Doctrine and Covenants 163
Commentary Series

Share the Peace of Jesus Christ

by David D. Schaal

2 a. Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God’s shalom, invites all people to come and receive divine peace in the midst of the difficult questions and struggles of life. Follow Christ in the way that leads to God’s peace and discover the blessings of all of the dimensions of salvation.

b. Generously share the invitation, ministries, and sacraments through which people can encounter the Living Christ who heals and reconciles through redemptive relationships in sacred community. The restoring of persons to healthy or righteous relationships with God, others, themselves, and the earth is at the heart of the purpose of your journey as a people of faith. 

In paragraph 1 of Doctrine and Covenants 163, God calls the church by name because God wants our attention and has important things to say to us in this inspired document. Paragraph 2 provides us with an important lens through which we can look at the guidance that has come to us. That lens is not an idea or a program. That lens is the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Section 163 calls us to give attention to many things and many people, but it asks us to “follow” only one—Jesus Christ. Let’s now take a look at paragraph 2 of this inspired guidance to the church.

“Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God’s shalom,…”
Many people in the church have written recently about the word “shalom.” Shalom refers to a peace that is much more than the absence of conflict. Shalom encompasses a peace with ourselves, with God, between people, between nations, and with creation. Shalom suggests a wholeness or completeness in which all parts of life are integrated with the principles of peace.

In Doctrine and Covenants 163:2a, shalom is spoken of in relationship to the principle of embodiment. This is important because it affirms that God’s shalom is not just an idea or set of principles. The declaration that Jesus is the embodiment of God’s shalom means the values and principles of God’s kingdom have been made real, tangible, and observable in a real-life person. To look at Section 163 through the lens of Jesus Christ, therefore, is immensely challenging. It is challenging because it calls us not only to believe in Christ, but to follow Christ. How can we follow someone who embodies shalom unless we ourselves do the same?

“Jesus Christ…invites all people to come and receive divine peace in the midst of the difficult questions and struggles of life.”
A friend of mine used to say: “It’s easy to love people in general; it’s specific people who are more difficult.” What he was saying is that loving people in general is a bit abstract and may therefore be safer to talk about. When it comes to specific people or groups, though, it can be more challenging. For example, what about that person we want to avoid because he or she is so annoying? What about the person who persecutes us or takes up arms against something we believe in? When verse 2 says that Christ invites all people to come and receive divine peace, does this include those people? If so, then how does that influence how we think about them, pray for them, or associate with them?

Making it even more personal, all people includes you and me. Many people struggle with accepting that the peace of Christ is for them. They have been so hurt, or feel so guilty or inadequate, that they find this difficult to accept in their own lives. Perhaps it is time to turn our ears away from the old voices that tell us we are not acceptable, and lean toward the voice of Christ, which invites us toward peace.

It is also noteworthy that this scripture infers that Christ’s peace occurs amid the difficult questions and struggles of life. Looking at Jesus’ life, we remember that difficulties will always be with us. After all, the one who is the embodiment of shalom experienced betrayal and persecution. Still, knowing that we do not walk alone, and that God has a vision of shalom for us, our loved ones, and our planet, allows us to know peace even amid struggles.

“Follow Christ…and discover the blessings of all of the dimensions of salvation.”
When some people talk about salvation, they focus on accepting Christ as Savior so they can go to heaven when they die. Section 163:2a, however, states that God wants all people to “…discover the blessings of all the dimensions of salvation.” People need saving from loneliness, fear, and hopelessness. We need salvation from disempowered lives in which we feel helpless to make the world a better place. Also, the need for salvation from poverty and violence is acute. The salvation that we are to discover has as much to do with conditions here and now as it does with the condition of our soul after we die. Having belief and hope about matters of life after death is important, but our concern for salvation is broader than that, and is shaped by the vision of Zion, God’s peaceable kingdom
on earth.

“Generously share the invitation, ministries, and sacraments through which people can encounter the Living Christ….”
“Generously share the invitation…through which people can encounter the Living Christ.” In many places throughout the church the spirit of invitation is alive and well and new disciples are regularly joining our church. In other places, the matter of invitation is seemingly more difficult. The reasons for this vary.

In some congregations, people may not be inviting friends because they simply do not know many people without a church home. In other places, invitation may suffer because congregational life is simply lacking in meaning and transformative power. Whatever the case may be, the call of Section 163 is to share the invitations that will help people encounter Christ. Congregations that take this seriously will work hard to create environments that are visitor-friendly and that speak to real-life issues that people are dealing with.

Our motivation for inviting people is not for the sake of filling the church (as wonderful as that is). Our motivation for inviting people is that we love them. Out of our love for them we desire to share the peace of Christ with them. Out of our love for them we offer the fellowship of the church as an important means to support them in their discipleship.

“Generously share the…ministries… through which people can encounter the Living Christ.” The possibilities here are endless, but the specifics of this call are challenging. It is challenging because the call is not just for activity, but for ministry that results in people being healed and reconciled. Even as I write this article I feel startled by these words because they challenge me to review my own ministry. To what degree is my ministry resulting in healing and reconciliation, and to what degree is my ministry simply words about God, church, and life? Even as I write I sense the need to evaluate the fruits of my efforts. I invite you to do the same for your
life and congregation.

“Generously share the…sacraments through which people can encounter the Living Christ.” Within the sacraments is great capacity for joy and healing. They should not be held in reserve for rare occasions among just a few. This is not to say that we should treat the sacraments casually or as mere routine. The sacraments should be prayed for, prepared for, and revered as a precious gift. At the same time, however, Section 163 asks us to share them generously. While there is still much for us to learn about this, it is not difficult to see some implications of this counsel. For example, anointing with oil and the laying on of hands for healing can be a powerful ministry of the church that we should not be shy about sharing with others. The blessing of children is a beautiful sacrament that can bring peace and healing to families. It is a sacrament intended for all families who wish for their little ones to receive blessing, not just for families who are members of the church.

Of course, the counsel to share the sacraments generously comes within the context of scripture that reminds us about the importance of community. Sharing sacraments is most powerful when participants have opportunity to share in the enveloping love of the church that reaches out to them before, during, and after the experience of sacrament.

Sacred Community
In Genesis, the statement about God making humankind in God’s own image comes amid multiple verses that tell us about God creating. Whether it’s light, vegetation, or animals, God is busy creating throughout the first two chapters of Genesis. There can be no doubt, then, that if humans are made in God’s image, it must be God’s intent that we are to create. The specifics of what we might create are diverse. It is clear from prophetic counsel (including Sections 161, 162, and 163) that one of the things we are to create is sacred community.

It is striking that the term “sacred community” is in the same paragraph with the sentence that invites people to discover the blessings of all of the dimensions of salvation.

One might even wonder whether it is possible for all of the dimensions of salvation to be discovered apart from community. In sacred community, we learn how to live out the principles of forgiveness, grace, and reconciliation. We learn how to blend our gifts and resources for good. We give ourselves permission to be human, yet hold one another accountable to the call of Christ. In sacred community, our concern is about all life and how all things can be shaped by the values found in the life and ministry of Jesus. The challenge is for our life in Christ to integrate with all of our relationships with people and planet.

Paragraph 2 of Doctrine and Covenants 163 clearly affirms Jesus Christ as the one we are to follow. It is not surprising, then, that when paragraph 2 closes by stating our purpose, it uses language that reflects so clearly the nature of Jesus’ ministry:

“Restoring people to healthy or righteous relationships with God, others, themselves, and the earth is at the heart of the purpose of your journey as a people of faith.”