The Works of Men

In 3 Nephi 27 we read of three kinds of “works” that we might do.  Speaking of a church and what foundations they are built upon, the Savior said, “If it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down” (3 Nephi 27:11).  That verse contains two of the kinds of works mentioned by the Savior: works of men and works of the devil.  Later after describing His gospel the Savior told the disciples, “Ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do” (3 Nephi 27:21).  So the third type of works that we might do is the works of Christ. 

What particularly interests me about this is the description of works that are not of the devil or of Christ: they are simply the works of men.  I think that much of our life is spent doing the works of men with a goal of trying to perform the works of Christ whenever we can.  As we work or do other standard activities needed to simply live, we are doing the works of men, those common to man.  They are not bad, but they are not the most important type of work that we do.  I don’t think that Christ’s reference to the works of men was meant to suggest that we are in any way at fault for performing them.  God had said in the beginning that we are to work “by the sweat of [our] face” we would obtain the necessities of life.  In fact, the Lord even condemned those who are not willing to perform these necessary works of men: “He that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer” (D&C 42:42).  I think that what the Savior taught in 3^rd Nephi 27 was simply that the works of men should not be mistaken for the works of Christ.

                I don’t think that I do a lot of the works of the devil; but do I really focus on the works of Christ or simply fill my days with the works of man?  The works of Christ that we are to participate in can be summarized using two verses: “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” and “to keep [the] commandments, yea, with all [our] might, mind, and strength (Moses 1:39, D&C 11:20).  If our lives do not include those things, and are filled simply with the common works of man, then we are missing the weightier matters that God want of us.