"Now I Have a Priesthood": Part 9

A Zombie Work?

What is a "dead work" (D&C 22:2)?  It must be the opposite of a living one, sure; but how can we tell the difference?

   Although a man should be baptized
   an hundred times
   [that's covering our bases]
   it availeth him nothing
   [oh dear; I thought all the premiums I paid for flood insurance meant something]
   for you cannot enter in
   ["You. Shall. Not. Pass!"]
   at the strait gate by the law of Moses,
   neither by your dead works.
​
(D&C 22:2)

Notice the Lord compares "dead works" to the lesser law.  Does this mean the higher (celestial) law is the only law truly "alive?"

Picture Zion: what would happen if we built upon a foundation of "dead works?"  Maybe this explains the reason we haven't moved the fantasy football down the field into the End Zone of the New Jerusalem.

   Zion cannot be built up
   unless it is by the principles
   of the law of the celestial kingdom
   [ain't no lesser law gonna do it].

(D&C 105:5)

Now, when we talk about dead works, I don't mean sinful acts ― we already know to avoid those. 

No, a dead work is tricky because it looks so good on the outside.  That's right: they are whited sepulchres; but if we open them up and look inside, we won't find the power or Spirit of God in them.  They are seedless fruits.

Two Types of Deadness

We can group dead works into two categories:

   •  Doing what God asks but without real intent and faith (see, Moroni 7:5-10)

   •  Doing what God has NOT asked and thinking our actions show faith and will be blessed (see, 1 Sam. 15:20-22)

A good example of a dead work (and why I talk about it so much) is the lesser-law of tithing.

Works Galore

People arguing over works-vs-faith are missing the boat entirely, keeping us busy treading water in the deep end until a stomach cramp finishes us off (or the sharks, if we're lucky).

Look closely at Mormon's words:

   For I remember the word of God
   which saith by their works
   ye shall know them.

(Moroni 7:5)

At first blush, we might think this means "I need to do good works like obeying the word of wisdom and doing my monthly ministering and volunteering at the soup kitchen."

But we're missing the mark, I'm afraid; we can do all those things and still be an unsufferable Pharisee going to hell ― uh, enfer (pardon my French).

Why?  Because "works" do not equal "obedience to the law."  Let me repeat: good works do not refer to obedience to the law (particularly a lesser one).  Good heavens!  Paul must be pulling out his goatee in his grave, as if we'd never opened our New Testament before.

   For if their works be good,
   then they are good also.

(Moroni 7:5)

"See, Tim?" someone says.  "It says right there good works do make us good people.  Neener neener."

I confess it would be easy to interpret those words as meaning we are "good" when we do good things, like baking brownies for the homeless.  Sadly, too many of us believe it.

But is that what Mormon is saying? 

A "work be good" when it is alive (in Christ), like a fruit that bears after its own likeness.  On the other hand, a "work be dead" when it does not bear the fruit of His Spirit.

Let's put it another way: replace the word "work" with "gift."  This will provide a key of understanding as we study the word of God.

   And I would exhort you,
   my beloved brethren,
   that ye remember
   that every good gift [work]
   cometh of Christ.

(Moroni 10:18)

If you'll allow me to lead you down a rabbit hole: ALL works are defacto dead ― every one (picture sowing seed that is lifeless and will never result in a harvest)! 

Except (here's the big exception to the rule) those works that are performed in the Spirit/through the gifts/of Christ.  We know the work is good because it grows into the likeness of  Christ, which can only occur through His Spirit.

Thus the goodness of a work is not a function of the work itself, but whose power makes it grow.

The Battle of the Casseroles

Let's pretend this is true.  It might shed some light on this cryptic passage:

   And my vineyard
   has become corrupted
   every whit;
   [what percentage?]   
   and there is none
   [what percentage?]   
   which doeth good
   [what about all those orphanages and hospitals, huh?]
   save it be a few;
   and they err in many instances
   because of priestcrafts,
   [oh, so we see priestcrafts feed off of dead works; they are its main diet]
   all
   [what percentage?]
   having corrupt minds.

(D&C 33:4)

So the world can be filled with philanthropies and non-profits and charitable foundations and still be stuck in hell's mud, marching forth in the quicksand of our own strength (as opposed to the strength of the Lord).

Is that strange?

Take two people: Sister Smith and Sister Jones.  Both of them take casseroles to a needy single mother in the ward.  Sounds like a good work, no?

   • Sister Smith bakes a delicious broccoli chicken casserole and delivers it with a smile

   • Sister Jones bakes a delicious broccoli chicken casserole and delivers it with a smile

Which sister performed a "good work?" 

Well, we can't tell.  It is impossible to say because we can't judge based on outward appearances (think: the lesser priesthood is confined to "outward ordinances," D&C 107:14).

In order to answer the question we must assume facts not in evidence.  God alone knows if the sisters acted in and through His power or not.

Because the sad reality is we can do many wonderful works through our own power and/or the power of the devil.  This is the real trap: a lot of "good" is accomplished by means other than God, leading us carefully down to . . . the bad place.

   Wherefore by their fruits
   [think: works/gifts]
   ye shall know them.

   Not every one that saith unto me,
   Lord, Lord, shall enter
   into the kingdom of heaven;
   but he that doeth the will
   of my Father which is in heaven.

   Many will say to me in that day,
   Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
   in thy name? and in thy name
   have cast out devils?
   and in thy name
   done many wonderful works?

   And then will I profess unto them,
   I never knew you: depart from me,
   ye that work iniquity.

(Matt. 7:20-23)

How can "wonderful works" be described as "works of iniquity?"  That's like calling a cute little kitten a boogeyman!

Is the Lord saying the only works that are "good" are those performed through the power of (through the gifts of) the Spirit of Jesus Christ?

So the debate isn't faith-vs-works at all; it is (1) dead-or-(2) alive.

What we should be asking ourselves very seriously is, Am I acting in Christ's power or by my own strength?

"The field is ripe?  Thrust in my sickle?  Well, just look at these biceps I have.  Let me at it!"

"Let the Dead Bury their Dead"

This isn't a question of motivation or sincerity.  It is a matter of who animates our actions; whose Spirit is in us?

Maybe we need more curriculum on exorcism at BYU; we see the Lord casting out devils right-and-left in the Bible and I'm left to wonder where all the devils have gone.

   The will of the flesh . . . 
   giveth the spirit of the devil
   power to captivate,
   to bring you down to hell.

(2 Nephi 2:28)

Well, that's both scary and interesting: the devil doesn't force anyone down the road paved with good intentions.  Our captivity is of our very own making; we walk on our own two legs down to hell ― not kicking and screaming, but whistling and skipping!

Why would we choose this terrible path?  Don't we know the direction we're going?  Well, the answer is simple: we have deceived ourselves.  The devil has marked the road with signs that say, "This way to heaven!" and we follow it merrily as if it were a yellow brick road.

What's one way to realize we're actually on the road to hell (despite what the signs say)?  Look around: do we find ourselves in the company of fellow travelers who pride themselves on being "good" because we do such wonderful works?

Ask yourself: do we worship among those who believe their good works are a sign of their righteousness, when in fact they are flexing their muscles in front of the mirror, amped up on Satan's steroids?

​When Peter healed a lame man, the onlookers were astonished.  Peter didn't pat himself on the back.  No, Peter's response was perfect:

   Ye men of Israel,
   why marvel ye at this?
   or why look ye
   so earnestly upon us
   [Peter didn't want them to credit him; he wanted their eyes to be single to the glory of God; so no 'follow-the-prophet' message was delivered on this day]
   as though by our own power
   [this was the real danger: that the worker would take credit for what God worked through the worker.  We see that the work was good not because the man was given power to stand, but because he stood by the power of God]
   or holiness
   [Peter would be the first to admit he was no saint]
   we had made this man to walk?

(Acts 3:12)

You recall the famous scripture-mastery-verse in Helman 5:12 about Christ being the "rock"?  Yeah, well, flip it to Helaman 12:5 and we'll find the exact opposite.  Instead of building upon Christ's "sure foundation," our beach houses are built upon boasting in our own strength:

   Yea, how quick to be lifted up
   in pride;
   yea, how quick to boast,
   and do all manner of that
   which is iniquity.

(Helaman 12:5)

"Iniquity" in this sense is not committing sinful acts (everyone knows kicking a nun is bad), but a people boasting of "good" works they have performed irrespective of whether it was through God's power or not.

Are Dead Works Found among Latter-day Saints?

How much of what goes on in the Church (the "good" the Church does) is in fact accomplished through our own strength?

We celebrate our leaders, when in Joseph Smith's day we were humble enough to admit that his gifts were not to his credit, but God's.

   And we also know that
   [the Book of Mormon]
   has been translated
   [by Joseph?  No, no, no]   
   by the gift and power of God.

(Testimony of Three Witnesses)

You already know I hate haunted houses.  So imagine my horror every Sunday going to Church and being surrounded by dead works ― by the chainsaw-wielding platitudes of self-improvement and blood-draped legalism; the clown-faced carnal security of priestcraft; the shrieking, echoing voices calling out from the rafters:

   All is well!  All is well!

The terror!  A man can hardly sleep at night with all that in his head.  As the bones in Ezekiel's vision chanted, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts" (Ezekiel 37:11).

Question: When the Lord says "Amen" to the priesthood authority of a person or organization (D&C 121:37), what happens if they keep on going business-as-usual, performing ordinances as if nothing has changed?  In other words, in cases where we don't repent and persist in dead works, what does a Zombie Priesthood look like?

   Without . . . the authority
   of the priesthood,
   the power of godliness
   is not manifest unto men
   in the flesh.

(D&C 84:21)

Hmmm.  Is this why many of us feel like attending Church is a chore, where we fail to feel uplifted ("the power of godliness")?  Wouldn't it be a plot twist if we unwittingly were courting death (I'm not talking about the Grim Reaper but the spiritual death that Paul described)? 

How better for the devil to deceive us than to get us making offerings upon his (Satan's) altar while supposing we were making our offering to God?  See: Cain.

   Even when we were dead in sins . . . 
   according to the prince of power
   of the air, the spirit that now worketh
   in the children of disobedience
   [whose spirit "worketh" in the dead?].

(Ephesians 2:5, 2)

Before we leave Zombies behind, let me ask, does the Church embrace the lifeless form of dead works (2 Tim. 3:5) when it presses its lips against the lecherous mouth of Mammon in the spiritual kiss of death ― and all the while call its coupling "good"?

I mean, what authority or power (if any) do we find in performing dead works?  What happens when the daughters of Zion become smitten with obedience to a dead law of carnal commandments but leave the weightier matters undone (Matt. 23:23)?

   Instead of sweet smell
   there shall be stink
   [no amount of cologne is going to cover the stench of our self-righteousness]
   and instead of a girdle a rent
   [in the eyes of God our fine linen and robes are filthy rags; if we haven't put on His robes, then no amount of washing and ironing will make any difference]
   and instead of well set hair
   baldness;
   [now I'm taking this personally]
   and instead of a stomacher
   a girding of sackcloth
   [why is it we repent in sackcloth of our high-mindedness only when we are brought low?]
   and burning instead of beauty.

(Isaiah 3:24)

Can we spot a Zombie-work from the living oracles and ordinances vivified in Christ's Spirit and power?

   No, really.  Can we?