The following is a continuation of the post from September 16th, words of Joseph B. Wirthlin (deceased) member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote in 1995:
“To be without guile is to be pure in heart, an essential virtue of those who would be counted among the true followers of Christ. He taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).
. . . If we are without guile, we are honest, true, righteous. These are attributes of Deity and are required of the Saints. Those who are honest are fair and truthful in their speech, straightforward in their dealings, free of deceit, and above stealing, misrepresentation, or any other fraudulent action. Honesty is of God; dishonesty of the devil, who was a liar from the beginning. Righteousness means living a life that is in harmony with the laws, principles and ordinances of the gospel.
As parents know, little children are, by their nature, guileless. They speak the thoughts of their minds without reservation or hesitation. They do not deceive. They set an example of being without guile. The Savior taught about this attribute when his disciples asked, ” Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, “Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4.)
. . . .What a responsibility rests with parents to be certain that they do nothing to alter or destroy the guileless innocence of their little ones!
I believe that the necessity . . . to be without guile may be more urgent now than at other times because many in the world do not understand the importance of this virtue or are indifferent to it. We see and hear of reports of fraud and deception in all levels of our society. A few citizens of some nations betray their country. . . The entertainment industry seem to have lost, in large measure, the concept of moral values. Employees falsify expense accounts. These few examples of guile illustrate how pervasive it is.
Of far greater concern than the outward acts of guile are the inner feelings and attitudes that motivate them. Fraud and deception appear to be increasingly acceptable; the only wrongdoing seems to be in being caught. The objective is to get gain or profit, regardless of the injury, loss, or damage to others. This attitude is totally contrary to the principles of the gospel. It injures or thwarts the spiritual progress of anyone afflicted by it. The practice of guile prevents the Holy Ghost from prompting, guiding, and instructing us, leaving us ever more susceptible to the buffetings of Satan. When we break the commandments, we close ourselves to God’s influence and open ourselves to Satan’s influence.
If we practice guile in small matters, we soon find ourselves entangled in an ever increasing, unending spiral, because each lie or other deception often requires a larger one to cover the first. Moreover, the practice of guile often leads to hypocrisy, which is the false pretense of virtue or righteousness and pretending to be something that we are not. If we know what is right and profess to live by that knowledge but, in fact, do not, we are hypocrites. The Savior denounced hypocrites in unmistakable language. He declared: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (see Matthew 23:27-28.). . .
What are we . . . to do? The answer is plain. We are to be absolutely without guile in every aspect of our lives: in our homes and families, Church…, business dealings, and especially the private and personal areas of which only we and the Lord see.
I suggest that we look into our hearts and see whether our motives and acts are pure and above reproach and if we are free of deceit and fraud. Perhaps each of us can ask ourself a few questions:
Am I totally free of guile in my conversations and associations with my spouse and my children so they always know what to expect and always have unquestioning trust and confidence in me?
If I am a student, am I true to myself, my classmates, and my teachers, even if a little cheating might improve my grades?
If I work for a company or individual, do I do more work than my company expects or requires, and am I always alert for ways to do my work better?
If I’m an employer, do I pay my employees fairly for their labors?
Do I file accurate tax returns?
Am I scrupulous in all business transactions to the extent that my associates always know they are being treated and would feel secure if they had no contract?
Am I satisfied with my personal standards of integrity, morality, and honesty? Can I say of myself, as Jesus said of Nathanael, that I am without guile?”
In closing this chapter, Elder Wirthlin wrote (in 1995): “During a visit to the land of Chile, my wife and I visited people who were without guile almost to the point of possessing a naive innocence of little children. We were humbled and refreshed to be among them. They strengthened our faith in mankind and our hope for the future.
Yes. . . we can be free of guile—and must be to be prepared for the Savior’s second coming. We can provide a leavening influence in the world and can demonstrate the value of living guilelessly. As we develop this divine attribute, we can become a shining light to the world. Certainly we can teach the principles of the gospel and bless the families of the earth by following the perfect example of the Savior, who is totally without guile.
Joseph B. Wirthlin, ‘Finding Peace in Our Lives’ p.182-85, Deseret Book 1995
(Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience, and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
