The Moral Concept of “Fair”

There are many Gospel topics with meanings related to the concept of “Fair”, such as just, merciful, kind, understanding, loving, gracious, forgiving, equal etc. All of these appear in the scriptures in the context of actions, where God relates to His children.

Yet nowhere in the section of Study Helps of the scriptures was I able to find a reference to “Fair” except in the context of describing the beauty of an individual or a group of people.

Could it be that the human concept of “Fair” is simply not a part of the Divine Dictionary?

Let me illustrate the problem by comparing a present-day work situation with the parable Christ gave of the laborers in the vineyard.

Two men are hired by a company to do a certain job. Both are happy, they like the work situation, they like the fellow workers, they are happy with the salary until one discovers that his friend, doing the same job as he, earns twice as much. He is upset with the unfairness of his salary.

In a parable, Christ compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a householder who hires workers for his vineyard. He hires them at different times of day and in the evening pays each a penny as agreed.

The murmuring on each case is the result of selfishness. The main difference is the fact that the first situation is based on human values, the second relates to eternal values. The ultimate prize in the kingdom of Heaven is Eternal Life, a commodity which cannot be earned. Try as we might, we can never meet a divine standard on our own, “by grace are we saved after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). Christ makes up for the difference between where we are, and where we need to be, for all who accept Him and His atoning sacrifice by making the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, with all that means in terms of repentance, love of God, love of fellow men and serving Him with all our heart, might, mind and strength, as well as accepting and obeying the principles and actions associated with saving Gospel ordinances.

The question of fairness never enters the picture. Paul, in the first epistle to the Corinthians lists the characteristics of charity, the pure love of Christ. Among them he states “Charity seeketh not her own”. In other words, if we have charity, we do not insist on receiving that, to which we are entitled, but rather step back to give an opportunity to someone in need.

The fact, of course is, that in view of eternal issues, the two are not that different. The Kingdom of Heaven represents the purpose of life, and unless we apply eternal standards to our earthly values, we will not have done “all we can do” and we will not “be saved by grace”.

In the spring General Conference of 1978 President Kimball suggested three fundamental things needed to build “Zion”. “First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind”. (General Welfare Session, General Conference April 1978, Becoming the pure in heart, Spencer W. Kimball)

If we truly learn to cease being selfish, we will begin to love our “neighbors” and a concern for fairness will no longer be an issue in our personal relations, racial or otherwise.

My Personal Attitude about Race,

And the Priesthood for Blacks

in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I had always considered myself as color blind  until some personal experiences made me realize that there were still areas of improvement for my attitudes. I had my first experience with deep seated racial prejudice and unreasonable hatred while serving on the Army in the fifties. I had a serious leg injury which placed me in the hospital. For a few days, a fellow soldier from the deep South and I were the only occupants of the ward. He had majored in English, in college, and we had some stimulating discussions. Eventually a black trooper was added to our duet, and the following morning, while only the white GI and I were in the bathroom, he went into such a vicious and unreasonable diatribe about this blankety-blank n****r that it was impossible for me to identify the intelligent young man with whom I had had interesting conversations. I was literally shocked.

At the same time there was a black orderly serving our ward. He and I had become good friends, so that after I was released from the hospital, we spent quite a bit of time together. In fact, he went to Church with me on several occasions. On one occasion I sked him if he had a girlfriend. He did. I sked him if he had a picture. He showed me the picture of lovely, black girl, and I as awakened to the fact that my conception of beauty was far from color blind. I was rudely awakened to the fact that my racial attitudes had definite limitations. 

While teaching at Indiana State University I experienced another awakening. Three black students came to class with, what seemed to me, was an obvious chip on their shoulder. They dared me to “learn them something”. I braced myself for a challenging semester. It turned out that those three students were intelligent and hard-working and came to be among the top in the class, in fact their contributions added much to the learning atmosphere for the entire class. Again, I realized that I had to overcome some limitations in my racial attitudes.

That same semester I was preparing material for my class in the preparation room adjacent to the large theater-style classroom. A black colleague was using that classroom as a meeting place with a student group he was advising. I eavesdropped. At first, I just heard a word or two, without really paying attention. After a while it was obvious to me that he helped the students understand, that racial tensions can be moderated when both races learn to understand each other. This was much like Booker T. Washington in “Up from Slavery”. I stayed until long after I had completed my preparation, and introduced myself to my colleague, and we became good friends.  He taught a Sunday School class in a black Baptist Church, and on one occasion he invited me to come to his class to introduce the class to Christian teachings as understood by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I mention these details to help you understand how he responded when President Kimball announced the revelation opening access to the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church, and participation in temple ordinances to all worthy members, regardless of race. He knew how I felt about my black brothers and sisters, and he also knew that I would rejoice, and, out of respect for me, he wanted to share my joy, so, when he heard the announcement on TV, he called me on the phone to express our shared joy.

A neighbor, who at that time served as the judge in the local juvenile court, approached me one day: “How can you, as an intelligent human being, associate with a church which discriminates against the black race”?  My response: “What the Lord does with His Priesthood, is His business. How I treat my black brother, is my business, and if I treat my black brother and my black sister in any way other than with deep love, my Father will hold me responsible.

Repentance

Among the many gifts our Heavenly Father has prepared for us are His love, the atoning sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ, Eternal Life, the scriptures, full of divine guidance and prophetic messages, the restoration of the fulness of the Gospel, and many, many more.  

The scriptures tell us that the greatest gift, of all these, is Eternal Life; and so it is, yet, without the Love of our Heavenly Father, none of these would be possible. With that in mind, I love the hymn we sing: How great the wisdom and the Love, that filled the courts on high and sent the savior from above, to suffer bleed and die. 

Of the multitude of gifts, two stand out in relation to our every-day actions: Agency, and Repentance. Without agency the entire creation would have been for naught. Not one of us would have the opportunity for spiritual growth, and thus become prepared to meet our Heavenly Father, and there become divinely creative in His presence.

Tied to the opportunity of free choice, is the consequence that as apprentices we make mistakes, with the result that our progress would be limited and prevent us from fulfilling our divine potential, unless an opportunity were given to learn from our mistakes, overcome them and be forgiven, and thus again become pure in preparation for a divine future.

The infinite Atonement of Christ gives us the possibility to accept that sacrifice through our sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Included in that repentance is our willingness to give him the only gift which is truly ours to give: Our will. That obedience is a commitment of subjecting our will to His, with complete trust resulting from having experienced His love.

The principles of Agency and Repentance are thus inseparably connected through the Love of our Heavenly Father.

A broken heart and a contrite spirit comprise the most concise definition of repentance I can imagine. In the context of the Gospel, a broken heart indicates the depth of sorrow coming from a realization that I have offended my Heavenly Father. Thus, the scripture in the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted”  becomes a message of repentance and forgiveness.

A broken heart suggests full recognition of transgression and willingness to make repairs where possible as well as a commitment to avoid future wrongdoing. The term contrite spirit includes confession to God, to individuals wronged and willingness to be subjected to appropriate priesthood authority to complete the repentance and receive forgiveness. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins – he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:43)

The joy of forgiveness is one of the great gifts of our Heavenly Father, made effective through full repentance as we accept the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The Love of our Heavenly Father for His Children

The question arises: What must we do to qualify for God’s love?

Clearly that is an absurd question, since the scriptures tell us that God loves all of His children, and you and I are among His many children.

Because of His love for His children, His plan of Salvation included the opportunity of spiritual growth which is only possible with free choice coming through the blessing of agency. This in turn results in inevitable mistakes requiring payment. While we cannot make full payment, repentance is required to access our Father’s grace through the atonement of Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, 2Nephi 25:23)

The question, therefor, is not what can we do to earn His love, but rather: how can we think, feel, and behave to recognize His love for us? 

Let me illustrate this with an example from music. Consider a piano. A piano has many strings. Each string is made to vibrate by a hammer which hits the string when the key, attached to that hammer, is hit by the hammer when the key is depressed. When the key is depressed, a damper is lifted from that string, so only that string vibrates. The lowest frequency with which that string can vibrate corresponds to vibrational motion which looks like one loop, since the string is tied down between two fixed points. This looks a lot like a jump rope. When you wiggle the jump rope twice as fast you end up with two loops, with a point in the middle, that point doesn’t seem to move. Thus, when one side moves up, the other side moves down. The same double loop picture applies to the piano string when hit by the hammer, the string vibrates with frequencies corresponding to multiple loops. So, for the A in the middle of the piano, A4, we have a frequency of 440 Hz (cycles per second) and the string actually vibrates with all whole number multiples of that frequency, that is A5 = 2x440m, E6 = 3x440, A6 = 4x440, C#7 = 5x440, E7 = 6x440. These notes are called harmonics, and a string hit by a hammer will vibrate only with those frequencies. On one end of the string the string is fixed on the bridge, which transfers the vibration to the sound board which amplifies the sound so we can hear it. The lowest frequency is the loudest, but all the other frequencies are present. If I depress the A5 string so gently that the hammer does not hit the string, and then play the A4 string and then release it, I will be able to hear the A5 note, because the soundboard vibrations will make the A5 string vibrate. The same will happen for all the other harmonic notes. Only the notes whose frequencies are in a harmonic relationship with the note struck will be heard.

So, it is with us. If we want to feel the love of our Heavenly Father, we need to be in harmony with Him. We feel the love of our Heavenly Father when we truly love Him. How do we show Him that we really love Him? There are many ways. The following comments are certainly not exclusive, nor are they listed in order of importance. 

We need to be sincere in our prayers. While concerns occur repeatedly, they cannot be rote memory, they must come from the heart each time. Gratitude for the blessings of the gospel is always appropriate. Thanks for love by and to friends and family always helps us to understand and feel the love of our Heavenly Father. We need help in our repentance. Awareness of specific shortcomings, and a plea for assistance will help us to do better in the future. Any effort to relieve someone’s burden will bring us closer to our Heavenly Father, and we feel the warms of His love penetrate our souls.

As we experience that, we feel a calm peace fill our heart despite the turmoil of illness, injury, animosity, material loss, and all the ills the world can provide. He tells us that “. . . . in me ye might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

With my nearly 90 years of living I feel more joy associated with the love of my Heavenly Father, and the values of alternatives increasingly fade in significance.

The Greatest Gifts of God to His Children

And if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

D&C 14:7

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

The most sublime of feelings we can experience as children of our Heavenly Father, while dwelling here on earth, is the awareness of His Love. It suffuses our whole being with warmth, transcending sunrays, or the radiance of a warm fireplace on a winter’s evening. Unlike these, which penetrate our body from without, the awareness of the Love of God wells up from within and fills our entire being.

It is that love which motivated our Heavenly Father to present us with His plan of Salvation, His plan of happiness, which included the gifts of agency and repentance as essential elements, to give us the opportunity to accept the atonement of Jesus Christ, and eventually return to our Heavenly parents.

While Eternal Life is the ultimate goal, and thus the greatest gift our Heavenly Father has in store for us, it would not be possible without the Atonement which was voluntarily accomplished by Jesus Christ with unimaginable pain and suffering to pay for the sins, pains and sorrows of all mankind. In turn, the gift of His Son is the evidence of our Heavenly Father’s Love for His children.

As we consider Eternal Life as the goal of our existence, we realize that the quantitative element of that life has no beginning and no end, unlike any concepts associated with our earth life, which exhibit limitations. On the other hand, the qualitative aspects of Eternal Life suggest a life in the presence of our Heavenly Father, in creative harmony with Him. This suggests a level of competence achieved through steps of growth unimaginable in earthly terms. Such growth requires free choices resulting in learning, and failure overcome through repentance. Both, agency and repentance are two of the great gifts of our Father to make the trip to Eternal Life possible.

In Summary, the gift, greatest of all, Eternal Life, which includes life itself, death and the resurrection, made possible through the Atonement of Christ, which includes ability of free choice and repentance to enable ultimate freedom from sin, as well as growth to prepare for life in the presence of God, is made possible by the Love of a Heavenly Father for His spirit offspring, His children, You and Me.

Introductory Comments to Musings on Gospel Themes.

 Introductory Comments to Musings on Gospel Themes.

During my nearly 90 years of living, I have had many opportunities to be instructed, uplifted, and inspired by the scriptures. This began for me at about age 7, when the president of our Kiel branch sat my brother Klaus and me down, gave us a Book of Mormon, and the pamphlet wherein Joseph Smith tells his own story. He encouraged us to read those regularly, and then extracted a promise that we would do so, a promise which I gladly made and kept.

The occasion for that interview was a result of the war. Kiel was a major base of the German Navy with a large Submarine base. The banks of the harbor also housed many shipyards. Consequently, Kiel was a natural target for the RAF. With nightly bombing raids, the German government instituted a program to relocate children away from immediate danger. The “Kinderlandverschickung” sent Klaus and me to Ebermannstadt in northern Bavaria. Klaus was placed with the local director of the Bank, and I became a member of the Schruefer family, which lived on the cemetery, where they were hired by the city as caretakers and managers.

I had the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith story on my night stand next to my bed. An aunt came to visit. She was more Catholic than the Pope. She picked up the Joseph Smith story, rummaged through it and commented: “What a sweet story for Children”. I was furious, “That is not a story, that is the Truth”.

Later as a 15-year-old, I discovered 2 Ne 2 and marveled at the depth of the philosophical content in the context of the Gospel. Since then, a few years ago, I decided to read all standard works yearly. I counted the pages, divided that number by 365 and discovered that if I read 7 pages a day, I could easily read the entire canon of our scriptures by only reading each day for 15 minutes. Furthermore, that left some time for pondering. I followed that plan for three years, then the following years I decided to search for nuggets. Rather than reading carefully, word for word, I skimmed through the pages until a verse touched me, I wrote it down on a spread sheet along with some comments. In this manner I have gone through the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and I am now halfway through the Doctrine and Covenants. The result of this effort is added to the appendix.

The sole reason for writing these Blog Posts is to share the joy I have experienced as I have pondered the scriptures which have given purpose and direction to my life. 

The thoughts expressed in these posts are entirely my own. They have not been reviewed or edited by “Scriptorians”.  I alone am responsible for thoughts expressed. While I hope that principles discussed do not go counter to official Church position, no such inerrancy is claimed.

I hope that you will feel the warmth associated with attempts to draw near to our Savior as you study and ponder. It is my hope that these musings will stimulate you to do so.

 

Strengthening our Testimony of Jesus Christ

Oquirrh Mountain Ranch Ward

Sacrament Meeting 3.13.22

Strengthening our Testimony of Jesus Christ

Note: This was originally given as a talk in Sacrament Meeting. 

My dear sisters and Brothers

During the 88 years of my live, by now nearly 89 years, I have resided in 35 different Wards or Branches, 7 Missions and 11 Stakes. In all of them my testimony of our Savior has been strengthened by opportunities to serve, and mostly by the love of very dear friends. Not only has the Oquirrh Mountain Ranch Ward not been an exception to the loving experiences encountered, but on the contrary, she stands as a shining example of the love and closeness which will build Zion throughout the world.

Permit me to consider with you three phases of the Love of our Heavenly Father for all of us as expressed by John (John 3:16) “for God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life.”

In the first phase of this discussion, I would have you remember that our Father taught this principle to Adan and Eve in the Garden when he promised them that while Satan would have power to bruise his heel, his seed (Christ) would have power to crush his head. Later after they had been cast out of the Garden and had built an alter to pray to the Father and to offer a sacrifice, they were taught that they should offer a sacrifice because that was a symbol of the last and infinite Sacrifice of the Savior’s Atonement.

I would like to give two more examples, this time of a prophet, whose message Christ describes as: “Great are the words of Isaiah”. As I do this, I would like to invite you to a spiritual feast which will come as an answer to your search of the scriptures for additional prophesies of the coming of the Messiah.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely, He hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows

Isaiah 61:1 – 2 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; 

        Or in Numbers 24:17 Behold a Star from Jacob shining, and a scepter from Israel rising Mendelssohn Christus

And of course, there is the promise to Abraham, given also to Isaac, and then to Jacob:  In Thee and Thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed. 

There really are only three truly universal blessings: One is life itself, then there is death. Without death there would be no resurrection and no possibility for Eternal Life. And that possibility is given through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. So, this promise to Abraham is two-fold. (Gen 12:3) On the one hand Abraham is promised that He who would make the resurrection and Eternal Life possible would be borne as his seed. Jesus Christ would come through the lineage of Abraham. Mary would be a distant daughter of Israel. Furthermore, the numerous descendants of Abraham, as many as the grains of sand in the sea, will have the opportunity and responsibility to take the message of the Gospel, the Good News, the joy of forgiveness through the atonement of Christ, to the world. We of the house of Israel have that calling.

In the second phase of contemplating the mission of our Savior we come to the fulfilment of the earlier prophesies. We find Christ in the synagogue of Nazareth. By now he has already done some teaching, and word of his impact has already reached his home, so, the minister hands him the scroll of scriptures and he reads from Isaiah (Luke 4:15 – 21, Isaiah 61:1 – 2). He reads, hands back the scroll and then sits down, which at that time meant he had something to say. All eyes are upon him. They recognize the scripture as a Messianic prophesy, they eagerly await the day of his coming.  “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”  They reject him. In contrast, another fulfilment of the prophesies. (John 4:6 – 26) Christ travels through Samaria, and somewhat fatigued he sends the apostles to get food and he sits down by Jacob’s well, A Samaritan woman comes and he asks her to draw some water for him. She is amazed, that he, a Jew, would talk to a Samaritan. His response: if you knew who I am you would ask me for water, and I would give you living water. After a lengthy conversation he says: “I, that speak unto thee am he”. Let me give you a third example: (John 8:31-58)

So, as the descendants of Israel, how do we respond? How do we meet our opportunity in the third phase of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Let me use three Hymns by way of a suggestion.

I love all three of these hymns, I can’t ever sing any one of them without tears filling my eyes. The first is a very sweet Christmas carol: Away in a manger. In the second verse we sing: ” I love Thee, Lord Jesus”.  I hope we do! The second is the Battle Hymn of the Republic. In the second verse we sing: “Be swift my soul to answer Him, be jubilant my feet.”

 The third is a Hymn of the Restoration: “Rise up. O, Men of God, have done with lesser things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.

In Conclusion, may I suggest you follow the Savior’s council to “search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  (John 5:39) Search the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon before 3rd Nephi, for the Prophesies of the coming of the Messiah, then search the New Testament for the teachings by Christ. As you do so I promise you a level of joy beyond what you expected as you permit Christ to permeate your life. You will find the peace He promised (John 16:33) 

The Love and the Friendship which I experienced in your midst at the side of a wonderful woman during the past four years will always be with me. I express my gratitude and love to you and to my Heavenly Father,

Recognizing the love which is responsible

For sending His Son

Who makes it possible for us to experience the Joy of Forgiveness,

As we approach Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

In the Name of Jesus Christ

Amen

The Messiah in the Restoration

 The Messiah

Prophesies of His coming

Fulfilment of these prophesies

The Messiah in the Restoration

The earliest comments about the coming of the Messiah relate to the time prior to the creation of the earth. Elohim, the Father of our spirits, presented His plan of salvation to us, which included the necessity of receiving a body, in order to become like Him, and ultimately return to our heavenly home to become divinely creative with Him in His presence. This furthermore included the inevitability of mistakes which would distance us from the ultimate goal of Eternal Life.

Payment by all who were subject to death by reason of sin, was clearly insufficient, so someone needed to be chosen to accept the task of living without sin in the face of extreme suffering to expiate for the universal load of sin, taking upon himself the infinite sin of the world, and voluntarily giving His life, and conquering death by freely taking up His life again and becoming the first to be resurrected.

Two offered themselves for the task. 

The firstborn spirit of our Father suggested “send me”, fully acknowledging the great gift of agency and free choice in order to make it possible for all of our Father’s children to return home. He was willing to make that infinite sacrifice, give His life and take it up again, while taking upon himself the sins of the world and suffering for all our transgressions, griefs, and carry our sorrows. The condition for making this sacrifice effective in our lives was accepting this offer through obedience and repentance by offering the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

The other offered universality of Eternal Life by removing the possibility of sin, eliminating choice and agency, with their concurrent opportunities for growth. For the universality of salvation, he demanded the glory and power of the Father. 

The Father spoke: “I will send the first”. Satan rebelled, and, because of that rebellion, and the ensuing war, was cast out with one third of the heavenly host who followed him.

Moses 4:1 -  4; Revelation 12:7 – 13; D&C 29:36

The first reference to the Savior in the scriptures, in the context of mortal life, is found in relating incidents in the garden of Eden following the fall. God tells Satan: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman,    between thy seed and her seed (Christ), and he shall bruise thy head. and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Moses 4:21

After Adam and Eve are driven out of the Garden, they obediently build an altar and offer prayers and sacrifices. An angel teaches them the significance of the sacrifice as a “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.”

Moses 5:5 - 8

Understanding the Scriptures

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scriptures is of any private interpretation. 

John 5:39 Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Articles of Faith 8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.

Moroni 10:5        And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

John 14:26 But the “Comforter”, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things

Prov. 4:7 With all thy getting, get understanding

1 Ne19:23 ……..for I did liken al scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning

Scriptures frequently address many topics in the same verse or chapter, consequently it is not easy to extract the intended meaning, furthermore, they often are given in the context of the contemporary culture. The result of all this is that if we attempt to understand scripture purely with our limited human philosophy as a tool, we most likely will not come to understand the Lord’s intent.

If our lives are in harmony with the Lord’s will, He will frequently send us messages, often when we study the scriptures. Thoughts will come to our mind related to the scripture we are reading with insights quite different from common explanations.

 For example, on an occasion, while studying the sermon on the mount, it occurred to me that the pain of loss for loved ones, and I had lost several relatives, dear friends, and two wonderful wives, did not compare to the anguish of the realization that on some occasions I had offended my Heavenly Father. Mat 5:4 became one of my favorite scriptures helping me to understand elements of the Atonement. 

The messages transmitted to us by the Holy Ghost are given to us according to our understanding and our needs. The Lord knows us, knows our level of understanding, consequently He speaks to us individually, according to that understanding. Though His truths are eternal and unchanging, which part of that truth He emphasizes when speaking to Uwe might be quite different from the message He gives to Jeri.

How then do we recognize that a particular interpretation of a scripture represents pure truth? 

The message of that scripture comes to us through the Holy Ghost. How do we recognize that? 

1. We have that same feeling in our heart which we felt when the warmth and peace of our testimony first filled out heart. In other words, it is in harmony with previous spiritual experiences.
2. The message is in harmony with the teachings and official publications of the restored Church, this includes the Scriptures.
3. The interpretation is in harmony with the statements of the Prophets, General Authorities, and General Conference addresses.
4. The message is uplifting and brings us closer to Christ

Seeking to understand the nature of God

Seeking to understand the nature of God,

His relationship to us

His Plan to prepare us to join Him,

And our opportunities and responsibilities 

To respond to that plan of happiness.

For behold, this is My Work and My Glory – to bring to pass the Immortality and Eternal Life of Man.

Moses 1:39

And this is Life Eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

John 17:3

Adam fell that Men might be; and Men are that they might have Joy. 

2 Ne 2:25

Comment: Capitalization of words other than references to God and Jesus Christ, is deliberate and not intended to improve the scriptures. I merely want to draw attention to those words in the context of these ponderings.

I think it is wonderful that the restoration has brought such an increased depth of understanding to our knowledge of our Heavenly Father. I was going to say “significant” instead of wonderful, but that seemed too weak.

Clearly, that understanding was not only available to Adam, Abraham, Isaiah, and all the Old Testament prophets, but was a reality to them.

They knew Him and conversed with Him. Christ reminded his contemporaries, but except those few who faithfully began to build His kingdom, they rejected Him and the reality of His Father. 

But even those few, eventually, because of unrighteousness and the worship of human knowledge, lost that understanding during the great apostacy. Church leaders saw a great need to reconcile the teachings of Christ with the human wisdom represented by infallible Greek philosophy, and the resulting creeds show no resemblance to the personal testimony Christ bore of His Father.

Like prophets of old, Joseph Smith communicated with God. He saw both the Father and the Son and conversed with them. When challenged by persecution he bore a powerful testimony: “I had seen a vision, I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it.”

The restoration brought renewed understanding of a number of fundamental concepts. 

1. “Elohim” God the Father, and  “Jehovah “ God the Son are two distinct personages.
2. They have physical, resurrected, and glorified bodies.
3. None of the churches of that time represented the church established by Christ in the meridian of times.
4. Communication between God and man did not cease with the death of the early apostles, it is essential for the saving role of the Church and was reestablished by God.
5. The canon of scripture is not closed
6. The Priesthood, divine authority to perform saving ordinances, was restored
7. The structure of the Church of Jesus Christ was restored, with the foundation of Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone.
8. Sealing powers were restored to form eternal families.
9. Authority was restored to perform vicarious saving ordinances for deceased individuals and families.
10. Temples are built for live and vicarious eternal ordinance performance.
11. The nature of man as a spirit child of Heavenly parents, embodied in a physical body was again taught. 
12. The nature oof God, as a Heavenly parent, whose most pronounced characteristic is love for his offspring was restored.
13. The plan of Salvation, which includes life as spirits in the presence of Heavenly Parents, earth life as a preparation for return to Heavenly parents, redemption by Jesus Christ on conditions of repentance and obedience to eternal principles, and ordinances, was again revealed.
14. The precious gift of free agency, including acceptance of consequences, and the effectiveness of repentance through the infinite sacrifice of Jesus Christ was clarified by revelation.
15. The variety of eternal destination possibilities based on earthly performance and acceptance of eternal principles, including divine ordinances, were again taught/

Back to the first of the scriptures which motivated these musings.

It states that the most significant, if not the sole concern of our Heavenly Father is our happiness. Clearly, there are many things which motivate our actions, among them acquisition of wealth, desire of worldly recognition, exercise of power, gaining knowledge, search for pleasure, giving service, and many more. Many of these are not in harmony with the will of our Heavenly Father. 

Only the confluence of three elements will result in the depth of happiness our Heavenly Father would have us experience

1. The will of our Heavenly Father
2. Our own deepest innermost desires
3. Our actions resulting from our desires

When those three become one, then and only then will we be truly happy.

Anything less will require repentance prior to experiencing true happiness and joy.

The gospel furthermore teaches us that only a resurrected body housing our spirit is capable of a fulness of joy, and that will only happen in the presence of our Heavenly Parents.

Returning to our Heavenly Father permanently means gaining Eternal Life. This, in turn, requires progress on earth, made possible by the gifts of agency, and repentance which becomes effective through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

At this point a comment about the will of our Heavenly Father seems in order.

In view of the scripture: “This is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” it should be obvious that divine commandments are not arbitrary whims imposed as obstacles or fetters. Our loving Father, with His infinite experience, knows what it takes to progress to His level. Consequently, He gives us guidelines. These are not just wise hints, but He knows and shows us the way. The proverb “many ways lead to Rome” is relevant if you want to go to Rome, but we should prefer Eternal Life as a goal. Often limiting personal freedom is presented as an objection to rigid commandments. The reality is that behavioral restrictions become a limiting influence only for actions at the boundary of acceptable behavior. The dog at the feet of his master is not even aware of the leash around his neck. The bumper sticker “They are not the ten suggestions” may represent an amusing comment, however if we truly love the Lord, and accept His commandments as benevolent, we will want to follow His slightest suggestions.

Indeed, the commandments are designed to help us become more like our savior. The closer we come to that goal, the less we need the “restrictions” of the commandments. We would keep them even if we did not have them, we would live Christ-like because of who we are, but until we have carved the commandments into the flesh of our heart, we still need them in the picture on the wall as a reminder, and a driving force to improve.

Truth

John 8:32.  Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

John 18:38   What is Truth?

2 Timothy 3:7.  Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth

Moroni 10:5.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth oof all things

D & C 93:24.  And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as theye are to come.

D & C 93:28   He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

D & C 93:36.  The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth

Contemplating the world around us, leaves us with Philosophical concepts, ideas, and relationships, as well as Scientific principles. We arrive at philosophical concepts and relationships based on axioms assumed to be absolute and universal, connected by logical arguments. Scientific principles, in turn, are obtained through experiments involving measurements. If there is no possible way of measuring something, it is not science. To take concepts from the realm of the philosophical and introduce them into the world of science, measurements must be possible.

There are limitations to both approaches. The world of philosophy is inherently limited by the nature of the world around us, as well as the limitations of our mind. We are immersed in a world of space, time, and matter. While it is possible to describe a hyperdimensional space connected to time with unobservable mass and energy, to claim that such a world corresponds to an ultimate absolute reality is arrogant at best.

Science, on the other hand is limited by the processes of measurement as welk as the limitations of the tools of measurement.

The result in both, Philosophy and Science, is the abandoning of any attempt to deal with absolutes, or anything dealing with spiritual values. To attempt to discuss something infinite in finite terms is simply inadequate. We are attempting to describe a world of which we are an integral part. This is conceptually like the effort of describing a house, while locked inside. A better example might be an intelligent two-dimensional being, living on the surface of a sphere. Clearly, he could develop the mathematics of a three-dimensional world, but he would never be able to experience it.  The only way the sensation of three-dimensionality could be communicated would involve a three-dimensional being living in the third dimension.

Philosophical efforts to describe an omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite God have resulted in an incomprehensible human construct with no resemblance to the Eternal Father taught by Christ while He was on earth. Furthermore, the closed canon of scripture denies the possibility of a loving Father giving us additional insight into the nature and purpose of our life, 

As the scriptures quoted as an introduction to these musings indicate, truth is more than knowledge. Truth, in addition, is the awareness of its absolute reality. Such awareness can only be communicated from beyond the limitations inherent in the world in which we live. Such awareness is communicated by the Spirit, otherwise known as a Testimony. The certainty associated with such a Testimony gives peace, joy, and direction to our lives.

Pondering Scriptures on Peace

D&C 59:23:  But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. In D&C 14:7 the Lord states that eternal life is the greatest of all gifts of God. While a never-ending life of the quality lived by our Heavenly Father certainly excels above all other gifts, yet we live now, in the turmoil of this world, surrounded by selfishness, immorality, greed, envy, pain, corruption and war, and we think of rewards like financial security, health, friends, recognition and other worldly achievements. While we are grateful for these, the fact is, that all these may fail. The stock market may crash, our financial reserves may become worthless, we may suddenly discover that we have cancer, our friends may be offended by some misunderstanding and never talk to us again. No worldly rewards carry a guarantee of permanence. 

On the other hand, the Love of our Father in Heaven endures, and if our life- style is such that we can be aware of that love, the peace which results exceeds all understanding. Even when in the hospital, after an automobile crash with a drunken driver, the pain seems unbearable, His peace will assure you of His Love. In John 16:33 Christ states: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 

Elder Maxwell expressed gratitude for the atoning Sacrifice of the Savior as he responded to his call as an Assistant to the Twelve: “...gratitude, that included in the awesome arithmetic of that atonement are my sins...“. In addition to our sins that sacrifice extends far beyond that: “Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). In Him we shall have peace, because He has overcome the world, and if we trust in Him, through Him, so will we.

Two examples of very personal experiences. Around the turn of the Century, I had quadruple bypass surgery. During the surgery my lungs collapsed, and they had to be reinflated. In addition, much liquid had accumulated in my abdomen, and that had to be drained. As I came out of surgery, I had wires and tubes coming out of my body everywhere, and the only way I was able to be reasonably painless was not to move anything. The only thing moving was my brain. I began to think about members of my family and friends who had influenced my life. It was a wonderful trip through choice memories, and as I thought of those many people, on by one, and thanked my Heavenly Father for their influence on my life, I felt such a sweet, warm feeling in my heart.

The second experience relates to my time in the military. My father had served in the German Army. During basic training the officers had noticed innate leadership abilities, undoubtedly the result of leadership opportunities in Church service. They urged him to apply for officer training school. Shortly after their marriage in 1931, mother and dad had attended several Nazi Party rallies before Hitler came to power, and they had decided that the NSDAP program simply was not compatible with the Gospel. So, Dad, while willing to serve his country, did not want to serve in a leading capacity for a government opposed to gospel principles. He therefor declined the invitation and requested a transfer to the medical corps. 

Our family prayed consistently for his safety, but when he was with us on leave, I do not remember him praying for protection, rather, he prayed to be kept from having to kill.  With that background, it should be obvious that I was not comfortable in the atmosphere of learning to kill prevalent in my basic training.

While teaching us bayonet techniques, the drill sergeant would shout: “What’s the Spirit of the Bayonet?”, we were expected to answer: “to kill”, the sergeant would follow up with: “and what are you?” with our reply: “killers”. On one occasion, during a night firing demonstration, I was near the first on the firing line, and then moved far into the woods nearby. I took off my helmet and my back pack, and the , leaning on my rifle, I knelt and opened my heart to my Heavenly Father. I will never forget the sweet peace which filled my heart as my Father assured me of his love confirming that I was a son of Heavenly Parents. 

Continuation of Comments on Gospel Vocabulary

Obedience: To many of us, the word obedience, and more specifically, the concept of obedience, carries a connotation of a blind response to an arbitrarily imposed force. In many cases it also suggests fear of punishment for disobedience, or an expectation of rewards for compliance.

It seems incongruous that an omniscient and omnipotent God would need to exact obedience to discover our love for Him. With that reason removed from the understanding of the purpose of obedience, the scripture ranking obedience as higher than sacrifice takes on a new meaning (1 Samuel 15:22), so does the scripture in Abraham 3:25 (we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things . . . ).  My basic rule of teaching over the past 60 years has been that if my teaching has not helped my students to learn and understand, I have failed. Consequently, my tests have emphasized understanding and additional learning, and the tests were designed for the students’ benefit, not mine. Thus, I believe that the principle of obedience was not included in Gospel principles and priesthood covenants for the Lord’s benefit, but for ours.

It is clearly arrogant to compare my purposes with the Lord’s Eternal plan, yet, when I contemplate my Father’s love for me, and I relive some of the deeply spiritual experiences He has given me, which have strengthened my faith, and subsequently confront a commandment which I do not, as yet, fully comprehend, I can muster the faith to obey, because I have felt the love of my Heavenly Father.

Abraham is presented as a particularly strong example of obedience in the scriptures, and in many sacrament-meeting talks, and so he should be, but I believe Abraham’s actions go much deeper than that. Long before the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham had come to know God through deeply personal experiences. His obedience carried the signs of absolute trust, and I believe, that through the experience with Isaac, Abraham gained a deeper understanding of the Infinite atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Some-day, I hope to have the opportunity to talk to Abraham about that.

In my opinion, fear of punishment and hope for reward are very poor substitutes for love. Feeling the love of our Heavenly Father becomes a wonderful incentive to want to do what He expects of us. Our object in relation to the commandments should be to get to the point where we enjoy keeping them more than any alternative; so that we would live the commandments even if there were no commandments. The fact is, that we only sense the commandments as a deterrent from happiness, when we are not in harmony with the Gospel. The dog basking in the love of his master is not even aware that there is a leash on the collar around his neck. Not until he strains to get away does the leash restrict him. Once we have carved the commandments into our hearts we no longer need them on the wall to remind us. The Gospel is not so much about doing as it is about becoming.

However, not until we have arrived will a reminder of the commandments become irrelevant.

Comments on Gospel Vocabulary

Sacrifice: The word is used either as a noun, representing the object offered, or a verb as acting to make an offering. In the Old Testament the concept is given to teach principles associated with the atonement, looking forward to the coming of Christ. At the same time it was a symbolic representation of that infinite Sacrifice by the Father through the son to pay for all human sin and suffering. 

I find it particularly significant that the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit is required, thus repentance is necessary for personal acceptance of the atonement for forgiveness. While repentance always was a requirement for forgiveness, after the accomplishment of the atonement, the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit was given to replace the symbolic offering of a blood sacrifice.

The word “Sacrifice” itself in the Latin is much more than merely losing something for something better, which has become the colloquial meaning. Literally, the word translates into English from the two roots of the word.

Sacrum means sacred or holy, the ending of the word “. . .fice” being related to the verb facere to make or to do, thus Sacrifice translates into making holy, or that which has been made holy. In other words, it is not enough to feel sad about having given up something, unless someone is brought closer to the Lords, it is not a sacrifice.

Eternal:  Most nouns or adjectives carry a quantitative and a qualitative meaning. The quantitative answering to the question “how many or how much”, the qualitative property responding to the question “what kind.” Consequently, when you ask your six year old to measure the width of the table, and he comes back with 52, and you say “what, Hot Dogs?” And he chuckles and says “of course not, Inches”, you realize that the concept of measurement inherently includes both quantitative and qualitative elements.

So it is with the word Eternal. It includes the element of duration of time, and the quality of life experienced in that duration of time. We know very little about the time when our Heavenly Father began to be, except, whatever we can imagine, He was there before that. So it is with the End of Time. In our own experience, there is always a beginning and an end. Birthday celebrations, at best, only last a few hours. My wife had a grandfather who lived 104 years. With 89 years, I am extremely grateful for the richness of my life. One thing is clear to me: the meaning of time is vastly different for me than for my Eternal Heavenly Father. 

It is interesting that modern physics suggest that the concept of time in total independence of space is not tenable, and we describe the universe as a four-dimensional space-time continuum. At the same time, to claim that such a description of the universe corresponds to an absolute reality is at best an arrogant presumption.

The quality of life suggested in the term “Eternal” is indiscribeably creative and fulfilling and can only be imagined in the context of John 17:3 “and this is life Eternal, that they know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent,” To me, the term “Eternal” should only be used in the context of considering Divine Possibilities.

Repent: Verbs, that is, action words, are used in a transitive context when they take an object, such as I read the book. Read is used as a transitive verb, and the book is the object. On the other hand, when I say: “I read”, the word read is used intransitively without an object. The word “repent” is inherently intransitive, it cannot be used with an object. Try as you might, you cannot repent me.

Thoughts relating to events on the Cross of Calvary.

Many of our hymns suggest that Christ was killed on the Cross of Calvary, but that obscures one of the most significant elements of the Crucifixion.

As the son of the mortal mother, Mary, it was possible for him to die, but as the son of his Heavenly Father, he was not subject to death in the same way you and I will some day leave this mortal existence. 

Furthermore, all of us have earned the wages of sin as taught by Paul in his epistle to the Romans: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

Not so Christ. As the only one without sin, he was not subject to death. He taught this very clearly. “Therefore. doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17 – 18). Christ was not killed on Calvary, not until he chose to give up the ghost, did he die.

Not until he knew he had fulfilled his mission, was he ready to pass from this life. The King James version has him say: “It is finished” and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30) and “Father into thy hands I command my spirit” and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46) 

I, personally prefer the Luther translation, “Es ist Vollbracht”.  (it is fully done – or “it is accomplished”), also included in the current German Unity Translation, published by order of several Catholic Bishop’s councils in European countries in cooperation with the “Evangelische Kirche” (Lutheran Church) in Germany.

It is important to recognize that agency is an essential element in our Heavenly Father’s plan for his children. Spiritual growth is simply not possible without truly free and independent choice. Thus, Satan’s plan of universal salvation without choice was not acceptable. On the other hand, Christ’s offer of the infinite atonement provides the ultimate answer in the form of opening the door to Eternal life with our Heavenly Parents.  Included in this voluntary offer is his unimaginable suffering and the sacrifice of his life to atone for mankind’s sins as well as for other human suffering. 

To fulfil his mission, he freely chose to let his spirit leave his body, and subsequently chose to subdue the power of death, and come forth in the resurrection. This gives us the gift of immortality through the universality of the resurrection. (For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22). This also gives us the opportunity for Eternal Life provided we accept his infinite sacrifice, by offering the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In addition, we also need to endure on the covenant path. All of this requires the gift of agency, the opportunity for free choice.

  

Thoughts on The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:4, Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

I have heard many funeral sermons dealing with the atonement of Christ and the comfort given by contemplating the reality of the resurrection and the hope of a reunion with loved ones.   I have personally lost two grandmothers, a father and a mother, a father-in-law, a mother-in-law, a brother, several cousins, a very dear friend in Viet Nam, and two wonderful companions at my side. In each instance there was real sorrow and mourning,

Yet, on one occasion, as I was studying the New Testament and was pondering Matt 5:4, it occurred to me, that the anguish and sorrow I felt for my loved ones, did not compare in depth to the pain and sorrow I had felt on numerous occasions, when I realized I had offended my Heavenly Father. That scripture has become one of my favorite scriptures as the Lord gave me insight into the power of the Atonement of Christ through repentance. The joy experienced through receiving forgiveness as we approach our Heavenly Father with broken hearts and contrite spirits is one of the greatest blessings of the Gospel.

As a footnote to the above, two scriptures come to mind:  D&C 59:23 But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come; and John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

My 89 years of living teach me that life is wonderful.

Pondering the Scriptures

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

This verse makes it very clear, that to James, religion is more than a philosophical endeavor. Furthermore, he suggests, that, to be pure and undefiled, religion must be inseparably connected to God. In addition, his reference to God and the Father implies an understanding of the mature of God significantly distinct from nearly universal Christian doctrine. James also insists that anyone attempting to follow such true and undefiled religious practices must rise above the world. 

Considering the concept of a pure and undefiled religion first.

Spiritually based behavior patterns are inseparably connected to the fundamental nature of God, and, that the understanding of that nature needs to be undefiled, which among other things could mean undiluted by the sophistries of human philosophy; and by way of comment, philosophy literally translated means the love of knowledge, and it was precisely that love and preoccupation with human wisdom which led the early theologians to substitute human intellectual achievements for the simple truths of the Gospel. 

The second is the nature of God

That dual phrase: “God and the Father” by Christianity generally interpreted as explanatory meaning God, who also is the Father, is understood as truly conjunctive in the context of latter-day revelation. Thus, when the God of the Old Testament introduces himself to Moses as Jehovah, and Christ subsequently in John states that “long before Abraham, was I, Jehovah”, it becomes clear that, when Christ says that I and the Father are one, he is speaking of a union in purpose and intent, not of the unity of a single person.

In turn, a deep understanding of the nature of God and the fundamental nature of man as His offspring becomes a wonderfully motivating force to help us want to do, what He intends us to do, namely prepare ourselves to return to our Heavenly home and be divinely creative in His presence. 

The third, of course, is the outgrowth of that understanding, namely a deep, truly selfless Love for all our brothers and sisters.

James speaks of visiting the widows in their affliction. One such was the widow of Zarephath who was preparing the last handful of meal and oil for herself and her son, and then to die. Instead. she obediently gave to Elijah, and her barrel of meal did not waste, neither did the cruse of oil fail until the Lord sent rain upon the earth (1Kings 17:8-16). So. it is our opportunity to fill the spiritual barrels of all in need, to make sure their barrel does not waste. nor their cruse fail until the Lord sends rain upon the earth. At the same time. we need to relieve all affliction, spiritual and material. We can only do this once we truly learn to love one another. 

In Matthew 10:39 Christ says: “He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it”. I particularly like one phrase in the great sermon on Charity by Paul in 1st Corinthians 13:5: “Charity seeketh not her own”. It is difficult for us not to insist on that to which we think we are entitled, but rather step back and open opportunities to someone, in quotes, “less deserving”, and I use the quotes deliberately, lest anyone deem himself deserving.

The fourth, in essence, represents our response to all we have discussed: to keep unspotted from the world.

What constitutes the stain of the world?  Love of wealth, love of praise and glory, love of influence and power, and willingness to discard moral values for gratification. All four of these are rooted in selfishness. In a welfare session of General Conference in April 1978, President Kimball suggested three fundamental things essential to becoming the Pure in Heart. The first was: “We must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart and darkens the mind”. The word snares. carries a sense of entrapment, the word shrink suggests something small, and to be darkened implies the absence of the light of Christ. 

May I suggest that when King Benjamin in Mosiah 3:19 talks of the “Natural man” as an enemy to God, he talks among other things, of this tendency, and until we “yield to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man”, we will not catch the vision of James and practice pure religion. This is not something that just comes to us, to which we can passively respond. We must act consciously, and deliberately to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters. 

This includes making sacrifices, which is President Kimball’s third point, the second being: we must be united.  Sacrifice is more than doing without. Sacrifice includes three elements. Quoting Pres. Kimball: “We must begin by offering a broken heart and a contrite spirit”. Repentance is an essential element of personal sacrifice. Secondly it involves commitment beyond that which is comfortable, and the third element lies in the word “sacrifice” itself. Literally translated from the Latin it means to make holy. Thus, when sacrifice is placed in the context of the Good News of forgetting ourselves in the service of our brothers and sisters it becomes the crowning characteristic of the life of a Disciple.