3
Nephi 3:1
Stand
Firm
and make Christ The Center of Our Lives
“As we make Christ
the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of
our convictions.” —President Thomas S. Monson, “Be
an Example and a Light”
What
1 And
now it came to pass that in the sixteenth year from the coming of
Christ, aLachoneus,
the governor of the land, received an epistle from the leader and the
governor of this band of robbers; and these were the words which were
written, saying:
Why
The robbers were
threatening the Nephites. They first sent a written communication
called an epistle..
Pattern
3 Ne.
1:1
1
Now it came to pass that the ninety and first year had passed away
and it was six
hundred years
from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; and it was in the year
that Lachoneus was
the chief judge and the governor over the land.
Epistle
See
also Letter
Epistles
Several
kinds are spoken of in the scriptures. (1) Epistles of commendation,
which were letters by which travelers were commended by one branch of
the Church to the members of another branch, as in Acts
18:27 and 2 Cor.
3:1.
(2) A letter or decree such as that announcing the decision of the
Jerusalem conference negating circumcision as a requirement for
Gentiles to become members of the Church, as mentioned in Acts
15:23–29; 16:4; 21:25.
(3) An epistle in its best sense is more than a letter; it is a
formal teaching instrument. Twenty-one of the 27 books of the
New Testament are epistles. See General
Epistles; Pauline
Epistles.
war
Christ
Ex.
15:1-2
1 Then asang Moses
and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord,
and spake, saying, I will bsing unto
the Lord,
for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea.
2 The aLord is my bstrength and
song, and he is become my csalvation:
he is my
God, and I will dprepare
him an habitation;
my father’s God, and I will eexalt him.
Jesus
fought the war in Heaven which is the war that has continued on earth
since Adam and Eve.
Conference
Gordon
B. Hinckley President
of the Church
I
hope that the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during
times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to
different governments or parties.
And
so I venture to say something about the war and the gospel we teach.
I spoke of this somewhat in our October conference of 2001. When I
came to this pulpit at that time, the war against terrorism had just
begun. The present war is really an outgrowth and continuation of
that conflict. Hopefully it is now drawing to a conclusion.
As
I discuss the matter, I seek the direction of the Holy Spirit. I have
prayed and pondered much concerning this. I recognize it is a very
sensitive subject for an international congregation, including those
not of our religious faith.
The
nations of the earth have been divided over the present situation.
Feelings have run strong. There have been demonstrations for and
against. We are now a world Church with members in most of the
nations which have argued this matter. Our people have had feelings.
They have had concerns.
War,
of course, is not new. The weapons change. The ability to kill and
destroy is constantly refined. But there has been conflict throughout
the ages over essentially the same issues.
The
book of Revelation speaks briefly of what must have been a terrible
conflict for the minds and loyalties of God’s children. The account
is worth repeating:
“And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
“And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev.
12:7–9).
Isaiah
speaks further concerning that great conflict (see Isa.
14:12–20).
Modern revelation gives additional light (see D&C
76:25–29),
as does the book of Moses (see Moses
4:1–4),
which tells of Satan’s plan to destroy the agency of man.
We
sometimes are prone to glorify the great empires of the past, such as
the Ottoman Empire, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and in more
recent times, the vast British Empire. But there is a darker side to
every one of them. There is a grim and tragic overlay of brutal
conquest, of subjugation, of repression, and an astronomical cost in
life and treasure.
The
great English essayist Thomas Carlyle once ironically shared the
observation, “God must needs laugh outright, could such a thing be,
to see his wondrous mannikins here below” (quoted in Sartor
Resartus [1836],
182). I think our Father in Heaven must have wept as He has looked
down upon His children through the centuries as they have squandered
their divine birthright in ruthlessly destroying one another.
In
the course of history tyrants have arisen from time to time who have
oppressed their own people and threatened the world. Such is adjudged
to be the case presently, and consequently great and terrifying
forces with sophisticated and fearsome armaments have been engaged in
battle.
Many
of our own Church members have been involved in this conflict. We
have seen on television and in the press tearful children clinging to
their fathers in uniform, going to the battlefront.
There
have been casualties in this terrible conflict, and there likely will
be more. Public protests will likely continue. Leaders of other
nations have, in no uncertain terms, condemned the coalition
strategy.
First,
let it be understood that we have no quarrel with the Muslim people
or with those of any other faith. We recognize and teach that all the
people of the earth are of the family of God. And as He is our
Father, so are we brothers and sisters with family obligations one to
another.
But
as citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national
leaders. They have access to greater political and military
intelligence than do the people generally. Those in the armed
services are under obligation to their respective governments to
execute the will of the sovereign. When they joined the military
service, they entered into a contract by which they are presently
bound and to which they have dutifully responded.
One
of our Articles of Faith, which represent an expression of our
doctrine, states, “We believe in being subject to kings,
presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and
sustaining the law” (A
of F 1:12).
In
a democracy we can renounce war and proclaim peace. There is
opportunity for dissent. Many have been speaking out and doing so
emphatically. That is their privilege. That is their right, so long
as they do so legally. However, we all must also be mindful of
another overriding responsibility, which I may add, governs my
personal feelings and dictates my personal loyalties in the present
situation.
When
war raged between the Nephites and the Lamanites, the record states
that “the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were
not fighting for … power but they were fighting for their homes and
their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea,
for their rites of worship and their church.
“And
they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to
their God” (Alma
43:45–46).
And
Moroni “rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon
it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace,
our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a
pole.
“And
he fastened on his headplate, and his breastplate, and his shields,
and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which
had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of
liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily
unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren”
(Alma
46:12–13).
It
is clear from these and other writings that there are times and
circumstances when nations are justified, in fact have an obligation,
to fight for family, for liberty, and against tyranny, threat, and
oppression.
When
all is said and done, we of this Church are people of peace. We are
followers of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Prince
of Peace. But even He said, “Think not that I am come to send
peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt.
10:34).
This
places us in the position of those who long for peace, who teach
peace, who work for peace, but who also are citizens of nations and
are subject to the laws of our governments. Furthermore, we are a
freedom-loving people, committed to the defense of liberty wherever
it is in jeopardy. I believe that God will not hold men and women in
uniform responsible as agents of their government in carrying forward
that which they are legally obligated to do. It may even be that He
will hold us responsible if we try to impede or hedge up the way of
those who are involved in a contest with forces of evil and
repression.
Now,
there is much that we can and must do in these perilous times. We can
give our opinions on the merits of the situation as we see it, but
never let us become a party to words or works of evil concerning our
brothers and sisters in various nations on one side or the other.
Political differences never justify hatred or ill will. I hope that
the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during times of
trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different
governments or parties.
Let
us pray for those who are called upon to bear arms by their
respective governments and plead for the protection of heaven upon
them that they may return to their loved ones in safety.
To
our brothers and sisters in harm’s way, we say that we pray for
you. We pray that the Lord will watch over you and preserve you from
injury and that you may return home and pick up your lives again. We
know that you are not in that land of blowing sand and brutal heat
because you enjoy the games of war. The strength of your commitment
is measured by your willingness to give your very lives for that in
which you believe.
We
know that some have died, and others may yet die in this hot and
deadly contest. We can do all in our power to comfort and bless those
who lose loved ones. May those who mourn be comforted with that
comfort which comes alone from Christ the Redeemer. It was He who
said to His beloved disciples:
“In
my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, … that where I am,
there ye may be also.
“Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid” (John
14:1–3, 27).
We
call upon the Lord, whose strength is mighty and whose powers are
infinite, to bring an end to the conflict, an end that will result in
a better life for all concerned. The Lord has declared, “For I, the
Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth”
(D&C
60:4).
We
can hope and pray for that glorious day foretold by the prophet
Isaiah when men “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa.
2:4).
Even
in an evil world we can so live our lives as to merit the protecting
care of our Father in Heaven. We can be as the righteous living among
the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham pleaded that these cities
might be spared for the sake of the righteous. (See Gen.
18:20–32.)
And,
above all, we can cultivate in our own hearts, and proclaim to the
world, the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His atoning
sacrifice we are certain life will continue beyond the veil of death.
We can teach that gospel which will lead to the exaltation of the
obedient.
Even
when the armaments of war ring out in deathly serenade and darkness
and hatred reign in the hearts of some, there stands immovable,
reassuring, comforting, and with great outreaching love the quiet
figure of the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. We can proclaim
with Paul:
“For
I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
“Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.
8:38–39).
This
life is but a chapter in the eternal plan of our Father. It is full
of conflict and seeming incongruities. Some die young. Some live to
old age. We cannot explain it. But we accept it with the certain
knowledge that through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord we shall all
go on living, and this with the comforting assurance of His
immeasurable love.
He
has said, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the
meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (D&C
19:23).
And
there, my brothers and sisters, we rest our faith. Regardless of the
circumstances, we have the comfort and peace of Christ our Savior,
our Redeemer, the living Son of the living God. I so testify in His
holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Apply
President
Hinckley said it best
“Even
in an evil world we can so live our lives as to merit the protecting
care of our Father in Heaven. We can be as the righteous living among
the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham pleaded that these cities
might be spared for the sake of the righteous. (See Gen.
18:20–32.)
And,
above all, we can cultivate in our own hearts, and proclaim to the
world, the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His atoning
sacrifice we are certain life will continue beyond the veil of death.
We can teach that gospel which will lead to the exaltation of the
obedient.”
Hymns
78-God
of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand
251-
Behold ! A Royal Army
Children
159
Stand for the Right
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