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.
“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).
