Living The Higher law

As missionaries, we receive a lot of questions about Christianity and especially about our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Mormon.org) as we have been out and about in our missionary service, we got a text from a good friend who wanted our opinion. He asked us what our thought were about the following:

"Jesus taught, 'Love God with all your heart, might, mind, and strength; And love your neighbor as yourself." (Mathew 22:37-39) Why is it that Christians are so unwilling to abide by these simple principles? They delight in violence, they hate their neighbor in throwing out the immigrant, and grind the face of the poor. What's worse is that they hold to these things as theological principles! The whole religion is riddled with hypocrisy! For believers in a religion that is supposed to teach compassion, it's application is completely barbaric! 

So I have three thoughts on this subject: that most people are only Christian in name, that Christianity does not inherently follow any political platform, and that no Christian is truly perfect. A true Christian is willing to live according to the sermon on the mount (Mathew 5) where Jesus gives the higher law. Let us examine these different points in greater detail:

Firstly, not all Christians are "christian." It's become more of an inherited title for most people; past down from their more devout ancestors. So when he accuses them for not living their religion, well, they were never truly religious in the first place. You can call a person a student, but if he doesn't go to school and avoids learning a all costs, then perhaps you need a better adjective. In a like manner, most Christians should really be called Christian-ish. 

The church is politically neutral, so none of this is meant to reflect the political stance of the church, but I would also point out that the authors morality is clearly based on his political affiliations. We could have a separate conversation (when I am not acting as a missionary) about whether gun ownership is Christian or not. In a weird sort of way he seems to be suggesting that Christianity is incompatible with many political platforms. For the sake of this article however, we will leave politics out of it. 

And ultimately, we all fall short of our lofty ideals. No Christian can be as Christian as Christ himself. Only he lived a perfect life and that fact is what makes him our divine redeemer. Whether you are Christian or not, how many times have you brushed off somebody's plea for help or mercy? Once is too many to be perfect. Nevertheless, we must all reach for that goodness, that purity of character. 

What is the ideal that we strive for? It is to live up to that higher law given by Jesus in the New Testament. It is to "...resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, 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."

It is faithfully and diligently living up to this new law that gives a Christian his name. In fact the next part of Christ's proclamation confirms this: "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?" Jesus then summed up his sermon with this last mandate, one that he knew that we were going to break. He said: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Mathew 5:39-48) 

How interesting his last impossible request is. How interesting indeed. Him clearly knowing that we would fail, yet requiring it anyways. If that is the standard, none of us are Christian. And thus did Christ suffer for the sins of us all, through his atoning sacrifice. That through Faith, Repentance, and Baptism, we might be able to truly be called the children of God, truly be saints, truly be Christian.