To Accuse or Forgive

I read this to Corey on Sunday, and then last night we shared it with the kids for family home evening (we gotta get some sibling love around here and stop the blaming and tale bearing) so we read this part and I love it!  From "The Second Comforter" by Denver Snuffer - starting on page 275:

Joseph Smith taught in DHC 4:445: "If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you.  If you have no accuser you will enter heaven, and if you will follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back load.  If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you.  If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours - for charity covereth a multitude of sins."  This notion of accusing one another is an important principle.  Joseph is explaining something directly relation to obtaining salvation.  

Accusing someone is Satanic.  One of the titles for Satan is "the accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:10).  Satan's accusations are not said to be unwarranted or unsupported.  He is not necessarily accusing his victims unjustly.  It is probable some if not all of the accusations were, or are, just.  If any of us were measured by an absolute standard of obedience, faithfulness, or virtue, we would all necessarily fail.  Satan does not need to use an unfair standard to accuse and condemn us.  We are assured that "all ahve sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).  So if you want to condemn any of us, you need only look at our actual deeds and you will find sufficient reason to accuse us.  Yet the negative and condemned roll of accusing belongs to Satan.  Those who take it upon themselves to do the condemning are acting the part of Satan.  What Christ has asked us to do is forgive each other.  Or, as Joseph put it, we are asked not to accuse each other.

The Lord is serious about our forgiving each other.  Christ meant it when He taught "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (3 Nephi 14:1-2).  This teaching is an integral part of the salvation of yourself and mankind.  If you are not accused by your fellow man, Satan's accusations alone will not be sufficient to condemn you.

The incident in John 8:10-11 illustrates the Lord's approach to judgement and mercy: "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers?  Hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord.  And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."  Here the woman had violated the law prohibiting adultery.  She was brought to Christ to find out His reaction to this breach of the law.  In spite of clear guilt, Christ found a way to avoid accusing her.  This incident shows the lengths to which the Lord will go to avoid becoming the accuser.  His title: "Our Advocate with the Father" is the antithesis of the role of the "accuser."  The Advocate helps defend us against accusations.  Even accusations properly brought, as was the one against the woman taken in adultery.  he will seek whatever reason or even excuse as may exist to warrant forgiveness for our mistakes and failings.  This role of Advocate He has adopted for Himself, is the role of Mercy itself. 

The Lord also revealed, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men" (D&C 64:10).  Here we are admonished to forgive all.  Without regard to the justice of your claims against others, you are to forgive.  Certainly there are others who have offended you.  Certainly you have just complaints about others.  You are justified in finding fault with your fellow man, because your fellow man is weak, sinful, error prone, and ignorant.  Christ is saying to forgive them anyway.  No matter how right your complaint is against them, forgive them anyway.  No matter how little they deserve your forgiveness, forgive them anyway.  It is required of you to forgive all men.

We didn't mince words as we read this to the kids - The accuser is Satan's title, and when they accuse each other, that is following him.  We don't want to follow him, we follow Christ, so we will forgive and find excuses for each other.  We will be patient, kind, and show mercy, cause the Lord knows that I want as much mercy as I can get at the last day.  We will have that mercy shown to us as we show it now to each other.  It was a great lesson and we'll see how much of it stuck with the kids during this initial presentation.  "Forgive" and "don't blame" are on our newly printed family rules, hoping we can all learn to be kind and love each other, Christ is our perfect example.