Love – Establishing the Cause of Zion

Perfection, pt. 7: Eternal Life

Our path that began at the strait gate ends at the tree of life.

Lehi’s analogy of this process highlights the journey aspect. There is a path we must walk, and a rod to which we must cling. It may take us up and down, and through mists of darkness, but will eventually lead us to our destination.

Alma’s analogy highlights the transformation and personal growth that takes place along the way. A seed is planted and growing within us. When it is tended to, it will become everything it was designed to be.

For the concluding post in this series, I’d like to showcase scriptures that paint a picture of what every disciple ought to be aiming for. Not only is this our great privilege, but it is the very purpose of the gospel. This is what is meant by, “be ye therefore perfect.”

The Love of God

The image of a tree bearing fruit suggests maturity, or Hebrew “perfection.” We are told that this kind of perfection is “the love of God” and is “the most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:22). In other words, when we are commanded to be “perfect, even as [God] is perfect,” we are being asked to have charity, even as God has charity. That’s the mature fruit of the word (or truth) of God, “And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God” (Moroni 10:21).

When you have charity, you have eternal life. This is more than a Christlike attribute we strive to obtain through lots of hard work on our part—this is the culmination of the narrow way, the intended end-result of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because charity is the direct consequence of being filled with truth, all divine attributes are contained in and perfectly ordered by charity.

Paul described charity in these words: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).

When you have charity, you naturally have all other attributes; you are naturally long suffering, kind, humble, and patient; you think no evil, your heart only desires and rejoices in truth and righteousness. Hence, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). This is the condition of greatest joy.

We need not strive to develop these various attributes one-by-one. God is love, and as we give over our whole hearts over to Him, He will bestow upon us His Spirit (essence/character) in greater degrees. As we grow in His Spirit, we grow in love—and consequently, everything else falls into place. “And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true” (Mosiah 4:12).

Knowing God

Why does charity make you, as Peter says, full of “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8)? Because when our hearts are like His, we know Him. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). And just as charity is equivalent to eternal life, so is knowing God and Christ (John 17:3). This is the purpose of the gospel: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature [perfect], attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV).

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (John 17:21-23; emphasis added).

This is also what it means to become a son (or “child”) of God. As the Lord told Adam: “And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen” (Moses 6:67-68 cf. D&C 35:2). And to Moses: “behold, thou art my son… and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:4-6).

Regaining the Divine Presence

Furthermore, when our hearts are one with His, we are empowered to regain His presence and know Him face to face—like Adam and Moses. This is another aspect of what it means to regain the tree of life (Alma 42:6-9; 12:26-37).

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:21-23).

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

“And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you” (Ether 3:13).

“For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world. But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen. Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith” (Ether 12:7-9).

“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will” (D&C 88:67-68).

“But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion; which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter; Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him; to whom he grants this privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves; that through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory” (D&C 76:114-118).

“Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am” (D&C 93:1).

The Lord will personally minister to and declare the reception of eternal life to those thus made perfect. This is what it means to make sure your calling and election (2 Peter 1:10-11). He is the keeper of the gate, and employs no servant there. “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

Perfection

Eternal life, the tree of life, the love of God, knowing God, becoming a “son” of God, regaining His presence, making your calling and election sure, obtaining a perfect brightness of hope, faith unto life and salvation—these all describe different angles of the same condition, and that condition is what the scriptures call “perfect.”

This is the condition of all those who come forth in Celestial glory. They have been totally transformed by the love of God and grace of Christ that they are holy—saints, or “sanctified ones” (Mosiah 3:19). As the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith:

“They are they who are the church of the Firstborn. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God—Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things. Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.

“These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all. These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood” (D&C 76:54-69).

Those who have desires to follow Christ are called to take upon themselves His name (nature, manner, order). This is what He invites us to become, and this is what His grace is sufficient to do (Ether 12:27-28).

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

Conclusion

When we properly define these terms and concepts, we understand clearly that not only is perfection possible, but it is necessary for Celestial glory. The message of the gospel is that your entire nature must change in order to experience heaven’s glory. Just as Christ was full of grace and truth, so must we be full of grace and truth—and indeed can be by His atoning blood.

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:32-33).

Good Friends

This last week I’ve been especially grateful for good friends. I struggle putting in words how I feel.

Many are familiar with the revelations Joseph received in Liberty Jail. However, many are not familiar with the fact that those sections of the Doctrine and Covenants are only portions of a much longer letter. When sections of this letter were later canonized in 1876, Orson Pratt lifted the words of the Lord from the text to isolate the revelation. It’s great scripture, but it’s even better when you read it in its full context.

We’re used to reading, “Oh God, where art thou?” etc., and then immediately reading the Lord’s response: “My son, peace be unto thy soul…” However, reading this letter in its full context paints a slightly different picture. Notice what led to Joseph hearing the Lord’s voice:

“Those who have not been enclosed in the walls of a prison without cause or provocation can have but a little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is. One token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling. It brings up in an instant everything that is passed; it seizes the present with a vivacity of lightning; it grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger; it retrogrades from one thing to another, until finally all enmity, malice, and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagements lie slain victims at the feet of hope—and when the heart is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers: ‘My son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment, and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalts thee on high. Thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts, and friendly hands.’”

It was “the voice of a friend” that filled Joseph with light, hope, and humility, putting him in a place contrite enough to hear God’s voice. On another occasion, he said: “Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and to watch over them in tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind.”

My good friends are a balm of Gilead to my soul. I’m blessed by my association with them. Their service and love inspire me to in turn be a better friend to others. Love has such a ripple effect.

I’m reminded of the Savior’s mission: “he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18). It was His love for His friends that empowered Him to soften their hearts and free them from their own spiritual chains: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24); “he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him” (2 Nephi 26:24).

The Savior’s atoning sacrifice is the source of all good things. Because He descended below all things, He is the fulcrum of all creation. All love can be traced back to His atonement – even before it happened. As we are inspired by love to love, we are sown into the order of life. “We love him [and therefore, the least of these], because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Never underestimate the power you have to bring that about for someone else. The most powerful thing we can do in turning others to Christ is binding up their broken hearts with love – thus opening the prison door to their own spiritual Liberty Jails. It was the love of Joseph’s friends that freed his mind and softened his heart sufficient to hear the voice of inspiration.

Ultimately, every person must learn to hear and obey the voice of God for themselves, but our love can soften hearts sufficient to hear Him, and exercise faith.

Thanks be to God for my friends.

Don’t Let Knowledge Make You Bitter

Have you ever wondered why people become cynical, bitter, or resentful? It happens quite frequently, and I think understanding its cause (whether in others or ourselves) will help us know how to best approach it.

Here’s my best estimation:

As I covered in a previous video, we can overlay each spiritual journey in 2 or 3 major phases, mirroring the “three pillars of eternity”: Creation, Fall, and Atonement.

The first phase is akin to the Garden of Eden, or childhood. We exist inside the circle, where everything we’re aware of makes sense (as we understand it). We feel safe inside our bubble, not generally aware of all the evil and complexity of the outside world. This is Simba as a cub at Pride Rock, or Luke Skywalker living a casual life on Tatooine. It’s care free, and perhaps a bit naïve.

This first phase does not last forever, and at some point (sooner or later), every person is forced out of the Garden. Within Adam and Eve’s context, they partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and their eyes were “opened.” Increased knowledge opened their eyes, or made them aware, to the fact that their world is not all they thought it was. Mufassa is killed in a conspiracy more complex than Simba could even comprehend, and Luke similarly finds himself in the middle of something he wasn’t prepared for. Because their eyes have been opened, they can no longer remain in Eden; their world is spinning, everything seems like chaos.

The journey is essentially complete when the hero conquers the new chaos. Simba defeats Scar and reclaims Pride Rock; Luke defeats the Emperor and frees the galaxy, etc. Greater peace and prosperity is enjoyed by all as the hero connects with his true identity.

The at-one-ment phase brings all things into order and harmony. This is a state of rest.

Whether or not people directly involve God, this process is always spiritual at its core. Peace of mind, security, order, chaos, and reconciliation are all spiritual concerns. We enjoy movies and books for the same reason the ancients were enthralled by myths – something about them resonates with the deep truths of our soul.

This three-act pattern can be found on many different levels. On perhaps the most general scale, these three states represent our pre-mortality, morality, and resurrection. Our imperfect, mortal, bodies separate us from God. As we submit the flesh to the Spirit, we are reconciled to Him and will come forth triumphant in the first resurrection.

On a smaller scale, this can happen when a child enters adolescence and becomes “self-conscious” about how they look to their peers, or when someone encounters the pain of a personal trial, like betrayal, or losing a loved one. It can happen when someone encounters information that causes them to question their faith, or even when receiving a commandment they don’t want to keep. Whatever it is, the result is the same: we become aware of something that we didn’t know, and it temporarily separates us from God.

There are, in reality, only two states of being: harmony with God, and disharmony with God. In a “Fall” stage we’re in disharmony, cut off from His presence (spiritually and physically), and in a state of death. When we are reconciled to His light, we are in a state of life. The end of one cycle is the beginning of another (note the similarity between “Creation” and “Re-Creation”).

Bitterness, Arrogance, and Resentment

The reason anyone becomes bitter or resentful is because they learn something that they don’t know how to reconcile. In other words, they get stuck in a fall state, which causes them to gradually lose greater and greater light.

Sometimes this happens because someone is exposed to too much chaos at a young age. Before they can even get their bearings in the world, their parents get divorced, a family member dies, or they suffer abuse from the very people they’re counting on for security.

Sometimes it happens because, even later in life, they don’t know how to reconcile severe trials. Sometimes they discover cracks in the foundations of their values and beliefs. Their eyes are opened. In some sense, they learn that Eden isn’t everything they thought it was; there are snakes in the garden.

Our response to greater knowledge and awareness is crucial. We must not allow the chaos to make us bitter or arrogant. Many people who do become cynical grow in hatred for those who seem happy and full of faith. They see them as naïve, and believe that the only reason they’re not miserable is because they’re ignorant of reality. They want to pop everyone’s “bubble,” and sometimes make it their life mission to do so. Like Satan, they seek that “all men might be miserable like unto [themselves]” (2 Nephi 2:27). This hatred for life and faith is the spirit of the Devil.

If you find that new knowledge (or awareness) has made you resentful to people who don’t have it in any way, you are being influenced by an evil spirit. If you allow that knowledge to lift you up in pride, or to cause you to think you are better than others, you are under an influence contrary to life. In short, if you use that knowledge for anything other than increasing your faith in Christ, it will work against you.

To those who increase in learning, Jacob warns: “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish” (2 Nephi 9:28).

We must at all times maintain a spirit of humility and love. It is often our tendency to judge or criticize ourselves or others when we learn we have erred in something. This can be good if our criticism drives us to repentance, but we must guard against the temptation to use our new knowledge as sledgehammer to condemn those who have not learned what we have; to play the role of accuser is to play the part of Satan.

It is often the case that until we repent and reconcile our hearts back to light, love, and the Spirit, that we cannot even properly understand what we have been made aware of. As is depicted in the “Fall” diagram above, just because our awareness expands does not mean that we have made sense of it all. Only when we surrender to the light will everything be put in order.

The Remedy

The Savior descended below it all so that He could stand as a witness and comforter for every single person, no matter how severe their pain. He experienced all of these things in the flesh so that we could have faith in His ability to heal us. He has overcome the world.

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11-12; cf. D&C 88:6).

We can have perfect faith in Him knowing that He knows the depth of our pain and alienation, and can bring us back into a state of reconciliation.

As time passes in a “Fall” state, our alienation from life and love grows from a smaller degree to a greater one. Time can make many people bitter and resentful: we get set in our ways, become hardened, and lose the joy and inspiration of childhood. The Savior’s injunction to become as a little child becomes especially meaningful in this context (Mosiah 3:19; 3 Nephi 9:22). He invites us to return to that place of childlike trust, assuring us that He has all of the light and truth pertinent to our reality. There is nothing He has not experienced and conquered. He has put all things under His feet, emanating love and life still. He is worthy and deserving of all of our faith.

The only real remedial course in these situations is to come unto Him with our whole heart and soul, in light of the things we’ve learned/experienced. He is the one that puts us into these situations, precisely so that we may learn to align ourselves with Him, and from Him become empowered to overcome the world. As we surrender all things to His will, His greater light will heal that which is broken in us, be it heartache, confusion, fear, doubt, cynicism, anger, or pride. He will order our chaos.

As we repeat this cycle with intentionality, we will find that the interval between each “Fall” and subsequent “Re-Creation” phase gets shorter and shorter, until at we arrive at the point where there is nothing God can reveal that would cause our faith to waiver; we will be immediately reconciled to His light. When we arrive at this point, our faith is perfect, and we are prepared to inherit the kingdom of God (or, all that He has) (2 Nephi 9:23; cf. D&C 84:38).

Nephi so testified: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).