A broken heart and a contrite spirit

In Psalms 34 it reads, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”  What exactly is this broken heart and contrite spirit?  In this scripture it is linked to our salvation, so it must be important.  Lehi tells us in 2 Nephi 2, “Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.”  Again we see that salvation in linked to this broken heart and contrite spirit.

To understand the meaning of this today, we need to understand the principle of sacrifice. In ancient Israel, the Aaronic priest officiated at the sacrificial altars in behalf of the people. He offered bulls or lambs or doves as a blood offering to atone for the sins of the men and women of the congregation. It was not the blood of the animals that saved them but rather what the blood stood for—the precious blood of the Messiah that would be shed in the meridian of time. If the people brought their offering in the right spirit, presented it to the priests, and repented fully of their transgression, a remission of sins followed.

In our day, the Aaronic priest likewise officiates at the holy altar. We go to church and present our offering, which today is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and the priest officiates in our behalf.  It is not bread and water that save us but rather what the bread and water represent. If we can attend sacrament meeting with a broken heart and a contrite spirit (meaning that we are repentant and eager to rid ourselves of our sins), focus our thoughts and our feelings on the atoning offering of Christ our Savior, and covenant once again to keep the Lord's commandments and plead for his strength and goodness to enable us to do so, then healing and cleansing take place. It is as though we can enjoy a rebaptism every Sunday. Participation in the ordinance of the sacrament is an occasion for meditation, introspection, self-analysis, and covenant renewal. It is the main reason for attending sacrament meeting.

Joseph Fielding Smith has said, “Every baptized person who has fully repented, who comes into the Church with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, has made a covenant to continue with that broken heart, with that contrite spirit, which means a repentant spirit."

We should strive to bring a truly broken heart and a contrite spirit to our partaking of the sacrament every Sunday so that accepting the emblems of the body and blood of Christ is a spiritual event rather than just a ritual.  Even though these events are the kind that brings us closer to God, they seldom bring us the admiration of others. They are more powerful and enduring, but they are also more modest, internal, and are rarely known by others. It is in these moments of spiritual privacy, where real and humble intent prevails over pleasing appearances, that righteous purpose comes to us.

In ancient times when people wanted to worship the Lord and seek His blessings, they often brought a gift. For example, when they went to the temple, they brought a sacrifice to place on the altar. After His Atonement and Resurrection, the Savior said He would no longer accept burnt offerings of animals. In 3 Nephi 9, the resurrected Savior tells us, “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away.  And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost.”

The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” As you seek the blessing of conversion, you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming.  Sometimes, fasting can help this process along.  As we fast, the physical appetites fade, and spiritual things come easier.  In Helaman 3 it says, “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.”

Burnt offerings are no longer accepted, the only offering that is accepted of the Lord is a broken heart and a contrite spirit before Him.  It is only in this state that we are truly converted to the Lord.  In Alma 5 we read, “And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”  When we are in this state, we would never take lightly things that are sacred, but only with great reverence and respect.  When we are in this state of contriteness, our disposition to Him becomes clear.  It is in this state that we become willing to, “take upon us the name of his Son, to always remember Him and to keep His commandments”, as said in the sacrament prayers.  This is what truly determines our access to the atonement and the great powers that are then channeled to us directly from Him.  It opens access to the spirit which in turn helps us to know for ourselves, the current direction that we are in, and at what pace we are going.  As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My strength is made perfect in weakness”.  We receive not just forgiveness from sin, but power over our sorrows, our pains and other difficulties, as we find in Alma 7 that Christ also took upon Himself our pains, our sicknesses, and our infirmities.

"Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law,"—now note this plain and precious declaration—"unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Ne. 2:6-7). The doctrine is perfect. It needs no tailoring to fit comfortably alongside the necessity of individual responsibility. There is no cheap grace here. On the one hand, no one will be justified by the law. We are all imperfect and thus tainted by the effects of sin. Our righteousness will not save us. We are all dependent on the mercy of Christ, on his merit, and his grace. Nevertheless, the fulness of that mercy, merit, and grace is extended to those, "who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit and unto none else" (2 Ne. 2:7). In inspired words given by Joseph Smith, we are told that Christ rose from the dead "that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance" (D&C 18:12).  “Thus," Amulek said, "he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.  And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption" (Alma 34:15-16).

Redemption comes only on Christ's terms, and his terms are "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (2 Ne. 2:7). That spirit comes to us in a covenant relationship. Therefore, the principles of faith, repentance, and baptism become companions to the doctrine of grace. "How great the importance," Lehi said, "to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.”

A broken heart and a contrite spirit does not mean that we are depressed or sad, rather in this context it means to be submissive, teachable, and humble, willing to accept counsel just as a child does.  It does not mean that to repent we must sink into despair and waste away our lives in remorse. It does mean that we have a sense of obligation toward those who we have wronged, both God and man. David's plea to the Lord in Psalms following a realization of his gross sinfulness expresses this feeling of regret and of a broken heart, but in a constructive way. 

In Matthew 18, the disciples of Jesus asked him an interesting question, and as usual they got a profound response.  They 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.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  Why is it that a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  The Lord tells us we should humble ourselves as a little child.  The opposite of humility is pride.  President Ezra Taft Benson has told us that, “The proud do not receive counsel or correction easily.”  When we are prideful, we feel we already know the necessities, we have what we need and we can make it without any help.  In this state we become unteachable, and it is difficult for us to receive counsel.  No one who thinks he can work out his own salvation has the necessary humility to receive the cleansing of Christ's atonement: "He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.”  When we come to understand our true status with the Lord and our absolute dependence on Him is when our heart becomes broken and our spirit longs for His help.

 

Baptism itself is an outward expression of our inward submissiveness to bring us into a covenant relationship with Christ.  In fact, in the days of Moroni, he tells us that they did not receive any unto baptism, “save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.”  It is no different in our day.  In Doctrine and Covenants 20: 37, we learn that, “all those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end… shall be received by baptism into this church.”

Neal A. Maxwell has said, “The gospel requires us to yield our minds as well as bend our knees.  However, minds are often more arthritic than knees.  Jesus rejoices in our genuine goodness and achievement, but any assessment of where we stand in relation to Him tells us that we do not stand at all—we kneel.”