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Question

 

Gramps,

Do any of the leaders of the Church teach that the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

Rebecca

 

Answer

 

Rebecca,

I don’t think it means what you think it means. It might be helpful to understand the history and meaning of that aphorism.

I was able to find a General Conference address that brought this up directly. But I seem to remember many other speeches that provide the same sentiment using different words.

Hope can inspire dreams and spur us to realize those dreams. Hope alone, however, does not cause us to succeed. Many honorable hopes have gone unfulfilled, shipwrecked on the reefs of good intentions and laziness. Elder Steven Snow

The original quote was from Virgil in Aeneid:

facilis descensus Averno

The direct translation would be “The descent to hell is easy.”  I would render a different translation.  “The descent to hell is the easy road.”  This sentiment was altered in French.  Then it was made famous by John Wesley in the English “Almost Christian” as the phrase we all know.

The meaning behind it is that people always “intend” to do the right thing, but never get around to it.

  • “It’s too hard.”
  • “I don’t have time.”
  • “It’s not that important.”

Sometimes, it refers to the idea that we can excuse bad behavior because we’re in pursuit of the “greater good.”

  • I only want to cheat and steal so I can be in a better position to do good.
  • Let’s ignore some essential liberties because we want more security.

The Christian application of this sentiment was that Heaven doesn’t come to those who “talk about good things.”  Heaven comes to those who actually DO good works.

While other faiths believe that faith alone brings salvation, Latter-day Saints understand that faith without works is dead.  At the same time, we need to understand that works without faith is not complete either.  Salvation doesn’t come just by “going through the motions.”  The same is counted as if he had withheld the gift.

It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we develop the desire and motivation to do good works.  And if we have sufficient faith, it will be evidenced in the works that we perform.  The most important work we can do every day is to repent with faith in Jesus Christ.

With that understanding, the answer to your question is many general authorities have always emphasized faith, repentance, service to our neighbor, etc. all predicated on faith in Christ, as the path to exaltation.  We cannot hope to be welcomed to the Celestial Kingdom by having “faith” but never doing anything with that faith.  Whatever our limitations, God understands.  But within those limitations, we can still do some good works.  And if we can do some good works, then with the aid of God, we need to do good works.

 

Gramps

 

 

 

 

— Gramps

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