- "They prided themselves on their strict observance of the law, and on the care with which they avoided contact with things gentile."
- We are surrounded with "things gentile" and I find myself constantly avoiding contact with gossip, covetousness, immodesty, negative media, etc. Is my strictness on these matters Pharisaical?
- "The tendency of their teaching was to reduce religion to the observance of a multiplicity of ceremonial rules, and to encourage self-sufficiency and spiritual pride."
- I am a rule follower and, as such, I keep careful track of my observance of what I consider to be laws of God. I conscientiously strive to read my scriptures daily, have family prayer and scripture study daily, have family home evening weekly, attend church weekly, attend the temple regularly, minister to others, magnify my calling, etc. My life is structured around these "rules" and it feels a little bit like I am earning my place in heaven by adherence to these rules the way the Pharisees believed. I know the Savior's atonement is necessary to overcome my sins, but his atonement won't make up for my failure in these areas. So how do I avoid feeling spiritual pride over my strict observance of these laws like the Pharisees? And don't we encourage spiritual self-sufficiency?
I could say that it's the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law, but it can be hard to tell the difference in the structure of my day to day life.
That's a though provoking question, Annette. Thanks for asking it.
ReplyDeleteI recently read 2 Nephi 25 where Nephi talks about "by grace we are saved after all we can do." Look at the verses immediately following that statement. I think they speak to your question.
"And notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. (24)
For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments." (25)
The law was "dead" to them, but they kept it because of the commandment to do so. Was that "pharisaical?" I would say no. Why not? Because their focus was on worshipping Christ, and this was part of their worship pattern. They knew salvation didn't come by the law, but obedience to commandments was an important element of following the Savior. (Even He was obedient to the commandment to be baptized--why?--to fulfill all righteousness.)
The verse immediately preceding the verses quoted above says this: "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (23)
Then look at verse 26: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."
Rather than write more verses, you may want to go read the rest of that chapter because it continues to address the keeping of the law of Moses while also believing in and worshipping Christ.
Nephi's comment on being saved by Christ's grace is in the context of teaching his people that they are not saved by their observance of the law of Moses. He also teaches in verse 28 that when you deny Christ, you are also denying the prophets and the law. The Pharisee's problem was not that they kept the law, but that they didn't let the law bring them closer to Christ. They saw salvation in keeping the rules (including rules that were manmade instructions for how to keep the rules), rather than in Christ.
My brother Frosty and I had a conversation last night that may shed some additional light on the subject. He was telling me that he used to believe that Nephi's statement about being saved by grace "after all we can do" meant that if we would do 95% of the work, Christ would make up the other 5%. He said that over time, as he has studied this question, he has come to the opposite conclusion--when we do what we can do, we are giving more like 1% of what is needed and that Christ's grace covers the other 99%!
ReplyDeleteI pointed out that in Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk cited in this week's lesson, that he teaches that "the grace of Christ is the power by which 'mercy can satisy the demands of justice.'" We can repent for forever, but without Christ's mercy coming from His Atoning sacrifice, no amount of effort on our part would make any difference.
Our acts of repentance are of value only because of what happens in our heart and soul as we seek to repent or turn away from sin. As Elder Christofferson goes on to say, justification (or forgiveness of sins) and sanctification (or purification from the effects of sin), both necessary elements of becoming worthy before the Lord, can only come to us through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot manufacture these for ourself, they must come from Him as a gift to us through the power of His Atonement.
One phrase in your post stood out to me: "...but His atonement won't make up for my failure in these areas." I can see what you are saying. It does matter, both for you and your family, that you do these things, and if you fail to do them, there will be real consequences. But since it is impossible for any of us to be perfect in keeping any set of rules and virtually all of us will stumble along the way, even with the best of intentions, it is comforting to understand that the Atonement IS there to make up for all of our failures. See my post Because of Jesus Christ, We Need Not Be Victims of Our Past.
Wow! Writing this has clarified in my head some previously fuzzy understandings!
Wow, this is thought-provoking. I have stewed over this same question, am I like a Pharisee? Annette, I can totally relate to what you say. I need to read through all this a few more times to comprehend what mom's saying . . .
ReplyDeleteI know some of you have watched these already, but they're good enough to share again, and I think they speak to your question, Annette. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteProdigal God Part 1
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ1ZN4cRafY&feature=share
Prodigal God Part 2
https://youtu.be/EAkAa2mk2l8
Centrality of the Gospel (start at 5:20)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8i0Y8qoi44&feature=share