GPC30: Charity, Gospel Principles Comments and Resources 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 1command 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 Guide to the Scriptures:
                                             Charity
                                             Compassion
                                             Love
                                             Service
                                             Welfare
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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."

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