Akron Ohio Stake News

Charity – The Greatest of All 

At our ward conferences this year we are focusing on Charity, the Pure Love of Christ. 

Here are some of the key truths we learn about charity from Moroni chapter 7:  

• Charity is a gift, bestowed by the Father, upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ

• Charity is the greatest of all

• If we have not charity, we are nothing

• If we have charity, when Christ shall come, we shall be like him 

We are fortunate to have a detailed description of the elements of charity in Moroni 7:45 to help us more fully understand it’s nature. In a couple of the wards during our priesthood class we had an interesting discussion where we attempted to list some synonyms and antonyms for each of these elements of charity. I found this to be an enjoyable and instructive exercise (certainly humbling as well). Following up on these exercises I put together a summary of some of the items listed. I have also added to the list with the help of a thesaurus. 

Here is this list. You will certainly have others as well, as this is by no means comprehensive. 

Elements of charity	Synonyms	Antonyms
Suffereth Long	Patient, tolerant, uncomplaining	Defiant, resistant, rebellious
Kind	Caring, sympathetic, generous, gentle	Uncaring, impolite, unhelpful
Envieth not	Happy for others’ successes	Jealous, covets, resentful
Not puffed up	Meek, modest, unpretentious	Proud, pretentious, presumptuous
Seeketh not her own	Benevolent, generous, self-sacrificing	Self-centered, selfish, self-serving
Is not easily provoked	Calm, peaceable, content	Easily aggravated, annoyed, angered
Thinketh no evil	Pure intent, righteous desires	Iniquity, unrighteous desires
Rejoiceth not in inquity	Integrity, honor, virtue	Wickedness, pleasure seeking
Rejoiceth in truth	Honest, trustworthy	Deceitful, lying, half-truths
Beareth all things	Accept, submit	Resist, decline
Believeth all things	Conviction, trust	Doubt, reject, dispute
Hopeth all things	Assurance, confidence, optimism	Despair, pessimism, cynicism
Endureth all things	Experience, suffer, undergo	Avoid, refuse

I am grateful to Mormon and Moroni for the truths we learn in Moroni 7. I am grateful to all the other prophets and the truths which they have taught. I am very grateful for all of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and add my testimony to their truthfulness.