CHILDREN OF CHRIST

 

I Am A Child of God by Howard Lyon

“And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?

“Behold, I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord – I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 15:10,11; Isaiah 53:10)

“The seed of Christ are those who are adopted into his family, who by faith have become his sons and his daughters. They are the children of Christ in that they are his followers and disciples and keep his commandments” (4 Nephi 17; Mormon 9:26; Moroni 7:19). (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p 700).

King Benjamin of the Book of Mormon spoke at great length to his people about the importance of becoming children of Christ. The setting of King Benjamin’s speech was the occasion of his son Mosiah's succession to the throne. This was however, a coronation with a difference. 

It was common practice anciently for a new king ascending the throne to be given as many as five names or titles by which he was distinguished among the people; to acknowledge his greatness and his achievements; and to establish him as the link between the people and the divine.  (See Scripture Central Post of October 17, 2019, Know Why 536). King Benjamin, however, did something extraordinary at his son's coronation. Instead of using this occasion to bring prominence to his son, he mentions Mosiah only twice. Once to announce him as the new king and once again to affirm that he will act under the direction of God for the benefit of the people (Mosiah 2:30,31).

Rather than proclaiming his son as the divine king as was expected anciently, King Benjamin solidified his people's reliance on The Heavenly King (Mosiah 2:19) by enumerating His endless goodness and honouring Him with names worthy of His station as the promised Messiah, such as: Jesus Christ, The Son of God, The Father of Heaven and Earth, The Lord Omnipotent and The Creator of all things from the beginning. But King Benjamin didn't stop there. He bestowed upon his people a new name that would bind them to the Heavenly King forever. He proclaimed that they be known by the name of Christ rather than by his son's name which would have been the usual protocol.

Mosiah’s subjects entered into a covenant of obedience to Christ and His Gospel and thus became ‘spiritually born’ of him and were known as 'the children of Christ' (Mosiah 5:7). Today we become spiritually born through the covenant of baptism as we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We become CHRISTians.

King Benjamin mentioned the importance of having Christ’s name 11 times in 6 verses of Mosiah 5 (V 7-12). Why is this important? Because when we are born physically, we take upon ourselves our earthly father’s name and just as we are genetically predisposed to inherit their physical and mental traits, so we, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and live his teachings, inherit His spiritual qualities. In other words, we become like Him by the virtue of our newly acquired parental bond (Moroni 7:48). This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘you’re just like your father’, does it not???

I have written about this personal experience before but will repeat it here because it fits the narrative of this post rather well. My baptism into the Church was a traumatic experience for my family. I was 18 and my father was strongly opposed to me changing my religion. I was told that I had to choose between my family and the Church. I chose the Church which meant I had to leave home. My parents were devastated and refused to have any contact with me for a whole year. It was the most stressful event of my then young life.

Shortly after my baptism I had an unusual and highly symbolic dream. I was in a high rise building with my parents when there appeared a lot of commotion on the street below. We hurried down to see what was happening, but when we reached the street level a white matter akin to snow fell on top of us. We dug our way up to the top, but I was the only one that emerged. As I surveyed the street, I saw whiteness everywhere. I looked to my right and saw the Saviour coming towards me with outstretched arms saying: “Where are my children?” I did not understand that dream straight away, but the understanding came as I studied the scriptures and came to see that my baptism was the gateway to new birth.

When through the water’s gate

I was given the Saviour’s name,

His law was written in my heart

Forever there to remain.

 

I offered love, I obeyed,

I followed the paths He had me take;

I’ve endured all my trials

For His name’s sake.

 

And when in clouds of heaven He appears

And I stand in the shadow of His frame,

I want to hear the Saviour say:

I love what you have done with my name!

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

HOLY KISS

 

Father and Son by Danny Hahlbohm

One day soon Father,

when I kneel at Your throne

I will bring you my deeds

from my earthly home.

Because of Thy Son’s mercy,

Consider them bliss,

And greet me joyfully

With an holy kiss.

- Cathryne Allen 

LOOKING BEYOND THE MARK

 

Jesus Christ and His Magic Old Jerusalem by Edit Voros

“While serving in the Seventy, Elder Dean L. Larsen explained that the Israelites in ancient times ‘got themselves into great difficulty’ because they ‘placed themselves in serious jeopardy in spiritual things unwilling to accept simple basic principles of truth.

“They entertained and intrigued themselves with ‘things that they could not understand’ (Jacob 4:14). They were apparently afflicted with a pseudo-sophistication and a snobbishness that gave them a false sense of superiority over those who came among them with the Lord’s words of plainness. They went beyond the mark of wisdom and prudence and obviously failed to stay within the circle of fundamental gospel truths, which provide a basis for faith.

“They must have revelled in speculative and theoretical matters that obscured for them the fundamental spiritual truths. As they became infatuated by these ‘things that they could not understand’, their comprehension of and faith in the redeeming role of a true Messiah was lost, and the purpose of life became confused. A study of Israel’s history will confirm Jacob’s allegations (In Conference Report October 1987, 11-12 or Ensign November 1987m 11) (as quoted in Book of Mormon Student Manual p 121)

To understand how the Jews came to ‘look beyond the mark’ it is worthy to ‘mention that by the time Jesus came among them, they had convoluted the Law of Moses into 613 rabbinical laws which they lived by. So obsessed they were with these laws that they considered them more important than the Law of Moses itself. These laws became their distraction from the fundamental gospel truths.

When one of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus ‘which is the great commandment in the law’, He answered there were really only two and all the others stem from them: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt 22:34-40)

In essence, Jesus was saying, compared to your 613, ‘the yoke of my gospel is easy and my burden is light, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (see Matt 11:29,30). The Jews chose the 613 laws instead and accused Him of being a sinner because He would not conform to the traditions of the Elders. His refusal became one of the main accusations the Jewish Council had against him that led to His death.

When I was studying for my University degree some years ago, I undertook a subject in philosophy. I was very excited to study the Greek philosophers, the cream of the top according to the wisdom of the world. I actually thought I would become wise. It was my worst subject. So much so that my professor called me to ask me if I understood what I was learning. And no, I did not understand one iota of the ridiculous theories regarding the meaning of life that I was being fed. In comparison to my clear understanding of the simple Plan of Salvation that I knew, the theories of these philosophers were ludicrous. The simple gospel of Christ with its Plan of Salvation was what attracted me to the Church in the first place. It was all the meaning of life I needed.

Philosophy of men is the cradle of the Great Apostasy. Within mere 30 years following Christ's ascension into heaven, the profound and simple truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ started to be blended with philosophies of men and eventually 'the wisdom of God was rejected as foolishness. The miracles of the Atonement, the Resurrection, and the ordinances were diluted and deleted. Men, blinded to the wisdom of God by their own intellectual conceit, added and subtracted at will from the truths revealed by God. Gradually and inevitably, these precious truths were changed, perverted, and lost. The simple was embellished, the holy corrupted, the truth falsified' (see The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 229).

Under the Saviour's admonition to take the Gospel to other nations, Paul and the Apostles took the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem to dispersed Jews, then Samaritans and then the Gentiles, more specifically, the Mediterranean world ruled by the Roman Empire. The Gospel which they preached was grounded in the eyewitness testimony of Jesus for many had seen the Saviour following His resurrection, therefore, their testimony and message was not based on Christ's teachings alone but more importantly, on their witness of His resurrection which left no room for speculation.

This non-speculative nature of the Christian faith conflicted with the philosophical conjecture in the Mediterranean which was heavily under the Hellenic influence, meaning Greek philosophy. Where Jews sought signs, Greeks sought wisdom and it is the wisdom of men which they revered more than the simple truths of the Gospel. With time the Christian resistance to Greek philosophy broke down and the strange admixture of Christian truth with pagan philosophy and practice constituted the Great Apostasy (see The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 233).

Unfortunately, the ‘pseudo-sophistication’ persists today. Some of us are learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth….mostly because we think there is greater truth out there than we already possess.

Some years ago a friend from my ward told me he was invited into a newly formed LDS study group. He was an educated man, in a managerial position, who loved to study theology. The man who issued the invitation to him made it clear that the study group was exclusively for educated, professional people in the Church. My clever and unpretentious friend replied: oh you mean no lowly skilled labourer is allowed? Nobody for instance like……a carpenter…..?!?!?!?

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

PEOPLE LIKE YOU

(Artist Unknown)

If you give a little more than you take

And if you try to fix more than you break

If you're the kind who takes the time

To help a stranger in the rain

There's a place for people like you. 

If you stand up for those down on their knees

And lend a voice to those who cannot speak

If you shine a little light, give sight

To the ones who've lost their way

There's a place for people like you.

I've heard up there the streets are made of gold

And when you get there, there's a hand to hold

I believe when your days down here are through

There's a place up there for people like you.

If you walk around with your heart on your sleeve

And if you try to be the change you want to see

If you lay down your life for love

So someone could be saved

There's a place for people like you.

I know you're out there

So keep doing what you do

Cause there's a place up there 

for people like you.

(Song lyrics by John Kirkland Reid)

 

BELIEVING BLOOD OF ISRAEL

 

I Will Go Before Your Face by Kenneth R. Turner

“To the missionaries of the latter-days the Lord has said: “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect, for the Lord explained, ‘mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts’ (D&C 29:7). For theirs was a ‘believing blood’. What then is believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the literal seed of Abraham – not that the blood itself believes, but that those born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to recognise, receive, and believe the truth.

“The term is simply a beautiful, a poetic, and a symbolic way of referring to the seed of Abraham to whom the promises were made. It identifies those who developed in pre-mortality the talent to recognise the truth and to desire righteousness.” (New Witness, 38-39)

-          (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary On The Book of Mormon, Vol 2, 61)

 

I remember coming to You

Long ago through the water’s gate,

So wide open for my soul to embrace.

 

You flowed through my heart since that day

Showing me the wonder of You;

I have seen Your agonizing sacrifice,

And Your spilt blood too.

 

I hear You, I am Your sheep,

I know You and Your sacrificial pains

For the believing blood of Israel

Runs through my veins.

 

-          Cathryne Allen 

WITHERED ROSE

 

Ginko by Jia Lu

I want to remember the beauty

Of life like that

Surrendered by the withered rose;

I want to remember all my memories

Near and far,

I want to take them with me

Like priceless jewels

When I am called to cross the bar.

 

 

-      Cathryne Allen 

THE GIFT OF MERCY

 

(Art: The Mockery of Christ by Karl Heinrich Bloch 1880)

Some years ago I read a book by Hugh Nibley titled “Approaching Zion” where he talked at length about the gifts of God that have been given us. It helped me see how the Atonement of Jesus Christ is a gift that cannot be earned. A gift is something that has already been bought with a price, therefore it cannot be re-purchased. A gift is something that is given from the good will of a giver.

The gift of the Atonement is given through grace and even though grace asks for devotion and a broken heart and a contrite spirit of the recipient, it does not ask for perfection. This concept is very transparent on Christmas morning when we give gifts to our children who are not perfect. Their misdemeanours live on but the love and the good will from the giver casts a shadow called a forgiveness by the gift that is given.

I learnt recently that mercy, born of the Atonement, is a gift too. We often read scriptures and take for granted all that is promised us and fail to see that these gifts are not given merely for the asking.

I have for a while now been praying for mercy regarding my illness. I have wanted a healing. There have been days when I felt the absence of it acutely and I am ashamed to admit with that absence came disbelief of God’s love. I could simply not understand it. I thought I qualified even just for a fraction of the ample mercy we are told is ever at the Saviour’s disposal to give. And this is a mistake. If something is there and it is promised, we tend to think we are entitled to it.

It was given to me to see clearly that mercy cannot be given on demand, otherwise it is not mercy. Mercy comes from the one who is merciful to give. It cannot be manipulated, demanded, expected, or even earned. It comes from the Saviour’s merciful heart and therefore it comes on His terms. Saviour’s mercy is a gift that should be trusted in but when and how it is offered is up to Him. 

Because mercy is usually given as a form of relief, if that relief was given us prematurely, it could jeopardize our growth and learning. In my reflection, I asked myself what it is that I am supposed to learn through my suffering. I could see clearly how suffering has not yet produced in me the tolerance that I lacked. Some days I have been highly reactionary to my pain to the point of causing offence to those who try to help me. As I realized this, the Saviour’s example of forbearance and self-control flooded my mind and I knew this suffering was my opportunity to become more Christ-like.

I recalled how He hung on the cross with all the power at His fingertips to get down from the cross but He stayed there listening to those who passed by railing on him, wagging their heads, and saying: “Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross…..He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” (see Matthew 27:39-44; Mark 15:29-32; Luke 23:34-39).

It has puzzled me why John never did not speak of this in his written record.  His only comment was that the importance of the scriptures regarding Christ should be fulfilled that we might believe (John 19:35,36). Perhaps He understood the Saviour more than all the others. Perhaps he understood His mercy as promised through Isaiah, which was to come for the branch of Israel who would crucify Him and revile Him and forsake Him to worship other gods:

“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”    (Isaiah 54:7,8,10)

This mercy has been over 2,000 years in coming but it is coming…..when the Giver comes and sees fit to deliver it. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN