Latter-day Saintism is about the PROCESS of becoming perfect, because absolute perfection (of body and mind) is attained in some distant day upon resurrection. Consequently, we must live as imperfect beings in the process of improving. Actually, the focus is NOT on the self but on Christ. Improvement comes by remembering Christ. This formula provided by Christ is a cure for the depression that is caused by sin. The atonement is our healing ointment and our saving grace.
Please note that Latter-day Saints do NOT believe they can become perfect on their own. Such a view would be erroneous and impossible. Rather, we believe that people can be transformed (born again) by Christ, … that they may be perfected by Him. Read carefully these beautiful words found in the Book of Mormon:
Moroni 10:32-33
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
To be sure, Latter-day Saints believe in works, commandments, covenants, and just plain hard labor. A good summary of the expected lifestyle of a Latter-day Saint is found in this New Testament verse (written by the Apostle Paul):
ESV: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
PLEASE NOTICE that even (and especially) in the days of Paul, that members of the Church were admonished to heed, respect, and esteem the general leaders of the Church. Christianity from its earliest days was NOT about rebellion, except against sin.
Here is another excellent summary of the Latter-day lifestyle:
(Aug. 1831)
1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart… (v.5)
2. Thou shalt love thy neigbor as thyself. (v.6)
3. Thou shalt not steal. (v.6)
4. Neither commit adultery, (v.6)
5. Nor kill… (v.6)
6. Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. (v.7)
7. Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and contrite spirit. (v.8)
8. Thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. (v.9)
9. Thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times. (v.11)
10. Do these things with thanks giving, with cheerful hearts and countenances … [that] the fullness of the earth is yours…. (v.15, 16)
In both summaries, cited above, the commandments are given with a set of tools. The tools given in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 were: respect Church leaders; serve others (getting your mind off yourself); pray always; give thanks; engage the Holy Ghost; and study and test scripture (and prophecy). The tools given in D&C 59:5-16 were: give thanks; repent; go to Church and pray; make covenants; and utilize optimism and cheer.
It is God, not us, that prepares the way to keep the commandments:
1 Nephi 3:7
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
Further, there are times in which we are hindered, but God accepts our offering anyway:
D&C 124:49
49 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.
Latter-day Saintism is NOT about doing the impossible. Rather is it about teaching us what is REALLY possible. What do we need to do, and how can we do it? Elder Corbridge explained the answer this way:
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, "The Way," Ensign, November 2008, p. 34-36. [Emphasis is mine].
Only God can bless us. Only He can sustain us. Only He can cause our hearts to beat and give us breath. Only He can preserve and protect us. Only He can give us strength to bear up the burdens of life. Only He can give us power, knowledge, peace, and joy. Only He can forgive our sins. Only He can heal us. Only He can change us and forge a godly soul. Only He can bring us back into His presence. And He will do all of that and much more if we but remember Him to keep His commandments. What then shall we do? We will remember Him to keep His commandments. It is the only intelligent thing to do.
This phrase "remember Him to keep His commandments" is a fascinating one because it indicates that remembering Christ is an enabling power for keeping the commandments.
Do NOT rely upon my interpretation. Here are the recent words of Elder Christofferson:
Elder D. Todd Christofferson recently said in a talk entitled "Always Remember Him" at a BYU-Idaho devotional (Jan. 27, 2009):
The sacramental blessing on the bread commits us … to take upon us the name of the Son, “and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us]” (D&C 20:77). It would also be appropriate to read this covenant as “always remember him to keep his commandments.” This is how He always remembered the Father. As He said, “I can of mine own self do nothing … because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
Please notice how Elder Christofferson defines the phrase "remember him to keep his commandments." He recognizes that we can do nothing of ourselves unless we place ourselves into the will of the Father in Heaven. If Christ can do nothing without the Father (John 5:30), then neither can we.
So, can we actually live the standards given to us by Christ? Yes, but NOT by relying upon ourselves. Effective spiritual development DOES NOT involve self-reliance. Again, Elder Corbridge expresses the issues extremely well and with such inspiration:
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, "The Way," Ensign, November 2008, p. 34-36.
We might think we can’t really follow Him because the standard of His life is so astonishingly high as to seem unreachable. We might think it is too hard, too high, too much, beyond our capacity, at least for now. Don’t ever believe that. While the standard of the Lord is the highest, don’t ever think it is only reachable by a select few who are most able.
In this singular instance life’s experience misleads us. In life we learn that the highest achievements in any human endeavor are always the most difficult and, therefore, achievable only by a select few who are most able. The higher the standard, the fewer can reach it.
But that is not the case here because, unlike every other experience in this life, this is not a human endeavor. It is, rather, the work of God. It is God’s work and it is His “glory … to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” [Moses 1:39]. There is nothing else like it. Not anywhere. Not ever.
CONCLUSION: Mormons believe in an ultimate form of grace. Grace is the power of God to transform human beings into a creature that reflects godly virtues. Yes, we MUST do work, but the energy and enabling power to do that work come from God.
There is no magic. We pray, fast, give thanks, read scripture, utilize the gift of the Holy Ghost, attend Church and Temple, make covenants, serve others, and respect our leaders. We DO ALL THESE THINGS by REMEMBERING CHRIST.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.
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