Gospel Principles
Unit 7: Perfecting Our Lives
Chapter 30: Charity
Comments and Resources

'The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God.  A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4:227.)

During our study of this topic, we will learn how the prophets have defined charity, how we attain it, and why we are nothing without it.

Resources
Gospel Principles, chapter 30.

Scriptures :
Mosiah 4 King Benjamin continues his address Salvation comes because of the atonement Believe in God to be saved Retain a remission of your sins through faithfulness Impart of your substance to the poor Do all things in wisdom and order. About 124 B.C. 

Ether 12:28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me the fountain of all righteousness. 

Moroni 7:41-48
  41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. 
  42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. 
  43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. 
  44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. 
  45 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. 
  46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail 
  47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 
  48 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; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. 

D&C 12:7-9
  7 Behold, I speak unto you, and also to all those who have desires to bring forth and establish this work; 
  8 And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care. 
  9 Behold, I am the light and the life of the world, that speak these words, therefore give heed with your might, and then you are called. Amen. 

Matthew 25:31-46
  31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 
  32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 
  33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 
  34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 
  35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 
  36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 
  37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 
  38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 
  39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 
  40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 
  41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 
  42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
  43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
  44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
  45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 
  46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

Luke 10:29-42
  29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 
  30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
  31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 
  32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 
  33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
  34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 
  35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 
  36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 
  37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 
  38  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 
  39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus feet, and heard his word. 
  40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 
  41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 
  42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. 

John 15:12-19
  12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 
  13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 
  14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
  15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 
  16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 
  17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. 
  18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 
  19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 

1 Corinthians 13   Paul extols the high status of charity Charity, a pure love, excels and exceeds almost all else. 

1 John 4:8-21
  8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 
  9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 
  10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 
  11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 
  12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 
  13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 
  14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 
  15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 
  16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 
  17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 
  18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 
  19 We love him, because he first loved us. 
  20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 
  21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 


Articles of Faith 1:13  We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. 



Topical Guide:
              Benevolence
              Charity
              Compassion
              Family, Love within
              God, Love of
              God, Mercy of
              Love
              Mercy, Merciful
              Selfishness

			   
Bible Dictionary:
                 Almsgiving
                 Charity'
 

 

Concept 1: Introduction

'The life of the Savior reflects his pure love for all people.  He even gave his life for us.  Charity is that pure love which our Savior Jesus Christ has.  He has commanded us to love one another as he loves us.  The Scriptures  tell us that charity is felt within the heart.  We have pure love when, from the heart, we show genuine concern and compassion for all our brothers and sisters.  
(1 John 3:16-24 "16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he has laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  
17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  
18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.  
19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.  
20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.  
21.  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.  
22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.  
23. And this is his commandment,  That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.  
24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him.  And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.")

Discussion

What is Charity?'


Concept 2: Charity Is the Greatest of All Virtues

'The prophet Moroni tells us, "Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail - but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever" (Moroni 7:46-47).

The Savior gave us the example of his life to follow.  He was a perfect man.  He had perfect love, and he showed us how we must love.  By his example, he showed us that the spiritual and physical needs of our fellowmen are as important as our own.  Before he gave his life for us, he said:

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"  (John 15:12-13).

Speaking to the Lord, Moroni said:

"I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world....

"And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they can not inherit that place which thou has prepared in the mansions of thy father".  (Ether 12:33-34).

It may not be necessary for us to give our lives as the Savior did.  But we can have charity if we make him the center of our lives and follow his example and teachings.  Like the Savior, we too can bless the lives of our brothers and sisters here on earth.

Discussion

Why is charity the greatest of all virtues?
Why is it so important that we develop this virtue?'


Concept 3: Charity Includes Giving to the Sick, Afflicted, and Poor

'The Savior gave us many teachings in the form of stories or parables.  The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us that we should give to those in need, regardless of whether they are our friends or not (see Luke 10:30-37  see also James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, pp. 440-432).   In the parable, the Savior said that man was traveling to another city.  On the road he was attacked by bandits.  They stole his clothes and money and beat him, leaving him half dead.  A priest came along, saw him and passed him by.  Then a temple attendant walked over, looked at him and went on.  However, a Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, came along, and when he saw the man he felt compassion.  Kneeling beside him, the good Samaritan bandaged his wounds and took him on a donkey to an inn.  He paid the innkeeper to take of the man until he recovered.

Jesus taught that we should give food to the hungry, shelter to those who have none, and clothes to the poor.  When we visit the sick and those who are in prison, it is as if we were doing these things to him instead.  He promises that as we do these things, we will inherit his kingdom.  (Matthew 25:34-46 
" 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 
  35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 
  36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 
  37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 
  38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 
  39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 
  40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 
  41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 
  42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
  43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
  44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
  45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 
  46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal").

We should not try to decide whether someone really deserves our help or not (Mosiah 4:16-26
" 16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. 
  17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just 
  18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. 
  19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? 
  20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with cjoy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy. 
  21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. 
  22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done. 
  23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world. 
  24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. 
  25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. 
  26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.").

President Harold B. Lee reminded us that there are those who need more than material goods:  "It is well to remember that there are broken hearts and wounded souls among us that need tender care of a brother who has an understanding heart and is kind"  (Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 228).

Discussion

Read the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
  30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
  31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 
  32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 
  33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
  34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 
  35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 
  36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 
  37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 

What were the attitudes of those who passed the injured man and of the Samaritan who cared for him?'



Concept 4: Charity Comes from the Heart

'Even when we give to those in need, unless we feel compassion for them we do not have charity (1 John 3:16-17 "16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  
17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?").  The Apostle Paul taught that when we have charity we are filled with good feelings for all people.  We are patient and kind.  We are not boastful or proud, selfish or rude.  When we have charity we do not remember or rejoice in the evil others have done.  Neither do we do good things just because it is to our advantage.  Instead, we share the joy of those who live by truth.  When we have charity we are loyal, we believe the best of others, and we defend them.  When we really have charity these good feelings stay with us forever (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 
"4. Charity sufferth long, and is kind: charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.  
5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth; 
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, 
8. Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.").

The Savior was our example of how to feel toward and treat others.  He despised wickedness, but he loves sinners in spite of their sins.  He had compassion for children, the elderly, the poor, and the needy.  He had such great love that he could beg our Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who drove the nails into his hands and feet.  (Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.").  He taught us that if we do not forgive others, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us (Matthew 18:33-35 
"33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?  
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  
35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.). 
 He said: "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.... For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?"  (Matthew 5:44, 46).  We must learn to feel toward others as Jesus did.

Discussion

Moroni 7:45 "And charity sufferth 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."

What attitudes show that we have charity?
How can we love people in spite of their sins and faults?'



Concept 5: How Can We Become Charitable?

'One way we can become charitable is by studying the life of Jesus Christ and keeping his commandments.  We can study what he did in certain situations and do the same things when we are in the same kinds of situations.

Second, when we have uncharitable feelings, we can pray to have them taken away.  Moroni urges us, "Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love [charity], which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ" (Moroni 7:48).

Third, we can learn to love ourselves.  The Savior taught that we must love others as we love ourselves  (Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.").  To love ourselves, we must respect and trust ourselves.  This means that we must be obedient to the principles of the gospel.  We must repent of any wrong doings.  We must forgive ourselves when we have repented.  We will come to love ourselves only when we can feel the deep, comforting assurance that the Savior truly loves us.

Fourth, as we love ourselves, our love for others will increase.  We will not think we are better than other people.  We will have patience with their faults.  Joseph Smith said, "The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs"  (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 241).

In the Book of Mormon we read of Enos a young man who wanted to know that his sins had been forgiven.  He tells us"

"My soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all day long did I still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

"And there came a voice unto me, saying" Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed."  (Enos 1:4-5).

The Lord explained to Enos that because of his faith in Christ his sins had been forgiven.  When Enos heard these words he no longer was concerned for himself.  He knew the Lord loved him and would bless him.  He begin instead to feel concern for the welfare of his friends and relatives, the Nephites.  He poured out his whole soul unto God for them.  The Lord answered and said they would be blessed according to their faithfulness in keeping the commandments that they had already been given.  Enos's love increased even further after these words, and he prayed with many long struggles for the Lamanites, who were the enemies of the Nephites.  The Lord granted his desires, and he spent the rest of his live trying to save the souls of the Nephites and the Lamanites.

Enos was so grateful for the Lord's love and forgiveness that he willingly spent the rest of his life helping others receive this same gift.  (See Enos 1:7-23. <http://Scriptures.lds.org/en/enos/1/7-23#7> )  Enos had become truly charitable.  We too can do so.  In fact, we must do so to inherit the place that has been prepared for us in our Father's kingdom.

Discussion

Moroni 8:25-26  
"25. And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins; 
 26. And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God."

2 Peter 1:5-7  
"5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 
 6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  
 7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity"

What can we do to become charitable?

Additional Scriptures 

Colossians 3:12-14 (Charity is the bond of perfectness)
 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 
 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 
 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 

Alma 34:28  (prayers are not answered unless we act charitably)
  28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith. 


1 Corinthians 12:29-13:3 (charity is greater than any spiritual gift)
 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 
 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 
 31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 
 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 
 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 


D&C 121:45-46 (charity is necessary to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost)
  45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. 
  46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.'



-----------------
Moroni 10:4-5
"4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Subscribe to the Discussion list and talk about Gospel Principles and related topics: mailto:GPDiscussion-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
 URL to the page: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GPDiscussion>

Invite a friend to join the Gospel Principles Weekly Lessons List.
<http://scottsworld.info/gp.htm>

Read the Gospel Principles on the Web at www.lds.org
<http://www.lds.org/library/gos_pri/gos_pri.html>

The Plan of Salvation
<http://salvation.scottsworld.info/theplans.htm>

Questions Answered By The Book of Mormon
<http://salvation.scottsworld.info/qabommf.htm>

------------------------------------------------------------
You can manage your subscription to this mailing list at:

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gospel_Principles>

Gospel Principles List Unsubscribe: mailto:Gospel_Principles-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Gospel Principles List Subscribe: mailto:Gospel_Principles-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

List Home Page: <http://scottsworld.info/gp.htm>
List Owner: Scott Scheibe
mailto:dsscheibe@earthlink.net
List: Gospel Principles Lesson
-------------------------------------------------------------











