I was recently a witness to one of the most beautiful and far-reaching acts of compassion I have ever seen. My husband and I were in the food court of a nearby mall, enjoying our lunch, when a small girl began to scream. It’s funny how you never notice what causes one of these outbursts–was the child hurt? was the child being reprimanded?–but you know that it happened. The mother was hushing her sharply. Standers-by were muttering under their breath, no doubt complaining about the noise and commenting on the mother’s parenting skills. After five minutes or so, even my husband had his two cents: “That girl sure can make noise.” Then, seemingly from nowhere, her grandfather swept her up in his arms and sat her in his lap. I was near enough to hear his consoling murmur: “You can cry…You should cry…She still loves you.” Compassion literally means “to suffer with.” Those who display compassion show sympathy, pity, and mercy for another. The Savior showed compassion on many occasions to people who were sick, suffering, or even sinners. Perhaps, like the woman taken in adultery, the child had done something for which she ought to be punished. Perhaps she had been hurt like the many who were healed by the Master’s touch. He did not withhold his mercy from anyone. He told the story of the Samaritan who had compassion on an injured man by the roadside, reminding us that us that compassion is an attribute that must transcend all prejudices. Perhaps, when this little girl grows up and witnesses some great suffering, she will not murmur that the sinner had caused his own suffering or that the poor should have been taken care of by someone else. Perhaps she will remember the compassion of her grandfather and show mercy for someone else.
When we take the sacrament, we renew our baptismal covenants. As the water is blessed, we are told that we drink it “in remembrance of the blood of [Christ], which was shed for [us]” (D&C 20:79). Hence, the water is a reminder of Christ’s Atonement, both in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross–His sacrifice that allows us resurrection and eternal life. For both parts of the sacrament we promise to remember Christ and, in the blessing of the bread, we promise to remember His commandments; but, there is more said in the blessing of the bread, something that I did not understand until a few days ago. It says that we eat the bread “in remembrance of the body of [Christ]” (D&C 20:77, emphasis added).
In pondering what it means to remember Christ’s body, I looked up the sacrament prayers given to the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, as well as to Jesus’s disciples in the New Testament. In Mark, Jesus said, “Behold, this is for you to do in remembrance of my body; for as oft as ye do this ye will remember this hour that I was with you” (Mark 14:22 JST). In Matthew, it is recorded,”…this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (Matthew 26:26 JST). Christ told the Nephites, “This shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown until you (3 Nephi 18:7). Thus, in taking the sacrament, we promise to remember Jesus, the mortal man, the Savior who provided the Atonement, and the resurrected Christ who had a perfect and immortal body.
There are two kinds of trials in our lives. The first is the kind that come no matter what you do. It is not because you have sinned or even made a poor choice, it is just a trial that you are going through. Just take a look at Job. God has promised that He “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able” (1Corinthians 10:13). In those trials we must rely on God and endure.
The second kind of trial is the kind that we bring upon ourselves. When we sin, we always feel the consequences of it. True, we might not see it right away; but, it will come. It is interesting that, when people experience trials they brought upon themselves, they often blame God…or at least wonder why He is not there to remove the trial from them. They wonder why God has abandoned them. Yet, in Isaiah 49:15-16, the Lord promises, “…will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” God cannot lie and He will not forget His children.
Later in Isaiah, we receive further explanation of our relationship with God. “Behold,” writes Isaiah, “the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). God has not moved away from you, you have moved away from Him. When you sin, you go to a place that God cannot follow; but, He waits for you with arms stretched out (Isaish 9:17). If you turn away from your sins and return to God, then He will reach for you and encircled you about eternally in the arms of His love (2 Nephi1:15).
I have recently been studying the topic of conversion. There are many well known stories in the scriptures of those who are converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ by extraordinary means. These people–such as Saul (who became Paul), Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah, and King Lamoni–are usually going about being destructive when they receive a vision and are told to quit it. If we think of conversion as changing from being completely against Christ’s gospel to being completely for it, then we might see conversion as being something that we have already taken care of and no longer completely relevant to us. As I pondered, one scripture kept returning to my mind: “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).
I have been coming to the knowledge that when there is a well known scripture that everyone seems to quote from the middle of a chapter that we are probably missing out on half the meaning (which comes from context). Because of this, I decided to read Luke 22 in its entirety. It starts with the Savior instructing the disciples to prepare for the passover meal. At this meal, Christ institutes the sacrament, identifies Judas–his betrayer–and then turns to Peter, saying, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired you, that he may sift the children of the kingdom as wheat” (Luke 22:31 JST). Satan always wants those who have great power for good because he knows that he can not only prevent the good the person would have done, but also use that same influence for his own designs. After this warning, Christ continues, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). Now, when I read this I thought, “Peter isn’t converted?” At this point, Peter had seen the Savior raise people from the dead, he had been at the Mount when Moses and Elias had appeared and Jesus had been transfigured before his very eyes, he had testified of the divinity of Christ and of his membership in the godhead, the Savior had called him the Rock; and here is Jesus, telling him that he is not yet converted. I had the same reaction to reading this passage as Peter did, when he said in verse 33, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” He believed, wasn’t that enough? No. It wasn’t. It is not enough just to believe. Peter needed more to become fully converted, as do we.
First, he needed to experience trials. Now, I am not talking about the kind of trials that you bring on yourself through sin. We all will experience trials even when we do the best we can. In Peter’s case, one of his great trials came later that same evening. During dinner, Christ had prophesied that Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed. While Peter waited outside the house of the high priest’s house, three different people confronted him about being one of Christ’s followers and, each time, he said that he was not. After the third time, Peter heard the cock’s crow and went and cried, being full of remorse.
Not only was this a trial that helped Peter to grow toward full conversion, but it identifies one of his weaknesses. Peter had often testified of Christ to believers, but he had yet to testify of him in front of his enemies. Part of conversion is to have your will completely aligned with God’s will. It is not enough just to do what God asks of you. You must want to do everything that God asks of you and have “no more desire to do evil” (Alma 19:33). This seems quite the overwhelming task, one I have definitely not mastered, but I recently came across a scripture that shows how this is possible. It is found in Isaiah, chapter 58, which says “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (v13-14). I did not keep the Sabbath a day separate from the others until I was an adolescent. When I finally did try, I lived in a house of loud rap music from my sister and soap operas from my mother. It was all I could do to make a quick frozen dinner and escape into my room on Sunday nights. I would listen to religious music and read the scriptures, and I hated it. I did my best to not do my own ways or my pleasure on Sunday and do things that would could deepen my understanding of God. Over time, I learned to enjoy those evenings alone with the word of God, as well as develop other hobbies and activities that could bring me closer to Him. I now find that I do delight in the Sabbath and the commandments of God, just as He promised in the book of Isaiah.
The last thing necessary for a full conversion is the Holy Ghost, which Peter did not receive until Pentecost. In Acts, chapter 2, there were many people from various countries that were visiting Jerusalem and suddenly, the Holy Ghost came upon all the apostles and they began to speak in the languages of all those present and they spoke whatever they were prompted to speak by the spirit. Many were amazed at what they heard and wondered if the men were drunk. At this point Peter, who had gone through trials and received the Holy Ghost, stood up and overcame his weakness by the power of God, testifying of Jesus of Nazareth to these unbelievers. Three thousand unbelievers came unto Christ that day (no wonder Satan wanted to stop Peter!) and many, many more were later converted because of Peter’s unwavering testimony.
Many of you, like myself, have believed in Christ, repented of our sins, been baptized, received the Holy Ghost, and wondered, How does conversion apply to me? As we go through trials, overcome weaknesses by the power of God, and align our will with His, then we, too, can become more fully converted.
Music and song are referred to many times in the scriptures. We are told to “praise the Lord with singing” (D&C 125:28) and that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto [the Lord]” (D&C 25:12). David sang and danced in worship of the Lord. In Psalms, we are repeatedly encouraged to sing. All of these references, however, do not explain the importance of music. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, “We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”
A story in the book of First Samuel demonstrates the influence of music powerfully. In Chapter 16, Saul is repeatedly tormented by an evil spirit that comes upon him and nothing can comfort him. His servants suggest that perhaps some peaceful harp music would sooth him and say that they know of the best harp player in the land. Saul agrees and David is sent for. Then it says, in verse 23, “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit which was not of God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
This story clearly illustrates that good music can bring us peace and comfort and a pure state of mind. Likewise, music can be used for wicked purposes. There is some music that can drive the Spirit of the Lord out of your mind and heart. Be wary was you listen to music and be sure that you choose that which is uplifting, as did Saul in 1 Samuel 16.
When researching saints, one will discover that there were three Saint Valentines. All three of whom little or nothing is known about. Backed by archaeological evidence, we do know that a man by the name of Valentine existed in Rome during the reign of Claudius the Second (also known as Claudius the Cruel). This emperor was noted for his many wars and exploits. Valentine was a priest caught marrying couples and was arrested, imprisoned, and later killed for refusing to deny his faith. This information is from Catholic Online (where better to look up information about Saints?) Marrying people does not sound like a bad idea; however, according to legend, Claudius was having trouble with his armies and thought that marriage was to blame, so he outlawed marriage. Thus, Valentine’s secret marriage ceremonies were an act of treason.
What was so important about marriage that Valentine was willing to risk his life for it? With divorce so prevalent in our society, treating marriage as a state of being to easily be moved in and out of, Valentine’s choice seems almost incomprehensible. He could have over-looked that one principle and continued to teach his followers, doing great good for mankind; yet, he knew that marriage was a vital part of the Plan of Salvation that our Heavenly Father has for us. This statement will not make sense to those who believe that we did not exist before we came here. Nor will it be understood by those who believe that family relationships cease with the grave and that we will be individual angels praising God without recollection of those that we loved before (a belief that has become widespread and an interpretation of the words “until death do us part” that appear in many marriage ceremonies). Yes, I acknowledge that when one’s spouse passes away, he or she is free to enter into another marriage relationship; however, marriages are not “until death do us part.” Upon passing away, we are reunited with our loved ones. When I move on to the next life, I will still be wife to my husband and mother to my children–and they will be mine. Salvation is a free gift to all who accept it and it saves you from your sins, but exaltation is the greatest of all gifts of God (Romans 6:23) and that is the continuation of the family unit into eternity. Marriage is more than just a convenient way to procreate and do your taxes. Families are meant for the eternities–cohabitation is insufficient. Saint Valentine knew this. He knew that families were meant to be together forever.
For more information on this subject, see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
This post is a place where readers can put any religious or scriptural questions they might have. I will address each question honestly and to the best of my understanding.
Often, faith in Christ is considered a belief that He existed and did all that the Bible claims He did. While it is a good place to start, this is not a deep abiding faith–it is acceptance. Even those who do not accept the divinity and saving role of Jesus, acknowledge that He truly walked in Palestine and that He truly taught and had a large following. Faith is “not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true.” (Alma 32:21) You don’t have to know every aspect of the Savior’s life to have faith in Him, although it does bring you to know him better. You just need a hope that the things that aren’t readily apparent are true. I am not speaking of hope in a sense of a desperate desire. Hope, as it is discussed here, means that you confidently expect these things to be true. When we have faith in Christ, we are confident in the things that much of the world does not accept because of the lack of physical evidence. We are confident that Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and that His suffering allows us to be washed clean of our sins. We are confident that not only did Christ suffer and die on the cross, but that He took up His body again in a pure and holy state and now all men will receive a resurrected body. Not only are we confident in what Christ did, but we must have this same faith in what He said. We cannot believe in Christ only–we must also believe Christ. We must be confident that He can do everything that He has said He can do, including washing us clean and letting us start over, comforting us, taking our fears and pain, guiding us in safe paths and in ways that we can become more like Him. These are His promises and to have faith in Christ is to be confident that He will keep His word.
Sometimes, it seems so overwhelming. In the movie “Everafter,” the character Prince Henry asks how one could “live each day with this sort of passion? Don’t you find it exhausting?” Later in the film, he relates, “I used to think, if I cared at all, I would have to care about everything…and I’d go stark raving mad.” That’s how faith seems–passionate, all encompassing, and exhausting. With the problem, he also provides the key. He continues by saying, “But now I’ve found my purpose.” When you see the purpose of your faith, it is just as all encompassing; however, instead of exhaustion, you can find peace and tranquility. The reason to have faith in Christ is that, as soon as you believe in all those promises that were listed above, He can fulfill them.
How can we build this faith? We can come to know our Savior better. This is where knowing the scriptures and understanding the life of Christ comes into play. As we study the scriptures and recognize the hand of God in our life, we trust Him more. This trust is an important aspect of our faith. We must converse with God in the name of Christ through prayer. In Hebrews 11:6, Paul writes, “for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and the he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Our prayers both represent and increase our knowledge and trust of Christ. Lastly, King Lamoni, seeking faith in Christ and the fulfillment of His promises cried out in prayer, “I will give away all my sins to know thee…” (Alma 22:18). We to must give up all our sins so that we may know, and trust, and believe in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The trinity is the belief that the three members of the godhead are in fact, one being. As I have learned about this doctrine, I developed the “ooey gooey mass theory.” The idea of the trinity is that God the Father is some big mass outside of space and time and, for some inexplicable reason, He made the world and all of it’s people. People who were righteous enough in this life can be absorbed into Him. Since no one is sinless, He took a part of Himself and put it into a human body, Jesus Christ, who atoned for us. This way, the righteous can be absorbed (and make God bigger?). Anyway, Christ was resurrected and then went and was absorbed back into God (I’m not sure why He got His body back if He was just going to be absorbed). There are other unanswered questions in this doctrine besides Christ’s being reunited with His body. Why do we need bodies? Why do we need to be resurrected? Why are we even here? It seems to me that we would just be being put through this horrible experience for someone’s amusement.
The word Trinity first appears in 180 AD and is not in the Bible. Some people get confused when they read statements by Christ such as, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). These seem to imply that together they make up one being. This is not the case. The three members of the godhead are one in purpose. They work together in perfect unity. Elder Jeffery R. Holland said, “We believe these three divine persons constituting a single Godhead are united in purpose, in manner, in testimony, in mission. We believe Them to be filled with the same godly sense of mercy and love, justice and grace, patience, forgiveness, and redemption. I think it is accurate to say we believe They are one in every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing Them to be three persons combined in one substance.”
The answer to most of the questions posed above is that we do need bodies. We had a pre-mortal existence. There, we were spirits–and not just any spirits, but the children of a loving Heavenly Father. Haven’t you ever wondered why we refer to God as our Father and why He calls us His children? It is because it is literally true! We needed to gain bodies and experience to become more like our Father, so He created a plan for us to accomplish this. The story in the book of Revelation in the New Testament is not just about dragons and stars. It tells of one of Heavenly Father’s children, Lucifer, who did not want to follow this plan. He convinced two-thirds of the spirits that it was not a good plan. Others fought against him. They knew that Heavenly Father’s plan was necessary for them to progress. They won the battle and were able to participate in the plan. Those spirits are anyone who has had, currently has, or ever will have a body. This is the purpose of earth life. Christ took back His body because he needed it. I am grateful for a true understanding of the godhead and the purpose that it gives me.
It has been believed for centuries that every person born is born unclean and full of sin. As it says in Ephesians 5:5, “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” and again in Alma 11:47, “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven,” no matter God’s infinite mercy, no unclean thing (including infants, according to original sin) can enter into heaven. Again, I reiterate, no unclean thing can be in the presence of God. This belief leaves those who have no opportunity to accept the atonement of Christ (through early death or unfortunate location) in Hell. Yet, in the face of this logic, I know that it is not true. I know that beautiful, innocent babies are brought home to that God who game them life.
Earliest records of the doctrine of “original sin” are from the Catholic Church. The support of this doctrine can be found on newadvent.org (the online Catholic Encyclopedia). The scriptures that are used to confirm the doctrine of “original sin” are found in Romans 5. I do not quote it here in its entirety, not to deceive or confuse its meaning, but to keep from making this entry seem too overwhelming in length. I encourage all to read this chapter in order to come to a better personal understanding of its significance. In reading this passage, I saw how some could interpret it to mean that all men are born sinful and unclean, but this is not what it says. This chapter begins by discussing the atonement of Christ; how, though we were sinners, Christ died for us to justify us and bring us back into the presence of God. Then, in verse 12, Paul explains, “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Adam was brought sin into the world by his sin, and sin brought with it death. Now all men die and all sin. Let me continue in a verse by verse explanation.
Verse 14: “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” [After death came into the world, all men are subject to death; see also 1 Corinthians 15:22]
Verse 15: “But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” [The offense, or Adam’s transgression, is not like the free gift of Christ (His atonement that cleanses man from sin). His gift is free to all men (see 2 Nephi 27). In contrast, Adam’s sin is not inherited.
Paul continues this line of thought until verse 19, where he records, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Paul does not say that Adam’s transgression makes all unclean or sinful (full of sin), but that many were made sinners, or people who sin.
Yes, the original, or first, sin was Adam’s and brought sin into the world making is possible for man to commit sin. Yes, there is only one man in the history of the world who did not commit any sin, and that is Jesus Christ. But, no where does it say that we are held accountable for Adam’s sin. We inherit Adam’s mortality, we inherit his ability to sin, but we do not inherit his sins–aren’t our own sins enough?
