The Pure Love of Christ

One of my religion teachers in college once said, “I’m never ashamed to be called a Mormon because I know who Mormon was.” One of the ways in which Mormon was such an incredible man was the way that he loved his people despite their terrible wickedness. He said of the Nephites, “Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts” (Mormon 3:12). He had led them in battle, despite their wickedness, in a great show of love for them as he tried to do everything he could to help his people. Even when they had rejected the Savior and their lives were filled with sin, he still loved them and prayed for them with all his heart. Later after he had stopped leading them but then agreed again to take the command of their armies, he said, “They gave me command again of their armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions. But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them” (Mormon 5:1-2). So he lost faith and hope as it relates to their repentance and salvation, but he never lost his love for them. This is perhaps one reason he could teach that charity “is the greatest of all” and “all things must fail—but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46-47). Charity is stronger than even faith and hope. Mormon loved his people to the end in an almost superhuman display of love for a people who so little deserved that love.

                Other passages further show the love that Mormon had for all people. He wrote to his son, “I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation” (Moroni 8:16-17). In some miraculous way, despite the utter depravity of his people, he was filled with a perfect love for all of God’s children. His people had “lost their love” but he never did (Moroni 9:5). He taught the few disciples of the Savior in his day what it means to have charity: “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity” (Moroni 7:45-46). Surely that list of the attributes of charity indeed described him as he suffered long among his people, did not seek his own aggrandizement, rejoiced not in their iniquity but rejoiced in His Savior, and endured all things among them. His whole life was surely an invitation to do as he taught his people: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God” (Moroni 7:48).

As others call us Mormons, we should remember who Mormon was and the powerful love that filled his life despite the wickedness of the people he lived among. It is a reminder as well that among our family and friends and those we care most deeply about, we can really only do two things to help them in the long run: love them and invite them to come to the Savior so He can change them. Mormon knew that he could not change his people, but he still loved them and did all he could to invite them to come unto the Savior. His lament after their destruction summarized this: “O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!” (Mormon 6:17) Like Mormon, we must learn to love people for who they are, with all their bad habits and idiosyncrasies, all their sins and struggles, while at the same time seeking to point them to the Savior. In the end, it is only He who can change and fix and bless them.