Laying Down of Contentions

Last week in general conference President Oaks invited us to follow the Savior by getting rid of contention. He said, “It is significant that among the first principles Jesus taught when He appeared to the Nephites was to avoid contention. While He taught this in the context of disputes over religious doctrine, the reasons He gave clearly apply to communications and relationships in politics, public policy, and family relationships. Jesus taught: ‘He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.’” President Oaks suggested that invitation to avoid contention was related to another well-known invitation from the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). That is how we avoid contention—through love, even of our enemies. President Oaks continued, “Here is another fundamental teaching by Him who is our role model: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ Peacemakers! How it would change personal relationships if followers of Christ would forgo harsh and hurtful words in all their communications.” To be a peacemaker is indeed the antidote for the contention that is around us. He concluded his message in these words: “As followers of Christ, we teach and testify of Jesus Christ, our Perfect Role Model. So let us follow Him by forgoing contention. As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior, in whose holy name I testify and invoke His blessing to help us be Saints.” We cannot truly follow the Savior if we are encouraging contention through our words and actions. To be holy like Him we must learn to be peacemakers.

               When Joseph in Egypt saw our day, he suggested that the Book of Mormon and Bible would be joined together to establish peace. He recorded these words of the Lord to him: “Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins” (2 Nephi 3:12). This suggests that one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon and Bible is to get rid of contention. This verse was probably speaking specifically about how the two scriptural texts would together firmly establish the doctrine of Christ so that there could be no disagreement about points of His doctrine. But I think we can also interpret it in a more general way that these books of scriptures teach us about avoiding contention, and sincerely reading them will help us in our own personal lives to do so.

In addition to the Savior’s invitation in 3 Nephi 11, many other passages in the Book of Mormon invite us to avoid contention. For example, King Benjamin encouraged his people in these words: “But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul” (Mosiah 2:32-33). That is a serious consequence of obeying the spirit of contention: we drink damnation to our souls. After Alma converted many of the people of King Noah to the words of Abinadi, he also encouraged them to avoid contention: “And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21). Later as they established the city of Helam, “Alma [did] teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them” (Alma 23:15). The story of the people of Nephi after the Savior’s visit among them shows us what life could be like without contention: “There were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another…. And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus…. And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:2, 13, 15). To be filled with the love of God will rid our lives of contention.

               In addition to the Savior’s teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, other passages in the Bible also invite us to avoid contention. Paul wrote to Timothy, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Instead of striving to be right and to contend with others, we must seek to be gentle and patient. He also said to Titus, “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain” (Titus 3:9). In another letter, Paul spoke of how “some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel” (Philippians 1:15-17). We must not preach Christ through envy and strife or with contention; rather, we are to preach Christ through love and good will. Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon urge us to rid our lives of contention. To follow the Savior and His modern prophets, we must, as President Nelson urged us, “choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”