Three Ways

It seems there are three ways to be saved.

The first way is to know and obey the laws of God perfectly, without any deviation. Jesus Christ is the only Person to successfully live this way, obeying His Father without sin.

The second way involves ignorance. Mormon quotes the Savior: “…little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them…”

Then he adds, “…little children are alive in Christ…” (Moroni 8:8, 12).

“…where there is no law give there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him.

“For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from…death and hell, and the devil, and…endless torment…”

Those who do not understand right from wrong, for any reason, are not accountable. They are pardoned through the Atonement of Christ because “they know not what they do.”

The majority of us, however, do understand right from wrong, even without any formal instruction in it, and still go against that light. Jacob describes our plight:

“But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!” (2Ne. 9:25-27).

We, who understand right from wrong, and sin, need a way to be saved.

Ends of the Law

Our attempts to pattern behavior after Jesus by keeping all the commandments teach us we are incapable of breathing or thinking or moving or interacting with our fellow men without mistakes, great or small.

The commandments, the law, tell us how to get back to God. That is their purpose, or end—they guide us, ultimately back to God. Jesus Christ kept all the commandments, and so He earned His return to His Father’s presence. What about the rest of us?

Each accountable person has forfeited the option of earning his or her way to heaven at some point. “If we say we have no sin…the truth is not in us” (1Jn. 1:8). James explains, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). In other words, if a person keeps the commandments perfectly his whole life, and breaks only one law (no matter how seemingly trivial), he forfeits the option of earning his way to heaven through his works alone.

Obeying laws merits blessings; breaking them necessarily comes with a punishment. Lehi explains to his family: “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so…righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.” This also includes the punishment attached to broken laws: “Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the law” (2Ne. 2:10-11).

Given the choice, most of us would wish away the law of gravity immediately after falling off a cliff. But deactivating gravity universally would have bad consequences, since gravity holds the air we breathe firmly on earth. The same reliable force pulling us to death if we fall benefits us when we are not falling. The uncomfortable aspects of laws are connected to the pleasant aspects.

The majority of the time, we are receiving blessings, not punishments, because of God’s laws. We enjoy the reliable order in a physical universe, and the reliable spiritual laws governing spiritual things provide stability as well. Spiritual laws are beneficial and good on the whole, even with potential punishments attached.

But we are still left with the problem of getting back to God after we have sinned.

“And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

“And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off.” (Our best efforts invariably come short of perfection. Lehi is explaining the futility of trying to earn our way to heaven.) “Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever” (2Ne. 2:4-5).

The purpose, or ends, of the law is our return to our Father, but the instant we sin, we merit a punishment, exile from His presence, or spiritual death. How can we get back, if our best efforts fall short?

“Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

“Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law (permanent reunion with God), unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.” This is the “good news,” the Gospel we have been waiting for—it is possible to get into heaven after all.

We talk about repentance as a change of behavior. But Lehi says that we also need a change of attitude, humility, in order to have that reunion with God. Repentance is more than turning from bad behavior to good; it includes being humble.

Defining Humility

Often in Gospel discussions, we mistakenly conflate the vernacular definition of a term with its scriptural definition. Our definitions of humility can get warped in this way.

The world’s definition of humility revolves around things like defeat, surrender, symptoms of depression, slumped posture, sagging shoulders, a sad face, self-contempt, etc. But misery is not the same as humility. Satan is miserable, yet not humble at all.

Lehi says only those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit get to enjoy reunion with God. It is vital, then, that we understand what broken hearts and contrite spirits entail, not as the world defines them, but in ways compatible with scripture.

Handle the Truth

Deference to truth is the nearest thing to a succinct definition of humility I can distil from the scriptures so far. Sometimes the truth is easy and sweet; other times the truth is hard and bitter. Humility eats both.

The most extreme example was provided by the Savior during His Atonement at Gethsemane and Golgotha:

“Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). Instead of balking, “shrinking” from the bitter cup, however painful, He accepted that it really was the right thing to do and just did it.

Denial is the opposite of humility; pride cannot endure truth. “…the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1Ne. 16:2). “…Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth…but the righteous fear…not, for they love the truth…” (2Ne. 9:40).

Humility means acknowledging the truth about ourselves—to be able to look in the mirror and admit we are flawed. Pride sees itself through a distorted funhouse mirror; humility sees itself as it really is, warts and virtues alike.

“…yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made” (Alma 34:9). Even the best people still need a Savior. The ignorant are pardoned through His Atonement, too.

It takes maturity and courage (i.e., humility) to recognize our dependence on the Savior, to see ourselves in our “lost” and “fallen” state. (In some churches, this recognition is the epiphany, with no real growth expected afterward.) Loathing ourselves is not part of real humility, but we must acknowledge our utter dependence on Him to qualify as humble.

Willing

Humility is more than temporary sorrow for sin. It never becomes obsolete.

Nephi says, “…I will go and do the things 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” (1Ne. 3:7). This verse demonstrates two elements of genuine humility: dependence on the Lord, and willingness to obey Him.

He is willing to “go and do” God’s will, but he does not say he will pull himself up by his bootstraps, relying on his own wisdom and might, “the arm of the flesh.” He knows he will succeed because the Lord “shall prepare a way” for him to keep the commandments. He is willing to keep the commandments, and acknowledges his dependence on God for help to keep them. This kind of humility intersects other virtues, like courage and faith.

Ironically, part of having a broken heart and a contrite spirit is our willingness to try to keep the commandments, regardless of how often we fail.

Trust

After all we can do, we look back and realize that we are still breaking some commandments, which is where we began.

“O wretched man that I am!” laments Nephi, “…my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities…” (Even after a lifetime of experiencing miracles.)

“And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (2Ne. 4:17, 19).

It is easy to trust God on calm seas; it is harder to trust Him when the winds and waves threaten to sink us. The ability to see our sins and imperfections, and trust that Jesus will still rescue us, is also part of humility. We can know that the Savior is working with us, though, as we notice our sins getting smaller and fewer.

Windows

Two scenarios help illustrate the type of humility we need:

1. A boy playing baseball accidentally breaks a stain glass window. Authority figures arrive, the boy realizes he is in trouble, and looks for a way out. He lies about what happened, but witnesses confirm the ball sailed off his bat just before it shattered the glass.

The boy’s father arrives. The window is expensive, and dad is strapped for cash, but he agrees to pay for repairs anyway. The boy is let off the hook as the check is written, with his dad’s promise to pay any unexpected expenses the repairs incur beyond the initial cost.

The boy skips away from the scene of the accident, glad to be absolved, and muttering about how stupid it was for someone to build a church so close his baseball street.

2. A boy playing baseball accidentally breaks a stain glass window. Authority figures arrive, and the boy realizes he is in big trouble. He reluctantly, but honestly, owns up to hitting the ball and shattering the once-beautiful window.

The boy’s father arrives. The window is expensive, and dad is strapped for cash, but he agrees to pay for repairs anyway. The boy is let off the hook as the check is written, with his dad’s promise to pay any unexpected expenses the repairs incur beyond the initial cost.

As authority figures depart, the boy acknowledges that he came close to jail, admits that he had no power to pay for the damage he caused, and that he is completely dependent on his father for protection from debt and punishments too great for him to bear. He determines never again to risk breaking anything precious and fragile through careless play.

He wants to repay dad, but what good would it do to hand a bit of Dad’s money back to him? Dad appreciates the sincere offer. They embrace as their mutual love, respect, and gratitude swell.

Each boy commits the same infraction; neither can fix it; why is the second boy easy to forgive? The big difference between them is not in action, but in attitude. He is easier to forgive because he is humble.

The same principle applies to us and our salvation—the ends of the law can only be answered to those who are humble. We are forgiven, not because we can fix it, but because we see the difficult, unflattering truth about our circumstances, and recognize who bails us out. What happens in our hearts is as important to our salvation as what happens outside of us, our actions, deeds, etc. The deeds are strong evidence of repentance on the inside, not to pay any debt.

Parable

Jesus tells a “parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

“I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).

Our Savior’s Love

It is easy to feel bereft of the Lord’s love. Faith that God feels warmly and well towards us “somewhere out there” is not the same thing as getting some kind of palpable, tangible, personalized expression of His love. Often, such expressions come in ways and at times when we least expect them.

Brad Wilcox wrote about a time when he felt discouraged about his life. He had a pervasive sense that his efforts would fail, that he would be barred from heaven. He describes what happened one night during this struggle:

“…I knelt to pray…I just offered the standard thank-thee-and-please-bless late-night prayer. But when I laid my head on the pillow there came into my mind and heart an answer to my prayer of many months. I felt God communicating with me in unspoken words: ‘I love you. Not only because I do, but because I am bound to…’

“God is bound to love me…not because I am good, but because He is good” (The Continuous Atonement, 2009, p. 132). This assurance came while he was simply going about his routine. He did his menial duty, and the Lord sent revelation to comfort him.

I remember having a similar experience. At one point as a missionary, I was alone in my MTC dorm room, organizing my stuff. An unexpected, yet poignant impression came to me from Father in heaven: “I love you.” It came forcibly to my mind. It warmed my heart. I was not doing anything special, just going about my mundane tasks of the day.

One reason it can be hard to believe God loves us may be our flaws and sins, and our unrighteous desires. The Savior loves us anyway. It is part of what qualifies Him to be our Savior. He feels that love for us, no matter how bad we are.

Another reason it can be hard to believe God loves us is the sadness and loneliness we often feel. If an all-powerful Being feels such love for us, why does He not swoop down and console us, like a rich uncle arriving with a bag full of toys and money? While God always feels great love for us, there are some limits on the expression of His love.

“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

“And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:20-21). Some of God’s expressions of His love come without any work. Others are given only after we follow His rules upon which those blessings are predicated.

The Iron Rod

In Lehi’s dream-vision, he sees “a man in a white robe; and he came and stood before me” (1Ne8:5). We can assume this is Jesus Christ, since

“…he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

“And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste” (1Ne. 8:6-7). He followed Jesus, and found himself in the dark.

“And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies” (v. 8). He needed more than an abstract idea of God’s love; He needed to experience a tangible expression of that love.

Then he says, “…I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable…

“And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted” (v. 10). As a prophet, Lehi followed the Savior and begged in prayer in order to get to that tree, which Nephi interpreted as the love of God, and which was “most joyous to the soul” (1Ne. 11:21-23). He then guided his family to the tree; for them, getting the fruit depended on following him.

Then he saw “numberless concourses,” huge crowds of people trying to get to the tree and eat the fruit. A mist of darkness turned the path into an obstacle course, and many were lost. But there was a rod of iron, which Nephi said represents the word of God (1Ne. 11:25).

In order to arrive safely at the tree and taste the fruit, Lehi, the prophet, had to follow Christ; his family had to listen to his words; the multitude had to “hold fast” to the iron rod, the word of God. In other words, we can believe that God loves us without obedience or following instructions—some things are given as free gifts to all. But in order to experience, to “taste” greater manifestations of His love, we need to learn and obey some of His rules.

We experience His love when we obey His commandments. It is for our benefit, not His, that He gives us commandments. He gives us rules so that we know how to receive His blessings. “Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation” (D&C 82:9). Our willing attempts at obedience may or may not accomplish much, but they do one important thing: they let God’s love shine into our lives and hearts.

Reciprocating His Love

“Conditional love” may sound cold to us, seem to dampen our notions of His feelings. Making some blessings conditional is not callous or unfair; it is reciprocal and symmetrical.

“We love him, because he first loved us,” says John (1Jn. 4:19). God is the initiator, like the serving player in tennis. He blesses us with our lives and a beautiful physical world to live in, with talents, gifts, and time. We get the light of Christ to follow, and the Bible and other guidance. We get this initial show of His love, and learn commandments that show how we can reciprocate it.

“…whoso keepeth his word (the iron rod is the word of God), in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1Jn. 2:5). If we respond positively to what God asks of us, we are showing our love for Him. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This is not one-sided. Jesus promised His disciples (earnest followers): “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do…”

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Lehi started out by following Christ, a sign of love, and so his prayer for “tender mercies” was answered affirmatively.

He was returning God’s love, and God responded with more love. (Lehi also tried, with missionary zeal, to get others to experience the same joy.) As with tennis, our relationship with Father in heaven has a reciprocal cycle of obeying, being blessed, getting new commandments, obeying, being blessed, getting new commandments, etc. Those who are faithful get more: “…they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few…” (D&C 59:4). More chances to exchange love.

Grace

What about times when we fail to obey the commandments? Jesus has us covered.

By definition, sinning is letting go of that iron rod, losing our way to the fruit, the love of God. D&C 20:77 says that we “may always have his Spirit,” even if we are no more than “willing” to “keep his commandments which he has given” us. Our sincere striving to keep the commandments is rewarded, even when we come up short in our performance.

The sacrament covenants seem to be Jesus putting His hand on the barbed wire barricade to lower it just enough for us to get our legs over. Sin keeps us from deserving to feel His love, but we can have His Spirit just for wanting to obey, just for being willing to repent and try again when we fall.

Not only does God forgive our disobedience, He also empowers us to obey His commandments. It is as though the person serving the tennis ball to us is standing behind us at the same time, holding our hands and steadying the racquet, helping us return His serve. Grace is not just a pardon; it is enabling power to perform well enough, better than we could alone. He “prepare[s] a way” to keep His commandments (see 1Ne. 3:7).

Abraham

Tales of intense romantic love are filled with extremes. God’s love also has extreme dimensions to it, so we should not be surprised at some of the things He asks us to do, or does for us (or to us). Think of the depraved people wandering around on this planet, people who are odious to others and self. Jesus loves them anyway. He loves all the people that get on our nerves, or even hurt us severely.

“…their souls are precious…” (Alma 31:35). “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God…” (D&C 18:10). Jesus suffered unimaginable horrors because of His love for us. “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). He does not love us because we are good; He loves us continually because He is good. (He considers our kindness towards anyone a show of love towards Him; see Matt: 25:31-46.)

Abraham was amazing, by mortal standards, at returning the Lord’s love. He served everyone around him; his love for God was even more extreme. The Lord told him to say that his wife, Sarah, was his sister when he went to Egypt. In other words, he was told imply to the Egyptians that she was available. That must have rankled, but he did it anyway. That obedience resulted in Abraham having great riches poured into his lap. He left Egypt a wealthy man. (It is the cycle—obey, receive the blessing, new commandments, etc.)

In one extreme instance, so extreme that it almost lacks comparison, God commanded Abraham to offer his beloved son, Isaac, and Abraham was willing to do it. As he prepared to offer Isaac, the Lord sent an angel who told Abraham to drop the sacrificial knife:

“…Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

“…I have sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou has obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:12, 16-18). Abraham received these intense, infinite promises through obedience. Abraham loved God more than anything; he proved it by demonstrating his willingness to surrender his most precious possession, Isaac, just because the Lord asked him to.

In some traditions, Abraham is called “the Friend of God,” or even “beloved” of God. This does not mean he enjoyed favoritism; instead, he showed great favoritism toward God, and so God was able to show greater love to him than others who did not love God as much.

“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

“And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:20-21).

“Abraham received all things…

“Abraham received promises concerning his seed…from whose loins ye are…

“This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham…

“Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law…” (D&C 132:29-32).

We cringe when we hear the word “law” in association with the Gospel. It seems to loom over us like a merciless lion ready to eat us, or a list of boring chores, or reminders of our flaws. Jesus intercedes to absorb the impact of justice demanded by the law, and makes it possible for us to benefit from our attempts, even failed ones, at obedience. The same law that curses us is turned to bless us by the Atonement. When we rely on Him, it makes the law our friend again.

“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).

Unexpected Expressions

We read of “love languages,” ways in which we prefer to have others demonstrate their love for us. It is sad when we prefer other things to God’s intended blessings. The allure of the great and spacious building can distract from the fruit of the Tree of Life. I overheard a girl talking about an experience in Sunday school. The teacher asked which spiritual gifts the class members would like to have one day, but her internal response was, more or less, “I don’t want any of that stuff—I want to excel in my career.”

A two year old thinks his best interest includes lots of sugar, plenty of cartoons, no curfew, no work, all play, all rules and regulations and self restraint abandoned—voila, that is happiness. But Mom knows that vegetables, chores, cleaning up messes, learning ABCs, making beds, and all the rest of her expectations will yield greater long-term joy than what the two year old craves. She sees him as a future adult, and her efforts are built around the happiness of the man he will be, not the child he is now.

What we see as our needs and problems diverges significantly from what the Lord sees as our needs and problems. God is outfitting us for the eternities; we are often consumed with other temporal worldly things. We want to be content in our own way; He wants us to “enter…into” His “joy” (Matt. 25:23), which is greater that the stupor of carnal security we want, and which requires more effort on our part now.

He will express His love by giving us what He sees that we need, not necessarily what we assume we need (though He often meets those wants, too). Getting what we need most, when we would prefer something else, is another reason we might doubt God’s love for us.

Walking toward the tree in Lehi’s dream was symbolic of obeying the word of God, and we can do that just about anywhere. There are no geographical limitations.

“Come…everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

“…and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness” (2Ne. 9:50-51).

We usually imagine that more stuff, or praise, etc., will make us happy.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten you mind; which shall fill your soul with joy.

“And then shall you know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness…” (D&C 11:13-14).

Sometimes changing our external environment will make us happy. God can change our environment, but most commandments are meant to change us internally, to fill us with His Spirit, and that gives us greater joy, despite our surroundings. We know from experience that the Spirit comes when we are humbly doing our best, being obedient. He can, and does, give temporal blessings too, but the joy of the Spirit is a portable gift, one we can carry in the eternities.

If we feel dark, or suspect God does not love us, we can kneel in prayer, and sincerely ask what commandment we may obey next in order to feel our Savior’s love more fully. God always answers such prayers “according to the multitude of his tender mercies” (1Ne. 8:8).