Scriptural discussions of faith often include the topic of charity. For example:
27 And <u>if men come unto me</u> I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, <u>then will I make weak things become strong unto them.</u>
28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto <u>me—the fountain of all righteousness. (Ether 12)</u>
Charity means caring for others more than you care for yourself.
While the efficacy of your charity depends on the breadth and depth of your knowledge of reality, whether you are motivated or not by the welfare of others is a yes or no question. Charity is a quality that is binary: you either have it or you don’t. You either care about other people more than yourself, or you don’t. You can’t be partially interested in the benefit of others. If you only care about others when it is convenient for you to do so, you still care more about yourself than you do others.