THE NEW TESTAMENT CONFERENCE February 27, 1960
Dr. Chauncey C. Riddle
As one assesses the achievements of mankind he cannot help but marvel at three elements of our century which are historically unique. The first is the practical power of scientific knowledge which has become the sine qua non of both national prestige and survival in both military and economic competition. Secondly, one sees the contagious spread of semi-democratic government, bringing the opportunities and responsibilities of political autonomy to peoples who have lived under despotic power at least since the beginnings of recorded history. Thirdly, the technology of transportation and communication has forced upon all the awareness that the welfare of each people is vitally interconnected with the welfare of other peoples.
Certain age-old constants also persist in this modern world to keep us somewhat painfully aware of continuity with the past. Technology is yet, as ever, used to coerce and enslave the lives of men. Science has brought no amelioration of tyranny, but has rather increased the power of the tyrant over the oppressed. Twentieth century nationalism and semi-democracy reveal and repeat what the Greeks well knew, that democracy becomes a precarious balance of selfish interests which progressively deteriorates as individuals seek to further their own interests at the expense of others.
Transportation and communication in our day retrench the power of the few to control the minds and lives of many. The main difference is that far fewer now control many more. Though we may be glad for the improvements of the 20th century, optimism is quite misplaced in the midst of the life-and-death struggle for survival and freedom.
Amidst the strange contrasts and despair of our age there stands one ideal which is as untarnished as it is untried. This ideal is the standard set by one Jesus of Nazareth as found in the New Testament, and more particularly in the synoptic gospels. This ideal has been lived by very few people. I wish to emphasize that Western civilization, though being nominally Christian, has never seen a truly Christian nation. It is my thesis that only as men recognize and accept the true Christian ideal, as found in the Gospels, have we any right to hope for real happiness and peace either in this world or the next.
Let us turn to an examination of the message of the synoptic gospels. These gospels may be conveniently divided into two kinds of subject matter—historical and didactic. That is to say, we receive from them information about Jesus and information from Jesus. Let us first consider the historical phase. The writers of the synoptic gospels are historically concerned with one main objective, to present to us the evidence which they had of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. They recount to us carefully the visitation of angels and the annunciation; the divine conception of a worthy daughter of Judah; the fulfilling of scripture in Christ’s birth and life; the testimony and preparation of the acknowledged prophet, John the Baptist; the miracles of healing, the control of nature, the commanding of devils, the understanding and prescience which witnessed unto Jesus’ supernatural power; the perfection of His life in enduring temptations, derision, unfaithfulness and thoughtlessness of associates; His torture and death; the kindness and mercy which He extended to all who would receive; the justice of his cleansing of the temple and accusation of the Jews; the exactness of His knowledge of the law and all that the prophets had spoken; the humility, deference and reverence which he showed before His Father; the clarity and authoritativeness of His teachings; the terribleness of the suffering of the Atonement; the nobility that He showed so plainly on the cross; and the joyful reality of the resurrection of the Savior and His triumph over all of His and our enemies.
In all these things the writers of the synoptic gospels show us that this man Jesus was not only a man as we are, but that he was also a God, our God. They show us that Jesus was not only a human being, but that he was a perfect human being. They show us that he was not only a great teacher, but that he was “one having authority” and that his teachings are true. Their separate witnesses to these things are binding upon all who read those words. All men are free to discard the gospels as fable and fantasy, but they are not ever again free from the testimony borne by those writers that the Son of God lived and died for us, and that the responsibility of the divine message he taught is incumbent upon us. I hope it does not seem to you that I labor this point of the witness to the divinity of Jesus unduly. We live in an age of skepticism, of doubt and private interpretation of all things. It is today fashionable to reject the historicity of the Bible in deference to pseudo-scientific fictions which attempt to construct a naturalistic account of the origin of those records. Adoption of such a naturalistic point of view indeed wins for us the commendation and acclaim of worldly men who cannot countenance the divine nature of Christ because it makes them inferior to Him and derogates the synthesizing powers of the human mind in favor of divine revelation. If we fear only the possibility of being accepted unto so-called learned men, indeed we had best bow to their conspiracy for humanizing and fictionalizing Jesus. But if we fear God, we know that the opinions of men are but frost on a dark morning, which melts into oblivion before the penetrating rays of the sun of divine power and spiritual insight.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and all who would bear his name had best accept him as divine or not pretend allegiance to him at all. For if they do not accept him as divine through the witness and guidance of the spirit, what they do accept is not him but their own rationally concocted and carefully purged notion of what they want him to be. I take, then, the point that the first and foremost message of the gospels is a witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Let us turn now to the message that the Savior gave to the world, which message becomes the more important because of the authority of him who delivered the message. The message itself may be usefully dichotomized into 1) the standard or righteousness prescribed by the Savior, and 2) the ways of making our lives accord with that standard of righteousness.
The standard of righteousness set by the Savior is stated simply and directly in the Sermon on the Mount, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) In other words, men are to shun and eschew any degree of unrighteousness, including even the very appearance of evil, that they might truly be the children of their Father in Heaven. While obvious limitations of physical imperfection and intellectual blindness hamper all men during this life, the point of the Savior is clear. Moral perfection, which consists in complete obedience to the directions of God, in other words, complete repentance, is a possible attainment during this state of mortality for all who receive the gospel and its saving ordinances in this life. Furthermore, no life less than this standard is acceptable unto God for those who wish to obtain the celestial kingdom.
This standard of perfection does not mean that he who sins is lost forever. It simply means that all of us—who are all sinners—must repent and bring our conduct to the level wherein we cease sinning completely. Sin consists of disobedience to the commandments of God. Perfection consists, then, of perfect or complete obedience to God, and that perfection is entirely available to men who are yet in the state of mortality. There are those who assert that perfection is an unapproachable ideal, impossible to any human being. Indeed, those who say such speak correctly in one sense. It is indeed impossible for any unaided human being to become perfect. The natural man is an enemy to God and has been since the Fall of Adam, and will be forever unless he yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and puts off the natural man and becomes a saint through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Fallen men have not the ability nor the knowledge to become perfect in and of themselves, but the grand and glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that there is a power of God unto perfection. Through yielding ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, to be led in all things, we can know in all circumstances and problems what we should and can do to avoid sin and live as our Father in Heaven desires that we should. When we come to that point we need no longer sin, and if we don’t sin, we can then be forgiven of any and all past errors through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The rich young man came to Jesus and asked him what to do to obtain eternal life. The Savior gave to him the basic standards of righteousness inherent in the Law of Moses. When the young man replied that all those things he had kept from his youth up, the Savior replied, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21) Note two things: first, the Savior gave the opportunity to this already quite good young man to go toward perfection, then and there. Secondly, the more important of the two requirements for his perfection was to come follow Him. Come with me and I will lead you to perfection, the Savior essentially said. “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:22) Though nigh unto perfection, he denied the final steps. Perhaps he consoled himself in later life with the false platitude, “Well, it is impossible for any human being to become perfect, anyway.”
What the Savior told the rich young man accentuates the relationship of the standards of the Law of Moses to the message of perfection which the Savior restored. Moses, too, knew the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sought diligently to instruct the children of Israel in the ways of celestial salvation. But they would not have perfection, preferring a yoke less grievous to be borne. Thereupon the Lord, through Moses, prescribed for them a moral standard much less demanding but accompanied by ceremonial requirements of much greater demand upon time and substance. The multitude of sacrifices was intended as a schoolmaster to show them that the Ten Commandments satisfied only a partial righteousness, and that only through the Atonement of Christ and living the higher law could they receive the celestial kingdom. But most of Israel lost the point of what Moses gave them, and it was necessary for the Savior to emphasize emphatically to the Jews, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
The Savior clearly contrasted the old righteousness with perfection.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill: … But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: … (Matthew 5:21–22)
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27–28)
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (Matthew 5:31–32)
Again we have heard that it hath been said by the of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, … But I say unto you, Swear not at all, …
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matthew 5:33–34, 37)
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:38–39)
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–44, 48)
The Savior in these passages is in no way belittling or disowning the standards of righteousness of the Law of Moses. Indeed they are prerequisites for living the higher law. A man cannot have a clean mind if he commits adultery, as he cannot love his enemy if he cannot love his neighbors and friends. But having obtained that foundation, it is necessary for those who wish to return to the presence of their Father in Heaven, to go on unto perfection. That this is impractical by worldly standards is obvious. The Savior himself observed that the children of this world are wiser in their generation that the children of light. But the children of light have different goals and standards than those of the world. The children of light seek to become as their Savior, that in no thing should they ever hurt or harm any of our Father’s children.
A more abstract manner of contrasting the Law with the gospel is to regard the contrast of law and principle. A law is a standard of action which prescribes how a person should act in a situation explicitly defined by the law or its interpreters. A system of such laws consists essentially of proscriptions concerning things which persons of the society must not do or the way in which they must do certain things in order to avoid penalty. Avoidance of penalty then becomes the reason for obeying the law in most systems of social justice. The complementary but generally unstated notion that automatically accompanies such a system of law is that any act which is not proscribed by law is automatically lawful. The human tendency is then to consider all things which are lawful, either given by the law or not mentioned by the law, as being good. But it will be immediately recognized that this is strictly a second-rate good. If the system of laws is both comprehensive and up to date, it will preserve certain goods to society. But every human system of law has been found to have lacunae, legislators not being able to foresee all the ways of doing evil, and not being able to legislate against all variations which they do foresee. Historically, laws have been the solution to certain gross abuse. Wrongs recognized by a non-legal standard are made legally wrong and thereby to some degree controllable in civil society. But much suffering is usually needed to make the need felt. We lose many horses before all the barn doors get shut. Worse yet, the good intentions of the legislator often miscarry, and law becomes a weapon of “just” injustice upon segments of its citizenry.
The sum, then, of the good of law is that it encourages a minimal righteousness by force, as the adulterer or idolator among the children of Israel was stoned to death. The evil of law is that satisfying the law becomes confused with the standard of true good which guided the original creation of those laws.
In contrast then with a minimal level of righteousness under a system of law, we have a maximal orientation under the aegis of principle. Principles are as laws, guides for action, but they are general. They cover all cases without exception. They do not serve to correct specific social abuse, but rather clearly to delineate abuse and to lift the aspirations of man to ultimate righteousness. The motivation for living by a principle is not extrinsic as with law; it does not depend upon punishment. For he who lives by principle lives so far above the standard demanded by law that that demand is not than satisfied. Rather is he who lives by principle is motivated by the desire to do the truly right thing, that which will bring only happiness and success to himself and to all others whom his actions affect. This is to say further that the principles of the gospel are not arbitrary. They are not the fiat of an omnipotent demon. Rather are they the plan of happiness as taught by One who Himself mastered happiness. He who lives by principle, by the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, does so because of his own desire to obtain the fruits of the principle, out of a positive attraction to do good rather than from a repulsion from fear or pain.
The standards of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are the standards of happiness. Men who truly seek good will not seek just to avoid the traps of the law, but will seek fully to exploit the possibilities of happiness in thorough and continuous application of true principles in their lives. Men who live by principle need little human government for they seek the welfare of all others in governing themselves. Men who live by law must have policemen, lawyers, judges and legislators, desperately trying to close the gaps in a morally devolving society. True morality is, then, related to principles rather than law, even if the laws are good laws, as were the Law of Moses.
Thus we are brought in our discussion to the second point which the Savior taught. Having set for us the goal of perfection, he then delineated the principles of perfection. When asked which is the greatest commandment, the Savior replied, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37–39)
Moses had told the people that they should not have any other gods before Jehovah. The law was that they should not have anything to do with any other gods, but how far a cry is this from loving the true and living God with all one’s might, mind and strength! To honor and sustain God is surely different from acknowledging him. Yet can he demand our love? He can demand that we do not falsify the record by substituting false gods in his stead. But love cannot be coerced. There is no penalty for not living by the principle except the loss of the blessing. Penalty pertains primarily to law, but opportunity for the greatest blessings attaches to principles.
Thus it is that there are three degrees of worthiness. Those who cannot live by the basic laws of God are punished for their transgressions and receive the least of all the eternal rewards, telestial. Those who abide the basic law but will not seek out and live by the principles or higher laws neither suffer nor gain the highest, though their eternal kingdom is superior to those who cannot keep the basic or terrestrial laws. But those who seek out and live by the principles of the gospel are then adjudged by God to be worthy, and they gain the greatest of eternal blessings, eternal life, celestial.
But if men would be perfect, how can the first principle of loving the Lord become a reality in their lives? The Savior answered this by the words, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Those who love the Lord will exercise faith, which is willing and devoted obedience to his commandment. That is why the Savior told the rich young man, “Come and follow me.” Having mastered the Law of Moses he was in a position to join the faithful band who did follow Christ, who had forsaken all in order that they might receive the personal guidance of the Savior in the perfecting of their individual lives, to be with him, to watch him, to hear him, to serve him, to wait upon him. What a priceless opportunity to be with God and to learn to love him with all one’s ability! But the rich young man, apparently motivated more by the fear of poverty than by the love of righteousness, forsook that opportunity. Indeed the love of righteousness is the key to the celestial kingdom, for those who truly love righteousness will truly love God, who is the very epitome of that righteousness. And it pleased God to bless those who love him for his righteousness with direction and power, leading them from grace to grace, from principle to principle, from one level of righteousness to another, until he leads them unto perfection.
But the disciples of the Savior soon discovered that having talked with the Lord was not enough. Out of his sight the devils resisted them, and they found themselves as Peter, weak in doing good. Knowing this weakness, the Lord had from the beginning provided a messenger, the Holy Ghost, through whom He could be with each of His disciples wherever they were and whatever their righteous mission. Thus He promised the multitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit [who come unto me]: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) (3 Nephi 12:3)
The Lord is kindly disposed to those who do not have the Holy Ghost, and if they will but seek him, the Lord, they shall be blessed and made rich in spirit. Righteousness can then be theirs, and if they follow the Savior through the words of the spirit, they will receive the celestial kingdom. Again the Lord says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled [with the Holy Ghost]. (Matthew 5:6)
The first principle of the gospel then, is, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or, in other words, obedience to the words of the Savior as they are given to us by the Holy Ghost; or, to love the Lord with all our heart, might, mind and strength. Knowing this first principle, then it becomes the key to all others. “But, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Thus the message of the synoptic gospels is essentially this: Jesus, the anointed one, lived a perfect life and died for our sins. If we truly hunger and thirst after his righteousness and desire to be perfect, we shall receive the power of God, the Holy Spirit, so to become. Every statement, every teaching, every parable in the gospels is a glimpse of these grand truths.
The world has many problems, and the future does not look bright. But bright indeed is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All who are heavy-laden can come unto Him and find rest, for his yoke is light and easy to be borne. Would that those that profess to know the gospel as it has been truly restored, might seize upon this message and live it, to bring again Zion upon the earth, to be a light that so shines unto all men that they might be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.