The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. (2 Corinthians 8-13)

8:7

It is possible to consider ourselves righteous without any righteous action. There is a difference between inward and outward righteousness. Inward righteousness is about scripture study, prayer, and controlled thoughts. Outward righteousness is about obedience and service/giving aid to others. Paul is specifically speaking about giving. "Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also."

I am better at being inwardly righteous than outwardly. I have faith and love to study and gain knowledge. I'm pretty diligent about it. I'm slowly getting better at outwardly living the gospel. What I outwardly do is nothing remarkable. I'm not incredibly proactive in finding opportunities to serve. If a needs shows up in our path, we help. But, we don't really go searching for it.

I've written this before....the reason we pray and study and go to the temple and pay fast offerings is to get us to progress a little so that we can follow the second great commandment better. All of that self-strengthening is futile if it doesn't actually affect how we love and serve each other. If I spend three hours studying Come Follow Me and then get on the road and get angry with the first person who is in my way, I've missed the point.

I think Paul was suggesting the same thing to the Corinthians.

8:9

Jesus was the creator of the universe. He was already a member of the Godhead before he was born. He was the God of the Old Testament. In a spiritual sense, he had it all. He had progressed far beyond any of us. Yet, he gave it all up. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Jesus did not simply sit on his throne of righteousness. He got off of his throne and volunteered to go and live in the dirt. He was willing to give up his glorified position so that we could be raised up to his level. We were the ones in desperate need.

Paul is asking that the people of Corinth follow the example of the Savior and be willing to give to others who are in need. We can all be inspired by his sacrifice for us. In a real way, Christ's glory was meaningless to him if we couldn't share in it. We should view our time and personal wealth in the same way. If we don't use what we've been given to uplift others, what we have been given is meaningless.

8:15

The law of consecration is already in effect. We are supposed to be giving what we have for the building of the kingdom of God. As far as officially giving any surplus that we have to the church, we don't currently do that. But, it'll happen.

Imagine a world where no one is concerned about not being able to eat or drink or have shelter. If we could all simply focus on growing spiritually instead of fighting every day to earn money, we would all progress more quickly.

Paul cites this scripture, "As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." Those that have surplus, give. Those who have need, receive. This way, basic survival doesn't become an overwhelming distraction to committing our lives to Christ.

Have you ever tried to teach the gospel to someone who didn't have a job and no way to provide for themselves? I have. They often aren't in a position to elevate themselves. Their desperation is distracting. Once their livelihood is settled, they are now open to progressing spiritually.

In a perfect world, we are only concerned with those things that matter eternally.

9:7

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Who is blessed when a gift is given grudgingly? The receiver is blessed by the gift. But, what about the giver? Is he blessed? How does the gift elevate him?

Half of the purpose of giving is to purify and strengthen the giver. Giving time and money is a way of becoming selfless. I believe that becoming selfless is one of the key purposes of life. If we are attempting to become like Jesus, doing selfless acts is a big part of that.

However, if the gifts and selfless acts are given grudgingly, is that elevating the giver? Is that making them more selfless? Is there love for their fellow man growing? Are they becoming more Christlike? I think the answer is no.

In our world, the giving "grudgingly" is the same as giving out of duty or obedience or in a strategic effort to become more righteous. If I can progress to the point that I am giving simply out of love for my fellow man, I will know that I am on my way!

10:3-5

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Paul viewed this life as a war against evil. Disciples of Christ must act as if there is a real enemy. Understanding that we have an enemy will impact how we live this gospel.

In this war, Paul is:

• Knocking down strong holds of human-sourced wisdom that "contradicts" the gospel.

• Casting down every proud obstacle that prevents someone from coming to the Savior.

• Capturing every rebellious thought that points people away from Christ.

How do we fight this war today? We must stand for Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death.” (Mosiah 18:9.) We must be ready to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should each have a one-minute testimony that we can bear about the Savior and his church. We should also consider the criticisms about the church and how we could respond to someone who wants to talk about it.

We should be willing to call out evil or anything that may be a barrier between people and Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that we should create contention - but I am saying that, when asked, we should be prepared to speak truth clearly. This doesn't just happen. Verbalizing our thoughts, especially when it's a complicated subject, should be practiced. For example, what would you say if someone asks basic questions:

• What do you think happens when we die?

• What is the purpose of life?

• Why is your church true?

• What happens in your temples?

• Why do you have special underwear?

• Why do we need religion to get close to God?

Or, you might be asked to defend the church with controversial questions:

• Isn't your church homophobic?

• Why isn't your church Christian?

• Do you believe all other members of other religions are going to hell?

• Why don't you allow family members to attend weddings in your temple?

• Why is your church full of judgmental people?

We should at least think through what our responses will be to be ready to stand for Christ and his gospel. Again, we are in a war. Our current war is a war of words and we must be ready to speak.

There can be a war inside of each of us between righteous and wicked thoughts. Like Paul, we should be willing to cast out every rebellious thought. This also takes practice. How do you shift your brain from thinking an unrighteous thought? You'll have to find something that works for you.

10:12, 18

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." There is one standard that we could use to compare ourselves with - Jesus Christ. How close to Jesus Christ are we? How alike are we? How can I be more Christlike?

Often, people judge their greatness by comparing themselves to other humans. If I am better than the people on my street, I must be pretty awesome. If I am more valiant than the men in my Elder's quorum, I must be really valiant. Or, you may believe that you're the least valiant person in your Elder's quorum and it hurts your self-esteem. The point is that we shouldn't compare ourselves with others. It is by chance that we are with those who are stronger and those who are weaker. There's always someone stronger and weaker than you. Comparing yourself to your immediate circle of friends is dumb.

It's also prideful. Pride is about comparing. Pride is about having more and being more. Again, when we compare our progress to the standard set by the Savior, we can get an accurate measure of how we're doing.

It does sound like the people that Paul is talking about are an echo-chamber for each other. They are patting each other on the back saying how awesome they are. They are commending themselves. This is a bad situation when you get some group-think about how great your group is. You can get pretty off-track, pretty quickly.

"For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." We should skip commending ourselves and simply let God be the one to commend. God's standard of commendation is the only approval that matters.

11:3

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Those who are drawing people from the church are very subtle. I was talking to a friend who was describing his recent interaction with another friend. My friend said that this woman would subtly slip in questions or seemingly harmless criticisms of the church. She would do it with sincerity. She would giggle after each damning statement - as if in a way to make the harsh criticism seem more palatable.

Luckily, my friend saw this for what it is. He wasn't beguiled. But, conversations like this are happening a lot. There are a lot of people who are leaving the church who want others to join them. If others join them, then they must be right and the church is wrong.

Their wicked strategies are all very similar. They seek to complicate the truthfulness of the church by seeking out specific foilables or mistakes made by past and current church leaders. They attempt to find/invent problems with the Book of Mormon. They criticize how the church is handling money. They attempt to make things very complicated. In that complication, they can plant doubts in others.

Christ's gospel is simple. My testimony is very simple. I believe in Christ. I believe that as much as I believe the sun is in the sky. I've studied the Book of Mormon and believe it to be divinely protected and delivered to Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith didn't invent that book and didn't base it on some other book. It's from God. That means the church that was restored through him is true. I believe that this is still the Lord's church. If I am truly converted to the church, I will stay united with it. Simple.

No amount of misinformed quotes or old newspaper articles from New York or misbehavior by a local stake president is going to complicate my testimony. I'm not going to be swayed by the flaws in past prophets, ancient and latter-day. I fully understand that Christ works through imperfect men and women who make mistakes.

I do not believe that Jesus is sitting in weekly meetings with the Brethren telling them every step to take. That's not God's pattern. That violates the prime directive of coming to earth to be separate from God. I believe the prophet has tuned his hearing of the Spirit more than any other human. He is truly inspired. I believe that he has been given gifts that are reserved for the prophet of the church.

If we allow anyone to complicate our testimonies enough, it's possible that enough doubt can squirm through the smallest crack. My advice to anyone reading this is to focus on the simple foundation of your testimony. Don't let a random quote by someone 100 years ago influence you. Don't judge Joseph Smith's behavior 200 years later. We can't judge someone who is right in front of us! How do we judge from such distance?

The scripture "by their fruits ye shall know them" is also very simple. Look at what the church is and what it does. It is not like any other organization on earth. It is unique in the world. It is clearly divinely created and led.

12:7-10

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." We don't know what this thorn was but it was some kind of physical, spiritual, mental or emotional weakness. He appears to understand that this weakness prevents him from being "exalted beyond measure." In other words, this weakness is helping him stay humble. If a weakness can keep us humble, it's a good trade. Humility is one of the greatest strengths we can be blessed with.

It sounds like Paul didn't appreciate this initially. "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." He asked that this weakness be removed. He wanted the weakness to go away. We all want that. It's human nature right?

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." We shouldn't be depressed about having weakness. Our natural weaknesses won't keep us from the Celestial kingdom. Christ's grace is sufficient for us. His strength is strong than our weakness. If a weakness helps us see how Christ's power can rest upon us, it's well worth it.

Paul understands that his weaknesses help him rely on Christ. If we can build our reliance on Christ, that reliance will help us repent and progress into eternity. If we see weakness this way, it's possible to take pleasure in them.

13:5

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" We should be regularly evaluating ourselves. This should happen at least once per week as we take the sacrament. How much does Christ exist in us? How is his image in our countenances? How do we know?

Paul says, "prove your own selves." How do we do that? I think we can consider our regular behavior - especially our interactions with others. We are staying at a hotel and something went wrong to the point that I went down to speak with the front desk. I was agitated. The person working didn't handle it very well and that made me more agitated. I was angry. It was a good stress-test to see how my desires to be Christlike are taking hold. I still have some work to do...

I know that, without Christ, I would be a much more angry, sarcastic, critical person. I would be a reprobate. I am grateful that I have Jesus Christ in my life to save me from my natural tendencies.

13:11

Paul gives some good counsel at the end of this letter. "Finally, brethren, farewell.

• "Be perfect." We should strive to be obedient. We should follow the commandments. We should follow the example of the Savior. As we strive to be Christlike, we are good, contributing members of a society.

• "Be of good comfort." There are going to be trials for every one of us. Things are going to go bad. We are going to experience struggle. We must all have faith that the story ends well for us through Christ.

• "Be of one mind." We should all be working towards the same goal and destination. As we are all working to become like Jesus Christ, we automatically become unified.

• "Live in peace." Whenever you group two or more people together, there is always going to be some level of friction. We are are different people with different personalities and different strengths and weaknesses. When issues arise, there can always be a peaceful resolution.

"...and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

This is a good roadmap for living in a Christlike community. Zion will be like this. If I was a bishop somewhere, I'd probably have this posted on my desk as a reminder of how a ward can be.

Christ's teachings can be applied to us as individuals. Also, they apply perfectly as communities also. Christ can bless us as individuals and as groups.