Measures of Excellence: Hope and The Way

I was so excited to write to you this week that I started this post late Saturday night. It revolves around two scriptures in Ether chapter 12. They describe two measures of excellence, and how we might acheive them.

But before I delve into these scriptures, I would like to establish the definition of 'levels of obedience,', as knowledge of them will prove useful in this week's discussion. There are three levels, which can be better described as motivators to obey laws. We will obviously apply these to God's laws, but I believe they may be applied universally to all laws to which we are subject. The most basic level is fear. This means that when faced with the decision to obey or not, we are compelled to obey out of fear of punishment, be it by authority (e.g., sticking to the speed limit when you see a police car on the side of the road), peers (e.g., I will do my home teaching to not get an earful from the rest of the over-achieving Elders' Quorum), or coinciding natural laws (I won't go cliff diving in fear of gravity's effects on my body).

The second form of motivation is a sense of duty. This can be considered more refined than fear, and worthy of more outward respect and inward dignity. An example of obeying out of a sense of duty is a missionary who serves a mission because he knows that it is what he is supposed to do. He doesn't necessarily know why he does it, but he knows that if he does, he will fulfill the expectations of others. This social desirability is also manifest in fear-based obedience, but here we see a desire to make others happy, as opposed to a desire to avoid punishment. Obedience out of a sense of duty may also be referred to as "blind faith."

The final and most noble of the three forms of motivation is love. This means that the person obeys because he/she loves the law, understanding completely why it was enacted, and what personal gain may come from its obedience. This is different than duty because the person looks into the future, and analyzes his/her own life, irrespective of external forces. This is the highest form of obedience, and we should all seek to obey in this manner. Being able to so requires study of the law, that we may with empathy understand the lawgiver.


The First Measure of Excellence

"And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. " (Ether 12:32)

The first measure of excellence, as shown in the above verse, is hope. As we know, hope may be measured in brightness (2 Nephi 31:20), which is the level to which the Spirit enlightens one's understanding of principles in which one already has faith (see "Brightness of Hope--A Conceptualization"). So, a "more excellent hope" is something greater, something brighter. In the above scripture Moroni is declaring the epiphany that man can only hope, but that it is made brighter (to borrow the words of his ancestor, Nephi) when it is hope in living one day in that house which has been prepared for us. We must hope, because we cannot of ourselves inherit those mansions, being imperfect beings. Moroni understood that Christ had atoned for the sins of the world, and without concerted effort to apply that gift, we are hopeless.

The Second Measure of Excellence

Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled. (Ether 12:11)

The second measure of excellence is much like the first. It is the way. If we read in John 14:6, we know that Jesus Christ is this "way." The more excellent way is the Law of Christ, which stands to fulfill the exigencies of the Mosaic Law, as noted above by Moroni. The prophet also says that it is in this new law that we must have faith, because as Christ himself laid down his life in fulfillment of the old law, he is now the one to whom we answer. It is in Him that we must have faith, and we must follow His precepts. This is the more excellent way because it requires more of us, but it also grants us greater hope to obtain our eternal inheritance. So, we see that the more excellent hope is in the more excellent way. Therefore, Christ is the ultimate measure of excellence. Let us strive to be excellent.

Conclusion

Now, how does all this apply to the three levels of obedience? Tony Scalzo, a popular musician in the 1990s and early 2000s, likely unwittingly gave insight to this subject, penning the lyric "Where were they going without ever knowing the way?" We may not be saved in ignorance, so it behooves us to study the law, and to study the lawgiver. If we do not truly know "the way," then we will see the winding road, perhaps not knowing the majesty that awaits us if we but endure. When we gain empathy for the law and the lawgiver, we are enabled to obey with that highest form of motivation, which is love for God the Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ. We won't obey because we fear not being good enough, and we won't obey because it will appease others. We will obey because we love and trust the One who commands. Being able to truly do this may take a lifetime; however, I believe that obedience in this manner is worth a life of toil and strife. May we always remember that difficulty is necessary, but we become excellent when we seek the Savior and the Atonement as the ultimate coping mechanism. I know this to be true.

Have a great week!