Charity - The Pure Love of Christ

I am sure that all of you, at some point in your life, have loved someone very deeply. If not, than sometime in your life you surely will. God intends for us to be happy. And love is one of the greatest components of happiness.

I have the opportunity today to speak about “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love.” It is also known as: Charity-The pure love of Christ. (*1)

The meaning of charity has been slightly construed in this world now. You hear poor, proud, suffering people say things like, “I don’t want to be a charity case,” or “I don’t accept charity from anyone.”

But Charity is never defined as the ‘doing of alms, or deeds, or benevolence.’ The LDS Bible dictionary says only that those may be a prompting motive. Charity is, simply, the strongest love there is, and who doesn’t want to be loved? (*2)

LDS.org states that: “Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul.” (*3)

Charity is a pure love. Not spot, no defilement, no ulterior motives, no lust, no fanciful imaginations of the heart. It is not simply affection. It is the Pure Love of Christ. As such, I don’t really believe that any of us can fully comprehend it. It is a perfect love that caused a perfect man to suffer for our sins and die for us. John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Charity and love are something that has to be worked towards. Not something that just happens automatically inside of us. As we strive to better ourselves and become like Christ, Charity is a key component. Charity is a love of all people. Not just those you like, or those you always get along with perfectly. And not just those who love you back. Love for all, including your enemies, is the higher law of the kingdom. To care for those who are happy and confident and smart and beautiful is an easy task. There is no hardship in it. And it does not make us any better. Perfect love sees past flaws, it sees past hardships, it sees past anger, and sadness, and hurt.

In a talk by President Uchtdorf entitled, “Lift where you Stand,” he said, “When we seek to serve others, we are motivated not by selfishness, but by charity. This is the way Jesus Christ lived His life and the way a holder of the priesthood must live his. The Savior did not care for the honors of men; Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and glory of the world, and Jesus rejected the offer immediately and completely. Throughout His life, the Savior must have often felt tired and pressed upon, with scarcely a moment to Himself; yet He always made time for the sick, the sorrowful, and the overlooked.” (*4)

We are commanded to love all of God’s children.

In Matt 22:36-40, there is a story of a lawyer asking Jesus a question. And it reads:

Jesus knew that if we could just learn to love everyone perfectly, then there would be no sin left in us. Sin cannot dwell in a charitable heart. It is impossible for the two to coexist together. A heart of gold cannot feel the effects of sin and darkness, and a filthy heart cannot feel the sweetness of love for other people.

"As the love of Christ, charity is characterized as selfless and self-sacrificing (1 Cor. 13:5), emanating from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned (1 Tim. 1:5). Thus, more than an act, charity is an attitude, a state of heart and mind (1 Cor. 13:4-7) that accompanies one's works and is proffered unconditionally (D&C 121:45)." (*5)

Love is what causes a good dad to give up his time for his kids; it causes a young lady to prepare a meal for a poor neighbor. Love can be great, or it can be small. The greatest of all love is charity. Charity causes people to do things more for another person’s benefit, even at, sometimes, tremendous costs to them. Examples include things like: serving in the military to defend your country, your people, and your freedoms, giving up two years of your life to serve a mission to people you have never even seen before, and deciding to become a mother or father and raise a family. 

What reason can these people give for doing those kinds of things? Not simply because they wanted to or because they felt like it. There was something much more there, a stronger kind of power. There is absolutely no selfishness. There is only a charitable heart in a loving person who thinks more for others than for themselves.

Now, as I was preparing this article, I kept coming across the phrase that many sources use to define charity. And that is: “Pure or Perfect Love.” As I thought about that, another scripture came to mind, and it is 1^st John 4:18. It states, “Perfect Love casteth out fear.”

If your heart is filled with Perfect Love, which is Charity, than you will not fear. You won’t fear to do good, you won’t fear to sacrifice your time for others. And, if your heart and your life are full of charity, you won’t even fear death or the judgment bar of God. For how could death even matter in the slightest when you have lived a good life, hand-in-hand with Christ? You won’t be scared. In fact, you will be joyous. And those you leave behind will be rejoicing as well, for they will know that you are not simply dead. They will understand that you have passed the ultimate test, and that your end will be glorious.

1 Corinthians 13: 8 and 13 state that out of Faith hope, and charity, the greatest is charity. And charity never faileth.

Elder Gene R. Cook stated that “Charity [is] a selflessness, not seeking for anything in return. All of our divine attributes seem to flow from and be encompassed by this one. All men may have the gift of love, but charity is bestowed only upon those who are true followers of Christ.” (*6)

Brothers and Sisters, this life is a test. It is the greatest test that we will ever have to face. Our trials come from our dealings with other people, and our dealings with ourselves, We have to learn how to control our temper at people, learn to love everyone around us, get along and work with difficult people, help those in need, be kind to those who are struggling, not strike back at others who treat us wrongly, and many other things.

If we were marooned on an island, it would be easy to pass all those tests, because there would be nobody else around besides yourself. That is why God put us all down here together. To learn from each other, to help each other to grow, to lend a helping hand to those in need, comfort those that need comforted, and strengthen those that are weak. That is Charity.

For what good are we without others? Without other people to serve and help? Everyone at some point in their life is going to need help. Even as an adult. What good are we without others? And what good are we if we choose to be selfish, unhelpful, unkind, self-centered people? We may as well be marooned on an island if we decide to only focus on ourselves instead of on others.

Charity and Love require open arms and an open heart. And it’s not just the receiver that gains. In all reality, the giver gains more. We cannot help another person without we, ourselves, becoming better. It is a natural law, that as we grow in love and good works, we will improve, we will become better, and we will grow close to God. Moroni told us that: “Except ye have Charity, ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God.”

Brothers and Sisters, Love is a great thing. Love for all mankind can be hard, but it will bring many great blessings and joys into your life. God loves us all, no matter what kinds of mistakes we make. If you fill your life with the pure Love of Christ, your days will be brighter and happier, and you will come to know and feel the love that Christ has for you as your serve Him by serving others. Life can be glorious and wonderful. 

But only if we choose it to be.

Sources:

*1:  https://www.lds.org/topics/charity?lang=eng

*2:  LDS Bible Dictionary: Charity

*3:  https://www.lds.org/topics/charity?lang=eng

*4:  Dieter F. Uchtdorf; "Lift Where You Stand", October 2008

*5:  Fuhriman, Addie; http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Charity

*6:  Cook, Gene R.; "Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love", April 2002