Why do we struggle sometimes to keep our thoughts pure? The answer is simple—because our hearts naturally want impure things. An appetite for unrighteous sex, violence, raucous music, and so many other things that should not occupy our minds is what keeps them there. If our hearts did not yearn for these things or find them appealing, they would slough off from our minds like fluff off a dandelion. Little children do not struggle with impure thoughts because their hearts are pure. Impure images might be presented to them, but they do not stick in their minds because there is no way for these thoughts to get root in their innocent hearts.
Think of God. He sees everything everywhere, good and bad. Does seeing all that iniquity and evil corrupt Him or make Him bad? No, because His heart is pure. He is sickened, saddened, and angered by our sin, but none of it appeals to Him; everything that might tempt us repels and disgusts Him. He does not need to “manage” impure thoughts because He has no impure feelings.
This is good news for God and little children—what about the rest of us, who are neither ignorant nor perfectly pure in heart? The most common response in the Church to this and other problems is to “work harder.” We should snap our wrists with rubber bands, hum hymns to ourselves, distract ourselves with good things, and other reliance upon our own strength, wisdom, and abilities (what Nephi calls the cursed “arm of the flesh”). We should row our boats until we are exhausted. It seems no one is aware that we are allowed to put up our sails and catch the ever-present breeze as well.
The At-One-ment
Whether it is our heads or our hearts that are full of uncleanness, how can we get divine help to clean things up inside?
We can approach the question a little bit differently, by asking a seemingly unrelated question:
The New Testament tells us about what happened when Jesus worked out the Atonement on our behalf. We get clear eyewitness testimony of what happened. Yet the greatest explanations of WHY all that suffering was necessary, and WHAT we can do to take advantage of it, are found in the Book of Mormon, not the New Testament.
The authors were able to see those events in vision (Nephi describes seeing the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in vision; see 1Ne. 11-12). But the authors of the New Testament bore witness of “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…
“That which we have seen and heard declare we…” (1Jn. 1:1, 3). Yet the best, most powerful discourses about why Jesus suffered and died for us, and how to take advantage of it, are found in the Book of Mormon.
Why were the Book of Mormon authors able to write so powerfully about the Atonement? Aside from visions and the promptings of the Spirit, there is another possibility—these men all worshipped at Temples like the ones Moses and Solomon tried to establish, and these Nephite Temples were not corrupted when they were in use. The Tabernacle or Old Temple model taught worshippers through emblems they could touch, taste, see, smell, and hear, about the future Atonement of Christ, and instructed them in the various ways we can become at one with Him. “And we did observe to keep the…law of Moses…
“And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon…” 2Ne. 5:10, 16). The Temple of Solomon, the Temple of Herod, and even the Tabernacle of Moses each fell into apostasy at some point. The Nephites had more consistent and legitimate spaces for worship, where the rites were carried out properly.
“And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
“For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments” (2Ne. 25:24-25). Then comes the verse we quote so often:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2Ne. 25:26). Part of the context for Book of Mormon teachings on the Atonement is that Old Temple milieu, the place of sacrifices and offerings and anticipatory, symbolic blood atonements.
What does all this have to do with having a pure heart and clean thoughts? I am not suggesting that we slaughter animals—the Lord did away with blood sacrifices as a legitimate form of worship (see 3Ne. 9:19). Nevertheless, we can use our imaginations and still derive legitimate knowledge about how the Atonement works from reading about the rites and sacrifices performed in the Old Temples.
Book of Mormon prophets learned through the symbolism of blood and smoke and fire about the real thing; we can, too.
Amulek taught, “Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; 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.
“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl (the Nephites had seen these sacrifices in their Temples); for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice” (Alma 34:8-10).
Nephi constantly refers to Jesus Christ in his vision in 1Ne. 11-14 as “the Lamb,” and “the Lamb of God.” For anyone familiar with the old blood sacrifices, this phrase would be loaded, and communicate a wealth of symbolism and information. Instantly it reminds us of the balance between justice and mercy, innocence suffering while the guilty go free, release from debt, blood atonement, death, vicarious suffering, and trading identities.
That last part may not be as familiar, and yet this part of the old rituals, trading identities, can help us to understand the Atonement.
Offering
When a patron at the Old Temple or at the Tabernacle had committed certain sins he was required to bring a specific kind of animal, depending on the sin, to the altar as an offering to atone for his sins.
Before the animal was taken from him by priests to be washed and butchered according to the rules, the man who had brought the animal for a sin offering would place his hands on the head of the animal.
What did this gesture symbolize? An inaccurate view would interpret this as wiping off his sins onto the animal, like wiping mud onto a rag to clean one’s hands. This is not what we are doing either with Jesus—He did not just take our sins away from us. Placing one’s hands on the head of a sacrificial animal represented TRADING IDENTITIES with that animal.
The name, and identity, and thus the guilt, of the one bringing the sin offering were transferred to the animal. But the identity, hence the innocence, of the animal were also transferred symbolically to the one offering it. The sinner would enjoy the safety of his new identity as an innocent “lamb,” while he watched the lamb, now carrying his guilt, suffer and die in his place, bearing the punishment he deserved.
This is a powerful image, and it has power to teach us more fully what Jesus did for us, and what He offers us.
“…there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice…then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled…
“And this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of god, yea, infinite and eternal.
“And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name…” (Alma 34:12-15).
“That which we have seen and heard declare we…” (1Jn. 1:1, 3). Yet the best, most powerful discourses about why Jesus suffered and died for us, and how to take advantage of it, are found in the Book of Mormon.
Why were the Book of Mormon authors able to write so powerfully about the Atonement? Aside from visions and the promptings of the Spirit, there is another possibility—these men all worshipped at Temples like the ones Moses and Solomon tried to establish, and these Nephite Temples were not corrupted when they were in use. The Tabernacle or Old Temple model taught worshippers through emblems they could touch, taste, see, smell, and hear, about the future Atonement of Christ, and instructed them in the various ways we can become at one with Him. “And we did observe to keep the…law of Moses…
“And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon…” 2Ne. 5:10, 16). The Temple of Solomon, the Temple of Herod, and even the Tabernacle of Moses each fell into apostasy at some point. The Nephites had more consistent and legitimate spaces for worship, where the rites were carried out properly.
“And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
“For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments” (2Ne. 25:24-25). Then comes the verse we quote so often:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2Ne. 25:26). Part of the context for Book of Mormon teachings on the Atonement is that Old Temple milieu, the place of sacrifices and offerings and anticipatory, symbolic blood atonements.
What does all this have to do with having a pure heart and clean thoughts? I am not suggesting that we slaughter animals—the Lord did away with blood sacrifices as a legitimate form of worship (see 3Ne. 9:19). Nevertheless, we can use our imaginations and still derive legitimate knowledge about how the Atonement works from reading about the rites and sacrifices performed in the Old Temples.
Book of Mormon prophets learned through the symbolism of blood and smoke and fire about the real thing; we can, too.
Amulek taught, “Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; 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.
“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl (the Nephites had seen these sacrifices in their Temples); for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice” (Alma 34:8-10).
Nephi constantly refers to Jesus Christ in his vision in 1Ne. 11-14 as “the Lamb,” and “the Lamb of God.” For anyone familiar with the old blood sacrifices, this phrase would be loaded, and communicate a wealth of symbolism and information. Instantly it reminds us of the balance between justice and mercy, innocence suffering while the guilty go free, release from debt, blood atonement, death, vicarious suffering, and trading identities.
That last part may not be as familiar, and yet this part of the old rituals, trading identities, can help us to understand the Atonement.
Offering
When a patron at the Old Temple or at the Tabernacle had committed certain sins he was required to bring a specific kind of animal, depending on the sin, to the altar as an offering to atone for his sins.
Before the animal was taken from him by priests to be washed and butchered according to the rules, the man who had brought the animal for a sin offering would place his hands on the head of the animal.
What did this gesture symbolize? An inaccurate view would interpret this as wiping off his sins onto the animal, like wiping mud onto a rag to clean one’s hands. This is not what we are doing either with Jesus—He did not just take our sins away from us. Placing one’s hands on the head of a sacrificial animal represented TRADING IDENTITIES with that animal.
The name, and identity, and thus the guilt, of the one bringing the sin offering were transferred to the animal. But the identity, hence the innocence, of the animal were also transferred symbolically to the one offering it. The sinner would enjoy the safety of his new identity as an innocent “lamb,” while he watched the lamb, now carrying his guilt, suffer and die in his place, bearing the punishment he deserved.
This is a powerful image, and it has power to teach us more fully what Jesus did for us, and what He offers us.
“…there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
“Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice…then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled…
“And this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of god, yea, infinite and eternal.
“And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name…” (Alma 34:12-15).
Why the fixation on “his name?” We do not perform sacrifices, but we still use emblems of bread and water each week, and witness that we are willing to take the NAME of Christ onto ourselves. Remember, we are not just passing our sins to Him—the point of the animal sacrifices was to adopt, to borrow, the identity of an innocent party to free us from the demands of justice.
At One
We can be at one with Jesus in a similar way—He took our names, our guilt, the punishments we deserve upon Himself when He suffered and died for our sins. We benefit from this sacrifice whether we are aware of it or not, but to enjoy more benefit from it, we must take His name, His identity, and what He earned, onto ourselves, and do it more fully, all the time.
We are imperfect, yet we can borrow a portion of the Spirit bigger than what we have earned: we “may always have his Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77). If you ask a member of the Church the way to have the Spirit, the most common response would be “keep the commandments.” Our problem is that we break the commandments instead. We need the Spirit in order to receive enough grace to keep the commandments; if the only way to get the Spirit is through perfect obedience, we are sunk. By taking the name of Christ onto ourselves, we also get an unearned infusion of His Spirit to prime that cycle of obedience and receiving the Spirit. All He asks initially is that we be WILLING to take His name upon us, WILLING to always remember Him, and WILLING to obey. Being willing is not the same as actually doing, but He has promised we can have the Spirit for maintaining that internal state of willingness, regardless of how poor the results of our initial earnest attempts may be.
“I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one” (D&C 35:2). How can we be more “one” with another person than by adopting His name and enjoying what He earned, while He adopts our identities and suffers in our place? We can regain our status as worthy sons and daughters of God by borrowing that worthiness from Jesus Christ, and we can also grow into it as we progress spiritually.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). He does not just suffer for our sins; we can enjoy the peace He earned through His perfect obedience. He does not just take our places in suffering; He offers us a chance to sit in His chair, to wait in His seat and enjoy the benefits.
His Name
Even without sacrificing sheep, we are still commanded to take the name of the real Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, upon ourselves.
The idea of taking His name onto ourselves was taught to Adam by an angel. Adam obeyed “commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
“And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.” What does all this have to do with Adam, or us?
“Wherefore thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore” (Moses 5:5:-8).
Even without blood sacrifices, we still observe this last rule—repent and act in all things in the name of the Son.
We perform all our ordinances and close all our prayers “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Why are we pretending to be Jesus? Because that is our role, our privilege, our responsibility, and our ticket to heaven—taking the name, hence the identity and merits (what He deserves) of Jesus onto ourselves.
Left to our own efforts, capacities, abilities, strength, wisdom, obedience, and good intentions, however valiant our attempts, we are sunk. “…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). Unless we start learning to borrow Jesus’ name, His merits, His powers, His Spirit, His identity, and start acquiring His nature from Him, we will not be worthy to cross the line separating us from God.
Pure Hearts
We started out talking about pure thoughts and feelings, and digressed a mile from the typical discourse on the subject. Let us now see what kind of “practical application” all this stuff about adopting name of Jesus has in real life.
Experience creates serious doubts in any observer that we humans are able to make ourselves holy through our own best efforts, even when they really are our best.
Jesus said, “…I am able to make you holy…” (D&C 60:7). Just as a child who wants a good haircut must sit still and otherwise cooperate with the barber, so we must learn what Jesus requires of us before He will make us holy. I have never heard anyone say that in heaven we will still be plagued by feelings of lust or greed or revenge or delight in violence as entertainment. We all agree those things will be absent in us by the time we get to heaven. When exactly will they be removed between now and then?
Humble + Faith
We have already mentioned the futility of working harder to clean our hearts; we can change our behaviors, but not our natures. But the Lord does have power to change nature.
Elder Bednar taught, “The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that ‘we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin” (Pure Hands and a Clean Heart, Oct. 2007 General Conference, my emphasis added).
While all efforts at obedience are good, we are not that good at obedience, and so we need a boost to get the portion of the Spirit necessary to be cleansed from the desire for sin. If perfect obedience is not the prerequisite for this change, what is?
“Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:20, my emphasis added). This change comes by reception of the Holy Ghost, in a greater portion than we are often used to.
The Book of Mormon teaches plainly that humility and faith in the Savior are the keys to receiving this greater portion of the Spirit, one we have not really earned, but which the Lord gives us anyway because of deepened humility.
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Hel. 3:35, my emphasis added).
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.” And why did the Lord soften Nephi’s heart?
“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart” (1Ne. 2:16, 19, my emphasis added).
“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, my emphasis added).
“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3Ne. 9:20, my emphasis added).
These are just a few examples of the same principle taught over and over again. If our behavior is imperfect, the best way to correct it is to come to Christ in deep humility with faith in Him. He can then increase the portion of the Spirit we receive from Him, which increases the effects of the Atonement on our hearts and minds. This spiritual rebirth enables us to exhibit improved behavior, as well as having purer desires and thinking purer thoughts.
This is far different from working harder at controlling bad thoughts—Jesus wants to pull our spiritual weeds up by the roots instead of merely taming them or trimming them. The deeper our faith and humility, the more effectively He can cause this change in us. This “mighty change” will probably only last as long as we keep our faith and humility at those deeper levels—it cannot be a quick, convenient one-time, one-shot offering. It must last a lifetime if we want that rebirth to be permanent, too.
At One
We can be at one with Jesus in a similar way—He took our names, our guilt, the punishments we deserve upon Himself when He suffered and died for our sins. We benefit from this sacrifice whether we are aware of it or not, but to enjoy more benefit from it, we must take His name, His identity, and what He earned, onto ourselves, and do it more fully, all the time.
We are imperfect, yet we can borrow a portion of the Spirit bigger than what we have earned: we “may always have his Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77). If you ask a member of the Church the way to have the Spirit, the most common response would be “keep the commandments.” Our problem is that we break the commandments instead. We need the Spirit in order to receive enough grace to keep the commandments; if the only way to get the Spirit is through perfect obedience, we are sunk. By taking the name of Christ onto ourselves, we also get an unearned infusion of His Spirit to prime that cycle of obedience and receiving the Spirit. All He asks initially is that we be WILLING to take His name upon us, WILLING to always remember Him, and WILLING to obey. Being willing is not the same as actually doing, but He has promised we can have the Spirit for maintaining that internal state of willingness, regardless of how poor the results of our initial earnest attempts may be.
“I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one” (D&C 35:2). How can we be more “one” with another person than by adopting His name and enjoying what He earned, while He adopts our identities and suffers in our place? We can regain our status as worthy sons and daughters of God by borrowing that worthiness from Jesus Christ, and we can also grow into it as we progress spiritually.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). He does not just suffer for our sins; we can enjoy the peace He earned through His perfect obedience. He does not just take our places in suffering; He offers us a chance to sit in His chair, to wait in His seat and enjoy the benefits.
His Name
Even without sacrificing sheep, we are still commanded to take the name of the real Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, upon ourselves.
The idea of taking His name onto ourselves was taught to Adam by an angel. Adam obeyed “commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
“And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.” What does all this have to do with Adam, or us?
“Wherefore thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore” (Moses 5:5:-8).
Even without blood sacrifices, we still observe this last rule—repent and act in all things in the name of the Son.
We perform all our ordinances and close all our prayers “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Why are we pretending to be Jesus? Because that is our role, our privilege, our responsibility, and our ticket to heaven—taking the name, hence the identity and merits (what He deserves) of Jesus onto ourselves.
Left to our own efforts, capacities, abilities, strength, wisdom, obedience, and good intentions, however valiant our attempts, we are sunk. “…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). Unless we start learning to borrow Jesus’ name, His merits, His powers, His Spirit, His identity, and start acquiring His nature from Him, we will not be worthy to cross the line separating us from God.
Pure Hearts
We started out talking about pure thoughts and feelings, and digressed a mile from the typical discourse on the subject. Let us now see what kind of “practical application” all this stuff about adopting name of Jesus has in real life.
Experience creates serious doubts in any observer that we humans are able to make ourselves holy through our own best efforts, even when they really are our best.
Jesus said, “…I am able to make you holy…” (D&C 60:7). Just as a child who wants a good haircut must sit still and otherwise cooperate with the barber, so we must learn what Jesus requires of us before He will make us holy. I have never heard anyone say that in heaven we will still be plagued by feelings of lust or greed or revenge or delight in violence as entertainment. We all agree those things will be absent in us by the time we get to heaven. When exactly will they be removed between now and then?
Humble + Faith
We have already mentioned the futility of working harder to clean our hearts; we can change our behaviors, but not our natures. But the Lord does have power to change nature.
Elder Bednar taught, “The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that ‘we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin” (Pure Hands and a Clean Heart, Oct. 2007 General Conference, my emphasis added).
While all efforts at obedience are good, we are not that good at obedience, and so we need a boost to get the portion of the Spirit necessary to be cleansed from the desire for sin. If perfect obedience is not the prerequisite for this change, what is?
“Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:20, my emphasis added). This change comes by reception of the Holy Ghost, in a greater portion than we are often used to.
The Book of Mormon teaches plainly that humility and faith in the Savior are the keys to receiving this greater portion of the Spirit, one we have not really earned, but which the Lord gives us anyway because of deepened humility.
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Hel. 3:35, my emphasis added).
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.” And why did the Lord soften Nephi’s heart?
“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart” (1Ne. 2:16, 19, my emphasis added).
“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, my emphasis added).
“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3Ne. 9:20, my emphasis added).
These are just a few examples of the same principle taught over and over again. If our behavior is imperfect, the best way to correct it is to come to Christ in deep humility with faith in Him. He can then increase the portion of the Spirit we receive from Him, which increases the effects of the Atonement on our hearts and minds. This spiritual rebirth enables us to exhibit improved behavior, as well as having purer desires and thinking purer thoughts.
This is far different from working harder at controlling bad thoughts—Jesus wants to pull our spiritual weeds up by the roots instead of merely taming them or trimming them. The deeper our faith and humility, the more effectively He can cause this change in us. This “mighty change” will probably only last as long as we keep our faith and humility at those deeper levels—it cannot be a quick, convenient one-time, one-shot offering. It must last a lifetime if we want that rebirth to be permanent, too.
It is not easy to stay so humble all the time, but it is much easier to be very humble than it is to manage a swarm of ungodly thoughts and feelings swirling in our heads and our hearts. It is smart to learn when we are supposed to work ourselves into exhaustion, and when the Savior can save us instead. He not only saves us from damnation, but from unnecessary frustration and weariness.
“And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb” (Alma 34:36).
We are so quick to applaud the application of human effort in our attempts to resist evil that we often miss the miracle of being made holy by Him instead. The sad part is that those efforts, however valiant, are incapable of earning salvation on their own. Only Jesus “merits” (deserves) salvation and exaltation through His own efforts, and we must rely on that success, not our merits, to have the same things He enjoys:
“Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise” (2Ne. 2:8).
We do not expect to resurrect ourselves; why should we expect to be able to change our own hearts? That is His job. Ours is to be humble, exercise faith, and receive that change—to receive the name of Jesus Christ, then His nature, His heart, as a replacement for ours.
