Several years ago our family had a family home evening with our married children and grandchildren. The grandchildren enacted the Christmas story — the birth of Christ. As one of the older grandchildren narrated while the younger ones portrayed the parts, one of the little fellows, a 2-year old who was portraying the part of a shepherd, heard these familiar lines:
"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord hath made known unto me."
The 2-year-old "shepherd" turned to his mother and asked, "Can we go to Bethlehem?" That was not in the script.
I have since thought about the innocent question — "Can we go to Bethlehem?" While we may not be able to physically travel to Bethlehem, we can do so as we study again the prophecies and their fulfillment concerning the birth, life, the ministry and teachings of Jesus Christ. We can do that in our families with our testimonies and family home evenings, with our family prayers, and devotions. And we, like those venerable shepherds, can glorify and praise God for all the things we have seen and heard.
The words of a modern apostle state the essence of the religion of the Latter-day Saints: "The only real veneration of Jesus is emulation of Him." (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Even As I Am, Deseret Book Company, 1972, p. 2.)
The way we demonstrate discipleship is to strive to be like Him. He is our Exemplar and Lawgiver. He has charted for us the course of eternal life. He is the light, life, hope, and means by which all our Heavenly Father's children will have immortality and the possibility for eternal life. (John 1:4; 8:12; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17.)
This year's course of instruction for the Sunday School is the New Testament. It focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the testimony of His Apostles. It is well to consider that all of His teachings, admonitions, and post-resurrection commandments would be nothing more than mere ethical teachings if He were not literally God the Father's Only Begotten Son; if He were not authorized and empowered by the Father to declare the Plan of Salvation, including the saving ordinances and covenants; if He did not literally suffer the cumulative burden of every person's sins, sorrows, and sufferings; if He did not voluntarily give His life as a ransom for broken law; if He did not literally come forth from the tomb as the firstborn of the Resurrection so that all humanity and all creation would attain immortality — yes, if any one of these were not true, then all of His teachings would rank as nothing more than "great ideas" along with the teachings of philosophers of past lore.
But because He is the Only Begotten Son of God who "suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them . . . , [who was] crucified, died and rose again the third day; and ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father, to reign with almighty power according to the will of the Father," (Doctrine and Covenants 20:24.)
He can legitimately command all of us to exemplify Him.
Until we are confronted with a situation that requires a Christlike response, there is no real "test" to emulating His character.
Over 30 years after Christ's ascension, the Church under the leadership of the apostles faced the "fiery trial" of severe persecution by the Roman Emperor, Nero. The Christians in Asia Minor faced extermination for being followers of Jesus Christ. Under these oppressive conditions and before his own martyrdom, the Apostle Peter, president of the Church, wrote to the Saints to strive for a godlike nature (2 Peter 1:4-8).
Imagine the irony of this admonition to the first century Christian. In the face of unjust accusations, imprisonment, and death, they were called by the chief apostle to acquire the following divine attributes that constitute "the divine nature:"
Faith — a total confidence in Jesus Christ, and in His atonement that gives hope for eternal life.
Virtue — excellence in moral character.
Knowledge — knowing gospel truths by faith and by experience, even by what one may suffer.
Temperance — control over passions and appetites amidst the libertine practices of their day, some even sanctioned by the state.
Patience — perseverance, the ability to hold up under pressure and to endure to the end.
Godliness — holiness.
Brotherly kindness — considerateness toward all; warm-heartedness; affection for all — even enemies.
Charity — benevolence from the heart; the pure love of Christ.
The following are additional attributes that constitute the "divine nature" as taught by the Lord. (See Doctrine and Covenants 4:5-6.)
Humility and submissiveness — no pride or arrogance; lowliness of heart that submits one's will to God.
Diligence — persistent application to a task until it is finished.
Hope — the cherished desire accompanied by an expectation for fulfillment, even anticipation of eternal life.
Peaceableness — untroubled by conflict, argument and contention.
To acquire these divine qualities is to become more Christlike or holy. Then, according to the Apostle Peter, one will not lack in the knowledge of Christ. One becomes "a partaker of the divine nature."
And so to all who would be His disciples, the Savior entreats: "Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48).
One definition of perfection is to become complete in one's moral and spiritual character — fully developed in all godly virtues.
Jesus, Himself, grew from "grace to grace" until He received a fulness of his Heavenly Father's character and power. (See Doctrine and Covenants 93:12-18.) So it may be with His disciples. Our present condition is the beginning of our progression toward ultimate perfection. Our hope is to become like Him!
How is such perfection possible?
The initiatory instruction by Jesus to newly baptized members is known in the New Testament as the Sermon on the Mount. It is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest Man who ever lived! He introduced His sermon with what are called the Beatitudes — "to be blessed."
Consider each of these Beatitudes and then see how they relate in sequence one to another and to the process of perfection.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3.) The Joseph Smith Translation and Book of Mormon add an important phrase that qualifies how one "poor in spirit" may be blessed. (see JST Matthew 5:5; 3 Nephi 12:3.) The passage correctly reads, "blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me."
In other words, the poor in spirit will only be blessed as they come unto the Savior by exercising faith and humility, being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and giving heed to the words of the apostles and prophets. Both the Joseph Smith Translation and the Book of Mormon accounts of the Sermon require these ordinances as absolutely essential for fully coming unto Christ. (See John 3:3, 5.)
To be "poor in spirit" is to be lacking in spirituality. The Greek for "poor" is ptoch_s — or to be a pauper, or a beggar.
The first step, then, is to recognize that we are dependent on Christ to become like Him. Without His help, we cannot succeed. We must therefore come unto Him and on the terms which He has set forth. And for what purpose? To obtain mercy, strength, forgiveness, and compassion, even a Godly character. Recognizing that we are all paupers in terms of spirituality is the first step.
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4.)
When we mourn or are sorrowful for our lack of spirituality — the human frailties and sins that beset each one of us — we open ourselves to the comfort which comes from the Holy Ghost. To mourn is to be remorseful for our sins and weaknesses.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5.)
Meekness is a quality of being humble and contrite and willingness to be taught; also a willingness to be disciplined to the will of God. One recognizes his or her lack of spirituality; and humbly seeks forgiveness and strength to overcome sins, weaknesses and infirmities. We plead to the Lord for help.
"Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6.) The Joseph Smith Translation and Book of Mormon add the phrase: "filled with the Holy Ghost." (see JST Matthew 5:8; 3 Nephi 12:6.)
All of us understand what it means to be hungry, to thirst. But what is it to hunger and thirst after righteousness? Righteousness is holiness. There is only one Holy Person whom we should emulate and that is the Holy One of Israel — even Jesus Christ.
What is He asking us to do? To hunger and thirst for the attributes that He possesses — namely: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. To do this is to seek to become "a partaker of His divine nature."
Can these attributes be attained by our own efforts alone? Of course not. The Lord promised a Comforter to assist. Every disciple has access to the gift of the Holy Ghost. An early apostle in this dispensation, Elder Parley P. Pratt, describes how the blessing of the Holy Ghost can increase our capacity toward greater spirituality:
"The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. . . .
"It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feelings. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being." (Parley P. Pratt, Key to Theology, Deseret Book Company, 1973, pp. 101- 102.)
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7.)
Another word for mercy is compassion. Blessed is the person that acquires the gift of compassion. And please notice: It is one of the gifts of the Spirit. The blessing comes after one has earnestly sought for the Holy Ghost.
"Blessed are all the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8.)
To be pure in heart is to act with real intent, with pure desire, without hypocrisy. These are individuals who have no unrighteous motives; they possess perfect integrity, they are truthful and without deceit. To become a people worthy of Zion, all must become "pure in heart," for Zion is the "pure in heart" (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21).
Again, this condition is the result of seeking the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9.)
Truly blessed are those who are the "peaceable followers of Christ." They know that the peaceable life is the result of righteous living. They know that inner peace may co-exist amid sorrow, turmoil, even as the world around them is in commotion. They know this peace is "not as the world giveth" (see John 14:27) but that which comes when one has the Holy Ghost.
"Blessed are all they who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10.)
Imagine the relevance of that instruction to the first century Saint!
As you considered each of these Beatitudes, you may have noticed that each of the first seven is a condition of our spirit: to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for a more righteous life, to be compassionate, to possess a pure heart, to be peaceable — all these are a condition of our inner nature.
But persecution is not a condition of our inner self. It is an uninvited guest that comes as a result of hostile external forces and pressures. We do not invite war, persecution, turmoil, or conflict into our lives, even though sometimes these conditions come to us uninvited.
What the Savior is teaching us in emulating Him is this: We will not successfully handle distress, persecution, suffering and tribulation unless we have learned to come to Him, depend on Him, and hunger and thirst for the strengthening virtues that will help us overcome all conditions we may face.
To quote a Book of Mormon prophet: "it is on the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, . . . that [we] must build [our] foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12). In a day of in-your-face confrontation, of incivility, a time when questions are asked not to receive answers but to embarrass and show up another, the call of our present-day prophet to be more kind, sensitive, and loving may seem hopelessly out of date. If that be the case, then the admonitions, commandments, and teachings of Jesus and His apostles in the New Testament are irrelevant to today's circumstances.
When we follow the pattern set forth by Him, contention in our hearts, our homes, and communities is eliminated. Like the Nephites in the aftermath of Christ's visit, there will be "no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, . . . and surely there [is] not . . . a happier people among all the people who [are] created by the hand of God" (4 Nephi 16).
The instruction of our Lord then is this: it is not sufficient to be baptized, or just attend our meetings. The invitation is to be — as He is!
What would happen if every Latter-day Saint really tried to emulate Jesus in the every-day walk of life? Would animosities be tempered in families? Would there be less criticism of others? Would there be greater love and charity among neighbors? And if offense was given to another, would it be corrected by following the counsel and example of Jesus?
Some years ago a bishop was summoned to a member's home. As he entered the home, the husband and wife were engaged in a bitter and hostile confrontation, each accusing the other. The bishop sat listening and watching for some time while the couple continued their accusations toward one another, almost oblivious to his presence.
The bishop noticed in the adjoining room a picture of the Savior hanging on a wall. While the couple was still arguing, he rose from his seat and went into the next room, took the picture off the wall and sat down before the couple with the picture of the Savior directed toward them. He didn't say a word.
Finally the couple noticed the picture. The tone of their anger softened and they became subdued. Embarrassed, the husband turned to the bishop and said, "I think we get the message, Bishop. We won't need you anymore." He left the home without having to give any counsel.
As we imitate the Christlike example to others, it is testimony of His formula for peace and happiness. Others will be influenced by our example, and then the Church will be a radiant example of goodness and brotherhood.
Conversely, when we treat others accusingly, vindictively, or unkindly, it is as though we reject His instruction. Thus we diminish the influence of His Church and fail in our personal discipleship to Him.
My little grandson's question, "Can we go to Bethlehem?" may be answered resoundingly in the affirmative. Bethlehem was the place where "the hopes and fears of all the years" was reposed in one singular Being who showed us the way to peace and eternal joy. He asks us to emulate His character. And as His chief apostle Peter admonished: "Christ . . . suffered for us, leaving us an example, that [we] should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
William O. Nelson retired in December 2002 as director of the Evaluation Division of the Church's Correlation Department.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEnJ%2BuqpOdu6bD0meaqKVfZ31xf45qZm1nYmh%2FdX2PbmtonJWivK%2B%2F06uYrZ1dmba0r8ipo56rmJ69bq7YZqqtqpmrtq%2BzjK2mZpqVYrmqt8RmmqGqmajB