Trouble With Obedience

I have a problem with the Mormon traditional view of obedience. I do not, however, have a problem with the Lord's command that we be obedient to His commandments. It may not seem so at first glance, but there is a significant difference. The traditional view of obedience does not take into account what the Lord says His commandments are. The traditional view puts the emphasis on performance. The Lord's commandments emphasize repentance and baptism. "And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? And what are the commandments of the Father? He tells us. And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son" (2 Nephi 31:10-11).

Christ makes it clear that His doctrine, and the doctrine of the Father, is repentance and baptism, "and whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil,... (3 Nephi 11:40). "Behold, this is my doctrine--whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church" (D&C 10:68-69).

Those who hold to the traditional view put the emphasis on performance and works, and therefore put the spotlight on themselves. Repentance, on the other hand, puts the emphasis on Christ "relying wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save" (2 Nephi 31:19).

The "Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe on his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel" (2 Nephi 31:2).

Obedience to His commandments is a result of putting our faith in Him, not a result of putting our faith in our obedience. As a result we "attain to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith (Romans 9:30). But again "Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. (Why?) Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law (Romans 9:31-32).

Those who believe in the traditional view are those who "...being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness..." (Romans 10:3-4).

The scriptures do not teach us that the 'performers' will be saved. In fact they teach us "that none but the truly penitent are saved" (Alma 42:24 emphasis added).

"Whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds" (Alma 42:27 emphasis added).

The last thing any of us should want is to be judged according to our works or our deeds. Human goodness is flawed goodness, and certainly no amount of human goodness will ever save us. Rather than hoping to flash our stunning report cards at the judgment, we should want to be found guiltless. And being found guiltless only comes as a result of faith, repentance, baptism, being filled with the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end with all our faith in Jesus Christ. Behold they "will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world" (3 Nephi 27:16).

Notice how the Lord describes what He means by enduring to the end: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. (Fruits of our repentance.) Wherefore, if ye press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20).

This is the way and "there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved" (2 Nephi 31:21). It is true that we can have joy in our works, but only for a season, but when the end comes, if we rely on our works we shall be "hewn down and cast into the fire" and it shall be because of our works. (3 Nephi 27:11-12)

I believe that the scriptures which reference that we are judged according to our works, can be misunderstood. Let me illustrate by asking a question: Do you want God to be fair with you when you are brought to stand before Him to be judged of your works? Most of us, without thinking, would probably say yes. But if you really think about it, the last thing we should want is God's justice, but rather we should want His mercy. So the question becomes: How do we obtain the mercy of God? And understand that it is an either/or: You either receive the Justice of God or His Mercy.

Christ said "my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil--And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works" (3 Nephi 27:14-15 emphasis added).

This seems very straight forward and most of us would think that we better have some good works to be judged by. But we must understand that we never want to be judged by our works, since we have all sinned and have all fallen short of the glory of God.

Christ goes on to tell us how to avoid the judgment of God. "And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold him will I hold guiltless before my father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world" (3 Nephi 27:16 emphasis added).

Through the plan of redemption we have been granted the gift of repentance "which repentance mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature" (Alma 42:22).

Abraham understood the difference between being righteous and being a follower of righteousness, and it was because of his knowledge of God that he knew he could not be righteous, because he knew that only  God is righteous. Abrham recognized that his father and others had "turned from their righteousness" unto the worshiping of false gods because they had "turned their hearts" away from righteousness and towards evil (Abraham 1:5-7).

Our attempts to establish our own righteousness will always fall short. Only God is righteous, full of grace and truth, and we repent by turning to Him and folloiwng Him because He is righteous. It is Christ who changes us from our lost and fallen state to a state of righteousness, not us. We cannot be saved by living better lives, or relying on our obedience, but only by 'relying wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save.'

Think about what the Mormon concept of obedience says--do this, do that, be this, be that.

Now think about what He asks us to do, the one thing we can do, and that is to repent. It is, as Lamoni and his Father said "all we can do to repent" (Alma 22:11), which links to Nephi's statement that "we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23 emphasis added).

And we can ask the question as it relates to the Mormon concept of obedience--have we done all that we can do? And a related question--have we obeyed every point of the law? No and no way! But we can obey His command to repent. 

As Abinadi said, Christ stands betwixt us and Justice (Mosiah 15:9).