Charity - The Pure Love of Christ

Charity, in the scriptural sense, has an esoteric quality.  It seems to be floating somewhere out there above and beyond the pale of daily life.. We can get in the trenches with faith or hope and the more temporal based commandments (thou shalt not steal), but charity seems nebulous and is slightly discomforting to us.  The word itself seems to demand something from us that is not congruent with how the structure of our temporal world begs us to operate. Christ's teachings that fall into this realm cause us to pause - turn the other cheek, pray for your enemies, give your cloak as well as your coat, go the second mile, give away all you have and follow Jesus.  Indeed, charity is not eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth and it is not me and mine..

Yet we are told by Paul and Mormon that without charity we are nothing.  Charity is the crowning virtue and required for eternal life.  The scriptures tell us that charity is beyond normal love and beyond our normal abilities to acquire.  Mormon charges us with the task of praying for charity with all energy of heart which indicates that charity is not just going to fall upon us unbidden.  Charity is a gift from the divine.  It is truly a heavenly, celestial virtue that must be sought after in opposition to this fallen, telestial state we live in.

There are many, many gut-wrenching needs in this world and "Charity," is the only true source of healing.

This past week I read the chapter in Larry Barkdull's book, No Poor Among Them on charity. I would like to share a few of his concepts and encourage a reading of the rest.

"The quality of love that motivates us to sacrifice to lift and save others is called charity"

"Charity refers more to what we do than what we feel."

"Charity forgives from enormous distance."

"Charity "is ... a condition or state of being."

"When Zion people give and receive charity they cease to be afraid: 'Perfect love casteth out all fear.'"

"Charity saves the lives of both the giver and the receiver."

"Charity is closely aligned with patience.  Patience means:
    "I will wait for you."
    "I will wait with you."
    "I will wait upon you."

"In patience we refrain from giving offense.  In patience we forgive multiple times.  In patience we show kindness when kindness is not returned.  In patience we offer brotherly love over an extended period.  Clearly, in patience we wait for, with and upon the Lord and his children."

"...we might point to charity as the preeminent virtue that transforms priesthood authority into priesthood power."

"Charity draws the Lord near....Conversely, when we fail to exhibit charity, we sense distance between the Lord and ourselves. "

"A fast that does not include extending charity to someone yields no more blessings than shedding a few extra pounds."

"On the other hand, a true fast that includes charitable service carries these promises:

•  loose the bands of wickedness
•  undo the heavy burdens
•  let the oppressed go free
•  break every yoke."

"The world is filled with so much need, and the Lord has placed within our reach the power to supply that need."     

"Uncompensated service is one answer, one good answer to overcome loneliness."

"Sometimes charity is a handout but it is always a hand up."

"The promise of charitable service is that of an abundant return.  President Marion G. Romney taught the following truth: 'You cannot give yourself poor in this work; you can only give yourself rich.'"

"Most certainly, charity is love in action, and that action always involves sacrifice."

"It is an immutable law that the more you give away the more you receive."

"Extending charitable service to the needy is a fixed requirement for all gospel laws.  ...Neither fasting nor prayer nor substantially any other law of God becomes valid or a principle of power without charity. ... Clearly, without charity, we are nothing." 

(All above quotes from Larry Barkdull, No Poor Among Them.)

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.  Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But 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.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.  Amen.

(Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:46 - 48)

Filling our Vessels with Light and Truth

Light and truth are eternal companions.  The greater the light the more truth is illuminated, perceived and understood.  Section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches in a brilliant way about the relationship of light and truth and it's application to our journey in mortality.  The Lord also warns us that the adversary does not operate in light and truth and one of his goals is to remove those precious qualities from our lives.  This basically sums up the battle of the universe.  The Lord tells us that if we "know" the truth, the truth shall make us free.  In D&C 93 the Lord defines truth for us:

24 And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;

He then tell us than anything less than or above and beyond that definition is in the camp of the adversary.

25 And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.

36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.

Our goal as sons and daughters of God is to receive all truth or in other words, a "fullness" of truth.  That quest is directly related to the keeping of the commandments.

26 The Spirit of truth is of God.  I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;
27 And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

The commandments are our shield against the adversary as we pursue the path of truth, thus the vital importance of the first law of the gospel, that of obedience.  Obedience is not to confine us, to impede us but to protect us so that we can grow.   

31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.

39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.

Somehow our acts of disobedience gives the adversary access to our souls where he can bleed us of light and truth.  I like to think that obedience to the commandments places the armor of God upon us so we are impervious to the fiery darts of the adversary.  Our vessels remain without fissure. 

 24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 15:24)

8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 3:8)

Disobedience allows us to be wounded in our spirits.  If those wounds are not healed by the atonement of Jesus Christ we will continue to bleed spiritually in some way or we will perhaps only partially heal with scar tissue in place of true regeneration through the Savior.  Thus one of the greatest task of parenthood is to teach our children the importance of obedience to the commandments of God and repentance because humans are mortal and will disobey either purposefully or ignorantly.

40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
41 But verily I say unto you, my servant Frederick G. Williams, you have continued under this condemnation;
42 You have not taught your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your affliction.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:24 - 42)

In thinking about this subject I also wonder if we have the ability to hurt each other and cause wounds that allow the adversary access to bleed a victim of light and truth.  In this case the atonement is also the answer.  The act of forgiveness and turning to the Savior can heal us of wounds inflicted either purposefully or inadvertently by others.  The power of the priesthood has been given to us to use as a healer of spiritual wounds whatever may be the cause.  Those wounds can be sealed off so that the adversary can no longer cause spiritually searing damage to our souls.  

There is much we can do to heal the wounds in ourselves and in our children and increase our access to light and truth and to create vessels of our souls to hold those spiritual acquisitions until we receive a "fullness" in the perfect day.  May we pray, repent, forgive, obey and use the priesthood power the Lord has placed among us.