29 January 2020
Most Christians are grateful to have a Savior who will save them. But most of them understand that the Savior saves them from something, from death and from hell. And that saving comes in the next life. The perspective of those who are perceiving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is distinctly different. While also being grateful for the opportunity to be saved from death, hell and the devil, such LDS persons are even more grateful for being saved to something, being saved out of weakness unto the opportunity to minister to others. To minister is to bless others, especially through the knowledge and power that Christ shares with his faithful disciples. This ministering I also known as righteousness. But even within the ranks of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is confusion as to what righteousness is.
This confusion arises out of a failure to distinguish actions which are preparation for blessing others and actually blessing others. The following is an attempt to make this distinction and difference clear.
The parable of the Good Samaritan clearly shows the difference. A man is beaten and robbed on the way to Jericho, left helpless by the side of the road. A priest comes by, sees him, and passes by on the far side of the road. Then a Levite came by, took a good look, and moved to pass by on the far side. But a Samaritan followed and also saw the wounded man. The Samaritan felt for the man, and attended to his wounds, put him on his animal and conveyed him to the nearest inn, where he saw that the man was cared for not only for that day, but until he was better. The priest and the Levite doubtless had done many things to prepare for doing righteous acts, but failed to do so in this crisis. The Samaritan had also prepared but actually delivered righteousness when the opportunity came.
Let us now count good things we may do to do the works of righteousness:
- Pray for help.
- Fast.
- Partake of the Sacrament.
- Hear sermons and testimonies.
- Be baptized and confirmed.
- Receive the holy priesthood.
- Receive the temple endowment.
- Be sealed in marriage in the temple.
- Pour over the scriptures.
- Meditate on the ways of the Lord. All very good things to do.
Let us now count things we may do to actually perform the works of righteousness:
- Serve a mission.
- Bless others in the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
- Comfort those who need such.
- Stay up all night to help a sick friend.
- Pray for others, especially one’s enemies.
- Teach others to love the Lord and to serve Him by serving others.
- Give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked.
- Bear one’s testimony effectively.
- Pay an honest tithing and a generous fast offering.
- Faithfully serve in callings in the Church, especially in the temple.
Each of these works of righteousness is seriously devalued if we do any of them for reward or recompense. While neither of these lists is exhaustive, each clearly demonstrates the idea of the difference between preparing ourselves to be fit vehicles for administering the blessings of Christ to others and actually administering those blessings in the way that Christ Himself would do. May we each glory in both preparing to and in doing righteousness, for this is our heritage. And while we appreciate being saved from, let us fulfill our glorious opportunity to be saved to do the works of righteousness.