“Condemn Me Not Because of Mine Imperfection” (Mormon 9:31)

In my New Testament class this past week, we have been discussing the distinct accounts of the four gospel writers.  As we were discussing their similarities and differences, we consistently discussed how God was able to work through individuals despite their weaknesses and imperfections.  

For instance, my professor Brother Griffin discussed how at one point in their ministry (to use modern-day speech), Paul had a disagreement with John Mark, traditionally one of the gospel writers, about which way that they should go to do missionary work.  

Apparently, this disagreement was so intense that John Mark chose to leave his mission for Jerusalem and that later on, Paul refused to even take John Mark on their travels to share the gospel and ended up picking a new missionary companion.  However, despite their weakness, God was still able to work through them to accomplish His work, with Paul writing powerful epistles and testifying boldly of Christ, and with John Mark traditionally going on to write one of the Gospel accounts of the ministry of Christ (The Gospel of Mark).

This struck me because I feel like we don’t always approach problems or questions today in the same way.  It is easy to read an opinion or notice a perceived or actual weakness in somebody and then refuse to associate with them because of that blemish or weakness.

For instance, someone may read something in the scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon, that doesn’t seem to make sense or doesn’t seem right at the time and if they continue to fixate on it, they may determine that the scriptures are untrue.  However, in doing so, they miss out on the powerful truths that the scriptures can provide and the power they have to bring people to salvation.

One thing I feel can help with this problem is, like my teacher mentioned, to “look at people [and scriptural texts] in their context”, to try to understand them before judging them, and by striving to recognize the good that God can do through weak and striving individuals.  

Especially in cases where we don’t understand something, to give them the benefit of the doubt and recognize the good that God can do through them can help us to find greater good in them and discover truths we may not have otherwise discovered.  

As we accept and allow individuals, even church leaders, to be imperfect, as we seek to understand them from their perspective and context rather than from our own, and as we seek from God to know what we can learn from them, we can not only come to a better understanding of truth, but can come to see how God can work through us to do his work, despite our weaknesses and our imperfections.  

As Moroni, an ancient prophet, stated near the close of the Book of Mormon, “condemn me not because of mine imperfection, … neither them who have written before…, but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been” (Mormon 9:30).  

Through doing so, we can come to recognize, as Lehi and as my Doctrine and Covenants teacher taught, that in the end, we are all human, imperfect, and rely on Christ, and we can better recognize how God can work through others and through us to accomplish His will.