“O Ye Pollutions, Ye Hypocrites, Ye Teachers”

Brant Gardner

This contrast between motivations, that of the glory of God or the praise of the world, is the theme of one of Christ’s messages in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:2-5

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

For those who do practice their religion “because of the praise of the world,” Jesus has said that “they have their reward.” It is a reward from the earth, and not of the heavens. Having their earthly reward, they have forfeited the heavenly reward.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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