I have charity for my
people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his
judgment–seat.
I have charity for the
Jew - I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.
I also have charity
for the Gentiles. But behold, for none
of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into
the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue
in the path until the end of the day of probation.
Nephi tells us he has “charity for my people and great faith
in Christ” (2 Nephi 33:7). Charity is a
powerful word. It comes from mid-12c.,
"benevolence for the poor," from Old
French charité "(Christian) charity, mercy, compassion; alms;
charitable foundation" (12c., Old North French carité), from
Latin caritatem (nominative caritas) "costliness, esteem,
affection.”[1] Mormon defines charity as “the pure love of
Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:47).
Nephi has charity for the Jew. That’s from where he came.
“Lehi's flight from Jerusalem was more than an escape; it
was a conscious and deliberate renunciation of a whole way of life: ‘I have
charity for the Jew,’ Nephi announces, ‘I say Jew, because I mean them from
whence I came’ (2 Nephi 33:8); yet he will not teach his people the ways of the
Jews as he knows them…”[2]
“To [Nephi], Jews are those descended from the inhabitants
of the kingdom of Judah at the time Lehi left Jerusalem, regardless of whether
individuals might have had ancestors not of the tribe of Judah (see 2
Nephi 33:8). In terms of this very generalized definition, even one who
happened to be descended from one of the ten tribes but who lived around
Jerusalem in 600 B.C. would be called a Jew (see 2 Nephi 25:6, 14-15 and 33:8).
So in this framework, the Lehite colony – whether Nephite or ‘Mulekite” – is a
subcategory of the Jews.”[3]
This life is a probationary period. We face temptations and challenges in our
life. These trials allow us to prove
ourselves worth of returning into the presence of God. Nephi tells us that we must “enter into the
narrow gate and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in
the path until the end of the day of probation” (2 Nephi 33:9).
Nephi makes the important point that we must follow the path
until our probation ends. It ends with
our physical death and our return to our Father in Heaven. The Lord is there for us every day of our
life. He is encouraging us to follow His
commandments; His ultimate goal is for all of us to make the correct choices
during our lifetimes. If we fail, it
will be in spite of everything the Lord has done for us.
The Lord revealed His words to Joseph Smith: “For strait is the gate, and narrow the way
that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there
be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me”
(D&C 132:22).
“To imagine the wicked as already gathered at one
pole, and all the righteous at another is to reject the whole plan of
probation; it renders the gospel of repentance null and void, the wicked beyond
repentance, the righteous not needing it; whereas God keeps the door open to
both as long as they are in this time of testing. This life is ‘a probationary
time, a time to repent and serve God’ (Alma 42:4). Nay, the life of man is
lengthened long beyond his prime to give him the full benefit of the doubt: ‘And
we see that death comes upon mankind; ... nevertheless there was a space
granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a
probationary state’ (Alma 12:24). The door is left open, says Nephi, ‘until the
end of the day of probation’ (2 Nephi 33:9).”
[1]
Online Etymology Dictionary, charity.
[2]
The Flight into the Wilderness, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute
[3]
The Gathering of Israel in the Book of Mormon: A Consistent Pattern, Robert L.
Millet, Maxwell Institute.
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