Blog

Chauncey C. Riddle
Zion Institute for Children
2 March 1996

How would you like to have the philosopher’s stone? It would turn everything to gold. Or would you like to find the fountain of youth, so that you would never be ill or aged? Would you like to be the world’s greatest scholar, scientist or artist? Or perhaps you would like to have the formula for political success, so that you could become the most powerful person on earth. Maybe you would settle for an inside understanding of the financial markets so that you could become a billionaire overnight and become the wealthiest person who has ever lived. For all these things do the people of this world seek.

But there is something more important, more powerful, more helpful than any of these. To possess that something is to have the only true and lasting wealth and power. That something is the most important thing for any human being to know about. To practice it is the greatest feat ever to come to the attention of mankind. That special something is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every human being already lives by faith in something. But the only faith that saves has its object in Christ. As we speak of faith hereafter, we refer only to genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

For if a human being attains to full faith, he or she can then have anything they desire. Because they are faithful to Christ, they will and do desire only and all of that which is good to desire, and desiring, they obtain every good thing for themselves and for those whom they love.

If mankind understood the power of faith in Christ, pursuit of faith would become the major task of every human being. No person would rest, day or night, until they were in full possession, command and practice of that faith. For such would be the only intelligent thing for any human being to do.

Why then, is it not so? Why do human beings work long and hard at other things, searching, ever searching for power, wisdom and wealth, but never being satisfied? The answer to this strange madness on the part of humans is that they are captive to an evil being. That evil being is Satan, the father of lies. The only possible release from that captivity is to seek out and practice full faith in Jesus

Christ. Every human who does not have full faith in Jesus Christ is to one degree or another yet captive to Satan. This means that most of us, including most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are yet captive to Satan in some degree. Captivity to Satan is the handicap each human must overcome to create full faith in Christ in their own life.

Why then would anyone strive to have faith? All who gain faith in Christ do so because in the midst of this worldly setting of unfaith they hear a message. That message comes from God through angels, missionaries and scriptures to call all of God’s children to repentance, to entice them to establish faith in Christ in their lives. This faith is the call to love others selflessly in a world where selfishness rules, and with that call comes the offer of power to be able to actually love that way. The message is dual: it is physical in that there are human words to contemplate. It is spiritual because the meaning of those words and the truthfulness of the message is attested to by the Holy Spirit. The physical words speak to the mind of man; the spiritual message is especially to the heart of man. To seize upon both of these gifts from God and to prize them together makes the possibility of faith in Christ. And that faith makes possible freedom from captivity in the chains of Satan if it so be that the hearer of the word of God hungers to love unselfishly.

So I talk about faith in Jesus Christ today because it is the most important topic in this world. Not to understand it is to have no real hope, to be locked in those chains of lies and selfishness with the majority of mankind. To understand faith and what it can do is the message every human being needs and deserves as a child of God. But the messengers are yet few.

So for this hour may I share with you my reflections out of a lifetime of searching for understanding of faith in Jesus Christ and striving to attain faithfulness.

First some observations about the fundamental principles of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as they relate to faith. We begin with a temporary definition of faith, temporary because faith is not an idea, it is an activity. Like any reality, faith must be lived to be known. But it must be partly understood to attempt to live it, and that partial understanding must begin through words, which is where we begin. These words cannot create faith in Jesus Christ or even a precise image of that faith; what these words can do is cause each of us to go to Father and pray mightily for faith in Christ, until we are able to construct it in ourselves. Father gives us the materials, but we must put the materials together in our own heart, might, mind and strength to create real faith.

Now the definition: To be faithful to Jesus Christ is to have learned to live as he lives, to do what he does, to love as he loves. Repentance is the process of changing our lives over from whatever we are now doing to a living of full faith in Jesus Christ. Faith and repentance are not possible through just taking thought, or even coupling thought with desire. Faith and repentance are gifts of God, for they both require help from God to implement them. They are not wholly gifts of God, for we mortals must also do our part, all we can do. When we accept the gifts of God, then take correct thought, do fully desire, and take correct action, then and only then are faith and repentance possible. We are able to love Him only because He loves us first. We focus on faith in Christ then as the ability to love others as He loves us. This is the Savior’s commandment: “That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

Now we attempt a description of faith. This description will be complicated. If successful, this description will become a pattern by which one may obtain unto great faith. Faith is something like a tree. A tree can be beautiful, nourishing, helpful, but need not be understood to fulfill those blessings to us. But to create a tree that does those things, a great many complicated things must be mastered. So it is with faith. The important thing is to build it, to create it, not just to look at it. The challenge is to make ourselves into a great and faithful tree of life. And though words are insufficient to our task of explaining the details, they are a good start. So let us begin.

To plant and establish our tree of life, we must begin by clearing the ground so that the new tree will not be choked out by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of worldly riches. Since a human being consists of four parts, according to the scriptures, we must deal with four aspects of clearing the ground. The four parts of a human being are heart, which is our desiring; mind, which is our thinking; strength, which is our doing: and might, which is our governing. We keep in mind that each step of becoming faithful to Jesus Christ is a step of repentance, a hearkening to the word of God as found in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Faith Level One: Clearing the Ground

The first step of repenting unto faith in Christ is to clear our heart of desire for evil doing. Since spiritual as well as physical nature abhors a vacuum, we cannot clear our hearts of desire for evil doing simply by pushing each evil desire out. Rather must we fill our heart with the desire to be good, even as God is good. How is this done? It is done by receiving into our hearts the love of God as witness is borne to our souls through the Holy Ghost of Christ and of God’s love for us. God loves us first; if we can then reflect that love back to him and to others, we can have faith. If we do not want to reflect that love, or if we have not yet received that love, we cannot repent unto faith. What the gift of God’s love enables us to do it to stop worrying about ourselves and feathering our own nest. Basking in the assurance of future well-being which is part and parcel of God’s love, we can cease selfishness and begin to concentrate on what we can do for others.

While our heart is forgetting itself and beginning to reach out to others in love, the mind must be busy focusing on Christ himself, to understand who and what he is, and also what he has done, is doing, and will yet do for mankind. What a tremendous task! It is a task impossible to natural man, the uninspired human who has not been touched by God’s love. But the gift of God comes to all men, sooner or later, and they are taught by the Holy Spirit not only the sweetness of God’s love, but the magnificence of the Savior’s atoning power by which he enables all of us to repent and to return to our Father in Heaven. As God’s love touches a human being with the holy scriptures, with the teaching of prophets, and with understanding through the Holy Spirit, the mind of man is fed with images of the great plan of happiness which the Gods have established for every human being. To be as a little child in receiving God’s love is also to open our minds to the wonders of eternity, and to begin to comprehend the preciousness of agency, the terrible consequences of sin, the inevitability of justice, and the beauty of Christ’s mercy in suffering for the sins of every human soul, followed by his offering of both tutelage and forgiveness to every contrite heart. For the mind to dwell on these understandings of Christ strengthens the heart in its task to let go of selfishness and to begin to sacrifice for the love of others, as our Savior directs.

While our heart is beginning to be unselfish and our mind begins to glory in the wondrous plan of God, we must be acting with our body to cease every sinful action. A good place to start is to check ourselves against the ten commandments, that special terrestrial standard of righteousness given to bless ancient telestial Israel. When we can honestly say that we have no other God before Jesus Christ, that we worship only through Him, that we treasure sacredly His name, that we keep His Sabbath day holy, that we verily do honor our father and our mother, that we do not kill, that we do not commit adultery or fornication, that we do not steal, that we never bear false witness, that we indeed do not covet anything which is not ours, then we have begun to clear the ground of our spiritual lives of the evil which will prevent us from fully accepting God’s love. The ground we clear is, of course, our own self.

Finally, in our preparation stage for faith, as we begin to reject evil and want only the good in our deeds, as we think firmly on the greatness of the plan of salvation, and as we change our lives from worldliness to basic righteousness through keeping the ten commandments, we must also repent in our might, our stewardship. We do this by making amends for our past selfishness wherever this is possible. In the scriptures this is called “restitution.” If we have wronged someone, they have suffered by our action; restitution is to relieve in an honorable way that suffering which we have caused in them, restoring the injured party to where they would have been had we not injured them. Restitution is difficult; in many cases it is impossible. But our addressing restitution is our act of faith in Christ to show that we truly are sorry for having sinned, and that we are willing to go to great lengths to set matters right. The Savior’s atonement is the only means by which we can attain full restitution for our sins. But the atonement can come fully into place for helping us to be honorable before God only when we do all that we can to make up for our sins. This restitution finishes clearing the ground for the fullness of faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith Level Two: Planting the Tree

Now that the ground is cleared, we can proceed to the establishment of the ways of God in our souls. This is to plant the tree of life. Again we repeat the heart, mind, strength and might sequence.

Now that the heart has turned from selfishness to concern for others, the heart needs next to learn to trust God and his wisdom and plan in all things. This is to rest confident that God is mindful of all things in the universe, that all things are ultimately in His control, and that He will make sure that all things will work together for good for those who love the Lord. The heart of faith is to feel content to stay oneself upon God. This means that worry is now banished from the life of the faithful person. They find themselves concerned about problems and persons in their lives, but they now never worry or fret, because they know that God is in His heaven and is mindful of all things, and will work our all things for the good of all concerned. Fear is not part of the faithful person’s life because they know that there is nothing to fear except sinning, for God will turn any other thing or experience to good for the faithful person.

That implicit trust of the heart in God necessitates at the same time firm belief in the mind and the goodness of God. That firm belief is not blind, for it is built upon the experience of having tasted the goodness of God, through the witness and warmth of the Holy Spirit. It is a childlike ability to hope for a continuation of that love which has been felt, trusting that the God who has announced himself by such marvelous means will not now irresponsibly absent himself from His child. As this child meditates in the way of the Lord, searching the scriptures and gleaning the prophets, that person sees that the hand of the Lord is in all things, working out the salvation of souls. It is seen that all that happens, be it storm, or war, earthquake or terrorism, is but what the hand of God allows. God gives agency to man, and thus there is great evil in the world; but God is God because He can and does turn each bit of that evil that men do into good for those that love Him. He will crown with blessing and comfort all who can endure in faith every event as the hand of God. It is impossible to overstate the importance at this stage of the development of faith of the absolute trust of the heart and the absolute confidence of the mind in the goodness of God. Only these make possible any great advance beyond this point. If they are lacking, faith in Christ is aborted into some kind of counterfeit.

The strength aspect of planting the tree of life in our being is to partake of the New and Everlasting Covenant given by God for the salvation of His children. It is with full heart and mind to enter into the waters of baptism and promise to be willing to take upon us His name, to keep every commandment He gives us, and to remember Him always. Under the hand of an authorized servant of Jesus Christ we are lowered into the water of burial and are brought back forth in the newness of a soul reborn unto God. Then hands are laid upon our head, and we are commanded to receive the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. This gift, this pearl of great price, is worth more than all of the riches in this world, even put together. For that gift becomes our lifeline, our iron rod by which we may now persevere through the mists of darkness unto the fulness of faith in Jesus Christ. As we are willing to accept the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, and to abide the counsel and direction we receive from that divine source, we now are beginning that real and permanent eternal faith in Jesus Christ that makes our salvation possible. Until now our beginnings of faith have been good, but temporary and incomplete. Now we may move forward toward that which is eternal and perfect.

Thus faith is a gift of God. Without the gift of the Holy Ghost, we would have no chance of doing the will and work of God, to love as He loves. But now having the great gift, we have a precursor of the greatest gift, which is eternal life. Eternal life is the fullness of faith, to love as God loves. Having the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we can now thread that strait and narrow path which leads from baptism, the beginning of real faith in Christ, to the end, which is full faith in Christ.

And what is to be done with our might, that our heart, mind, and strength may be forever firmly planted as a tree of life? As our heart trusts implicitly in the goodness of God and our mind sees the worthy hand of God in all things, and as we receive the New and Everlasting covenants of baptism by water and by fire and the Holy Ghost, we now need to order our stewardship in a manner that befits a child of God. We need to look to our home to assure that it is freed from all that is unseemly or disordered or not needed. We need to look to our allegiances and friendships that they are all appropriate. We need to get ourselves out of debt, that we are not in bondage to mammon. We need to comb our minds for lingering untruths from the world, and our hearts for any lingering patterns of emotional or spiritual dwarfism. We are preparing our soul to become a temple of the Lord, a dwelling place for the spirit and power of God.

As we progress in keeping our covenant of baptism, keeping our heart full of courage and our mind firm in every form of godliness, it will be our opportunity to receive further gifts from God in the remainder of the ordinances of the New and Everlasting Covenant. We will enjoy the Holy Priesthood, and then the temple endowment. Finally, we shall be sealed in the temple as husband and wife, being set apart to the greatest priesthood callings of all eternity, the opportunities to see the power and authority of God Himself to be husband and wife, father and mother. If heart, might, mind and strength are together fitly framed at this point, then we are indeed firmly planted as a tree of life, and we can proceed to the final level of spiritual development of faith.

Faith Level Three: Bringing the Tree to Fruition

When the tree of faith is firmly planted in the cleared, choice spot of ground, it must be nourished and protected with tender care. It is nourished by receiving the continuing whisperings of the Holy Spirit and humble obedience thereunto. As the sun shines upon the natural tree, so is nourishment from the Son of God, His light and life. If the tree is allowed to receive this light and to incorporate it into itself, we are receiving the commandments of God through the Holy Spirit, and becoming more holy and more powerful in heart, might, mind and strength. The end of this process is to have come into the heart, might, mind and strength of Jesus Christ Himself, fully grown up unto His spiritual stature. Part of this light will come through personal revelation, some of it will be the love of God shed upon us from our priesthood leaders in the family and church; and some of it will come through our children as their lives are touched by the Savior.

If our hearts will receive this nourishment from God, the result will be an overwhelming love for our God and for our neighbor. We will know that we have grown to this stature of heart when we wake up every morning with a feeling of joy at the prospect of being alive and having the opportunity to serve God and our fellow men that day. The joy continues as we make our plans and preparation for the day’s labor. And that joy is fulfilled as we actually perform the ministrations we have been enticed to carry out by the Holy Spirit for that day. Our hearts will then exclaim: “This is really living; this is life eternal.” For God is with us, in us, through us, as we use the power of His spirit and His holy priesthood to bring blessing to others. Our heart will feel that it lacks nothing, for joy will be complete. We will then see the face of the Savior every day; and even more important, we will recognize Him every time we see Him.

If our minds receive this nourishment from the Holy Spirit, our minds will be led by the Holy Spirit to understand the scriptures. Then, indeed, the Book of Revelation in the Bible will be one of the plainest books ever written, and the writings of Isaiah will be transparent counsel from a dear friend. The words of the living prophets will be food to our souls and vision to our minds. The whisperings of the Holy Spirit will tell us the future, assure us of what to do and not to do in all things, and warn us to warn others of the wrath to come. We will know what to say, how to act, what to do and not do in every missionary, genealogical and perfecting labor in the church. For we will have the mind of God for all our needs. We will not be omniscient as yet, but everything we need to know we will be given at the right time and place.

As our physical tabernacles receive this nourishment from the Holy Spirit, we are renewed in the flesh unto whatever callings we have in the kingdom. It is then our delight to waste and wear away our flesh in the service of the Master as we minister in our callings to Father’s children. No obstacle is insurmountable, no challenge too great, no disease too devastating, no opposition successful until we have finished our labors on the earth. The gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit flow unto us as we need them and use them, and we thank God for all of these gifts and blessings. Whatever we touch in the things of the world, in knowledge, in understanding, in teaching, in demonstrating, will prosper because we are on the Lord’s errand twenty-four hours of every day of the world. When we drop exhausted at night, our sleep is peaceful and spiritual in the Lord. When we rise in the morning to the joy of being alive, our path is clear before us. Every day is a day of eternity to us while yet in the flesh.

What happens to our might when we have fully given ourselves to the Lord in heart, mind and strength? Then our might is multiplied, our prayers are heard and our ordinances carry. Then the doctrine of the priesthood distills upon our souls as the dew of heaven and our kingdom flows unto us without compulsory means forever. Then we are just persons, the salt of the earth, saviors on Mount Zion. In the hands of such persons, the work of God does not falter nor fail.

The fullness of faith in our might means that we are fully consecrated to the Lord. We fully support the priesthood order of the kingdom of God. We are past any concern for how much any service to the kingdom will cost us, for all that we have belongs to the Lord and we stand ready to give all, even our lives, in the cause of Christ. And the giving is not a burden but a joy, a release from being earth and time bound, to see eternity in time and to have time while in time to do all that properly prepares us for eternity.

The practicer of full faith in Christ fulfills the scriptural injunctions about love. Such a one “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, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (Moroni 7:45)

Now, with the tree planted in cleared ground and nurtured to maturity, we may pluck the fruit of the tree of life, that which is sweet beyond all description. That fruit is the deeds of pure, Christ-like love which we administer to those around us. The fruit is not something we receive, but something we give. To give pure love is real living. This is eternal life.

We said before that to be faithful to Jesus Christ is to have learned to live as He lives, to do what He does, to love as He loves. Having become mature in our faith, ourselves a fruitful tree of life, it is now possible to be live as Christ lives because we have received him in us, and have a new heart, mind, strength and might through His gifts, power and presence. We now do what He does because we have His priesthood power and His callings, and we do what He would do were He here. We love as He loves because we have received the pure love of Christ, have taken it literally to heart, and now minister to others in the pure love of Christ.

It remains now to relate what we have said to certain scriptures from the Book of Mormon.

It should already be clear to you that what I have said is closely related to Alma’s description of faith in Alma 32. Let us turn to that passage, beginning with verse 28: “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” Notice several things from this passage. First, it is the word of God which begins faith. Second, the word is accompanied by and attested to by the Spirit of the Lord; this is the dual witness to mind and heart of which we earlier spoke. And notice where the seed is to be planted: in our own heart. What is it that begins to grow as we plant this seed? It is our ow heart, our self: “for it beginneth to enlarge my soul.”

Alma continues in verse 34: “And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.” Again we see that what sprouts and is growing is our self, our mind and our understanding. And we are sure that this word of God is good because it does exactly what was promised: we are becoming bigger and better souls by believing in the word and exercising even a particle of faith in Jesus Christ.

Verses 35 and 36: “O then, is not this real? Is say unto you, Yea, because it is light, and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good, and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.” In a world rank with counterfeits of faith in Christ, it is most important to have the ability to tell a good seed from a bad one. A good seed always grows, and when it grows to produce light, knowledge and love, to enlarge our souls, we know of a surety that it is from God.

But it is not enough just to plant the tree: Verses 37–39: “And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out. Now this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.” We noted above that it is not enough just to plant the tree, to partake of the New and Everlasting Covenant. We must continue to grow in the covenant by following the Spirit of the Lord, which nourishes the tree and allows us to grow unto greater and greater service in the Kingdom of God and among our fellow men. If we are not obedient to the Spirit, we do not do the good works, and we begin to wither away. Why would one who has tasted of the good word of God wither away? Because the tree can be nourished only by repentance. If we do not repent and clear our ground of every worldly encumbrance, the worldly encumbrances will choke out the spirit and our tree will wither and die.

But if we have truly cleared the ground so that the tree can be nourished when it is planted, and if the tree has been truly planted by partaking of the New and Everlasting Covenant, then we are in a position to bring the tree to maturity. Verses 41 and 42: “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold, it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.” Remember that the savior said, “Blessed are all they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (3 Nephi 12:6) After they are filled with the Holy Ghost, they no longer hunger and thirst because they then have the power of pure love. Likewise, those who pluck the fruit of the tree of life are filled with the Holy Ghost and never hunger nor thirst again.

What does it mean to pluck and eat the fruit of the tree of life? To what end does the Holy Ghost fill any person? The purpose of being filled is plain: it is so that the child of God can be enlarged and empowered to do the work of Godly love in the earth. The fruit is not literally eaten to bring joy; literally, it is given away. The fruit is the joy of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, causing the blind to see, bringing solace to the bereaved soul, ministering the word of God in purity and truth—these are the kinds of acts which bring joy, which are the fruit of the tree of life. We become trees of life not to receive blessing, but to give blessing. There is no other satisfaction that comes to any human being which begins to equal that of doing the work of the Savior in ministering to His little ones.

This brings to mind another tree of life story, that told by father Lehi to his family, as recorded in 1 Nephi 8. This tree of life I take to be the same tree which Alma bids us to plant in our hearts, and which I have described today in our clearing the ground, planting the tree, and bringing the tree to maturity. Father Lehi says in verse 12: “And as I partook of the fruit thereof, it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.” He was able to get only part of his family to come, for Laman and Lemuel would not hearken and come and partake of the fruit.

But even some who partook of the fruit did not continue. Father Lehi says: “And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree, they did cast their eyes about as it they were ashamed. And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth. And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit. And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.” (1 Nephi 8:24–28)

Why on earth would anyone be ashamed after tasting the pure love of God? How could the adversary have such power over them? The answer is that not every child of Heavenly Father really delights in wasting and wearing his life away in the service of other human beings. The way of this world is to get; to get much, to get it fast, and to keep as much as possible. But the way of Christ is to give and give until it is all gone. The getters of the world think that the givers are foolish; they laugh them to scorn and insist that they are mentally incompetent. That scorn takes its toll on the weak and faint of heart. Even tasting the love of God in beginning to do good for others is not enough. They cannot bear the crosses of the world. They shrink from sacrifice and responsibility and are soon lost in forbidden paths.

One great point that Father Lehi’s dream brings us is that celestial faith in Christ, though the most wonderful, the most powerful, the most desirable activity in the world, is not for everyone. Everyone is invited to the feast of the Savior’s love, but not everyone is willing to wear the wedding garments. To be fully faithful to Christ means that we must not only do good, but be willing to suffer and to sacrifice to do good, even as our Savior did. There are three degrees of glory hereafter. Each place is a place of faith in Christ. But not everyone desires full faith in Jesus Christ.

We now turn to the words of Nephi. Nephi commends to us to partake of the covenant, which we have said is to plant ourselves in goodly, cleared ground as a tree of life. Nephi says: “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which He hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in Him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God.” (2 Nephi 31:17–21)

As we repent of our sins, we begin to clear the ground to plant ourselves as a tree of life. As we are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, we are cleansed of our former sins, which finishes the task of clearing the ground. As we press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, we are nurturing our tree of life. And if we endure to the end, which end is to have full faith and to love with the pure love of Christ, we shall and will have eternal life. Only through His name, which is to say through His holy priesthood, through this power of God unto salvation, may any human being attain to full faith in Jesus Christ. But every human being who wants to love purely as Christ loves and does not mind the shame and the sacrifice of it, can do it, for God’s gifts and blessings are offered to all.

We conclude with the admonition of Mormon: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he has 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.”

To which Amen I add my testimony that Jesus Christ lives and loves us. And I hope that each of us can endure unto the end of full faith in Jesus Christ, that we might come to love as He loves. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Chauncey C. Riddle
December 1995

One of the big problems in the life of every human being is to figure out what is going on in this world. Until we have a clue as to the big picture, we cannot act very intelligently. Most of us begin by assuming the perspective and values of our parents. But to become an individual, we must come to choose our perspective and values for ourselves, be they like those of our parents or not. Life usually gives us special learning moments when we are better able to decide such grand things.

There are two kinds of occasions in my life when I see more clearly what is important in life and what is not. One such occasion is the funeral of a good person. As their life is reviewed, perspective comes for me and my life. The other kind of occasion is even more powerful: when I am desperately ill and think that I might die. The prospect of imminent death brings a sense of clarity so that the important and the unimportant are widely separated.

I would now like to crystallize for you the perspective and values which my life experience have brought to me. I do this by way of bearing testimony, and proffer my testimony in the hope that there might be some gain for each of you as you ponder the important questions of life.

My thesis is simple. It is that: Wisdom in life is to pay proper attention to both the things of time and the things of eternity. “Proper attention” means to give both the things of time and the things of eternity their due while keeping the attention given to each in appropriate balance. “Proper attention” also means working at life with all of the intelligence we can muster.

In explanation of this thesis, I will ask and answer a number of questions.

Question No. 1: What are time and eternity?

Eternity is the sum total of our personal existence. Since you and I had no beginning and will have no end, our eternity is forever, and is the same eternity of all other eternal beings. It is useful to know that progress is part of our eternity. We were first intelligences, about which state we know very little. Most of what we know other than that we had no beginning is that there were vast differences in ability and orientation toward good among those of us who were intelligences. Then in the second stage we were blessed by our Heavenly Father and Mother to become their spirit children, acquiring spiritual bodies in the image of their more tangible bodies, and learning from them to do good works. We mortals are now in the third stage of our development, which mortal stage is marked by having another body of flesh, bone and blood added to our spirit body, and now having the opportunity to choose our eternal future for ourselves.

We choose our eternal future by choosing each day, each moment as we desire and choose. We may choose good or we may choose evil. If we choose only good, we will become heirs of all that our Heavenly Father and Mother have and are. If we choose a mixture of good and evil, we fall as short of becoming as Father and Mother because of the evil in which we indulge. No one who comes to mortality chooses only evil, for their was a screening in the premortal existence to keep those who would choose only evil from coming to mortality.

Time is the name for this third stage, the mortal stage. Time is distinctive and precious because in it we have two kinds of choices with which to exercise our agency. We have the choice between doing good or doing evil, which we have always had, but we also have a choice while in mortality to become new creatures in Christ. Were there no Fall and no Christ, we would all simply be rewarded for the choices we make here on the basis of our eternal natures, what we were from the beginning. But there was a Fall and there is a Christ, so our eternal nature is now up for change. The change possible ranges from changing our eternal nature to be remade in the image of Christ Himself to being remade in the image of Satan, the father of lies.

The fourth stage of our eternity will be our resurrected state in which we enjoy for the rest of forever what we have chosen to become in time. Some will have joy, while others who could have had joy will weep and wail and gnash their teeth. Most will be in between, having a measure of happiness, and all they can stand, but not a fullness.

To sum up this answer as to what time and eternity are: Eternity is the envelope of our total existence. Time is this crucial mortal segment of our existence, of our eternity, in which we have the opportunity to confirm or to change what we have been in all past eternity, to become a new creature for all future eternity.

Question No. 2: What are the things of time?

The things of time are those things in this world which can be obtained by using money. These things of time are thus transferable, one person to another. All things of time are acquired in time and will be lost when we pass out of time.

Examples of things of time are 1. Physical properties, such as food, clothing, shelter, land, tools and raw materials. 2. Services, such as the assistance and cooperation of other persons for tutorial, medical, legal, management or other actions. The things of time are thus goods and services, the items of the economy of this world, each item of which is purchasable by money, or which can be exchanged for something else of time.

One interesting example of a thing of time is reputation. Reputation is a service others render to someone; it is a thing of time because it can be manipulated by the use of money. While sometimes reputation is not gained by the spending of money, in normal worldly society reputation can always be affected for better or worse by the spending of money. Thus the honors of men, position in social organizations, and being esteemed by normal men and women are all things of this world, of time, for they are or can be bought with money, as we see so often in politics. They are all services.

Is health a thing of this world, of time? Health is not a thing of time because no expenditure of money can guarantee it, though expenditure of money can certainly destroy health. Health is a gift of God, a thing of eternity which may be enjoyed in time but is not derivative from the world in time.

Question No. 3: Are the things of time evil?

The things of time are not of themselves evil, though each thing of time may be used to do evil and may be related to in an evil way. It is not evil to have money, but one may do great evil by the manner in which one obtains that money or in the way one uses that money.

Everything of time is simply an opportunity for the exercise of agency. Every human being of normal mentality knows true good from true evil, and has the opportunity to practice that knowledge as he or she acts in the world in relation to the things of time.

Question No. 4: What are the things of eternity?

The things of eternity are all other things possible in this world which cannot be bought for money. As there are two basic categories of things of time, goods and services, so there are two basic categories of the things of eternity: character and abilities.

Character is what each of us makes of ourselves through the process of mortal choosing between good and evil. We take what we were from the premortal existence and add, take away or transform that character through what we choose to do and not do in this world. Our character is essentially our habits, whatever we do or don’t do.

Abilities are those habits of our character we have acquired to produce changes in the universe.

Those who acquire god-like character in the image of Christ are stronger, have more abilities than those who reject Christ. The fulness of abilities is possessed only by those who have acquired the character of Christ, his goodness. They are then the possessors of all good things, as is Christ Himself.

Illinois Peoria Mission
1994

How is it possible to gain control of one’s mind to become a better missionary?

The first step is to be able to control our power of attention. We cannot control ourselves until we bring our power of attention under our own will. Then we can concentrate.

Control comes through exercising will power over what we think about.

Some Examples of Opportunities to Control Our Minds:

1. Focus intently on every word when another person is offering a public prayer. If you can support everything said, say a genuine “Amen”. Your attention and “Amen” lend great strength, all of your strength, to the prayer. So, don’t let your mind wander during prayers.
2. Focus on the words and messages of the hymns sung during church meetings. Hymns are a form of prayer, and to give full attention to every line of the hymn will greatly strengthen your power of attention and enhance the spirituality of your singing.
3. Focus when you read scriptures. Read slowly enough to let each verse sink fully into your consciousness. Ask questions when issues arise in your mind. Wrestle with difficult passages until you understand them. Practice until you can read a full half-hour at a time without mind-wandering.
4. Focus on your relationship with the Savior during the passing of the sacrament. Listen intently to the prayers of consecration, then ponder upon your feelings for the Savior and how well you are keeping the promises you are making by partaking. Let this time be some of the sacred moments of your week as you concentrate.
5. Focus on each talk you hear in church meetings. You can think twice as fast as another person can talk, so parallel what they say with what you would say if you were giving the talk. As you pay this close attention, the Holy Spirit will bring many ideas to your attention, things not said by the speaker nor hitherto understood by you. Then listening to every talk will be a spiritual feast.
6. Focus when any person who has priesthood authority over you speaks or writes to you. Remember that you must evaluate everything said to see how it should affect what you do. We are all bound by our covenants to support those who preside over us. If we make careful plans as to how to implement every instruction, we are showing true faith in Jesus Christ and the authority He has placed on earth. This will prepare you then to focus on the implementation of your instruction. Hearing without obeying is spiritual death, but we obey unto life eternal.
7. Focus when you are teaching a discussion, especially when you are not doing the teaching. Follow every comment of the person who is speaking, but observe carefully what the investigators are feeling and how they are reacting. Read the body language. Notice the emotional overtones of their comments and conversation. Be conscious of what your companion is saying and doing and fit into the discussion; support and bear testimony as is appropriate. Never let your mind wander. Your attention and loving contribution greatly strengthen the teaching situation.

You may find that you cannot focus attention for more than a few seconds at first. But if you pray for help and try hard in each of the above situations to gain control of your mind, you will get better and better at it until you have control. Control means that you can concentrate for 30 minutes or longer any time you desire.

If you do all of these focus exercises until you are able to do each of them without diversion of attention, you will have won the battle. Using such power of attention will lead you to be able to exercise great faith in our Savior. And that faith will lead you to every other good thing: like a firm mind in every form of godliness.

                   Elder Riddle (at the request of President Udall.)

(CCR Nov 92, amended May 2025))

Etymology: English: at-one-ment: agreement, reconciliation, unification. Greek: katallage: drastic change. Hebrew: kaphar, kippur: to cover, expiate.

The parts of the Atonement of Christ:

1. The suffering: Christ took upon himself all of the pain ever suffered by any and all human beings, but especially that caused by anyone sinning (breaking the commandments of God).
2. The sacrifice: Christ voluntarily gave up his potentially non-ending mortal life. Because he was the literal son of God the Father, he inherited the ability to live forever as a human being. Because he was the son of mortal Mary, he could die a mortal death if he so chose. He chose to die on the cross, thus sacrificing all the good he could have done in an unending mortal life.
3. The restitution: Every sin (breaking a commandment of God) involves a damage to someone or something. Before any sinning of any human being can be fully forgiven, the damage created by the sinning must be reversed. In His atonement, Christ restores to each human being the damage done by all of the sins committed against him or her. Only as this restitution is fulfilled can any person sinned against receive his or her full blessings in eternity. For any sinner to be forgiven of his or her sins, the sinner must at least attempt full restitution to the person sinned against. This full restitution usually cannot be done be the sinner, and the power of Christ must make up the difference. Thus Christ’s atonement must be invoked in the restitution of most human sinning.

Goal of the atonement: To enable each human being to love God with all of one’s heart, might, mind, and strength, to become perfect (3 Nephi 12:48, D&C 59:5); thus to enable the person to dwell in Father’s presence (Moses 6:47) and to inherit all that he has (D&C 84:37–39).

We are saved only by putting our whole trust in Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 32:19–20), who was sent into the world to draw all men unto himself (3 Nephi 27:14–16), that thereby he might present to the Father in a perfected, spotless condition all persons who will become faithful to Him (D&C 76:107).

What the Savior does and has done to be able to draw us to Father:

1. Heart: He is completely humble and loves Father with that same pure love with which he is loved. (John 5:19–20)
2. Mind: He believes, accepts and obeys Father in all things, and has been glorified in all truth. (D&C 93:11–14)
3. Strength: He descended below all things, suffering all temptation; He suffered in Gethsemane the pains of sin for every man, woman and child; and he continues to suffer with each human being their own pain. (D&C 19:16–19)
4. Might: He sacrificed his power, life and opportunity to bless men in his mortal sojourn so that he could seize the keys of death and bring to pass the resurrection of all mankind. He continues to sacrifice all that he might otherwise do to do Father’s will. (Alma 34:14–15)

How the Savior’s atonement is daily extended to each of his covenant children:

1. Heart: He sheds forth his pure love upon us, giving us light unto wisdom, enabling us to love purely, eventually giving us a pure heart of our own if we are faithful to the end. (Mor. 7:46–48)
2. Mind: He glorifies our minds in truth, that we might become persons of understanding, comprehending the way of God. (D&C 93:26–28)
3. Strength: He gives us life, health and strength from moment to moment that we may be free to do good and to grow into His stature. (Mosiah 2:20–21)
4. Might: He gives us forgiveness of sins from moment to moment as we are faithful, that we might be able to continue to receive his light and truth; and he increases our might until we can do all that he did on earth, and even more. (John 14:11–12)

What the child of Christ will do daily to accept the atonement:

1. Heart: Yield his heart to God and good, being easily entreated, yearning for the welfare of all mankind, but especially for the welfare of his neighbors. (Hel. 3:35)
2. Mind: Accept ideas as true only as attested to by the Holy Spirit. Search the mind of God in scripture study, prayer and meditation. (2 Nephi 28:31)
3. Strength: Do all that can be done to sanctify self, to then minister to the needs of others as led by the Holy Spirit. (D&C 88:68)
4. Might: Use all that one has to serve and bless others as guided by the Holy Spirit. (Mosiah 4:26–27)

What the atonement of Christ will do for each covenant child of His who endures to the end:

1. Heart: Purification, the receiving of a new, pure heart. (Mosiah 5:2–3)
2. Mind: Glorification, the receiving of all truth. (D&C 93:28)
3. Strength: Resurrection: To be renewed in the flesh, then to receive a perfected celestial body in the resurrection. (D&C 88:22–29)
4. Might:
   Sanctification: To be forgiven of all sinning, thus to be able to share with Christ and Father the full power of God. (D&C 50:28–29)
   Justification: To grow in righteousness, a just person who keeps all the laws of God, and thus becomes a just (justified) man made perfect. (D&C 76:69)

The steps of gifts and power by which Christ draws all mankind into the fullness of his stature, accomplishing at-one-ment.

1. The light of Christ: Enables all men to choose to do good. (John 1:1–9)
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ: The message as to how to learn to do only good through Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:37–40)
3. The witness of the Holy Ghost: Enables all men to know that he, Christ, is the son of God, and that they may repent through Him. Accompanies the message of the Gospel. (Matt. 16:13–17)
4. Covenant of baptism: Enables all men to become children of Christ, to begin to inherit all that he is through faith in him. This is the gate to the path that leads to eternal life. (2Nephi 31:17–18)
5. The gift of the Holy Ghost: The right to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, which, if claimed, will enable the person to walk in light and truth, on the path to perfection. (D&C 121:46)
6. The gifts of the Holy Ghost: Special powers which enable the children of Christ to do more good. (D&C 46:10–11)
7. Ordination to the Priesthood: Receiving the power of God to do His good using supernatural power. (D&C 84:35–38)
8. Setting Apart: Receiving the stewardship to use the power of God in specific responsibilities. (D&C 68:2–4)
9. The endowment: Receiving further gifts from God in the oath and covenants of the priesthood. (D&C 105:12)
10. Temple Marriage: Receiving further gifts and the ultimate stewardships of husband, wife, and father and mother. (D&C 132:12–20)

The stages by which one partakes of salvation and atonement: (2 Pet.1:5–8)

1. Faith: Putting one’s whole trust in Jesus Christ
2. Virtue: Gaining godly strength in faith in Christ
3. Knowledge: Gaining increased understanding of the ways of godliness.
4. Temperance: Becoming steady on the faith of Christ in all seasons and conditions.
5. Patience: Being able to wait upon the Lord’s timetable in all things; being able to let others repent at their own speed.
6. Brotherly kindness: Better translated as the love of the brethren, the willingness to serve faithfully in the priesthood structure of the church.
7. Godliness: Becoming concerned for the welfare of every soul, trembling that any should not know of the goodness of Christ.
8. Charity: the end, having endured until one has received a new heart, the pure heart of Christ.

14 August 1992

Let us begin by dividing up reality. The first part of reality is the natural world, that which is created and governed by the hand of God; this is the terrain, the flora and fauna and the atmospheric events in which we exist. The second is the artifactual world, that which is created and governed by the hand of mankind; this is the realm of clothing and computers, automobiles and armed forces, factories and farms. The third world is the symbolic world, that which is created and enjoyed in the heart and mind of each human being as he or she contemplates the verbal and artistic productions of mankind. It is this third world which we in the humanities emphasize.

How are these three worlds interrelated? The natural world is the home base, that which makes the other two possible. The artifactual world is the arena of our comforts and conveniences. But it is in the symbolic world that we human beings come to full flower and fill the measure of our creation.

The measure of our creation is that we have been sent by our Father in Heaven into this natural world of His to create a heaven out of a fallen world, which is essentially a hell, for Satan largely rules here.

We are in hell because of the fall of Adam. This hell is carefully designed to try the soul of every individual, to prove for each of us whether we most desire our own personal pleasure or rather desire the welfare of all. In this hell where selfishness abounds, righteousness is a singular achievement, attained only by walking humbly with God, to attain a genuine accomplishing concern for the welfare of all.

Now the interesting thing about this situation is that everyone claims to be working in behalf of heaven and earth. The Serbian snipers in Bosnia fancy that they do the world a favor when they gun down Croatian children. The marauding bands of Somalia are grasping at heaven by stealing everything they can lay hands on. Every candidate for political office touts himself or herself as the savior who will really do things right. Advertisers would have you believe that what keeps you from heaven is your body odor or your beverage selection. Madness all.

All of these human attempts to create heaven run afoul of two things. First, heaven is never an individual attainment. If I seek only for my personal heaven, I will fail. I may indeed gain some momentary pleasure. Indeed, some manage a mortal lifetime of selfish advantage. But personal privilege always fails in the long run. Heaven is a corporate venture, and cannot be attained for some at the expense of others. If heaven is to be real and lasting, everyone must have the opportunity to participate, and all who enjoy it must labor in concert to perpetuate it.

The second problem which human beings face in establishing heaven is that we humans do not know how to be wise. Even if we were to solve the first problem and all work together, we would and do miscarry because we do not know enough about our problems and the future to bend our energies in precisely the right way. What the quest of heaven needs is a God, one who is wise and omniscient, who will direct a people intelligently to meet every contingency in time and eternity.

So mankind has two great problems. Some think they can create heaven for themselves without worrying about everyone else who is suffering, and some think that they are smart enough to figure out how to create heaven on their own. The former problem is selfishness, and the latter is pride.

But how to quell selfishness and pride? This is where we return to our three worlds. Selfishness and pride cannot be successfully confronted in either the natural world or the artifactual world. They can be understood and dealt with only in the third world of the symbolic development of the human imagination. What is needed is art forms and arguments which clearly show forth the reality of the human situation, that show selfishness and pride for the great stumbling blocks which they are.

The problem is that much of the symbolic transaction of the human community is the celebration of selfishness and pride. That which could be used to cure is deftly and artfully wielded in behalf of the enemy. Many who could show the correct way mock what will help and glorify this hell in which we find ourselves.

So, what is the solution? I offer the following suggestions:

1. We who are Latter-day Saints and skilled in the disciplines of the humanities can make a difference. If we make it the business of our lives to seek out everything that is virtuous, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy, and to create the same. If we promulgate and celebrate that good, we can accomplish that difference. There are many on the earth who are tired of the world and worldliness, who would welcome a stand for principle and virtue, but know not where to find it.
2. We Latter-day Saints who would assist in the creation of heaven on earth must have no illusions about the order in which things must be done. The Savior has made it plain that no one can assist in this work until they themselves are clean from their own sins and those of the generation in which they live and work. We can become free from sin only through the Atonement of our Savior in partaking of the New and Everlasting Covenant and in living the law of the Gospel. If you and I will not first eschew selfishness and pride, there is little we can do to help others.
3. We must not be snared by the pernicious doctrine of “art for art’s sake.” This doctrine of the world is the very embodiment of both selfishness and pride. It is selfish because it puts the desires of the artist ahead of the result his work creates in the rest of mankind. It is proud because it rejects the mortality of God and good. No one ever created heaven by courting Satan. Yet much of what the world hails as great art, technically superb and thoroughly titillating, is the worship of being carnal, sensual and devilish.
4. As Latter-day Saints we can have the power to do good in all of the world of symbols if only we will go humbly before the throne of the author of all good, which is Jesus Christ, and faithfully do His will. The trouble is that to promote good one has to be much more skilled than one needs to be to promote evil.
5. Evil is always short-sighted and short-lived. To be intelligent is to look to the long-run happiness of all. In other words, to be evil is to be unintelligent, though perhaps clever, and to be good is the only real intelligence.
6. The only real source of intelligence in this life for us is Jesus Christ. He will not save us unless we first save ourselves in the symbolic world. He comes to us as the Word, the messenger of salvation, to excite our minds to hunger and thirst after that which is good and holy. We then begin to treasure that which is good and holy, then and only then can we as persons begin to be good and holy and intelligent. Only as we persist in making every sacrifice to cleanse our minds and hearts of that which is base and evil can we help to create and dwell in a heaven with other persons of good will.

Your graduation today shows that you have been able to meet the requirements of this university for your degree. The question remains, did you meet those requirements with cleverness or with intelligence? Whichever it was, we shall all be found out. For in the not too distant future there will be another commencement day, the day when our mortal probation is past and we commence our individual eternities.

At that time some of us will be told, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into my rest.” These souls will then have the delight of laboring successfully to build heavens for others for all of the future. But some will be told, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” These are they who celebrated selfishness and pride in their mortal probation, who sought comfort and aggrandizement only for themselves at the expense of others. They will be sent out into the darkness to say anything they please, no matter how foul or perverse, and to depict evil in all of its gore, to their hearts content. But let us hope that none of this company will then be found weeping and wailing and gnashing teeth. Thank you.