Challenging My Beliefs

On many occasions, aggressive non-believers have encouraged me to challenge my beliefs. Their reasoning was that if what I believed was true, then there would be no risk in challenging it, right? Of course they were not trying to help me find objective truth, they just wanted me to quit going to church, or to start smoking, or whatever. This was especially common when I was young and didn't have an adequate reply.

Recently I was reading in Malachi and happened upon one of my favorite verses. It's the tithing verse, and it goes like this:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)

As I read that verse I had a sudden flash of satisfaction. The reason that I've always liked this verse is God issues a challenge. "Prove me," he says! I never connected the dots between God's challenge and those of my peers.

My challengers have been unwittingly correct. If my beliefs are right, there's nothing to be afraid of. God expects us to challenge his word. The way the challenge works is like this:

1. Follow His instructions.
2. See if you get the results.

This is wonderful. It's the scientific method. You do this over and over until you've built up a sample size and then you draw a conclusion. This is why people who pay tithing love it and people who don't pay tithing hate it. The method is critical because the input is faith, and God blesses us for exercising faith.

So now I see that I've been challenging my beliefs all my life. I've been faithfully keeping commandments to the best of my ability since I was old enough to comprehend them. I've given God countless opportunities not to exist, or at least not to be the being in whom I believe. He has never failed, though. Not only has he rewarded me according to his promises, but he has given me spiritual confirmations from time to time for good measure. Remarkable.

The funny thing about people who invite us to challenge our faith is their proposed method. Their proposal is not to try to prove an affirmative, i.e. "see if God exists by testing his promises." Instead they want us to "think for ourselves" and derive a negative. Imagine applying that to scientific experimentation:

1. Develop a hypothesis.
2. Explore your doubts about the hypothesis.
3. Don't bother with experimentation.
4. Declare the hypothesis wrong.

Absurd, yes? Yet that is what we are asked to do when we are told to "challenge our beliefs." In the future, my response to such challenges will be something like, "Sure, we'll challenge our beliefs together. Now let's talk methodology..."

Contact Matt here.

The Secret To Happiness: "The Ways Of Remembrance"

The Book of Mormon teaches two important ways that we can improve our worthiness and our spirituality.  The first is to look at how others felt the consequences of bad choices, and how God rescued them. An example is found in these words of Alma:

Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage. (Alma 29:12)

The second is to learn from our own mistakes. We also receive consequences of our bad choices, and when we are sufficiently humble he rescues us as well:

if ye have...received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness... (Mosiah 4:11)

Notice that both of these verses, and virtually every verse like them in the book of Mormon, hinges on our ability to remember.

That's the problem: remembering. "How have ye forgotten?" is the constant lament of Book of Mormon prophets. Memories of consequences are not as severe as consequences themselves. Worse yet, they fade over time. (Note: that's a good thing. If the pain of suffering never abated, we would be unable to function.) Unfortunately it means that with the passage of time we become more susceptible to making the same mistakes again.

Moreover, repentance and forgiveness accelerate the process of forgetting. Look at the words of Alma:

And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. (Alma 36:19)

Part of the beauty of becoming clean is being relieved of the burden of sin. Thus, after we suffer the consequences of sin and receive forgiveness, our resolve immediately begins to weaken:

• I'll never do that again.
• I don't want to do that again.
• I shouldn't do that.
• Maybe if I only do this much it will be ok.
• How did I end up here again?

And then we rinse and repeat. The question is, how do we end, or at least minimize this cycle? How do we remember the pain of sin and the joy of forgiveness when our memories naturally fade? Look what God tells Nephi:

And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24)

The "ways of remembrance?" What are the ways of remembrance? If there is a method to remembering, that would help us solve our problem, wouldn't it? Let's look at a few clues that will help.

Hold to the Iron Rod

And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty...(Alma 4:19)

The first "way of remembrance" is to hold to the rod. Remember that those in Lehi's vision who did not hold firmly to the rod were led astray by the mist of darkness. Our mist of forgetfulness can be abated by our resolve to "feast upon the words of Christ." There is no substitute for daily, prayerful scripture study. We need a firm commitment that no matter what we will study our scriptures every day. This will help us remember.

Priests to Teach

...and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made... (Mosiah 6:3)

In addition to scripture study, being continuously taught and partaking of priesthood ordinances will stir us up in remembrance of the covenants that we have made. We are taught and receive ordinances during weekly church attendance and at the temple. Skipping church and procrastinating temple worship will lead us to forget.

Miracles and Marvelous Works

They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; (Alma 37:41)

As we slip down the slope of forgetfulness we can feel a reduction of the fruits of the Spirit. We can feel our spiritual progress stagnating. If we make a practice of noticing this when it happens, we can know that sin and its consequences are fast approaching. We don't have to wait to hit bottom.

Someday we will have a "bright recollection" of our sins. Better that we should remember now. By following the "ways of remembrance" we can retain a remission of our sins and increase in righteousness before God. The ways of remembrance mentioned here are:

1. Daily, prayerful scripture study.
2. Church and temple attendance.
3. Watching for drops in our spirituality as warning signs.

If we do not do these things, we can be assured that forgetfulness is coming, and that sin is following close behind.

Contact Matt here.

Like Unto This River

Lehi, prophet and master orator, laid down some fantastic imagery when he stopped in the wilderness.

And when [Lehi] saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness! (1 Nephi 2:9)

Nephi was sufficiently impressed to include this in his record. Nephi would later add an additional river/sea simile from Isaiah:

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand... (1 Nephi 20:18-19)

Following Nephi's admonition to "liken all scripture unto us," let's see what these two passages can teach us about our relationship with Jesus Christ.


Into the Fount of All Righteousness


Lehi was thrilled to find a "river of water." Perhaps after some exploration, he saw that it connected to the Red Sea. He then waxed poetic, comparing the sea to Jesus Christ, the "Fount of All Righteousness." He told his son to flow into Jesus Christ like the river flowed into the sea. How do we flow into Jesus Christ? How can we be like the river?


1. Water. A river is only useful when water is flowing through it. Where do rivers get their water? From the sea, of course. Water evaporates from the sea, falls on the high places, fills the river bed, and flows back to the sea. Jesus Christ is the Living Water. Each of us has the potential to be a river of Living Water, but we are not the source of the water. It originates with Him. It descends on high places ("stand ye in high places"). It passes through us as we become channels for righteousness. Ultimately it flows back to Him. Without that source, we become rivers of sand.


2. Life. A river gives life to everything in its vicinity. Similarly, as the Living Water passes through us it enables us to share it's life-giving ability with all around us. The mercy and the grace that we receive from Christ we should freely give in his service


3. Emptied. Lehi's language in the beginning of verse 9 is particularly clear. He did not see that the river "flowed" into the Red Sea. He saw that the "waters" of the river "emptied" into it, which triggered his spontaneous poetry. Like the waters of the river, all of the glory for the righteous works that we do by His power should be returned to Him. All of it.


Peace as a River


Sometimes rivers are peaceful. Often they are not. However, to someone in the wilderness a river of water is always more peaceful than a dry riverbed. Again, Lehi was thrilled to have encountered a river of water. Knowing that the source of life is amply available inspires peace.


Similarly we have peace when we enjoy the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ. As we wander through the wilderness of life, being far from Him creates fear and despair. But "sweet is the peace the gospel brings."


Righteousness as the Waves of the Sea


Consider the precise wording that Isaiah used. He didn't say "righteousness as the sea." He referenced the waves. He then went on to compare our posterity to the sand. What do the waves do? They are an extension of the sea, and they cover the sand repeatedly.


If we hearken unto the commandments of God, our righteousness, flowing from the Fount of All Righteousness, will be a blessing to generation after generation of our posterity, which will be as the sand of the sea.


Conclusion


As with other passages in the scriptures, the water similes passed to us by Nephi can give us deeper understanding and increased satisfaction. These verses teach us about how we can serve Jesus Christ. They show that through us He will bless our posterity, and those around us, if we will be "like unto this river" and if we will "hearken unto [His] commandments." These images are profound, and such is the power of scripture if we will "feast upon the words of Christ" and "liken all scriptures unto us."


For more discussions of Book of Mormon imagery, try Mists of Darkness or The Jaredite Journey.

Contact Matt here

Mercy and Grace: What's the Difference?

"When it confers happiness without merit, it is grace; when it bestows happiness against merit, it is mercy."¹ Thus Steven Charnock (1628-1680) described the goodness of God. What a marvelous statement, worth rereading and pondering.

The difference between mercy and grace is often blurred in LDS talks and lessons. Grace is frequently used to mean either grace, or mercy, or both. The scriptures are less ambiguous, though. When the Book of Mormon says "grace," it generally means "grace." When it says, "mercy," it is usually talking about mercy.

Whether we are trying to repent or to improve, knowing the difference between mercy and grace will give additional clarity to verses of scripture in which they are found. A brief discussion of these two characteristics follows.

Mercy

The purpose of mercy is to free someone from a debt or a penalty. When someone does something to hurt you, forgiving them is an act of mercy. When someone has done something to hurt someone else, paying their penalty is an act of mercy. Mercy rescues us from deficit and puts us back at zero.

Mercy cannot be deserved. If we could deserve mercy, it would not be mercy by definition. If one receives mercy, it implies that he rightfully owed some debt to someone, and that person chose to forgive that debt.

The mercy of God is manifest in the forgiveness of sins. When we sin, we incur penalties, which are rightfully owed. We have no right to expect the penalty to be lifted. Because of the atonement, though, we can know that someone else--Jesus--paid the penalty for us, and in doing so is in a position to offer us forgiveness. That forgiveness takes us out of negative territory and puts us back at zero. Forgiveness doesn't make us better; it makes us even.

The Book of Mormon starts with mercy. The first chapter of First Nephi contains this praise from Lehi: "because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!" (1 Nephi 1:14) What does this mean? It means that in our natural state we are all doomed to perish, but if we come unto Christ, his mercy will rescue us.

Mercy is what you and I need to recover from the effects of sin. Jesus extended mercy by paying for our sins. We receive that mercy by repenting and partaking of the sacrament, and by being merciful to others. He forgives us and puts us back on flat ground.

Grace

Grace is different than mercy. It is the bestowal of a gift. Paying someone's tuition is an act of grace. Mentoring is an act of grace. Anytime someone with ability or means freely helps someone else who has less or none, grace has been extended. In eternal terms, the purpose of grace is to grant change and improvement of which we, on our own, are incapable. Grace takes us from zero and begins promoting us.

As with mercy, one cannot "deserve" grace. If you earn something and I give it to you, it is not grace, but payment. By definition we cannot earn grace. We cannot warrant grace any more than we can warrant mercy. We can only hope for it and ask for it with faith. It is given despite our lack of merit.

The grace of God is manifest most importantly in changes to our character that afford us "life more abundantly" and eventually exaltation. When we desire to improve, but find that we are unable to do so, we seek God's help. He is under no initial obligation to help us, but it is in his nature to do so, and so he gives us certain promises to inspire hope and encourage us to strive.

The Book of Mormon ends with grace. Moroni closes the book with this admonition: "by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." (Moroni 10:32) The challenge is to become perfected by appealing to the atonement of Jesus Christ, and to understand and acknowledge that it is by the power of God, not by our own power.

Grace is what we need in order to improve, to change, and to be converted. It sometimes involves the furnace of affliction, but Jesus has already passed through each of our personal furnaces and knows how to make us better.

Mercy and Grace

The difference between mercy and grace explains why both mercy and grace are often mentioned in the same passage of scripture. It is not redundant, nor is it for emphasis. Here is one example:

And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel. (2 Nephi 9:53)

In this verse we see that mercy will prevent the destruction of the Nephite posterity, and that grace will make them righteous. So it is with us. We require mercy to settle our spiritual debts and grace to increase our spiritual assets.

The ability of Jesus to provide these two benefits, forgiveness and improvement, is the object of our faith. This is his merit, upon which we are are told we must rely upon alone, and which we access through humility.

Mercy: "And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved." (Alma 32:13)

Grace: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

When we read scripture humbly looking for hope to obtain forgiveness, mercy is the object of our desire. When we are desperately looking for power to change, it is grace that we seek. That is not to say that they are given separately or that there is an abrupt transition between the two; they go hand in hand. The scriptures, though, use the terms with some precision, and we may benefit in our study by reading them with the same care.

Question: In what ways are you seeking mercy now? In what areas of your life do you need grace? 

(For more on mercy and grace, read After All We Can Do.)

Contact Matt here

1. Charnock, Stephen. Existence and Attributes of God. 1993 Baker Books, Grand Rapids. P. 542.

Mists of Darkness: Lehi's Vision

Nephi provides a record of Lehi's vision of the tree of life. The scene had many components worthy of exploration. Here we'll focus on just a few, namely:

• the mist of darkness
• the iron rod
• the straight and narrow path

We'll look at these in context of other Book of Mormon writings and attempt to gain greater insight into how to "liken them unto us."

Mists of Darkness and the Iron Rod

In the book of Mormon we read about several mists of darkness. The first is seen by Lehi in his vision:

And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. (1 Nephi 8:23)

The second overcame the Lamanites at the prison where Nephi and Lehi were held captive:

And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them. (Helaman 5:42)

The third was at the time of Christ's death, which we first see prophesied in Nephi's vision, but later read about in third Nephi:

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; (3 Nephi 8:20)

These mists of darkness have several things in common. First, the darkness was physical, but more important, the darkness was spiritual. The travelers in Lehi's vision could not see the tree shining brightly. Worse, they lost interest in maintaining the path to reach it. The Lamanites at the prison "could not flee because of the cloud of darkness." Even worse, they were in the act of persecuting the prophets of God at the time. At Christ's coming, the darkness was so extreme that no light could be seen. Worse still, entire cities had been destroyed because of great spiritual wickedness.

Second, for those who are willing, the darkness yielded to light. Lehi's righteous wanderers arrived at the glowing Tree of Life and partook of its fruit. The Lamanites at the prison saw the cloud dispersed, received the Holy Ghost and and were visited by angels. The righteous survivors in Third Nephi saw light again on the third day and later received a visitation from Jesus.

Third, the word of God provides guidance leads to light during each of these episodes. Lehi's vision had the iron rod, a symbol of God's word. The Lamanites at the prison and the inhabitants in Third Nephi heard the actual voice of Christ in the darkness offering salvation to those who would repent and turn to Him.

Question #1 : How do those three attributes also apply to each of the following accounts:

• Zoram's encounter with Nephi at night (See also After All We Can Do.)
• Paul's blindness
• Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night
• Alma's "darkest abyss"
• Lamoni's "dark veil of unbelief"
• the people of Ammon's "darkest abyss"
• the reformation and the "Dark Ages"
• Joseph Smith's first vision
• The creation of the Earth
• The temple

Question #2: What is the implication for each of us? Are we traveling amid spiritual darkness? Do we want to reach the light? What critical thing do we need in order to reach the light?

The Strait and Narrow Path

Lehi saw a "strait and narrow path" leading to the Tree of Life. His wording is interesting: he sees "numberless concourses of people" trying to "obtain" the path. (Note: a concourse is a road or a path.) In other words, Lehi saw this:

For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it— (D&C 123:12)

People were trying to find the the Strait and Narrow Path. And what is the that path? The fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including the priesthood, the ordinances, and membership in His church. There are three stages to reaching the Tree of Life via the Strait and Narrow Path:

Obtaining the path. The initial concourses of people were trying to "obtain the path." Obtaining the path is the first part of what Jesus described to Nicodemus.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

To find the path is to recognize the fullness of the Gospel, i.e. Christs's true church with its priesthood and ordinances.

Entering the path. Jesus explained this next step to Nicodemus as well:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Entering the path, that is, entering the kingdom of God, is done via covenants. In particular, the covenant of baptism is referred to as "the gate" through which one must pass in order to begin walking on the strait and narrow path. There are too many good passages of scripture relating to the gate and the path to list them here. Try this scripture search for a healthy sampling. One particular gem, though, is this quote from Jesus:

...Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. (3 Nephi 27:33)

Notice that we find the imagery of the Strait (Gate) and Narrow Path, the Tree of Life, the Forbidden Paths, the multitudes that follow them, and the many who wander off in the dark until they are lost.

Walking the path. Finally, and this is really important, note when the mist of darkness appears and whom it affects.

And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree. And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. (1 Nephi 8:22-23)

The mist of darkness was not preventing people from finding the path. Their many concourses were doing that. The mist of darkness was leading astray people who had already entered ("commenced in") the path. Lehi was watching baptized members of the church wander off into inactivity and apostasy! Which members wandered off? Those who did not hold to the rod.

Question #3: How do the images of the gate and the path (representing covenants and living the fullness of the Gospel) apply to these scriptural episodes?

1. The Israelites at the Red Sea
2. Abraham
3. the people of Alma
4. the pioneers

Question #4: Based on Lehi's vision, if you have already entered by the gate and are walking the path, what is the greatest risk to your reaching the Tree of Life?

Question #5: We read about two groups of people who reached the Tree of Life. One group, which was "clinging" to the iron rod, tasted of the fruit and then fell away. The other group was "continually holding fast" to the rod of iron. They were saved. What is the difference between clinging and holding fast to the word of God? Which are you doing now? Do you believe that you can get by with "snacking" on the words of Christ rather than "feasting" on them? If so, Lehi disagrees with you!