christ.
Moroni 7:19-25, 28
All right now. Once your students have had a chance to discuss and understand that process of judging between good and evil. Make sure you take some time to cover the next step of the process. We’re not done with our formula here yet. At this point, we have "gained a testimony" so to speak. We've used our judgment to discover something that is good or true. Whether that's through Moroni's way or Mormon's way or more than likely a combination of both. But that's not enough. Knowledge is only the beginning. I must do some additional things after I've obtained that knowledge Once I’ve found something good, what do I do with it?
See if you can find the common phrase in the following four verses. So, this has got to be important since Mormon repeats it so many times. We see it in verse 19, verse 20, verse 21, and verse 25.
It’s “lay hold upon every good thing.”
What do you think it means to “lay hold” of good things? I think it means that I draw them to myself, embrace them and make them an integral part of my life. Discovering truth and laying hold upon it are two very different things. Somebody may come to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon is good, but then do nothing to act on the truths and the principles it teaches. If searching diligently with our judgment is the KNOW part of the equation. Laying hold on it is the DO portion. Yes, knowledge is power, but acting on knowledge is far more powerful.
Then, we have one more phrase to add to our formula and we find it in verse 28. Once I've judged, and searched, and I've laid hold on those good things, then my faith will lead me to do something more. What is it?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
I will cleave to those good things. Laying hold on something isn't enough. Just as there were people who initially laid hold on the iron rod who still ended up leaving it because that's all they did. It's not enough. After I lay hold on good things, I then tighten my grip and continually hold fast to them. The word cleave, in a scriptural sense, means to "adhere strongly to", "stick fast to", or "hold to". It's also used in scripture to describe the relationship between a husband and wife. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh". We too must become one with truth and goodness, so that it integrates into our very nature and character. If searching is the KNOW, and laying hold upon is the DO, then cleaving is the BE. We become truth and goodness, and it reflects in everything that we believe, that we say, that we do, and that we are. We become something. We CERTAINLY become something. What is it in verse 19?
We certainly will be a child of Christ. True sons and daughters of Jesus. His disciples. In fact, this whole chapter is filled with a number of really excellent titles for what God wants us to become. We want to become children of Christ, but we could also add:
7:3 Peaceable followers of Christ.
7:26 Sons (daughters) of God
7:39 People of his Church
7:48 The Sons of God, True followers of his Son
TRUTH
Two things here:
The way to judge between good and evil is plain and given to us through the Light of Christ.
If I wish to fill my life with goodness and truth, then I must search diligently for it, use my God-given judgement, lay hold upon it, and cleave unto it.
And if I do that, then my life will be full of goodness and truth.
TAKING IT TO HEART
What is one of your most prized possessions in your collection of goodness and truth? What is something you have come to know is true or good in the way Mormon has described here? Something that invites and entices and persuades you to good and to believe in Christ? Is it the Book of Mormon? The Bible? That Joseph Smith or Russell M. Nelson are true prophets? Is it something good that you’ve found in music, or art, or literature, or a certain activity you enjoy?
THE TAKEAWAY
God has given us a way to discover and confirm truth in our hearts. He's blessed us with a powerful light and means of judging between good and evil, and truth and falsehood. I hope that we make a consistent effort to ask ourselves whether what we see, and hear, and read, and where we go, and who we spend time with, and what we do, really does invite and entice and persuade. I admit that it's much easier to just sit and passively consume whatever it is the world has to offer. To just go with the flow of what everybody else is doing and thinking and believing. BUT consciously employing our gift of judgment requires concentrated effort. And like collectors, may we spend our entire lives searching diligently for goodness and truth. All the things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. And when we've found them, I pray that you and I will lay hold upon and cleave to those things.
LESSON #2 A COLLECTION OF CHRISTLIKE QUALITIES
Well that’s one option for you. One way that you might approach a lesson in Moroni chapter 7. Here’s another. We could also look for a collection of Christlike Qualities. The things that will help to make me “A True Follower of His Son” and all those other titles we looked at a minute ago. Following Christ is about becoming something. So I collect attributes, traits, or qualities in my life, in my character. And for this approach, you might consider using the following handout to guide your students in finding those qualities. It’s reminiscent of those coin collecting booklets that I once had. Give them some time to fill in the circles with the qualities they find of a true follower of Christ in those verses. We want to collect them all. So let’s find them, and by the end, we’ll have a beautiful display of deep discipleship.
SEARCH-HANDOUT
:4
The first quality.
4 And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
So what does a peaceable follower of Christ do? They walk peaceably with the children of men. What do you think that means? We live in a very deeply divided society, full of contention. The true followers of Christ are peacemakers. They bring peace to people’s lives. We reach across the aisle. We seek first to understand, then to be understood. We disagree without becoming disagreeable. We love and pray for our enemies. We don’t let small or petty differences get in the way of positive human relationships.
:5 They do good works. It’s not enough just to believe certain things. But to do certain things. To be obedient.
:6 It’s also not just enough to do certain things. They need to be done in a certain way. How? With real intent. With sincerity. They don't do them "grudgingly" as it says in verse 8. Christ taught his disciples not to do good works "to be seen of men" but to do things in secret. And then the Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
:19 covers the entire idea of the first lesson I presented to you, but we can include it here. A true follower of Christ searches diligently for good and then lays hold upon it when it’s found.
:26, :28, :30, :39 What’s the common theme? Faith. From verse :26, by faith, they become the sons of God. :28, he claimeth all those who have faith in him. :30 They have strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. :39 If ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.
:40-42 And then we have our sister principle to faith. Hope. What specifically can we have faith and hope in?
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
We will have faith in Christ, and hope through his atonement and resurrection. Now since we really dug deep into those two principles a few weeks ago in Ether 12, I’m going to leave it at that. There we talked about hope and faith in a better Celestial world, a better terrestrial world, and a better us as individuals. Each of those ideas are reflected here in these verses as well. But just remember that the peaceable follower of Christ has faith and hope in the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
:43 A true follower of Christ displays meekness and lowliness of heart. I know that we often group the virtues of faith, hope, and charity together, as Paul did in the scriptural masterpiece known as 1st Corinthians 13 which Mormon seems to be receiving inspiration by the same Spirit and expresses many similar thoughts here.
But Mormon adds a fourth virtue for us here. A prequel or prerequisite virtue to the other three. Something that leads to faith, hope, and charity. Meekness. Lowliness of heart. Or we might say humility. Meekness and humility are the only type of soil that faith, hope, and charity can grow in. As he says in that verse "he cannot have faith and hope save he shall be meek and lowly of heart.
This same idea is expressed in verse :39 and :44. So if I wish to be a true follower of Christ, I must first be humble enough to recognize my need for Christ and his gospel. I've got to crush the pride of the natural man that tells me that I don't need any help, or wisdom, or commandments, or church.
Like C.S. Lewis said:
“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
:44-48
And now the crowning virtue of them all. This is the big one, because it embodies and embraces all of the others. What is the greatest Christian virtue? It's charity. According to both Paul and Mormon, If I have not charity I am nothing, wherefore I must needs have charity. Paul taught that even if I can speak with the tongue of angels, or prophecy, or have great faith, or give everything to the poor--if I don't have charity, all of that, means nothing. Well if it's that important, I'd better make sure I know what charity is. Mormon is going to teach in the next three verses, and granted, it's a quality that's a little hard to define. So he'll start by telling us what charity does. Then he'll tell us what it is.
45 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.
Now there is an entire sermon that could be taught for each of those phrases. We're not going to do that here, but I'd invite you to ponder what each of those qualities looks like and ask why they are important. And I want you to notice something about that list there. Is it a list of feelings or actions? They're actions right? That's important to keep in mind. But let's come back to them in a second.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 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.
So what is charity? It is the pure love of Christ. What does that mean? The pure love OF Christ. I think the meaning hinges on that tiny two letter word: OF. You could interpret that in at least three different ways. One way to look at it is that charity is the type of love that Jesus had for others. The pure love of Christ. We need to have that same kind of love for others, so it’s love LIKE Christ. But there's another way to interpret it as well. It’s the love that we have for Jesus , our love FOR Christ, and if we have that love, it will cause us and motivate us to act in certain ways, and finally, it could also be interpreted as the love that he has for us, the pure love of Christ. Recognizing his love for us, will change us, our attitudes and behaviors, and we will act in certain ways because of that love we feel he has for us. So it could also be love FROM Christ.
Regardless of how you interpret it, we know that we absolutely must have this pure love of Christ, or we are nothing. If my actions are motivated by anything other than this pure love, they are meaningless. If everything I do is self-serving, and it's all about me, or how people view me, then those actions are not going to have any power. If I teach without that love, my teaching will lack power. If I serve without that love, my service will lack power. If I lead without that love, my leadership will lack power.
Now back to our list of actions in verse 45. I think that often when we say the word “love” , we think of feelings. I need to feel a certain way about the people around me—but charity is a matter of the will and character and action, and not so much about feelings. If I have charity, I will DO certain things. I'll be patient. I'll be kind to other people. I won't be envious, prideful, selfish, or contentious. I'll have pure thoughts and rejoice in good things. I'll endure to the end in every meaning of that phrase. Now that's a big list and a lot to take in. But allow me to simplify this a little for you. Do you want an easy way to determine how you should act and be? Is there some example of what all these qualities look like? Yes. The perfect example for each of these qualities is Jesus Christ himself. That's what Mormon is describing here, or rather WHO he is describing. He's describing the character of Christ. This verse is a description of "the pure love of Christ". In that light, you could read that verse this way:
45 And CHRIST suffered long, and was kind, and envied not, and was not puffed up, Christ sought not his own, he was not easily provoked, he thought no evil, and rejoiced not in iniquity but rejoiced in the truth, Christ bore all things, he believed all things, he hoped all things, Christ endured all things.
Therefore, when Mormon asks us to have charity, he’s really asking us to seek to be like Christ. If you wish to have charity, then all you really need to do is follow the example of Jesus Christ and strive to become like him.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
It would take far too long to do this here, but an insightful activity would be to take each one of those phrases and think of ways that Christ demonstrated that quality. Can you think of examples from the scriptures when he was kind? When he sought not his own? When he was not easily provoked? A time when he endured all things? I'm sure you could. And if you feel you have time, you might consider asking your students that question.
And with that understanding of the gift of charity, I think it should come as no surprise that Mormon tells us that charity never faileth. What does that mean? I think we often interpret that to mean that charity always works or that it is always going to be successful. I'm not sure that's what it means. Yes, I believe that approaching any situation with charity is going to yield something better than it would otherwise. In that way, charity never faileth. But, Christ was the embodiment of charity, and they crucified him. Missionaries may truly love and care for those they teach and still lose them to disinterest, fear, or unbelief. A parent may have all those qualities and love for a child, but that won't always change a heart. It doesn't guarantee success. I think that's important to understand. If I feel that charity is always going to be successful, and I fail, then the only conclusion that I can come to is that I must not have had enough charity, and that could be quite discouraging.
But instead of meaning that it's always successful, what if It means that charity is always necessary. It’s always going to be needed, in mortality and throughout the eternities. That's why he says in the next verse that it endureth forever. In Moroni 8:17 he gives another definition of charity. He says it is "everlasting" love. Charity is a different kind of virtue. And here, I'll be honest with you in saying that I'm not completely sure that I understand what he means exactly by "all things must fail, but charity endureth forever", but perhaps it means that there are other virtues or gifts of the Spirit that will not be needed in the next life. I mean, when we are standing in the very presence of God and the Savior, I imagine that faith and hope take on a different meaning. It's no longer hoping for something that I can't see when I CAN see it right in front of me. I no longer need to hope for resurrection and exaltation when those blessings have been granted. There won't really be any need for certain manifestations of the gift of tongues or the gift of healing or the gift of miracles when I'm living in a glorified eternal world—at least not in the same sense that they are used here. Could that be what that means? Charity on the other hand really does endure forever. If it's the character of Christ we're talking about, then possessing that pure love for God and my fellowman is always going to be needed, because it will be who I am, and what I have become in mortality. Verse 48 appears to support that interpretation.
48 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.
Developing charity is the act of becoming like Christ. Therefore, whoso is found possessed of that quality at the last day it shall be well with him. They will see that they are like Him, after spending their entire lives striving to be kind as he was kind, to suffer long, as he suffered long, to rejoice in the truth as he rejoiced in the truth and so on. If we've developed those qualities in this life, then we will be blessed with another one of his qualities. We will find that we have become pure even as he is pure.
Therefore, the final and crowning Christian quality in this collection is charity. True followers of Christ have charity.
TRUTH
If I wish to be a true follower of Christ I must seek to develop the qualities of peacefulness, obedience, sincerity, humility, faith, hope, and above all, charity—the pure love of Christ.
TAKING IT TO HEART
After that discussion, it may be helpful to give your students some time to reflect personally on the state of their own Christian collection. I've put together a handout that asks a question based on most of the qualities that we've discussed here and then gives them some possible applications to each question. This certainly isn't the kind of activity that they fill out and turn in. It should self-reflective and personal. You may even just encourage them to take it home and go through the questions quietly and alone as a sort of self-assessment. I won't read through this entire handout but let me just read one question so you can get a feel for how it’s designed.
Our first question then is:
Do I walk peaceably with the children of men?
I am frequently angry and frustrated with the people around me. I find myself in contention with many. I'm sarcastic, judgmental, and I love a good argument.
I strive to be kind to those around me but often fail. It's easy to get wrapped up in my own little world and ignore others and their needs.
People tend to feel better after being around me. I seek to lift them up and guide them through their challenges. I encourage others to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and look for opportunities to share it with all I can.
OTHER:
Now you could go through the rest on your own, but I've found this can be a meaningful pondering exercise.
THE TAKEAWAY
Well that's quite the collection isn't it. What a display. I hope that we can "waste and wear out our lives" in searching diligently, but not for coins, or baseball cards, or stamps, but for virtues, for character, for charity. That's a collection worth any effort and any sacrifice to make. The way that I felt when I completed that booklet of pennies that I had when I was a kid, will pale in comparison to the way that we’ll feel when Christ helps us to push in that final quality—to fill that last gap. May there be no holes or counterfeits in our collections when we stand before God to be judged. Hopefully, God will see the imprint of his Son in our countenances, that we shall be like him, purified even as he is pure, and that our collection will mirror and reflect Christ's perfectly.
LESSON #3 MORONI 8-9
Moroni 8
Well, I hope you don't feel gypped here but like I said at the beginning of the video, I'm not going to do much with chapters 8 and 9. These two chapters are taken from letters that Mormon wrote to Moroni during his ministry. The major focus of chapter 8 is on infant baptism and Mormon really hammers that idea. It apparently was an issue amongst the Nephites, and he must have known that it would be an issue in the last days. I personally don't feel that I have any great insights to offer you on this matter. I would say the major principles I draw from this chapter are that God is a god of order, and his ordinances must be performed correctly. That's why the sacrament prayers must be repeated word for word, that's why a baptism must be repeated if even a small part of the body is not immersed in the water, and that's why we have recorders, and witnesses, and certificates. Ordinances are important and must be done correctly. Another truth? Little children are innocent. God will not condemn anyone that has not reached a state of accountability. That's just and it's fair.
Moroni 9
Moroni 9 is a bit of a darker chapter. Mormon goes into detail about the depravity of the people and how far they have fallen. I believe we took a look at a few of the verses in chapter 9 back in Mormon when we examined the wickedness of Mormon's world. Most of chapter 9 is an extension of the "fullness of iniquity" theme we’ve looked at before. The Nephites and the Lamanites have become a depraved, brutal, and bloodthirsty people and Mormon really has no hope for them to change at this point.
However, one thought. Look at the beginning of verse 4. What does Mormon do under these circumstances? With people that he has concluded have no hope of changing. He says, "Behold, I am laboring with them continually". And then verse 6.
6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest OUR souls in the kingdom of God.
Regardless of their wickedness and refusal to repent, Mormon still continues to teach and labor with them. We could fit this into our theme of living righteously in a wicked world. What must we do when the world around us is descending into grosser and grosser wickedness? When they've fallen beyond our ability to help them? We must continue laboring , and teaching, and trying to conquer Satan and his works, even when there is no hope in changing the world around us—for whose sakes? OUR sakes. For our souls.
It reminds me of this little story written by Ellie Wiesel about a righteous man who goes to Sodom and Gomorrah to preach repentance to the people.
"One of the Just Men came to Sodom, determined to save its inhabitants from sin and punishment. Night and day he walked the streets and markets protesting against greed and theft, falsehood and indifference. In the beginning, people listened and smiled ironically. Then they stopped listening; he no longer even amused them. The killers went on killing, the wise kept silent, as if there were no Just Man in their midst.
One day a child, moved by compassion for the unfortunate teacher, approached him with these words: “Poor stranger, you shout, you scream, don't you see that it is hopeless?”
“Yes, I see,” answered the Just Man.
“Then why do you go on?”
“I'll tell you why. In the beginning, I thought I could change man. Today, I know I cannot. If I still shout today, if I still scream, it is to prevent man from ultimately changing me.”"
Source: Quoted in Wiesel, Elie. One Generation After. NY: Schocken Books, 1982.
Maybe that's part of the reason Mormon continued to teach even when he knew they wouldn't listen or change. When the world ignores us, when they reject our pleas for change, when they refuse to listen to God's wisdom, we should not cease to labor diligently, we should not cease to preach. For if we do, they may succeed in changing us.
And then one final thought. Mormon's last words in this chapter are very sweet. Mormon had a life full ugliness, and violence, and war, and abomination, but there was one bright ray of light in his life. His son Moroni. I'm sure he found great joy and satisfaction in the one soul that he did influence for good.
21 Behold, my son, I cannot recommend them unto God lest he should smite me.
22 But behold, my son, I recommend thee unto God, and I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved; and I pray unto God that he will spare thy life, to witness the return of his people unto him, or their utter destruction; for I know that they must perish except they repent and return unto him.
25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.
26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.
And that is my hope for all of you as well. We may not be able to change the world through our influence, but even if we can only change or influence one, even if that one is our own child, it will be worth it.
CHRISTLIKE QUALITIES QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Do I walk peaceably with the children of men?
A. I am frequently angry and frustrated with the people around me. I find myself in contention with many.
B. I'm sarcastic, judgmental, and I love a good argument.
C. I strive to be kind to those around me but often fail. It's easy to get wrapped up in my own little world and ignore others and their needs.
D. People tend to feel better after being around me. I seek to lift them up and guide them through their challenges. I encourage others to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and look for opportunities to share it with all I can.
E. OTHER:
2. Do I do good works with real intent?
A. I do what I'm supposed to out of a sense of social pressure. I really don't enjoy things of a spiritual nature.
B. I sometimes find it hard to feel a desire to do the right thing. I find myself hesitant and often have a negative attitude when it comes to going to church, volunteering to help, or fulfilling my calling. I try to do the right things, but I don't always feel that I do them with the right attitude.
C. I want to do what's right and be the best I can. I can honestly say that I enjoy the things of the Spirit even though at times it's still difficult. I make an effort to quietly, but faithfully fulfill my callings and obey the commandments of God.
D. OTHER:
3. Do I search diligently for that which is good by judging all things in the Light of Christ?
A. I don't really care much about discovering what is true or good. I basically just go with the flow of what is most popular and entertaining. Testimony just isn't a priority in my life.
B. I try to do what's right and keep the worst of bad influences out of my life, but I know that I also allow for a lot of worldly influence as well. I do have a testimony of the gospel but find that I tend to plateau in my spiritual development. It's been a long time since I've felt that the Spirit was guiding me.
C. I am in an active search for truth and testimony. I strive to recognize the spirit and make judgments based on whether things persuade me to do good and believe in God and I reject those things that do not.
D. Feeling and following the guidance of the spirit is a frequent experience in my life.
E. OTHER:
4. Do I lay hold upon and cleave with faith to every good thing that I find?
A. I'm not yet convinced of the truthfulness of the church, or the Book of Mormon. I really have no desire to change my current behavior or character even if they are true.
B. I believe the church is true and believe in the Book of Mormon, but that knowledge bears very little on what I do or who I am.
C. I have a testimony of the church and the Book of Mormon, and that knowledge has changed my very nature. I'm a different person because of it. I seek to apply and live what they teach.
D. OTHER:
5. Do I have faith in and hope through the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
A. I'm not sure I believe much in the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do I really need to be "forgiven" for the things I do in life? It seems like wishful thinking to believe we can be resurrected from the dead.
B. I believe in the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ but still struggle to have hope through them. I am often discouraged and hesitate to fully commit to his path.
C. I have great confidence and optimism in the power of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know that if I remain faithful that one day I will stand before God with a resurrected eternal body and my soul perfected by the atonement of my Savior.
D. OTHER:
6. Do I strive to be sufficiently meek?
A. I don't feel like I need the church, or commandments, or God to tell me what to do or how to live. I can manage just fine on my own.
B. I go to church, I try to be obedient, but there are quite a few commandments and standards of the church that I question. I can recognize the wisdom in some of them, but others I just don't agree with.
C. I know I need Christ and his gospel in my life. I recognize the necessity of divine guidance and strive to live all his commandments to the best of my ability. I know that God's ways are higher than my ways and I'm willing to trust in his wisdom.
D. OTHER:
7. Do I possess charity?
A. I feel it's most important to look out for number one. Fulfilling my needs, my wants, and my desires are what matter most to me.
B. I love my family and friends, and I hope the best for them. Still, I find it hard to take the time to help and serve them. I guess I'm just too busy.
C. I want to be like Christ. To live like he lived and love like he loved. He is my ultimate example, and I hope to develop a character like his.
D. OTHER:
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