Walk in the Spirit, not in the Lust of the Flesh

I was reading Galatians today for our Sunday School lesson. I was struck by the additional insight provided by this letter from Paul. This thought picks up from an earlier post called What Motivates Our Works?

Paul has a very simple statement of what is expected of us once we have learned of Jesus Christ and begun to exercise faith in Him. In Galatians 5, he says:

  13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. ...
  16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

He does not let us believe that anything goes once we feel of Jesus grace. Rather, he suggests that the liberty gained through Jesus' atonement should build within us a desire to love and serve each other. Knowing that our sins are forgiven is not an invitation to the lusts of the flesh. He goes on to compare these two paths. Continuing in Galatians 5:

  19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
  20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
  21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul is very clear that those who engage in the works of the flesh, as described in these verses, will not inherit the kingdom of God. God's willingness to forgive sin does not allow us to continue in the works of the flesh. The true impact of God's love and forgiveness is seen in a person who is transformed by the love of God through the workings of the Spirit. Paul describes the traits of such a person in the latter verses of Galatians 5:

  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
  23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
  24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
  25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The punch line is delivered in Galatians 6:

  7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
  8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

We are saved by Grace. Our works are evidence of how we have been transformed by Jesus' love for us. If our works are after the lusts of the flesh then our works will condemn us.

Believe in Christ, Believe the Book of Mormon

I noticed something interesting in Moroni 10:

  4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. (emphasis added)

Moroni includes "having faith in Christ" in the recipe for having the truth of the Book of Mormon manifest by the power of the Holy Ghost. If we take this verse at face value it would seem that having faith in Christ is a prerequisite for the revelation of the Holy Ghost regarding the truth of the Book of Mormon. And, we hear the message of Christ in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

The Bible was written and sent to all people to convince the world that salvation is in and through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As is said in John 20:

  31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is for, "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations." It testifies that the God of the Old Testament lived in mortality as the Jesus of the New Testament. Nephi asserts, in 2 Nephi 33, that those who believe in Christ will believe the truth of the Book of Mormon.

  10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

It seems that, as always, Jesus Christ should be the focus. We do not seek a testimony of the Book of Mormon for the book's sake. We seek it because the Book of Mormon teaches of Christ. We believe in the Book of Mormon because it increases our belief in Jesus Christ. In fact, the truth of the Book of Mormon is manifest by the power of the Holy Ghost because it is the role of the Holy Ghost to witness of the Father and the Son (see 2 Nephi 31:18).

What Motivates Our Works?

I have talked with several friends about the ideas presented in my previous posts called "Saved by Grace?" and "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life." The core idea in these earlier posts is that there is no amount of obedience to commandments or self-improvement that will overcome the fall on our own merits. Try as we might, our own works are not sufficient to bring us back into God's presence. Thus, we must be saved by grace. The conversation with friends on these topics always leads to the question of how works fit in to this view. After all, we know we must repent, be baptized, obey commandments, etc. And, in Alma 12 it says:

  12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
  13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.
  14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

Verse 14 shows how very important our words and our works really are. So, we face a seeming dilemma, i.e., our works are not sufficient to save us, yet they can condemn us. The dilemma is solved, though, when we realize that it is possible for the very same action to be either productive or condemning. Consider, for example, Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23:

  23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Or, similarly, in John 5 Jesus says to the leaders of the Jews, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." He is pointing out that in their careful adherence to the law of Moses the Jews missed the very Messiah the law pointed to. Thus, as Jesus went on to say in John 5, obedience to the law of Moses was condemning.

  45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
  46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

It seems that the mere act of obedience to commandments is not sufficient to know God or to return to His presence. Yet, obedience to the law of Moses allowed Simeon and Anna to recognize the baby Jesus as their Messiah and led Nephi to proclaim Jesus as the Christ. Isn't it interesting that acts of obedience can be either condemning or saving? Our works will condemn us if we have not internalized the real meaning of the works.

Jesus lived in mortality and laid down His life to overcome the fall and physical death. It is only by His merits that we are brought back into the presence of God. Initially, as we repent and call upon God, we are spiritually brought back into His presence by the power of the Holy Ghost. As we learn of God's love for us we are transformed into more Christ-like people and we want to do as He asks. John taught us about the relationship between works and God's love in 1 John 2:

  4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
  5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

In other words, if we do not keep his commandments it is clear that we do not know God. In addition, when we keep His word, we are transformed and perfected. Jesus' teaching in John 14 gives us a key to understanding the real meaning of works (obedience to commandments). Jesus said,

  21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Let me try to summarize what I think I am learning from this. Consider a person who begins to be aware, through the Spirit, of God's love and willingness to save us from the fall. If that person:

1. does not keep God's commandments then he does not know God.
2. keeps God's commandments believing that he can save himself by obedience, he is condemned.
3. keeps God's commandments as evidence of love and appreciation for God, he is saved.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of proper obedience. He said, in Moses 4: 2, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." Our works should be evidence of our love and appreciation for God. With this perspective we can rely on Jesus' promise that He will forgive our sins. We can make and keep sacred covenants. The very effort to live those covenants, when motivated by our love and appreciation for God is transformative. It makes us more like God. Rather than condemning ourselves for every little thing where we think we fall short, we can find joy in always improving in our love of God.

Our works do not cause our salvation, rather, they are evidence that Jesus is our Savior.

The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life

I was reading this morning and 2 Corinthians 3: 3-6 was referenced. These are wonderful verses that relate very nicely to my recent post about grace. Here are the verses:

  3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
  4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
  5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
  6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Verse 3 includes a reference to Jeremiah 31: 33-34 about which I have previously written. Paul is referring to these verses:

  33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
  34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Jeremiah prophesied that the day would come when our iniquity would be forgiven and the Lord would remember our sin no more.  Paul explains that the fulfillment of this prophecy is in Jesus Christ. In particular, it is through Christ that we can have trust in God with regards to this wonderful promise. It is important, though, to understand how this works. Verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 3 is critical to our understanding.

Notice the use of the word "sufficient" in verse 5. While there are many things that are necessary for us to do, there is nothing we can do that is sufficient, of ourselves, to merit forgiveness of sins. No matter how many times we are nice to others, hold family night, pray, read scriptures, repent, etc., we do not merit forgiveness of our sins. We are not sufficient of ourselves. Rather, as Paul asserts in verse 5, the sufficiency is of God. In particular, Jesus Christ is the sufficient reason that our sins can be forgiven and that God will remember them no more.

Verse 6 goes on to explain that the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Consider this. If I were to make a list of everything that I think I should do, it would be paralyzingly long. We have been counseled to read scriptures daily, pray morning, noon and night (individually and as a family), attend church meetings, attend the temple regularly, do genealogy work, participate in name extraction, serve in the community, have family home evening every week, etc. If we think that our actions, if they are good enough, are sufficient for our sins to be forgiven, then this list will be the death of us. Every one of us will, at some point, miss a day of scripture study, attend the temple less frequently than we otherwise might, miss a week of family home evening, or miss some other periodic observance. Then, because we didn't meet the letter of the law, we would be condemned. Fortunately, the letter is not the sufficient cause of our sins being forgiven. It is the spirit that gives life. And, it is the spirit that is promised to all who repent and are baptized in Jesus' name.

The things we do are manifestations of our desires for God. Prayer is communication from us to God. The scriptures are the voice of God to us. The temple is where we commune with God and receive individual instruction through the spirit. Consider scripture study as a specific example. If we think that reading 3 pages a day (or 15 minutes or 2 chapters) is sufficient to earn forgiveness we will fail. There will be a day when we miss our quota, and then we would be lost. If we, instead, understand that Jesus Christ is the sufficient reason for our forgiveness when we repent and are baptized, then we read the scriptures to hear the voice of God. Then, we will miss the sound of that voice on days when we miss reading the scriptures. We will recognize that we feel better when we have God's voice in our lives and we will repent and our scripture study will grow, just as the quality of conversation grows when a friendship deepens. God loves us. He sent his only begotten Son to atone for our sins. Jesus is the sufficient reason that our sins will be forgiven. We try to do better because he first loved us and we want to abide in that love.

Today is Eternal Life

Live today as if it were a moment in an eternal existence. After all, the eternal portion of ourself will live forever. Our spirit is immortal and, though our body will die and our spirit will be embodied again in the resurrection, we are immortal beings. And, today is one day in the immortal life of our spirit self.

Sometimes I forget that life is eternal and get caught up in being busy, rushed, and concerned with deadlines. It seems that we feel the weight of deadlines because, for every minute that goes by, we have one minute less between now and a deadline.  Death is the ultimate deadline (pun intended). After death, though, there is infinite time. I could go watch a canyon form over several eons and still have no less time left afterward. So, whatever I do in the eternities, I will do because it is an expression of who I am, not because of a reaction to a deadline. I will choose activities that express what I care enough about to do without any compulsion.

I wonder if I can behave that way now. Can I live in a moment as if what I do in that moment is an expression of who I am and what I value rather than a reaction to a deadline? There are moments that feel as if I am doing exactly what I would do if I had infinite time. I enjoy a conversation with full interest in the other person and no concern for passing time. I enjoy an event with family and feel the joy of being together and happy with no worry about what else could be getting done during that time. The picture I have included above is from my wedding day. That day was filled with such moments.

D&C 88: 28-29 contains a wonderful, hopeful promise. In says, "They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened. Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness." It gives me hope to think that the threshold we must cross to obtain a fulness of celestial glory is that we enjoy just a portion of the celestial glory here today. As I reflect on those wonderful moments that are lived as if I am already in the eternities, I feel that it is possible to have just a little of the celestial here and now.  And, I am encouraged that God promises the fulness later, if we just learn to live by a little of the celestial glory in this life.

The challenge, then, is to live now, today, as if it is just one day in our eternal life.