The First Step in Christian Discipleship

I have to ask you a question.  Are you trying integrate your traditional discipleship with the doctrine of becoming as a little child and being born again?  Is that the issue everyone I talk to is having?  That what we have been taught is different from what the scriptures tell us to do?  The mandates given by the Church leaders can be followed by everyone on the spectrum regardless of whether they have been born again.  I have wondered, though, if there is an assumption by many Church leaders that we all have been born again.  Until I was born again I would put into practice the program of the Church with very limited success.  My view of everything changed after I felt the redeeming love my Savior.

Maybe we should stop ‘trying to live the gospel of Jesus Christ’ and just live it.  Just live it with all our failings, faults, sins and offensive behavior.  Maybe, if we did this, letting go of our shame, humbling ourselves, realizing that we need someone to rescue us today (not tomorrow – we work on today’s evil), we would realize that Christ’s grace is sufficient for all those who come unto him today.  And, we no longer say in our minds, ‘I’ll do better tomorrow’.  We no longer postpone our life in Christ.  As we choose to be meek and lowly of heart we will find how impossible it really is.  We turn to our Savior crying for help, acknowledging that we can’t do it on our own (not get angry, turn the other cheek, not lust in our hearts, etc., etc.).  The scriptures call this ‘coming unto Christ’.  This realization that we will never be perfect trying to obey ‘the law’, BUT we can be perfect in Christ.  When we come to this realization, frustrated, in anguish, worthless, - this is when we are ready to be baptized by fire and of the Holy Ghost and have our sins remitted.  And, Christ comes to us sooner than we ever would have expected.  Surrendering (the sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit) always comes first.  What I mean by ‘first’ is it is the thing we do, it is all that we can do, there is nothing else we can do but repent and turn to the Savior believing (the faith part is to turn) that He CAN HEAL US.

I believe discipleship begins here.  What we do in the meantime is designed to get us here.  A school master.  It is also designed to move the Church forward.  But, moving the Church forward doesn’t SAVE us.  What saves us is knowing Christ and He knowing us.  To know Christ is to suffer with Christ.  His teachings will cause us to ‘suffer’ (at first) until we realize that His way is the right way (forgiving others of their trespasses, turning the other cheek, being longsuffering, caring, etc.).  We then are filled with His love, are perfected in Him, and are sanctified by His blood.  Christ becomes precious to us.  We no longer want to sin but we do.  We improve slowly walking hand in hand with Christ relying only on His merits.  Christ becomes the author of our faith.  We become his children.  The demands of justice are satisfied.  Our past, present, and future sins (weaknesses) are covered by Jesus.  As long as we don’t rebel.   I fall from grace all the time but repent and come back and am filled with His love once again.  We then move from grace to grace, offering a grace for a grace.  Our inner man begins to change.  The image of Christ starts appearing in our countenance.

Well, this is a grand first step!

Scott

Why does Peter say that newborn babe taste of the Lord's graciousness?

Regarding babes, I start by referencing these verses of scripture in 1 Peter 2:

1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God byJesus Christ.

6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay inSion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth onhim shall not be confounded.

7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to themwhich stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

See also Alma 36:24, 26; JST, Hebrews 6:4-5; Mosiah 4:11.

When a person is received unto baptism, fulfilling the prerequisites (broken heart, contrite spirit, repenting of all their sins, taking upon themselves the name of Christ, etc.), this person is wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost and is numbered among the people of the church of Christ (Moroni 6:1-4).  Christ is the author of that person’s salvation.  This person has tasted of the graciousness of the Lord.  He has been baptized by fire.  This is a taste.  This person is a babe in Christ.  Living in Christ is new to this person. Christ is precious to this person.  But, to those that are offended by this doctrine, the doctrine of Christ, the stone (Christ) becomes a stone of stumbling and Christ becomes a rock of offence. They stumble at the word.

A babe is the little child that Jesus speaks of, the only group to inherit the kingdom of God (3 Nephi 10).  This new member has decided to put all his trust in the merits of Christ (Moroni 6:4).  He is now perfect in Christ.  As he continues in Christ he will always rejoice in Christ and always be filled with his love (Mosiah 4:12).  This person is Christ’s seed (see Abinadi’s discourse in Mosiah).  This person knows that Christ paid for his past sins, present sins, and future sins as long as he continues to walk hand in hand in Christ.  This is what makes Christ so precious.  This person feels to always rejoice in what Christ has done. He continues to develop a deeper trust, a deeper knowledge, a deeper love for his Savior.  He is just a babe at first. 

All this begs the question: where do we, as lifelong members fit?  If we haven’t moved to the higher law yet, don’t feel in our hearts that Christ is precious, haven’t received the promise of the Father (baptism of fire), then where are we on the spiritual timeline?  I suppose that this particular person isn’t even a babe.  He’s still in the birth canal struggling to be born (again).

This kind of thinking rubs the average latter-day saint wrong.  They think, since I am an active member it is obvious that I have been born again. My leader told me so.  And, for me, I DO NOT JUDGE the matter.  God will work with each of us, helping us from where we are at.

What are the works I will be judged for?

My faith in Jesus Christ produces a certain kind of work (behavior, deeds, action). One of these 'works' is the change of my inner self. Without grace this is impossible. Read Mosiah 4:1-12. The fruits of the Spirit are my 'works'. They include meekness, humility, a broken heart, acknowledging my nothingness and God's greatness, charity, etc. Since I believe in grace for grace (Helaman 12:24), I must offer up to God something (a grace) to receive a grace from Him. The first grace or offering was a broken heart and contrite spirit. I surrendered. This is a great 'work'. All external works flow from this inner change. This (knowing Christ and He knowing you) is what we will be judged for at the divine tribunal (or not judged as I am encircled in the arms of safety, mercy satisfying the demands of justice) Alma 34:15-16).