August 21-27

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In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about doctrine and principles of the gospel in the form of advice. We are used to different learning formats for the gospel such as discussion, lecture, and reading. It is interesting to think that these particular doctrines came because Paul needed some real life changes to occur amongst the Corinthians. This is one of the things he shares:

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

In these verses, Paul tells the Corinthians that he wants to share more doctrine with them but cannot. Even if he were to give them meat, they wouldn’t be able to digest it. They fight amongst themselves and pick favorite missionaries; chapter 3 goes on to tell us that they’re dividing themselves according to which missionary baptized them. This alone makes it very clear that they’re barely digesting the milk they’ve been given. I’m not sure Paul was angry with them for not getting it together so much as he was discouraged at how far they had to go. Paul, who had seen Christ and experienced His doctrine on profound levels, knew what these people were missing. He knew that their agency (or in the very least, their ignorance) was keeping them from experiencing what heaven was supposed to feel like. He knew that to an extent, these people were still living as though there had been no atonement made. Their disunity and strife were keeping them from experiencing some pretty sublime joys.

How do we sometimes mimic the Corinthians?

Staying in hell

I want to highlight what Paul was feeling so that we can better understand what we’re working towards.

Paul had a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When trials came, he saw eternity and what would be his. He knew what mortal life was about and how temporary it was. He knew that everything would work to his good if he stayed faithful to Christ. Paul felt heaven around him even in this fallen world. He knew what it meant to have Christ as a companion. He knew the peace and happiness that came with experiencing the sacrifice of Christ. He was living up to his privilege as a divine son of God and follower of Christ, and there wasn’t a force on earth that could rob him of those privileges. 

But even as Paul walked in, recognized, and basked in the light, he had to simultaneously watch those around him live in darkness at noon-day. Paul knew what they were missing, and that was the discouraging part. The more light you receive and live in, the more you recognize how others are living without it when they don’t have to. It is the ultimate form of self-sabotage.

I watch it on a smaller scale around me. I look at my two oldest kids who are dead set on torturing each other right now. There have been days where they have played blissfully together, pretending and working together and experiencing friendship. Then there are other days where they wake up and can’t make it through breakfast without immense breakdowns. When I think about the fact that they could be having a good day playing together, it drives me up a wall. I think about the fact that if Evelyn could figure out the influence she has over Warner, they could be best friends and he would look up to her forever. There is a heaven in that kind of relationship. 

But alas, they are 3 and 5. They also have the bad example of a mom who loses her temper at them when they lose their temper with each other, but I promise I’m working on it. 

That may be a silly example, and I recognize that they will grow out of it. However, it’s still extremely frustrating to watch in the meantime. 

I wonder if Heavenly Father feels that way sometimes. I wonder if He looks at us and wishes we would simply open our eyes a little more and recognize Him with us. I wonder if He silently pleads with us to know that we are far more safe than we feel. I wonder if He sighs dramatically when we bicker with our brothers and sisters when we could be enjoying their companionship instead. He likely doesn’t sigh dramatically, but I wonder if He ever wants to.

So how do we reach the point of Paul? Perhaps we have grown up enough to recognize that being civil with your siblings is actually really fun, but what darkness are we walking in and how do we more fully face the light?

Knowledge

There are a myriad of ways that we can more fully experience the light and appreciate how Paul felt when he was writing the Corinthians, but I want to talk about two specific ways.

Paul lamented that he could only give them milk instead of meat; he was talking about learning and knowledge. Paul wanted them to be able to learn more doctrine. The prophet, Joseph Smith, taught, “A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge…” When I think of the word “saved,” I think of heaven. The more knowledge we gain, the more we experience heaven on a daily basis.

“Gaining” knowledge requires two steps. We have to appreciate and implement the knowledge we’ve been given, and then we have to actively seek more.

In the case of the Corinthians, this would mean reconciling and striving to create unity. I believe that the Lord gives consequences sometimes, but I wonder if He prefers to let natural consequences occur instead. Sometimes those consequences are positive. When we work for unity, we find all the blessings that come with being unified. We feel community, support, safety, and connection. The Lord doesn’t have to artificially bless us. He tells us how we can create heaven naturally around us. 

And He has done this with us too. Perhaps we’re struggling like the Corinthians to have unity in our marriages, families, wards, and neighborhoods. Maybe it’s something else. Do you have any areas in your life in which you feel unsatisfied? Are there any regular times in which you feel angry or annoyed? Sometimes there are logical answers for these questions. If you had a death in the family or if you’re experiencing mental illness, then there will be some negative emotions. But in other cases, we can potentially find gospel principles we already know and apply them in order to banish those negative feelings. This is not always the case; sometimes our pain comes externally, but it’s worth examining how you feel to see if there is a way that you can utilize the knowledge you have to be more “saved.”

The second step to gaining knowledge is to seek more knowledge. Sometimes I think we believe this means going and reading some deep book by an apostle about the gospel. Maybe we feel like we’ve learned the gospel principles so much that there can’t possibly be any other angle we can explore it. I know how that feels; I’ve been there. But seeking gospel knowledge isn’t the same as seeking secular knowledge. You don’t go find a book to learn some new facts; it’s more of a hands-on kind of learning. It means that you already know all the facts about faith, but have you experienced faith in all of its power? Do you know in your heart that you can command sickness, trees, and waves? Seeking gospel knowledge sometimes simply means internalizing it more thoroughly. I have read plenty about faith, but it wasn’t until I started exercising it consciously and on purpose that I was able to really learn about faith.

I know we have a Savior above who wants to give us knowledge as quickly as we are prepared for it. Sometimes we may feel at a loss for who to seek it. Luckily, you don’t even have to know the “seeking process” in order to be successful. You can literally pray for help to know, and the Lord will help you with every step. I know the Savior doesn’t ask us to study the gospel for funsies; it’s because He knows better than anyone what perfect knowledge does for a life.