A More Excellent Way

After discussing the need for roles and spiritual gifts to be diversified among the members of the Church of Christ, Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:27-31).  Clearly he was suggesting that all do not have all the gifts or all the same responsibilities of service—some are apostles, others are teachers; some speak in tongues and others interpret; some have the gifts of healing and others work miracles.  So we should not expect to have all the gifts of the spirit, and yet he also encouraged us to seek more gifts of the spirit: “Covet earnestly the best gifts.”  In other words, we should seek after more spiritual gifts than we have and earnestly try to develop them. 

And yet, Paul then suggested that there “is a more excellent way.”  A more excellent way to what?  In context, it seems to be that he’s saying there is an even better way to develop spiritual gifts than earnestly seeking after them.  That way he then described in the next chapter:  to have charity as he outlined in 1  Corinthians 13.  To have charity is not only the ultimate spiritual gift to have, but I believe Paul is also saying that it is also the ultimate way to develop spiritual gifts.  The reason, he argued, is that without charity any other gift is hollow and of no lasting value.  To prophecy but not have charity, we are nothing; to speak with the tongue of angels but not have charity, we are nothing; to serve but not have charity, we are nothing.  For any other spiritual gift to have value we must have charity, and so it is the foundation of them all.  Without charity, then any use of spiritual gifts becomes a selfish act that negates its value.  Charity must become the motivating force to develop spiritual gifts in the first place.  We should want to prophecy because we love others and earnestly desire to prepare them for the future; we should want to speak in tongues because of our love for those we can teach in their own language; we should want to do miracles only out of love to bless Heavenly Father’s children; we should desire the gift of healing only because we yearn to help and heal those in need.  Our “more excellent way” to develop any spiritual gift is to first work on developing the pure love of Christ, the virtue upon which all of His miraculous manifestations in mortality were based.

  Interestingly, Moroni also used the phrase “a more excellent way” but in a different context.  He wrote, “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).  He was not speaking of spiritual gifts or charity (though he would write of both later), but rather of faith.  He seems to have been saying that the law of Moses was one avenue to help people develop faith, but in the Son of God is a more excellent way to develop faith.  Christ and His gospel is the more excellent way to developing faith as opposed to following the strict requirements of a law.  The children of Israel struggled significantly to develop faith as they became so steeped in the physical requirements of the law of Moses that they couldn’t see Him as the Giver of the law.  When the Savior fulfilled the law He changed their focus to be on Him, saying, “I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live” (3 Nephi 15:9).  He is the way to faith and the Being in whom we have faith; His is the more excellent way to face all difficulties: have faith in Christ.  Putting Paul’s and Moroni’s teachings together then, I think we see the best way to approach any problem or struggle or challenge in life, underscoring all our actions with charity and exercising faith in Jesus Christ.  To have the pure love of Christ for others and to have perfect faith in Christ is indeed the more excellent way to live in mortality.