A woman is standing looking at her refection in the widow of a building. You can see a city street in the background.
Leaders in God’s kingdom have often been targets of criticism. During New Testament times, some of the Church members in Corinth had become critical of Paul. He responded by inviting them to examine their own connection to Christ. This lesson can help you overcome the temptation to criticize others, including Church leaders, by examining your faithfulness to the Lord.
Encouraging daily scripture study. Encourage daily scripture study by giving students regular opportunities to share what they have learned and felt during their personal scripture study.
Student preparation: Invite students to define the difference between having honest questions or concerns about something a Church leader taught or said and criticizing that person.
Possible Learning Activities
Honest questions or criticizing?
Discuss the following questions with the class. If the student preparation was used, consider asking students to share their thoughts.
What are some examples of how people today might be critical of Church leaders?
What is the difference between having honest questions or concerns about something a Church leader taught or said and criticizing that person?
Help students understand this difference. The following may help.
Generally, to criticize someone means to judge them negatively, pointing out their faults or mistakes. In the scriptures, criticism may be referred to as evil speaking or murmuring against someone.
It is possible to recognize faults or weaknesses in others without being critical. We are being critical when we speak or write about others in a judgmental or negative way.
Why is it important to overcome the temptation to criticize others, including Church leaders?
As you study 2 Corinthians 13, look for how we can avoid being critical, especially of those the Lord has called to lead in His Church.
Criticism, evil speaking, and murmuring
It appears that some of the Saints in Corinth were publicly critical of Paul (see 2 Corinthians 10:10; 12:10–15). In 2 Corinthians 13:1–2, Paul called them to repentance with strong language.
Read 2 Corinthians 13:3, looking for what some Church members in Corinth were seeking proof of from Paul. The demand of these people to see proof that Paul was truly speaking for Christ may be additional evidence that people were publicly criticizing him. Read the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency, looking for how criticizing our leaders can affect us.
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Official Portrait of President Henry B. Eyring taken March 2018.
President George Q. Cannon gave a warning that I pass on to you as my own. I believe he spoke the truth: “… No man … can speak evil of the Lord’s anointed and find fault with God’s authority on the earth without incurring His displeasure. The Holy Spirit will withdraw himself from such a man, and he will go into darkness. This being the case, do you not see how important it is that we should be careful?”
Consider the following scripture accounts and the difference they illustrate between exercising faith and being critical:
John 6:60, 66–69. Compare Peter’s response to the Savior’s teachings to the reaction of many other disciples.
Numbers 14:2, 6–9, 35–38. Compare Joshua and Caleb’s words and actions to the words and actions of those who caused the Israelites to murmur against Moses and the Lord.
In addition to what students study in 2 Corinthians, they could also study one or more of these accounts. Then they could share what they learned about the consequences of criticizing the Lord or His servants. In preparing to teach this lesson, take some time to study the context of these accounts to be ready to answer questions students might have.
Students could discuss the following questions in pairs or small groups.
What does this account teach about the difference between being critical versus exercising faith and about the consequences of each?
Why do you think the Spirit withdraws when people “speak evil of” or “find fault” with those the Lord has called to lead His Church?
What are some ways we can act in faith if we have questions about what a Church leader has taught or do not agree with something a Church leader has taught?
Avoiding criticism
Read 2 Corinthians 13:5–6, looking for the counsel Paul gave to the Corinthian Saints who questioned whether the Lord spoke through him. It may be helpful to know that a reprobate is someone who is unworthy or has failed a test.
Based on what Paul taught, finish the following statement:
Rather than criticizing Church leaders, we should …
Allow students to use their own words to discover a truth similar to the following:
Rather than criticizing Church leaders, we should examine our faithfulness to the Lord.
President Eyring stated the following about our attitude toward those whom the Lord calls to serve. Look for how his words reinforce what Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 13:3, 5:
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Official Portrait of President Henry B. Eyring taken March 2018.
It takes faith to believe that [Jesus Christ] knows the people He calls perfectly, both their capacities and their potential, and so makes no mistakes in His calls.
That may bring a smile or a shake of the head to some in this audience—both those who think their own call to serve might have been a mistake as well as those who picture some they know who seem poorly suited to their place in the Lord’s kingdom. My counsel to both groups is to delay such judgments until you can better see what the Lord sees. The judgment you need to make, instead, is that you have the capacity to receive revelation and to act on it fearlessly.
How could President Eyring’s counsel help us if we are tempted to judge or criticize the Lord’s chosen leaders?
How does examining our faithfulness to Jesus Christ help us not speak evil of or judge others?
Examine yourself
When we are interviewed for a temple recommend, we are asked if we sustain Church leaders. President Eyring suggested some questions that can help us prepare to answer this. Seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as you ponder these questions.
Consider displaying the following statement and inviting students to ponder their responses or write them in their study journal.
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Official Portrait of President Henry B. Eyring taken March 2018.
You may have been asked, or you will be, whether you sustain your bishop, stake president, the General Authorities, and the General Officers of the Church. …
… You could prepare by asking yourself questions like the following:
Have I thought or spoken of human weakness in the people I have pledged to sustain?
Have I looked for evidence that the Lord is leading them?
Have I conscientiously and loyally followed their leadership?
Have I spoken about the evidence I can see that they are God’s servants?
Do I pray for them regularly by name and with feelings of love?
Those questions will, for most of us, lead to some uneasiness and a need to repent.
If these questions “lead to some uneasiness,” pray and write about what you can do to repent and change.
Testify of the Savior, His chosen leaders, and the spiritual safety that comes from examining ourselves rather than criticizing others.
Commentary and Background Information
What is the danger of being critical of those the Lord calls?
The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:
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Half-length frontal portrait of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. Joseph’s head is turned to the side in a three-quarter view, right hand on hip and his left hand holds sheets of papers. He is depicted wearing a dark brown suit and a white shirt and tie.
[If a man] rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 318)
Is it all right to have questions?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:
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Official portrait of Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 2006. Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, 3 February 2008. Made official portrait in 2008 replacing portrait taken in 2004.
Is it all right to have questions about the Church or its doctrine? My dear young friends, we are a question-asking people … because we know that inquiry leads to truth. …
… Some might feel embarrassed or unworthy because they have searching questions regarding the gospel, but they needn’t feel that way. Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth. …
Fear not; ask questions. Be curious, but doubt not! Always hold fast to faith and to the light you have already received. Because we see imperfectly in mortality. Not everything is going to make sense right now.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System devotional for young adults, Nov. 1, 2009], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Are prophets infallible?
Sheri Dew, a former counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, said:
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Portrait of Sheri L. Dew, 2001.
Some people get tangled up in the question: But, are prophets, seers, and revelators infallible? That’s the wrong question. A better one is, Who exactly are prophets? They are the ordained holders of priesthood keys that authorize the Lord’s power to be distributed throughout the earth. They may not be perfect. But they are the most perfectly inspired leaders on earth, and their only motive is perfectly pure—to help us find our way back home by pointing us to Jesus Christ.
Consider using this under the heading “Avoiding criticism” in the lesson.
Both Ezra Booth and Edward Partridge were among the elders who traveled to Missouri with the Prophet Joseph Smith in the summer of 1831. Invite students to read “Facing Disappointment—We Always Have a Choice” by Matthew C. Godfrey, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Ask students to contrast Ezra’s and Edward’s reactions when they faced disappointment.
Help students identify how Edward examined himself, found room for improvement, and repented, whereas Ezra continued to criticize the Prophet and lost his faith.