Character

I've been thinking this week about character, which to me means basing your life on and staying true to a core set of values. So many of the problems of society today come from people not staying true to or having a core set of values.

David O Mckay once said, "Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold or of fame or of material possessions.  It should not be the development of physical prowess nor of intellectual strength, but his aim – the highest in life – should be the development of Christlike character. "

Although we might find success in the world or success in our careers from seeking fame or intellectual strength or wealth, to have success in life, to be able to look back on life with satisfaction and peace rather than pain and regret requires seeking after a righteous character.

This is one of the greatest goals in my life. And as I read Helaman 5:12 this week it testified powerfully to me of where we should look to develop this character. It says,

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

I know that if I build my foundation on Christ, if I build my character and my values on Him that whatever challenges or dilemmas come my way that I will be able to weather the storm.

Why Works?

At my job I chat with people from all over the world on mormon.org who have questions about the gospel. One of the most frequent questions I get from people (especially Evangelical Christians) is what we believe about grace and works. In times past I've kind of struggled to understand what I do believe about it and how the dichotomy of grace and works is resolved. I've heard it explained many ways, but it still wasn't entirely clear to me. Then one day I was reading in 2 Nephi 31 and it finally made sense.

In 2 Nephi 31 Nephi speaks of the path we must follow to gain eternal life, that of faith, repentance, baptism and the Holy Ghost and in verse 19 he says, 

" 19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save."

And I realized how the seeming opposition of grace and works really go hand in had. Yes we do need to follow that strait and narrow path and follow Christ to be saved. However as Nephi says in 2 Nephi 31:19, "Ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save." 

We can't follow that path, we can't live the gospel on our own and with our own merits, the only way we can possibly do the works he has asked us to do is by relying wholly upon his grace. This is a reminder to me that as I seek to follow Christ, as I seek to read my scriptures and pray and go to church and repent, as I do all these things I can only truly follow this path by relying wholly on the merits of God.

Who are the Righteous

Sometimes as members of the church we (if not consciously then subconsciously) think that we are more righteous than people of other faiths because of our beliefs, because we are part of God's church.

In reality however there's nothing to say that God's people or church are more righteous just for having his full truth. The people of Israel often strayed and were greatly punished by God. In the book of Mormon  Jacob 3:5 is a great example of this.

"Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them."

Here the Lord is saying that this people who don't believe in God are more righteous than the Nephite because of what they do with their lives. They follow God's Commandments without knowing they are following God but likely they do it because they believe it is the right thing to do. And because of the Nephites sins they are more righteous.

Is it possible that a Muslim, or an evangelical Christian or a Buddhist or even an atheist might be more righteous than us personally? If they are following God by loving and serving others then I think it is entirely possible!

Now we don't have God's knowledge to reliably make any fair judgment so there is no point in trying to determine who is more righteous, but the point is that we need to be less prideful of our own "righteousness" and recognize the righteousness God sees in all his children regardless of their belief and we need to celebrate and appreciate their goodness.

Justice to the Righteous?

I was reading in 2 Nephi 9 and I came across a phrase that made me think about justice in a way that I haven't done before. In 2 Nephi 9:46 I read,

"Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment..."

This stood out to me, particularly the phrase "when justice shall be administered unto the righteous." Usually when we think of justice we think of punishment for sin. Rarely do we think of positive aspects of justice. Yet here Jacob is saying that justice shall be administered to the righteous. Now why would the righteous be receiving justice?

As I pondered this I thought about the broader meaning of justice. Justice doesn't only mean punishment for wrongdoing, it also includes a sense of fairness, of making right that which was unjust. People often wonder why God would allow evil to be in this world? And why it sometimes seems so unfair?

But it is precisely because God is just that all that is unfair will be made right. However we are wronged we will be recompensed. Whatever is unfair in our lives will be made right.

Mercy, likewise can be a double edged sword. On one hand it means we as sinners will be forgiven, but on the other hand it also means that those who have wronged us, those who have hurt us will be forgiven as well. This would feel painful if it weren't not also for God's justice, for through his justice we know that however we have been wronged we will be given back one hundred fold.

This gives me great appreciation of the beauty of God's plan and also of his loving character and perfect attributes. He truly is perfect.