In Moroni chapter seven, Moroni records a sermon given by his father Mormon. In this sermon, Mormon tells us that to have "every good thing" we must have faith, hope and charity; he further tells us that to have faith, hope and charity, that we must be meek and lowly of heart.
Concerning faith, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, "To gain unshakable faith in Jesus Christ is to flood your life with brilliant light. You are no longer alone to struggle with challenges you know you cannot resolve or control yourself, for He said, 'If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me'" (Moroni 7:33).
Elder Scott went on to say, "If you are despondent, racked by transgression, are ill, alone, or desperately in need of comfort and support, I solemnly testify that the Lord will help you when you carefully obey the spiritual law upon which that help is predicated. He is your Father. You are His child. He loves you. He will never let you down. I know he will bless you."
Regarding hope, President James E. Faust said, "There are tremendous sources of hope beyond our own ability, learning, strength, and capacity. Among them is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Through the marvelous blessing of this member of the Godhead, we can come to 'know the truth of all things' (Moroni 10:5). Hope is the anchor of our souls. I know of no one who is not in need of hope -- young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor. In the Book of Mormon we are exhorted, 'Wherefore, whoso believeth in in God might with surety of hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God'" (Ether 12:4).
President Faust continued, "Everybody in this life has challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope."
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin had this to say, "Even when the winds of adversity blow, our Father keeps us anchored to our hope. The Lord has promised, 'I will no leave you comfortless' (John 14:18), and he will 'consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain' (2 Nephi 2:2). Even when our trials seem overwhelming, we can draw strength and hope from the sure promise of the Lord: 'Be not afraid nor dismayed . . . for the battle is not yours, but God's'" (2 Chronicles 20:15).
But Mormon tells us that we "cannot have faith and hope, save [we] shall be meek and lowly of heart" (Moroni 7: 43). Bishop H. David Burton discussed the process of becoming meek: "Meekness is vital to becoming more Christlike. Without it one cannot develop other important virtues. Mormon indicated, 'None is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart' (Moroni 7:44). Acquiring meekness is a process. We are asked to 'take up [the] cross daily' (Luke 9:23). Our lifting should not be an occasional exercise. More meekness does not translate to weakness, but 'it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness. It reflects certitude, strength, serenity; it reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control' (Neal A. Maxwell, "Meekly Drenched in Destiny," in Brigham Young University 1982-83 Fireside and Devotional Speeches [1983], 2). More meekness will allow us to be tutored by the Spirit."
If we have faith and hope, and are meek and lowly of heart, then we must have charity (Moroni 7:44). Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve has said: "The Apostle Paul taught that three divine principles for a foundation upon which we can build the structure of our lives. They are faith, hope, and charity (1 Corinthians 13:13). Together they give us a base of support like the legs of a three-legged stool. Each principle is significant within itself, but each also plays an important supporting role. Each is incomplete without the others. Hope helps faith develop. Likewise, true faith gives birth to hope. When we lose hope, we are faltering also in our measure of faith. The principles of faith and hope working together must be accompanied by charity, which is the greatest of all. According to Mormon, 'charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever' (Moroni 7:47). It is the perfect manifestation of our faith and hope."
Elder Ballard continued, "Working together, these three eternal principles will help give us the broad eternal perspective we need to face life's toughest challenges, including the prophesied ordeals of the last days. Real faith fosters hope for the future; it allows us to look beyond ourselves and our present cares. Fortified by hope, we are moved to demonstrate the pure love of Christ through daily acts of obedience and Christian service."
Elder Neal A Maxwell had this to say: Unsurprisingly the triad of faith, hope and charity, which brings us to Christ, has strong and converging linkage: faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope is in His atonement, and charity is the 'pure love of Christ' (Ether 12:28 and Moroni 7:47). Each of these attributes qualifies us for the celestial kingdom (Moroni 10:20-21 and Ether 12:34). Each, first of all, requires us to be meek and lowly" (Moroni 7:39 & 43).
Elder Maxwell continued, "Faith and hope are constantly interactive and may not always be precisely distinguished or sequenced. Though not perfect knowledge either, hope's enlivened expectations are 'with surety' true (Ether 12:4, Romans 8:24, Hebrews 11:1 and Alma 32:21). In the geometry of restored theology, hope as a greater circumference than faith. If faith increases, the perimeter of hope stretches correspondingly."
Mormon exhorted us to pray to be filled with charity. Charity is not something we can acquire on our own, we must receive it as a gift from God. Elder Robert J. Whetten of the Seventy said, "Like faith, Christlike love is a gift of the Spirit, is granted upon the principles of personal righteousness and in accordance to our level of obedience to the laws upon which it is predicated. And like faith, love must be exercised to grow."
Elder Dalin H. Oaks of the Twelve concurred: "Charity, 'the pure love of Christ' (Moroni 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, 'except men shall have charity they cannot inherit' the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father" (Ether 12:34).
Finally, Elder Jeffrey R Holland had this to say regarding charity:
"The greater definition of 'the pure love of Christ,' however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. True charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ's unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. It is Christ's love for us that 'suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not.' It is His love for us that is no 'puffed up . . . , not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.' It is Christ's love for us that 'beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.' It is as demonstrated in Christ that 'charity never faileth.' It is that charity -- His pure love for us -- without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of His love at the last day -- the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise -- surely it shall be well with them.
"This does not in any way minimize the commandment that we are to try to acquire this kind of love for one another. . . . We should try to be more constant and failing, more longsuffering and kind, less envious and puffed up in our relationships with others. As Christ lived so should we live, and as Christ loved so should we love. But the 'pure love of Christ' Mormon spoke of is precisely that -- Christ's love. With that divine gift, that redeeming bestowal, we have everything; without it we have nothing and ultimately are nothing, except in the end 'devils [and] angels to a devil' (2 Nephi 9:9).
"Life has its share of fears and failures. Sometimes things fall short. Sometimes people fail us, or economies or businesses or governments fail us. But one thing in time or eternity does not fail us -- the pure love of Christ. . . .
"Thus, the miracle of Christ's charity both saves and changes us. His atoning love saves us from death and hell as well as from carnal, sensual, and devilish behavior. That redeeming love also transforms the soul, lifting it above fallen standards to something far more noble, far more holy. Wherefore, we must 'cleave unto charity' -- Christ's pure love of us and our determined effort toward pure love of Him and all others -- for without it we are nothing, and our plan for eternal happiness is utterly wasted.. Without the redeeming love of Christ in our lives, all other qualities -- even virtuous qualities and exemplary good works -- fall short of salvation and joy."
As Nephi said, "It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). We cannot save ourselves, no matter how many commandments we keep, how many ordinances we obtain, or how much service we give to others. We do not do these things because we believe that we, of ourselves, can overcome sin and death. We do these things that we might demonstrate our faith, that we might have hope, and that we might be filled with charity, that we may be saved by grace after doing all we can do. It is only by the grace of Christ, by His pure love, that we can be saved.
Sources:
Scott, R. G. (1991). "Obtaining Help from the Lord." Ensign, Nov. 1991, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1991/10/obtaining-help-from-the-lord?lang=eng).
Faust, J. E. (1999). "Hope, an Anchor of the Soul." Ensign, Nov. 1999, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/hope-an-anchor-of-the-soul?lang=eng).
Wirthlin, J. B. (1998). "Cultivating Divine Attributes." Ensign, Nov. 1998, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/cultivating-divine-attributes?lang=eng)
Burton, H. D. (2004). "More Holiness Give Me." Ensign, Nov. 2004, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/10/more-holiness-give-me?lang=eng)
Ballard, M. R. (1992). "The Joy of Hope Fulfilled." Ensign, Nov. 1992, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/the-joy-of-hope-fulfilled?lang=eng)
Maxwell, N. A. (1994). "Brightness of Hope." Ensign, Nov. 1994, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/10/brightness-of-hope?lang=eng)
Whetten, R. J. (1999) "True Followers." Ensign, May 1999, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1999/04/true-followers?lang=eng)
Oaks, D. H. (2000). "The Challenge to Become." Ensign, Nov. 2000, (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng)
Holland, J. R. (1997). Christ and the New Covenant. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book. Pgs 336-337.
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