“Wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing.” (2 Nephi 26:30)
I read these words as I studied the 26th chapter of 2 Nephi today, and pondered them within the greater sermon about the “laberor in Zion.” I pondered them in light of a very difficult and sensitive decisions being placed before administrators of public and private institutions regarding transgender persons who ask to associate as the gender they “identify with,” rather then as their biological sex dictates. Often the request comes with the pleade for all those who associate within the organization to “love them as they need to be loved," the meaning of which is that if we can't affirm the gender change of the transgender person we are not "loving them." I spent many hours pondering this question and what the scriptures teach about how to love as Christ would love, to welcome and invite all into the fellowship of Christ. Even leaders of Christian organizations who are called upon to make such judgments on behalf of the many children and their families in their associations seem to feel that there is a conflict between upholding the Lord’s standard and extending charity.
Today as I read in the 26th chapter of 2 Nephi I began to ponder once again the nature of charity, the pure love of Christ, and how his love is applied in our duty to labor in His vineyard in inviting all men to come unto him. Unfortunately, the way in which love is portrayed in our modern world, and the condemnation that weighs down upon Christians who hold fast to a standard of moral behavior today, often causes us to misinturpret certain scriptural passages and we miss the mark and the entirety of the principle is lost to us. I did this to a certain extent when I read these words this morning (bolded words are the ones I focused on.)
“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation… Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.” (2 Nephi 26:25-28)
At first, these bolded words stood out to me and I began to wonder if in cases of associations in religious organizations, whether we behave in a way contrary to our Christian beliefs when we deny the requests of transgender person to associate with us pretending to the be the gender which they identify rather than their bilogical gender. Is denying their association the same as saying, “depart from me… depart out of the ‘religious organization’… In this act do we forbid them from the love and fellowship of Christ?
Once again I found myself pondering the question: How is charity applied in loving those whose choices, or life situations, cause them to be living in a way incompatible with the principles and teachings of Christ?
As I read further, I was impressed with the reminder of verse 32 which teaches that Christ is the law giver and has commanded that all men should obey the commandments and that the result of disobedience, or a life incompatible with the principles and teachings of Christ, is spiritual death. “They should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish… For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him…” (2 Nephi 26:32-33)
The clarifying words that impressed me in these final verses of the sermon were these: “He denieth none that come unto him.” To come unto Christ is the both the goal and the standard. To embrace the standard is to come unto him, and the reason we must hold up the standard is that none of these iniquities come of the Lord, none of these behaviors inconsistent with the principles and teachings of Christ, can bring that which is good. “For wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10) Certainly I wouldn’t describe what transgender persons are struggling through, wickedness, but I would describe transgender dysphoria as a condition that leads to choices to live outside the pattern and plan the God has given for the happiness and progress of His children, and as such, to pretend that happiness can come in this way is not to extend love to those confused about the true path of happiness.
“I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world...” (2 Nephi 26:23-24) Confusion is darkness, and truth is the antidote to confusion. God is a God of truth and love and for the Laborer’s in Zion to do the work of Christ, we must labor in the light of truth. With this greater clarity I re-read the former verses and different passages were emphasized in my mind.
“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him." As he draws us near to him we become more holy and reflect the pattern and the path that he has plotted for our way home to heaven.
"Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation…" His salvation comes through faith and obedience, and Christ will not lead His children to live in a way that would exclude them from his salvation.
"Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price." Here he commands us to come, to follow, to become what he has directed us to be, and that his atonement is given freely to all without price and is the power by which we are made holy, by which our natures are changed, by which we are able to overcome through faith.
"Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance." The church, the synagogues, the religious associations are a place where we invite all men to come to God and partake of his goodness, we invite by persuading all men to repentence. This repentence is an expectation that as they come into association with us and with Christ they will desire to be like him, they will desire to live after the pattern he has set and walk in the path he has perscribed.
"Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.” No one is forbidden from recieving the strengthening grace of Christ to overcome the natural man, to resist temptations and pitfalls that seperate us from the straight and narrow path. To say that no one is forbidden is not to say that we are permitted to walk into our salvation by following alternative paths, instead Christ is inviting all men to enter into the straight and narrow path and promising his sustaining and cleansing power to all those who will repent and bring their lives into line with his teaching and plan. (2 Nephi 26:25-28)
In this light, there is far more in this passage about what it means to come unto Christ and what is expected of laborers in the vineyard then I had previously seen. The first time through I had focused on words in the passage that sounded similar to the condemnations of the world that portray adherence to standards as an unloving exclusionary act. I heard the echoes of those who have insisted that standards must give way to love, for love is the greater holiness. The second time through, when I focused on the clarifying principle that Christ does his work in the light, and that the standard of morality is the goodness of the Lord, I could see that the sermon is an loving invitation to the world to repent and come unto Christ, to walk in the light, and turn away from iniquity; all who are willing to repent and bring their lives in harmony with his law and his teachings are not forbidden and are privileged with all the blessings of the gospel which is free and without price.
Why is it so easy to be beguiled by the world’s warped concept of love? Why do we so easily lose our bearings when asked to “love” under conditions inconsistent with Christ’s law?
The artifices being used in our society to make what is unnatural seem natural, though it is expressly against the laws of nature and God, have beguiled compassionate well-intentioned people to offer affirmation and support for unrighteous behavior as acceptable choices for some. As we ponder the difficult questions of Christian association with those who have chosen to live alternative lifestyles inconsistent with the pattern and the plan the Lord has given us to walk home to our salvation we must regain our bearings and balance and come to understand that our sincere concern for the plight of those who struggle with transgender sysophoria, same sex attraction or other alternative lifestyles is not best expressed in the affirmation for lifestyles that lead our dear brother and sisters away from the light of Christ and the path of happiness. To participate in the pretence that these lifestyles are good and that true loving is expressed in affirmation and acceptance for the choice to embrace the lifestyle, is not the extention of Christ-like love. Affirmation and acceptance cannot be the extention of Christ-like love becuase these deceptions and behaviors weaken resistance to the temptations of the flesh and cause the children of God to become captive to the desires of the flesh.
When we offer the kind of “love” and acceptance the world demands we are not faithful laborers in Zion, because our “love” and acceptance for destructive behaviors encourages people to break sacred laws, and stumble off the path that leads to eternal life. When we play a part in making anyone believe they can obtain happiness “in doing iniquity,” that they can obtain happiness on some alternative path, we are teaching them to believe in something “which is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.” (Helaman 13:38)
Another scripture passage that has brought light to this subject for me is the great allegory of Lehi’s vision. Picture Lehi after he ate of the fruit of the tree of life, he described his feelings, he said the fruit “filled [his] soul with exceedingly great joy.” (1 Nephi 8:12) Do you remember the effect of his experience? His heart was moved with concern for others, but did his compassion cause him to encourage others to continue wandering in darkness? Did he say, “Good for you! I’m so glad that you’ve found your own path.” NO! He could not, for he knew there was only one path that led to the tree and only one fruit that was “desirable above all other fruit.” Therefore, he beckoned them “with a loud voice” that they would come unto him. He beckoned, not with a soft voice, his compassion made him bold. He was filled with a sincere desire for others to find the straight and narrow path.
There is a social movement in the world that is working to soften the voices of those who uphold the standards of the Lord. Of course, sincere followers of Christ was to speak softly and lovingly, we want to invite and persuade, we want to fellowship and to love, but I think the danger lies in being tempted to change the message in an attempt to be more compassionate. There is spiritual danger in believing that the great mission to rescue requires that we let go of the rod of iron and wander off the path in search of those who are lost. We cannot save them from the midst of darkness (the confusion, philosophies, and sin of the world) if we let go of the rod of iron and wander with them. It’s imperative that we remember that “the Lord God worketh not in darkness,” and as laborers in His vineyard we must labor in the light.
Lehi did not leave the tree and seek in darkness for his family, he stood in the light and beckoned them with a loud voice. Lehi was not a cruel man, not uncompassionate or unloving. Spencer W. Kimball described prophets and their words of warning this way, “Those prophets I have known are the most loving of men. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lord’s message merely to make people feel comfortable. They are too kind to be so cruel” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Listen to the Prophets,” Ensign, May 1978, 77). We are on a rescue mission, called to serve the Lord (D&C 4:3) and “proclaim liberty to the captives,” (D&C 138:31) called to labor in the Vinyard, but like Lehi, we must stand in the light, fixed in our position of truth, and clearly beckon to those who wander in darkness so that they will enter into the straight path that leads to the tree of life. We cannot always “love” them in the way they demand to be loved, but we can always extend the pure love of Christ to them in the way the Lord has prescribed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints has a doctrine on the eternal nature of gender, the reality of which is an indispensable support to the sustaining of the family, which family, organized by God, is central to the great plan of our God for the happiness and eternal lives of His children. When we shy away from proclaiming our belief in the doctrine of the family, in order to appear more loving and compassionate, we abandon our brothers and sister to wander in darkness.
We cannot ignore the imperative to teach the truth and invite our families, friends, and associates to walk in the straight and narrow way. To ignore our duty is to extinguish brotherly love from our hearts. To receive the great promises of the Lord, and to lead others to greater happiness than they know now, we must hold tight to the iron rod and press forward in the straight and narrow path. When we stand in the light of the tree, when we have tasted of the fruit desirable to make us happy, when our view of the plan of God is clear and unobstructed by the midst of darkness, then we will have power to stand in the light and beckon all to come with boldness and love. Then we will lovingly invite all men to enter into the straight and narrow and we will not be moved by those in the great and spacious building who point at us and mock us for our testimony. We will not be ashamed, we will not fall “away into forbidden paths” and be lost. (1 Nephi 8:24-28) When we walk in the way, we will be able to lead those who seek the truth “but know not where to find it.” (Joseph Smith)
We are the generation that prophets have described as having been held back by our Father in Heaven to come forth in this time when the whirlwinds of wickedness threaten every root. We were sent forth from the courts of our heavenly home to “gather the elect from the four quarters of the earth,” (JST Matthew 1:27) to carry them upon our shoulders, and to become their nursing fathers and mothers. (1 Nephi 21:23) What is required is that we “stand immovable” (Alma 1:25) in our defense of the plan of God, more than all the generations that have gone before, this generation must “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3) with greater love, skill, tact, and tolerance than ever before. “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.” (2 Nephi 31:20) Being compassionate demands that we proclaim truth. We cannot force others to choose the right path, but when we deny the existence of the one right way, we become a stumbling block to their finding it.
The condemnations of the world for moral standards is growing louder every day. The truth is becoming increasingly harder to teach, but it will always be the more compassionate loving path; for only the truth can set free those captive to the false philosophies of the world, only through learning the truth of God's plan for His children and living the laws that govern his house, can we return to live with him again. “Christlike love will always extend love by strengthening others in the right way without encouraging them in the wrong way.” (James Mitchell, my stake president in Maryland)
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