Professor Scharffs on Faith, Hope and Charity

I took a seminar from Professor Scharffs my first year of law school.  He was obviously way to smart for me, but I respected that he was a deep thinker.  This talk offers insight into topics that I really enjoy thinking about, namely faith, hope, and charity.  Yes, he's a little too erudite, but he's probably earned that right.

The Most Important 
Three Things in the World

BRETT G. SCHARFFS

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Brett G. Scharffs was a BYU professor of law
when this devotional address was given on 12 May 2009.

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I wish to thank President Samuelson, Academic Vice President Tanner, and Advancement Vice President Worthen for the opportunity to speak today. I am grateful for these devotionals and the occasion they give us to explore what it means to be a community of faith as well as a community of reason. I want to express my gratitude for the beautiful music and to Megan Grant and Suzanne Disparte for their prayers. They are two of my research assistants who prop me up on a daily basis; so it is entirely fitting that they do the same thing here. I want to also acknowledge my father and stepmother; my wife, Deirdre; and my three children, Elliot, Sophelia, and Ella. They are missing school to be here, so I know I have a grateful audience of at least three. As I prepared to speak with you today, I actually worked through three different topics, each more personal than the last, and I hope you will forgive me as I speak from the heart about some aspects of my own journey of faith.


I traveled in my mind’s eye back to my student days. At Oxford University I attended a series of lectures in which a famous and fashionable professor asserted confidently that the study of ancient Greek philosophy was one of the three best things in life. With a sly smile and an arched eyebrow, he did not tell us out loud what he thought the other two were.

But his assertion left me wondering: What are the most important three things in the world? Later, during my personal scripture study, I searched the Topical Guide for inspiration and was led to Paul’s famous formulation in 1 Corinthians:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing....

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.¹

At the very end of the Book of Mormon, after completing his abridgement of the Jaredite record, the prophet Moroni is surprised to find that he is not dead yet.² Fortunately, he catches a second wind and recounts a few of his father’s teachings, including Mormon’s powerful discourse on faith, hope, and charity.³ And then, in Moroni 10, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni returns to this theme as he offers his final exhortations. (By my count, in that chapter alone he uses the words exhortation or exhort nine times.) Moroni says:

And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ....

Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.

And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.⁴

Today I would like to spend our time together talking about faith, hope, and charity.

These are not simply three good things on a list. In a certain sense, they are the most important three things in the world. They are the foundational Christian virtues. Each is a trait of character to be cultivated and developed. Each is a set of attitudes and beliefs to guide thought and action. Each is a choice. Each is a gift from God.

Faith, hope, and charity may be likened to the three legs of a stool. As a boy visiting my grandmother’s farm, I was impressed with the three-legged stool used for milking cows. Just as the stool’s three legs enabled it to rest firmly on uneven ground, if we are grounded in faith, hope, and charity, we too will be on solid footing, even when the ground beneath us is rough or bumpy. Just as a one- or two-legged stool will teeter precariously, we too will be vulnerable to toppling over if we neglect any of these three virtues.

In my study of this topic, I’ve noticed several things. First, faith, hope, and charity are mutually reinforcing. An increase in one tends to result in an increase in the others. If we are feeling weak with respect to one, we can gather strength by focusing on the other two.

There is also a temporal dimension to the relationship. Faith is rooted in the past—in Christ’s death and resurrection and in His Atonement for our sins. Hope is focused on the future—in the promise that through Christ’s Atonement and by the covenants we make and keep, we can return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. And charity is enacted in the present—because it is only here and now that we can really love.

There is also a dimension of progression and culmination: faith and hope lead to charity, and it is charity—Christ’s love for us—that never fails.⁵ If we desire to develop and be endowed with this Christlike love, it will be by traveling the road of faith and hope.

I. Faith

First, a few words about faith.

As a freshman at Georgetown University, I took a required course, The Problem of God, from a wonderful professor, Dr. John F. Haught. This Catholic theologian became one of my most influential teachers and mentors.

One day toward the end of fall semester, Dr. Haught introduced theologian Paul Ricoeur’s concept of the three stages of religious faith.⁶

The first stage, childlike faith, may be likened to the clear, unimpeded view that one enjoys standing atop a tall mountain.⁷ As children, our faith is simple and uncritical, and we can see clearly in every direction. There is something quite beautiful about this stage of faith. To me it is exemplified by hearing a chorus of Primary children sing “I Know My Father Lives.”⁸

The second stage Ricoeur calls the desert of criticism. At some point, often during adolescence, we descend from the mountain of childlike faith and enter the critical world. We might label this world “high school” or, better yet, “college.” Here we find that others do not share our faith. In fact, some openly disparage what we hold dear. We learn that the very idea of faith is thought by many to be childish or delusional. We may become skeptical, perhaps even cynical.

The desert of criticism is akin to being in the midst of a blinding sandstorm, where you are forced to lean into the wind and take one step at a time without a clear view of where you are going. Walking by faith becomes difficult. Some of our former beliefs cannot survive the desert of criticism.

Ricoeur did not malign the desert of criticism, for some childish beliefs are incorrect and should be abandoned. As the Apostle Paul says in his discourse on faith, hope, and charity, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”⁹

Furthermore, it is only in coming down from the mountain that we are able to enter into the world and engage others who are different from us. To a great extent this is where life is lived and where we can make a difference in the world. Some people never leave the desert of criticism, and in time the memory of their childlike faith may dim. After prolonged exposure to the desert of criticism, some even lose their faith altogether. Ricoeur maintained that once one has entered the desert of criticism, it is not possible to return to the mountain of childlike faith. It is a little like leaving Eden. Something has been lost; life and faith can never be quite so simple again.¹⁰

But he held out the possibility of a third stage of religious faith. On the other side of the desert of criticism lies another mountain, not as tall as the mountain of childlike faith, with views that are not quite as clear and unobstructed. But we can, as Dr. Haught explained it, remove ourselves periodically from the desert of criticism and ascend this somewhat less majestic mountain. Ricoeur calls this possibility of a second faith “postcritical” naiveté or a “second naiveté.”¹¹

Here the truths and realities of our childlike faith can be reaffirmed or revised. Although the view is not completely unimpeded, and the storms of the desert of criticism remain in view, and some of our childish beliefs may be left behind, we can emerge from the storm and reaffirm our faith. Our faith will not be as simple as it once was, but it need not be lost. In fact, I believe our faith may become more powerful than before, for it will have weathered and survived the assaults of the desert of criticism.

To me, postcritical naiveté is a state in which both our hearts and our minds are open and we remain willing to experience childlike spiritual wonder; it is a place where we remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As Paul puts it, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”¹²

My father told me about an experience he had when he was roughly the age of most of you. As a young adult he was, in a sense, in the desert of criticism and found himself questioning his faith and the Church. One day he took out a pad of paper and made a list of his criticisms and doubts. He put the list in a drawer and forgot about it. Years later he found it again, and he was surprised that nearly every concern had been answered in his mind and in his heart. He reflected upon how different his life, and the lives of his posterity, would have been if he had followed his questions and concerns out of the Church.

One of my favorite stories that illustrates what faith and trust mean is the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. You recall the story. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded all his subjects to worship a golden image, and these three young men boldly refused. They were condemned to death by fire. The furnace was heated to seven times its normal strength and was so hot that the guards around it were consumed by the flames. As the three young men walked out of the fiery furnace, not a hair of their heads was singed, their coats were not burned, and they didn’t even smell like smoke.¹³ That’s impressive.

But to me there is another aspect to the story that is even more impressive. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego addressed King Nebuchadnezzar before being thrown into the fire, they declared:

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.¹⁴

The words that impress me are “but if not.” I understand Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to be saying that even if God, for His own reasons, does not intervene to save them, they will not question or doubt His power and goodness. Their trust in God is unequivocal.¹⁵

Trust like that is not easy. Faith is not the power to bend God’s will to ours, but rather the power to align our will with that of Heavenly Father.

God is mighty to save, but sometimes He does not intervene in the affairs of men. He allows mind-boggling evil and suffering in the world. He allows us to hurt each other in unimaginable ways. To me, more impressive than the fact that God could save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was that they could trust God, whatever the physical outcome of their being thrown into the fire.¹⁶

In my experience, sometimes God gives us direction that is unmistakable and clear. But the answers to our prayers do not always come in the time frame and way we expect.
Perhaps you will indulge me another personal story. I had the dream of becoming a law professor even before I went to law school. In an abundance of caution, I applied to 10 schools and found myself in a fortunate situation, like you have, with a number of good choices.

I knew where I wanted to attend, but I decided to ask Heavenly Father. I prayed and pondered without receiving an answer. As the days turned to weeks, I’m sorry to say I grew impatient, annoyed, and perhaps even angry. “If I’m willing to do your will,” I complained, “you could at least have the common courtesy to tell me what your will is.”

After weeks had passed, I decided to make a more serious attempt. I climbed on my bicycle and rode to a quiet place beside a small river a few miles out of town. I spent the day on my knees with my scriptures and a notebook. Finally, as the shadows grew long, I gave up in frustration. I was pounding the pedals on my bicycle as I rode home. Gradually I calmed, and my cadence slowed. A thought entered my mind, at first faint, and then increasingly distinct: “Honor your priesthood and remember your covenants.” I repeated this in my mind with the revolution of the bicycle pedals: “Honor your priesthood, remember your covenants. Honor your priesthood, remember your covenants.”

I stopped my bike, looked up to heaven, and exclaimed, perhaps audibly, “You don’t care where I go to law school! You want me to honor my priesthood and keep my covenants.” As I spoke these words, I was flooded with the classic confirmation of the Holy Spirit, a combination of a shiver down my spine and a burning in my chest that was so strong I could hardly stand it.

So I went to the law school of my choice. During my years there, when I was tempted to think too much of myself or to be too caught up in the cares and preoccupations with which I was surrounded, I thought often, “Brett, honor your priesthood and remember your covenants.” It was precisely the message I needed to keep me on track during those three years of law school. My prayers had been answered in a deeply meaningful—but entirely unexpected—way.

I have had the opposite experience as well, in which I was directed to a particular place. On those occasions, too, the answer was sometimes quite different than I expected.

II. Hope

A few words about hope. Hope is not just a positive attitude, a sunny disposition, or looking on the bright side of life. Hope is rooted in Jesus Christ and the prospect of being with Him back in the presence of God. Deep down, it is a surrender and a trust in God and His promises—that He, and they, are real. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had hope, but not just that they would survive the fiery furnace. They also had confidence in God’s plan.

Hope is neither ethereal nor wispy; it is an anchor for the soul. Hope is focused on the future and gives us the disciple’s perspective that the current state of affairs will not last. Hope is not simply the truism “This too shall pass,” helpful though that truism is.¹⁷ Rather, hope is a quiet confidence about what shall come to pass—that Christ is mighty to save and that His grace is sufficient for us.

Perhaps the reason I am so drawn to the concepts of faith, hope, and charity is that even though I work hard and am reasonably diligent, sometimes I get discouraged or frustrated with my own limitations. For me there is comfort in the concept of hope, understood as a quiet confidence and belief that my best will be good enough and that Jesus Christ is there to carry me the rest of the way.

Maybe because I am a lawyer, one of my favorite descriptions of the Savior is that He is our Advocate. Both John and Mormon describe Jesus Christ as our Advocate with the Father.¹⁸ And in the Doctrine and Covenants we read:

Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased....

Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.¹⁹

Perhaps less familiar is the description of Satan, who is not our advocate but is rather our accuser. Revelations 12:10 says:

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Isn’t this description of Satan interesting? He accuses us before God both night and day. Lucifer is relentless in his desire to accuse and convict us before God.²⁰

In our own lives we often hear voices that tell us that we are not good enough and that we are unworthy or even unredeemable. Sometimes, and most dangerously, these voices come from within our own heads and hearts. I believe that these voices, external and internal, are often tools and messages of the adversary. If he can convince us that we are failures, or if he can persuade us that we are good for nothing, unloved, or unlovable, then he is succeeding in accomplishing his work and his glory, to bring to pass the death and eternal damnation of mankind.²¹

Which voice will we heed—that of the Savior, whose message is that even when we stray or fail, His hand is outstretched still,²² or that of Satan, whose aim is to make us miserable like unto himself?²³

Not only is the Savior our Advocate with the Father, pleading for us, but Jesus also pleads with us to keep His commandments so that we may enjoy the complete blessings of His Atonement:

Hearken, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear ...

Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him ...

Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts.²⁴

For example, the passage in D&C 45 we just read, about Christ being our Advocate pleading for us, is bookended by Jesus pleading with us to hearken, give ear, hear His voice, and harden not our hearts.²⁵


III. Charity

Finally, charity. The importance of charity can scarcely be overstated. The Apostle Paul calls charity the greatest of all things²⁶ and says that without it we are nothing.²⁷ Mormon urges us to “cleave unto charity,”²⁸ and the Doctrine and Covenants instructs us to clothe ourselves in it.²⁹ Paul mentions charity 75 times and calls it “the end of the commandment,”³⁰ and John mentions it 30 times.³¹ Amulek puts it starkly: “If ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.”³²


Perhaps picking up on the concept of the three degrees of glory, I like to think of three degrees of charity. The first involves how we listen, the second how we give, and the third how we love.

Charity in Listening

The first degree of charity involves the way we listen to and seek to understand others. Charity in this sense is often associated with being fair-minded and giving others the benefit of the doubt.³³

This sense of charity is captured in The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of charitable as “inclined to think no evil of others, to put the most favourable construction on their actions.”³⁴ This definition echoes Paul, who declares that charity “thinketh no evil.”³⁵

The philosopher Eugene Garver has written thoughtfully about what it means to listen and understand with charity:

Discourse is always incomplete and always requires interpretation, filling in missing premises, understanding ambiguities, etc. Our rational reconstructions depend on charity because we are inevitably making choices in understanding another.³⁶

In striving to become charitable listeners, we may gain an increased appreciation for Mormon’s observation that an essential component of charity is being “meek and lowly in heart.”³⁷ It takes a certain measure of humility to strive to understand others rather than to construe them in a way that serves our purposes.

Consider Mormon’s description of charity while focusing specifically on seeking to become a charitable listener:

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth.³⁸

This is an impressive road map of how we should listen to one another.

Charity in Giving


The second degree of charity involves the way we give to and seek to serve others. Charity in this sense is often associated with almsgiving, which can easily lead to a distorted understanding of what charity really means. The British have a phrase, “as cold as charity,” which they use to describe the heart and attitude of charity given in a way that is condescending or self-righteous.

When we act with genuine charity, we seek to lift others up or to give them a boost, perhaps while we stay below.³⁹

Charity in Loving

The third degree of charity involves the way we care for and love others. Charity in this sense is celestial.

Perhaps the most moving definition of charity is found in Moroni. The prophet Mormon declared, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”⁴⁰

There seems to be a progression from the easier to the more difficult among the three degrees of charity. We cannot hope to have genuine charity if we are not charitable as listeners and givers. Not surprisingly, cultivating the “pure love of Christ” involves taking steps. We do not simply develop such love instantly; for most of us, it will be a lifelong process. Ultimately, it is a gift of God.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I stand with Paul in declaring the centrality of faith, hope, and charity. In saying this, I am constrained to acknowledge that we often find most appealing those ideals that we recognize we fall short of ourselves. This is certainly true in this case with me.

Nevertheless, I do have faith. God is our Father and we are His children, with all that implies. I pray that the wind and dust in the desert of criticism will not blind us to the truths of the gospel and that we may seek and find our own postcritical naveté—a place where we can sing with wholehearted childlike amazement (as we have this morning):

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!⁴¹

I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and of you and even of me, and that He is mighty to save!⁴²

This faith gives me hope that Christ’s Atonement is sufficient for us—for you and for me. I have hope that through the principles and ordinances of the gospel and by making and keeping covenants, we will be saved as “children of God: and if children, then heirs; . . . joint-heirs with Christ.”⁴³ I am grateful that our Savior is our Advocate with the Father, pleading for us, and also pleading with us, to come unto Him.

I testify that charity—Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s pure love for us—is real. I pray that we may be blessed with a more abundant measure of charity in accordance with the work of our hands and the desires of our hearts.

Finally, I am grateful that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”⁴⁴ In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes
1. 1 Corinthians 13:1–2, 13.
2. See Moroni 1:4.
3. See Moroni 7:20–48 (verses 20–39 discuss faith, 40–43 hope, and 44–48 charity).
4. Moroni 10:18, 20–21.
5. See 1 Corinthians 13:8.
6. Dr. Haught’s discussion was an adaption of Paul Ricoeur’s thought. See Paul Ricoeur, The Symbolism of Evil, trans. Emerson Buchanan (Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 1967), 347–57; see also John F. Haught, The Cosmic Adventure: Science, Religion and the Quest for Purpose (New York: Paulist Press, 1984), 94–95.
7. Ricoeur calls this “primitive naveté” or a “precritical form of immediate belief” (Symbolism of Evil, 351–52).
8. Songbook, 5.
9. 1 Corinthians 13:11.
10. See Symbolism of Evil, 351.
11. Symbolism of Evil, 352.
12. 1 Corinthians 14:20.
13. See Daniel 3.
14. Daniel 3:17–18; emphasis added.
15. I express my gratitude to Brent Bowles for helping me appreciate this aspect of this story. See Dennis E. Simmons, “But If Not . . . ,” Ensign, May 2004, 73–75.
16. Many years ago I heard a story about a pioneer couple, and it deeply impressed me. They had joined the Church and, with their infant child, made the difficult trek to Utah. Their journey was treacherous, and along the way their only child died. Husband and wife were heartbroken, and neither would ever be the same again. But their responses to this tragedy were very different. The husband became hard, bitter, and angry with God and the Church, and he developed a heart of stone. His wife, on the other hand, became more empathetic to the suffering of others and developed a deep spirituality and trust in Heavenly Father. Her heart became tender and soft.

Perhaps this story made such an impression on me because I recognized in myself the capacity to respond to life in both of these ways. When confronted with disappointment or difficulty, I can become withdrawn and distant, I can turn inward, and I can feel my heart harden. But I have also taken the other road—perhaps the road less traveled—in which I respond with a softening of my heart. To me, this story represents the very different reactions we can have to the hard realities of life: we can remain in the desert of criticism, or we can seek a deeper faith—our own postcritical naveté.

17. In an address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society in 1859, Abraham Lincoln observed, “It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride!—how consoling in the depths of affliction!” (Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 30 September 1859; in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Roy P. Basler [New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1953], 3:481–82).
18. See 1 John 2:1–2 and Moroni 7:28.
19. D&C 45:3–5
20. I express gratitude to Louis Pope for drawing my attention to the distinction between Jesus Christ the Advocate and Lucifer the accuser.
21. Compare Moses 1:39 with Moses 4:3–4.
22. See 2 Nephi 1:14–15 and Jacob 6:5.
23. See 2 Nephi 2:27.
24. D&C 45:1, 3, 6.
25. D&C 45:1 begins, “Hearken, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth.” And in verse six, the verse following the passage about Jesus pleading our cause, Christ again pleads with us: “Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts.” We see something similar in Moroni’s account of his father Mormon’s words, in which Mormon pleads with us to “cleave unto every good thing” (Moroni 7:28) and teaches that Christ has said, “Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved” (Moroni 7:34). The passage in 1 John describing Jesus as our Advocate with the Father is also followed with an admonition to keep the commandments (see 1 John 2:3–5).
26. See 1 Corinthians 13:13; see also Moroni 7:46.
27. See 1 Corinthians 13:2; see also Moroni 7:46.
28. Moroni 7:46.
29. See D&C 88:125.
30. 1 Timothy 1:5.
31. See, for example, 1 John 4:8; see also Ether 12:34.
32. Alma 34:29.
33. When listening with charity, we are not primarily concerned with ourselves and planning our response, but with seeking genuinely to understand. Being a generous listener reduces the distance between oneself and others.
34. The Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “charitable.” A related definition of charity in The Oxford English Dictionary is “A disposition to judge leniently and hopefully of the character, aims, and destinies of others, to make allowance for their apparent faults and shortcomings; large-heartedness. (But often it amounts barely to fair-mindedness towards people disapproved of or disliked, this being appraised as a magnanimous virtue.)” This sense is summed up as “fairness; equity” (s.v. “charity”). Cruden’s Dictionary of Bible Terms includes this dimension of charity in its expansive definition of the term. “A person endued [with charity] does not interpret doubtful things to the worst sense, but the best; is sorry for the sins of others, but rejoices when any one does well, and is apt to bear with their failings and infirmities” (ed. Alexander Cruden [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House: 1958], s.v. “charity”).
35. 1 Corinthians 13:5.
36. Eugene Garver, “Why Should Anybody Listen? The Rhetoric of Religious Argument in Democracy,” Wake Forest Law Review 36, no. 2 (2001): 378. Garver continues, “Like friendship, being trustworthy involves complicated relations between speaker and hearer” (“Why Should Anybody Listen?” 378). Thus, listening with charity involves not just the skillful use of techniques; rather it reflects a certain type of disposition or character. Indeed, the techniques may vary. For example, sometimes charity requires looking beyond the words spoken, while sometimes it requires taking words at face value. But the underlying attitude of the charitable listener will remain constant. Listening with charity will always involve generosity, trust, good faith, and being large-hearted and fair-minded.
37. Moroni 7:44.
38. Moroni 7:45.
39. It may be that because the modern ear associates the word charity with almsgiving, and because such giving often magnifies rather than reduces the differences between ourselves and others, that most modern translations of the New Testament render the Greek word agape as love rather than charity in order to avoid the minimalist, even negative, associations of charity. The Encyclopedia Americana notes, however, that “in the Middle Ages the Latin word caritas,The Encyclopedia Americana continues, “the word is too rich in meaning to be abandoned: pure charity is the noblest of virtues” from which charity is derived, was filled with the richest meanings of self-denial and self-sacrifice for the sake of others. It was only in the post-Reformation period that charity became identified with almsgiving. To the Reformers, giving alms was a pretended means of winning merit, and this led to the rejection of ‘charity’ in Biblical texts and hence in general religious usage among Protestants.” Nevertheless, (International edition, s.v. “charity”).
40. Moroni 7:47. The LDS Bible Dictionary defines charity as “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ” (s.v. “charity,” 632). To his disciples, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35).
41. “How Great Thou Art,” Hymns, 1985, no. 86.
42. See 2 Nephi 31:19–20.
43. Romans 8:16–17.
44. John 3:16.

Teaching

I actually haven't read this, but it looks good and I don't want to lose it....

Teaching, Mentoring, and Things of the Spirit

MARVIN J. ASHTON

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Marvin J. Ashton was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 

of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

when this address was delivered at the 

BYU Annual University Conference on 24 August 1992.

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My respect associates of this great Brigham Young University, I am honored, challenged, and pleased to be with you on this occasion. I hope my remarks and observations will bring glad tidings into your various responsibilities and assignments as well as into your lives. As I stand before you, I remind you of what I constantly try to remind myself—that I was asked to be with you and speak on this subject because of the office I fill and not because of any superlative qualities I possess.

A few weeks ago I was reading from some of the writings of our prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, and was again impressed by his thoughts and his relationship to others. He said that one of this “most revered associates with the Brethren was with President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. He was a mentor to a few of us seated here this day. His was a depth of intellect and breadth of wisdom that marked him a giant among men. And that because these qualities were tempered with deep humility and a sense of great reverence and dependency upon God.”

He referred to President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., as his mentor and openly acknowledged how he was taught, tempered, and trusted by this great leader. Incidentally, may I remind you, by definition a mentor is a wise and trusted teacher or guide. He, President Clark, said on one very moving occasion:

“The youth of the Church, your students, are in great majority sound in thought and in spirit. The problem primarily is to keep them sound, not to convert them.

“The youth of the Church are hungry for things of the spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted. They want to know about the fundamentals . . . about our beliefs; they want to gain testimonies of their truth; they are not now doubters but inquirers, seekers after truth. Doubt must not be planted in their hearts.

“These students crave the faith their fathers and mothers have; they want it in its simplicity and purity . . . they wish to be not only the beneficiaries of this faith, but they want to be themselves able to call it forth to work.

“You teachers have a great mission. As teachers you stand upon the highest peak in education, for what teaching can compare in priceless value and in far-reaching effect with that which deals with man as he was in the eternity of yesterday, as he is in the mortality of today, and as he will be in the forever of tomorrow. Not only time but eternity is your field.”

As teachers, administrators, staff, and friends you have the opportunity to be mentor to many. How rewarding it will be to be mentor to those who associate with you closely on a daily basis.

In days past I identified with President N. Eldon Tanner, a counselor in the First Presidency four times. He was not only a prophet, seer, revelator, and apostle, but a mentor. He took the time and the occasion to lift, teach, and lead me and others when teaching moments were available. He was always bigger than any problem.

It seemed to me that whenever there were weighty decisions to be made at the highest levels of the Church, he had a unique capacity to be wise when others were disappointed, shocked, or dismayed. Never in a spirit of disgust or hurt did I ever hear him say “Oh no” or “How could she or he do that?” It was always “What can we do to help?” He was always a solver, never a moaner.

Let me take this opportunity to thank President Rex E. Lee for his leadership—for what he is and does. Almost 34 years ago he was called to serve on the General Board of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association while I was in the presidency of that organization. He was a young returned missionary with exceptional dedication and talents. As I look back now, I can see how he “mentored” some of us older ones as he vigorously championed programs for young men and young women. Today, yes, I and others can learn much if we appropriately respond to his leadership. You don’t have to be older than others to be their mentor. I look upon Provost Bruce C. Hafen as an administrator who is honest, wise, and good.

May I now quote—as a background and foundation for what I will refer to later—a statement recently made by your leaders from an internal document entitled “Our Positioning Case Statement”:

“As a Church university, BYU has the responsibility to help students develop their spiritual strength as well as their academic proficiency—to help them learn that faith and reason go hand in hand. Wisdom, it has been revealed, is the result of acquiring knowledge through light and truth. Such enlightenment is said to be received through the heart, which encompasses more than just the intellect. Thus, it is often stated that BYU aims to educate the heart, for to educate just the mind would severely limit the human soul.

“Through this process of seeking for all truth in the light, BYU students learn wisdom—how to use truth for right and just purposes. The course is a rigorous one that involves both teacher and student and includes the development of, and respect for, the spirit that is in each of them.”

I wholeheartedly endorse those guidelines of great wisdom. Now from the 98^th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 10, there are three words that I would like to emphasize. Be honest, wise, and good in our personal lives, in our BYU responsibilities, and in the home. We should teach our associates and students by example the priceless strength that comes from this lifestyle.

I would like to reinforce to you in your BYU situation of service: You have been sought out, interviewed, approved, and employed because of your quality lives. We who work with you look forward to upholding and sustaining you in your lofty and righteous performances.

Some things change, and some remain the same.

In the category of those that remain the same is the relationship between Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU is owned and operated by the Church. During the lifetime of all of those present here, the Church has appropriated to BYU a large proportion of the tithing paid by members of the Church. Because of the importance the Church attaches to education, the BYU Board of Trustees is composed of the most senor leaders of the Church. The board of trustees appoints the president and other leaders of the university, and the board of trustees makes the basic policy decisions about the nature and mission of the university and the way in which that mission will be accomplished. These things have not changed.

In contrast, there have been enormous changes in the environment within which the university performs its mission. Not long ago, almost any young member of the Church who desired to enroll at BYU in Provo or Hawaii or at Ricks College was able to obtain admission. The remarkable growth of the Church has changed that. Today only a tiny fraction of the membership of the Church can enroll at BYU or these other colleges, and that fraction gets smaller every year, even though the percent of tithing revenues devoted to higher education has not declined significantly. The contrast between those who are favored by admission and those who are not is very painful for all concerned. It inevitably causes all of us to have serious reflection about the mission of BYU and the way that mission is being performed.

For the past two years the board of trustees and committees of board members, working with President Lee and his associates, have been giving intensive and prayerful study to fundamental issues, which as the nature of the university, how it is financed, how it relates to other parts of the Church Educational System, and how we determine who is admitted. That work continues.

Here on this campus you have done impressive work on these and related problems. For example, the board of trustees is very impressed with the work of your faculty committee under the chairmanship of Professor John Tanner. Their suggestions on definitions of academic freedom for the individual teacher and for the institution are vitally important.

It is important that our teachers have the freedom to teach and research in their fields of study. At the same time, it is imperative that everyone who works at BYU and everyone who supports the university (and that includes every tithe payer in the Church) understands the nature and mission of this university.

We do not question the need to familiarize university students with facts we deplore or theories we reject. But, in the exercise of our institutional academic freedom, we do insist that the teachers in the various institutions of our Church Educational System not use their classrooms or their privileged positions as professors to advocate or foster ideologies or philosophies or actions that are contrary to the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the standards of decency or morality that are embodied in the university’s honor code. The unworthy, the indecent, or the immoral have no place on this campus, no place in the programs of this university, and no place in the personal conduct of our students or our faculty or staff.

We expect that our Church Educational System personnel, including the faculty and staff at BYU, will be role models in the way they use the sacred resources appropriated by the Church. This includes not only financial resources but also the prestige they enjoy as representatives of the Church. As members of the Church, they should also be exemplary in the way they keep the commandments of God and in the way they respond to the counsel our leaders give to the members of the Church.

“Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.

“And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

“For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.” (D&C 98:10–12)

May I encourage all of us this year as we approach new responsibilities and challenges to teach vigorously the basics of being honest, wise, and good in life and in the lecture room. The world today—and yes, the Church today—is looking for direction from those who live these traits. It seems today as I travel and reorganize stake presidencies and instruct mission presidents worldwide, I am getting back more and more to stressing these fundamental basics of the abundant life. The important roles of leadership must be wrapped in honesty, goodness, and wise performance. Love the scriptures. Teach and live through and by them. Teach and live with the gospel of Jesus Christ as your anchor, foundation, and inspiration.

May I share with you a last paragraph from former Secretary of Education William J, Bennett’s new book The De-Valuing of America:

“Reclaiming our institutions is less a political opportunity than a civic obligation. It involves hard work. But it is work of imminent importance. At the end of the day, somebody’s values will prevail. In America, ‘we the people’ have a duty to insist that our institutions and our government be true to their time-honored tasks. In some instances that means that the American people must roll up their sleeves and work to ensure that their institutions and government reflect their sentiments, their good sense, their sense of right and wrong. That is what a democracy—a government of, by, and for the people—is all about. The debate has been joined. But the fight for our values has just begun.”

Let me share with you a remarkable statement by President Spencer W. Kimball that illustrates to us how we may develop more spirituality in our lives. “I find that when I get casual in my relationship with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns. I find myself loving more intensely those whom I must love with all my heart and mind and strength, and loving them more I find it easier to abide their counsel. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 135.)

Personal honesty is a must in individual happiness and true leadership. Certainly it is greater to be trusted than loved. A worthy daily prayer is: “Lord, help me to be honest with myself. Help me to be true to myself.” Jesus taught in plainness. Jesus, the master teacher, taught love, hope, and faith with perfect integrity, even with a perfect life. I thank God that one of our Articles of Faith does not say: “We believe in honesty.” It is more compelling and reasonable to say “We believe in being honest.” Over the years it has not only been rewarding but challenging to hear by the grapevine, if you please, “Marvin J. Ashton can be trusted.”

Be honest in your classes. Be honest in your offices. Be honest in your human relationships. Be honest in your preparations. Be honest in your counseling procedures. Be honest in your daily lives. I thank God for leaders like you who instill in others the overwhelming influence of integrity in all things. I thank God Brigham Young University has the best administrators, faculty, and support staff of any university in the world. With that recognition our challenge is to rise to new heights.

Early on I can remember a good father saying, ”I would rather have my son drink 10 cups of coffee a day than tell a lie.” He didn’t want me to drink coffee either. He was just setting proper priorities. Some top students and associates can be destroyed by people who are not honest in their comments and instruction. Some would rather share flattery or tickle the ear than indulge in constructive instruction.

Let me share a few thoughts about education and teaching with wisdom and being wise enough to make decisions that are worthy. I carry in my daily datebook a few brief memo sheets that I like to refer to frequently. One sheet almost worn out now has nothing more on it than Jacob 6, verse 12, “O be wise; what can I say more?”

Be wise enough to accept appropriate discipline and guidelines. Be wise enough to say the right words at the right time to the right person. Be wise enough to live and teach within designated guidelines. Be wise enough to know there is always going to be opposition from those who would have us trip or falter. We need scholars, teachers, and administrators who are balanced. We need intellectuals who are intelligent. We need probers who aggressively pursue the truth. We need researchers who are willing to pray. We need teachers who teach with Christlike parables. Ever bear in mind that Jesus was the wisest or the wise, even brilliant, in his relationships with people.

A certain prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, on one occasion a few years ago asked me to accompany him to the Utah State Prison. He invited me to go to the vineyards with him because I, Marvin J. Ashton, knew the location. He wanted to spend some time with those confined to prison. On this occasion I heard and saw a prophet declare glad tidings in a way that has left me with an everlasting impression. It was a unique invitation. It was an unusual request. I doubt that any other apostle in modern days has had an experience that comes even close to this. I learned much from a prophet who was wise.

May I say in the beginning when he first asked me to accompany him to the prison at the point of the mountain. I felt impressed to say to him. “President Kimball, I don’t want you to go to the prison for a visit. I’ve had enough experience there to know that your life would be in danger, and some people would do anything to get attention, embarrass, or even harm you. Please, President Kimball, if you don’t mind, let’s not go right now.”

A few days passed and he talked to me on the telephone again and said, “Marv, I want to go to the prison with you.” I could tell that he was earnest and very sincere. The time for delay was over. I called the warden and asked him if we could come down the following day and visit with him and two inmates of his choice. He agreed, and I took President Kimball to the institution.

We were greeted by the warden and taken to his office. He hadn’t been there very long when two inmates were invited to come in and meet with us. They were in their prison garb and looked hard. I felt very uneasy when the steel door closed behind them and we were left with the two of them, the Prophet, myself, and the warden.

President Kimball shook their hands before we all sat down. This was followed by a brief period of intense silence. The prisoners were looking at the floor. President Kimball was looking at them, and I was looking at him. After this awkward period of silence was over, President Kimball started off with what seemed to me to be an unusual approach. The thought crossed my mind that he could say: “What are you in here for? Why did you do it? When do you get out? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves,” or “What is your previous record?” To my pleasure and further education and for their involvement, he looked at the one, and said to my surprise: “Tell me about your mother.” The prisoner responded and told President Kimball and others of us assembled about his mother, the details of which are not important for my purposes today.

When this was over, with the prisoner doing the talking and President Kimball doing the listening, President Kimball finally looked at the other prisoner and said: “What does your father do for a living?” He too responded with comments, and the Prophet gave complete attention and listened intently. In a few minutes I had seen and heard a prophet counsel and interview. They looked at him, responded, and looked in his face while he gently listened. Before our interview was over, word had spread that President Kimball was at the prison visiting, and some of the media were outside the doors waiting for pictures and conversation with President Kimball. President Kimball invited some of the press into the room with a cameraman. One reporter said, “President Kimball, we’d like to have a picture of you talking to these two inmates.” President Kimball granted the interview by standing up promptly and getting between the two prisoners as the picture was taken.

I recall as though it were yesterday what he said after the picture was taken. He shook one hand and then the other and said, “Thank you, boys, for letting me have my picture taken with you.” One of these hardened prisoners was in for murder and the other one for grand larceny. To say they were touched and responsive is an understatement.

I will never forget the impact of this visit upon me and my future. A wise, gentle prophet conducted his interview without embarrassment, without ridicule, and without condemnation. I know I have told this story before and shared it around the Church, but I felt impressed to relive it with you just for a few moments today as we think of interviewing, counseling, instructing, and touching lives with wisdom. Frankly I still wonder if President Kimball’s main purpose for the visit was to see the prisoners or to teach a new apostle in a live classroom. How wonderful it would be if we could counsel with wisdom under all circumstances. A well-respected administrator or teacher should be skilled in asking right questions.

Some months later in another vineyard a mother and father were in my office accompanied by a 265-pound BYU sophomore All-WAC tackle. They had asked for an appointment to help resolve a confusing family situation. After we greeted the mother and the father and their son, Lance Reynolds, we had a few words of friendly conversation. I knew why they had come. The trying decision was Does Lance go on a mission or does he stay and play football?

I looked at the mother and said, “What do you think your son should do?” She said, “I think he can render a special service and example to the Church if he maintains his standards and continues to play football and hopefully help in bringing football fame to BYU and the Church. I think his football playing can be his mission.”

I looked at the father, and I said, “What do you think Lance should do?” He was smart enough not to disagree in that setting with his wife, so he merely said, “I’m not quite certain.” I looked at Lance and I said. “Lance, what do you want to do?” He said, “I want to go on a mission.” I responded with, “Why don’t you?” He said, “I will.” Our interview was over. Lance went on his mission, was an outstanding missionary, came back and reaped all-conference honors, and is now on BYU’s football coaching staff. He is a special friend of mine today.

I hope you can relate to these two experiences. Jesus went about doing good. Jesus taught single ideas. He drove home the single point in each of his parables. We should avoid shotgun approaches. A good lesson or interview should be like a rifle shot—to the point and with some decision reached.

Let me conclude with a few thoughts in regard to being good. To be good for our purposes today is to be someone who is caring, someone who conducts himself in such a way that others know that service and being good to all others under every circumstance is the abundant life. Being good does not start in the classroom or in the office of administrators. It is an every-hour, significant way of life. Let us ever remember that being good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure. Let us lead in such a manner that being good is a way of life that must be natural, commonplace, and sincere. I like to think someone is good, in the full sense of the word, when they care about others without thought of self.

What greater recognition and honor can come to anyone than to be identified as a good teacher. Jesus Christ was the master teacher. A stalwart like BYU’s Hugh Nibley teaches us much when he said, “I have always been furiously active in the Church, but I have . . . never held an office or rank in anything; I have undertaken many assignments given me by the leaders of the Church, and much of the work has been anonymous—no rank or recognition, no anything. While I have been commended for some things, they were never the things I considered most important—that was entirely a little understanding between me and my Heavenly Father, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, though no one else knows anything about it.”

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial made the following observation:

“Los Angeles has brought home to the country and the world what people close to the cauldron have been saying for a long time: No progress is possible in America’s most troubled parts while so many people grow up without parents, without dignity, without knowledge, without morals or without respect—from others and within themselves. In a word, without hope.”

Let me conclude by saying I thank God for good people like you who are willing to be reminded and hopefully instructed by one who has a few thoughts that possibly can be helpful. The glory of God is intelligence, and for my purposes here today I declare that there is no true intelligence without honesty, wisdom, and goodness. I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Do Good Continually

I just read this at lunch today. I thought it was a pretty good discussion of conversion.

A Disposition to Do Good Continually

Spencer J. Condie

Spencer J. Condie was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy when this devotional address was given on 9 February 2010.

As a little boy, a favorite activity in my grandparents’ home was climbing upon my grandfather’s lap to have him read children’s stories from the Book of Mormon. Grandpa Condie read slowly and deliberately, and I felt the spirit of the Book of Mormon and easily associated the Savior’s love for me as Grandpa lovingly held me close to him.

One of my favorite stories was the account of venerable King Benjamin, who called upon all of his loyal subjects to gather around the temple, where he would give them his parting counsel. He reminded the people four times that he had received the text of his talk from an angel of the Lord, and the speech he delivered is one of the greatest in all of holy writ (see Mosiah 3:2, 4:1, 4:11, 5:5).

At the heart of King Benjamin’s benedictory address was the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Though the Savior would not be born on earth for another 124 years, King Benjamin spoke “as though [Christ] had already come among them” (Mosiah 3:13; see also 2 Nephi 25:26; Jarom 1:11; Mosiah 16:6).

He described the Savior’s future earthly mission in detail, of how He would

suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name. [Mosiah 3:7–9]

As Benjamin concluded the sermon given him by an angel, the multitude fell to the earth as they

viewed themselves in their own carnal state.... And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins...; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. [Mosiah 4:2]

Filled with Joy

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins. [Mosiah 4:3]

Being “filled with joy” is one of the reassuring hallmarks that we have received a remission of our sins. Alma taught that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10), and this statement is akin to the predictability of the law of gravity. It is virtually impossible to be filled with joy while we are entertaining evil thoughts or wicked practices.

Alma taught the inhabitants of Zarahemla that a mighty change of heart should be reflected by the image of Christ in their countenances (see Alma 5:14). Now, some of us—myself included—were born with a face only a mother could love; but it can still be a happy face.

As a beauty I’m not a great star.
There are others more handsome by far,
But my face, I don’t mind it,
Because I’m behind it—
’Tis the folks in the front that I jar.
[Anthony Henderson Euwer, “My Face,” in Rhymes of Our Valley (New York: James B. Pond, 1916), 92]

One of the signs of having received a remission of sins is a joyful heart and a cheerful countenance.

Peace of Conscience

A second sign of receiving a remission of sins is reflected by the “peace of conscience” that Benjamin’s people experienced “because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:3).

As an old man, my list of past sins is so long that I cannot begin to remember them all. But the list is so long I can’t forget them all either. But I can remember them with a peace of conscience.

Filled with the Love of God

Benjamin assured his listeners that

as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins ...

[then] ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins. [Mosiah 4:11–12; emphasis added]

Hearts filled with love become a third confirmation that our sins are forgiven.

A heart filled with love has no room for discouragement, doubt, fear, hatred, vengeance, envy, lust, or greed, because a heart full of love is full.

No Mind to Injure

King Benjamin described a fourth indicator of retaining a remission of our sins, and that is that we “will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably” (Mosiah 4:13; emphasis added). Not having a mind to injure one another is reflected by our overcoming even the very inclination to put others down, to tell jokes defaming a given ethnic group, or to speak of a roommate or a spouse or any others in unflattering terms.

Brother David M. Sorensen has been engaged in counseling and marital therapy for many years. He once told me he has seen hateful, hurtful marriage relationships “turn on a dime” when couples merely agree to be kind to each other for a day, a week, a month, and then a lifetime.

Teach Our Children

A fifth hallmark of retaining a remission of our sins is that

[we] will not suffer [our] children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will [we] suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another....

But [we] will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; [we] will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. [Mosiah 4:14–15]

The Wadsworths of Panaca, Nevada

Franklin Don Wadsworth was an enterprising young man from Nevada who met a lovely young woman from Salt Lake City by the name of Sylvia Hinckley. They were soon married, and they were blessed with 11 children: seven sons and four daughters. When the youngest son, David, was seven years of age, his lovely mother died suddenly at age 49. Notwithstanding this tragic and untimely loss, the Wadsworth children rallied around their heartbroken father, providing great comfort to him and to each other. Then, just 17 months later, not long after David was baptized, his father died at age 56, leaving eight unmarried children at home.

The relatives counseled together, and it was decided that one uncle and his wife would take some of the children into their home and another uncle and aunt would care for the rest of the children in their home.

At this point the Wadsworth children met in family council, with the oldest son, Franklin Brent, taking charge. The children unanimously agreed that their deceased parents would not want them to be separated and unable to see each other frequently during their formative years. Their parents had taught them to serve one another and to be responsible for one another, so they declined any outside help. The members of the extended family agreed to stand back and let them give it a try.

Lark was in her third year in high school, and the school allowed her to take all of her classes early in the day so she would be home in time to welcome the younger children when they arrived home from school. Valerie was in the process of graduating from college, and she found a job nearby and helped with the younger children for the first year. Scott was a returned missionary, and he worked the family farm and commuted to Cedar City, where he attended college.

All of the children eventually went to college, and all of the sons served missions. When only two children—David, then 14, and Charlotte, then 17— remained living at home, they were invited by their older sister Terry and her husband, Lorell Bleak, to live with their family.

Though Don and Sylvia Wadsworth were snatched from their mortal existence pre-maturely, they had taught their children by precept and example that true joy comes from loving and serving others and placing the needs of others above their own. Now in post-mortality Don and Sylvia claim a rich posterity of 106 grandchildren and 80 great-grandchildren.

Succor Those in Need

A sixth measure of our remission of sins, according to King Benjamin, is that we “will succor those that stand in need of [our] succor,” that we “impart of [our] substance to the poor,... feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief” (Mosiah 4:16, 26). In this regard, giving generous fast offerings and emulating the lifelong ministry of our beloved President Thomas S. Monson readily come to mind.

Do Good Continually

At the conclusion of King Benjamin’s forthright counsel, the people

all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us ... because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. [Mosiah 5:2; emphasis added]

This is the test of retaining a remission of our sins: we overcome any inclination to do evil, supplanting it with a sustained disposition to do good continually. This is the demonstration of discipleship.

The Savior humbly testified: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me,... I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28–29). His was a disposition to do good continually.

Now, some contend that because Christ was the Son of God He was exempt from temptation, but that belief is contrary to the scriptural record of His earthly ministry. We are all aware of His temptations by Satan after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1–11). And just prior to entering the Garden of Gethsemane, he expressed His gratitude to Peter, James, and John, who, said the Savior, “have continued with me in my temptations” (Luke 22:28).

The Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus Christ, who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Alma foresaw the Savior “suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind ... that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).

How was the Savior able to resist and transcend all these temptations of the flesh? We read in Doctrine and Covenants 20:22: “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.” Because of the Savior’s divine disposition to do good continually, no temptation nor bitter cup could distract Him or dissuade Him from performing His divine mission.

The well-known British cleric Frederic Farrar observed:

The only difference between the temptations of Christ and our own is that His came from without, but ours come also from within. In Him “the tempting opportunity” could not appeal to “the susceptible disposition.” [Frederic William Farrar, The Life of Lives: Further Studies in the Life of Christ (London: Cassell and Company, 1900), 251; emphasis added]

Our goal in life should be to overcome the susceptible disposition.

The Pulling Power of Covenants

Within the restored kingdom of God on earth, the making and keeping of covenants is a central doctrine and practice with a divine purpose in helping us develop a disposition to do good continually. Covenants are the promises to keep the Lord’s commandments, and they are an integral part of gospel ordinances. The word ordinance shares etymological roots with the word order, and so it is that ordinances help order our lives in such a way that we prioritize the use of our time, our means, and our talents in serving Heavenly Father’s other children and assisting in the building of His kingdom. It is through the ordinances of the priesthood that the powers of godliness are manifest unto men in the flesh. (See D&C 84:19–21.)

Captain Moroni declared: “I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God” (Alma 60:34). There is a pulling power inherent in keeping covenants, a power that pulls us onward and ever upward toward our celestial home. It is not only important but also indispensable that we frequently renew our covenants in sacrament meeting and in the temple, reminding us of the Lord’s “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) contingent upon our obedience to His commandments.

Covenants are kept when we feel the promises we renew. It is then that doing good continually no longer becomes a tedious task but rather a daily delight.

President David O. McKay was fond of reminding the Saints:

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
[Quoted by Samuel Smiles (1812–1904) in Life and Labor (1887)]

Heiko Mazurek

Twenty-five years ago Heiko Mazurek was a young German music student in Vienna, Austria. One day he was walking down the street when a Book of Mormon display caught his eye. So he stopped to talk with the missionaries, and they gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He began to read it and to accept the missionary discussions. Eventually he was baptized.

Shortly after his baptism he moved back to his home in Germany to accept a teaching position in a music school. As the mission president at the time, I was concerned that a new convert might get lost in the shuffle of moving away so shortly after baptism. I called Heiko’s new stake president and asked him if he could give Heiko some special attention to assure that he remained active and committed to the kingdom.

A few weeks after Heiko’s arrival in Germany, his caring stake president invited him to travel three hours by train to a Saturday stake priesthood meeting to share his conversion story with the brethren. Heiko accepted the invitation with much fear and trepidation.

He’d never spoken to a large audience before, so the evening prior to his appointed speech Heiko spent a rather sleepless night tossing and turning. When the alarm clock finally rang, he turned it off and promised himself he would just sleep for a few more minutes and then get up. (Does this sound familiar?) However, he was so exhausted from his fitful night’s sleep that he awoke too late to catch the last morning train in time to arrive at the stake center to give his talk.

He hurriedly dressed and rode his bike to the small airport outside of town, and although he was a financially struggling musician, he chartered a small plane for $400 to fly him to his destination.

The stake president phoned me in Vienna after the meeting and described how Heiko had arrived all out of breath, but he gave a wonderful and inspiring testimony, and all in attendance were grateful for the sacrifice he had made to attend.

Several months later Heiko visited us in Vienna, and he recounted his experience of chartering a plane to the priesthood meeting. When he concluded, I asked: “Heiko, why didn’t you just call up President Rueckauer and tell him you would not be able to make it to the meeting and that you would be willing to speak on some future occasion?”

Heiko looked at me indignantly as he said: “President Condie, when the missionaries taught me the gospel, they explained the importance of commitments and of making covenants, and they said that when we make a promise to the Lord or one of His servants, we are expected to keep our word.” (See Spencer J. Condie, In Perfect Balance [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], 127–29.) To this day Heiko continues striving to do good continually, and Church members still introduce him to their nonmember friends as “the legendary guy with the airplane.”

The Prodigal’s Brother

The parable of the prodigal son illustrates in bold relief a wide variety of human dispositions. First there is the self-centered prodigal son unconcerned with anyone or anything but himself. But, alas, after riotous living he discovered for himself that “wickedness never was happiness,” and “he came to himself” (Luke 15:17). He eventually realized whose son he was, and he yearned to be reunited with his father.

His arrogant, selfish disposition had given way to humility and a broken heart and contrite spirit as he confessed to his father: “I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21). Gone were the adolescent rebellion, the immature selfishness, and relentless pleasure seeking, and in their place was an embryonic disposition to do good continually. Now, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we will each confess that there is, or has been, a bit of the prodigal son in every one of us.

Then there is the father. Some may criticize him for having been overly indulgent in granting the younger son’s request to “give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (Luke 15:12). The father in the parable was undoubtedly sensitive to the divine principle of moral agency and freedom of choice, a principle over which the premortal War in Heaven had been waged. He was not inclined to compel his son to be obedient.

But this loving father never gave up on his wayward son, and his unrelenting vigilance is confirmed in the poignant narration that when the son “was yet a great way off, his father ... had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Not only was there an open display of physical affection toward his son, but the father requested his servants to give him a robe, shoes for his feet, and a ring for his hand and instructed them to kill the fatted calf, joyfully declaring, “He was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).

Throughout the years this father had   continually developed such a compassionate, forgiving, loving disposition that he could do nothing else but love and forgive. This parable is a universal favorite for all of us because it holds out the hope to each one of us that a loving Father in Heaven stands in the roadway, as it were, anxiously awaiting the arrival of each of His prodigal children back home.

And now to the older, obedient son who protested to his forgiving father:

Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. [Luke 15:29–30]

Just as there may be an element of the prodigal son in each of us, it may also be the case that every one of us is tainted with traits of the older son. The Apostle Paul described the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). While it may well be that the older son had, indeed, been obedient to his father, beneath the obedient surface was seething subterranean self-righteousness and a disposition to be judgmental, covetous, and totally lacking in compassion. His life did not reflect the fruit of the Spirit, for he was not at peace but rather greatly distressed at what he perceived to be a gross inequity of treatment.

Judged After Our Ways

The mighty prophet Ezekiel taught that if a righteous man

trust to his own righteousness, and [then] commit iniquity, all his [righteous acts] shall not be remembered....

But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal [or equitable]. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. [Ezekiel 33:13, 19–20; emphasis added]

This great prophet taught the people that the Righteous Judge of us all is not computing a running total of all our good deeds from which all of our evil deeds will be subtracted. Rather, we will be judged “after [our] ways”—our way of life and our dispositions to do either good or evil (see Ezekiel 18:21–27, 33:13–20.)

In 2005 the CEO of a large business corporation was sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding his company and its shareholders of $11 billion. His defense attorney pointed out that over the years his client had contributed $95 million to charitable causes, and then he asked the judge: “If you live 60-some-odd years, if you have an unblemished record, if you have endless numbers of people who attest to your goodness, doesn’t that count?” (Bernard Ebbers’ defense lawyer Reid Weingarten, in Erin McClam, “WorldCom’s Ebbers Weeps at 25-Year Sentence,” Associated Press, 13 July 2005; http://iinternational.org/showCnews.php?id=70&referrence=page%3D65).

Ezekiel would likely respond that, actually, those good deeds do not count for much, because overshadowing all of the good deeds of the distant past—like the mission in Taiwan or Texas—are the more egregious, dark deeds of the recent past. King Benjamin would perhaps share the observation that this particular individual still had an unfettered disposition to do evil on a grand scale. He had inflicted great suffering upon numerous employees, shareholders, and clients whose trust had been betrayed at a terrible personal cost to each of them. In the process of becoming, he had become a crook.

As a second prophetic voice, Elder Dallin H. Oaks teaches us that testimony involves believing and feeling, whereas conversion includes doing and becoming. To quote Elder Dallin H. Oaks:

The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. [“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, November 2000, 32; emphasis in original]

Brother Wakolo’s Disciple’s Soul

While serving in the South Pacific, I received a letter from the First Presidency with an assignment to travel to Fiji and deliver a letter to Taniela Wakolo, president of the Nausori Fiji Stake. After I handed the letter to him, he read aloud the call from the First Presidency to serve as an Area Seventy, and tears flowed freely from his cheeks and those of his lovely wife, Anita.

After discussing with him the nature and duties of his new calling, I observed the tattoo on Brother Wakolo’s large right hand. Now, tattoos are very common throughout the South Pacific, and long before he joined the Church, Taniela Wakolo had the back of his hand tattooed with a large, garish design.

I said: “Brother Wakolo, in your new calling as an Area Seventy, you are going to be speaking to the youth on many occasions. I would suggest before such meetings that you put a large Band-Aid on the back of your hand to cover your tattoo. It’s hard to discourage our youth from getting tattoos when the speaker has one himself.”

He smiled a broad smile, and with a radiant expression he said, “I’ll take care of it. I want to be a good example.”

A few weeks passed, and the next time we met, his hand was heavily bandaged as if he were preparing for a boxing match. I asked, “What in the world happened to you?”

He smiled with glistening eyes and said, “I followed your counsel and had the tattoo removed.”

“Was it laser surgery?” I asked.

“No,” he replied with a big smile, “they don’t remove tattoos with lasers in Fiji. I had it surgically cut out.”

A month later Elder Wakolo and I were assigned together to reorganize a stake presidency in American Samoa. As we met at the airport, I immediately noticed an unsightly scar on the back of his hand where the surgeon had removed several square inches of skin and then very crudely sutured the gaping wound closed. This had not been performed by a plastic surgeon.

I apologized for having been the cause of the large scar on the back of his hand. He responded with a radiant Christlike countenance: “Not to worry, President Condie; this is my CTR ring. Now the Lord knows where I stand! I’ll do anything the Lord asks of me.”

Elder Wakolo has become a disciple who keeps his covenants and strives to do good continually.

My precious young brothers and sisters, I invoke the blessings of heaven upon each and every one of you of the rising generation and pray that your righteous thoughts and deeds will overcome any susceptible disposition to do evil and that the Holy Spirit will be your constant companion in helping you to develop a disposition to do good continually, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.