Sunday, September 24, 2017
Alma 12:3-4 - Becoming Like God
"3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and
evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,
and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the
flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—
4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto
man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve
God."
This
chapter is commonly known to expound the doctrine of the fall and moral agency.
These two verses, however, are particularly intriguing for their ideas
concerning man becoming like God. Often, when one reads about the purpose of
the fall and the atonement, it is placed in the context of how man can approach
the throne of God once more and enter into His presence. While that doctrine is
important for the individual to understand and appreciate, the sister doctrine
of man becoming like God is equally pertinent for man to embrace. In verse
three, it is revealed that the ability to choose, or moral agency, is a
God-like trait. That “man had become as God” in that they knew good and evil
shows the integral part agency plays in human life. Sometimes, man is tempted
to curse God because of the choices they must make or because of the effect of
others’ choices upon them. But when viewed under the gospel lens, the power
behind that ability to choose should cause each person to be still and reflect
upon their own divine nature.
However,
this agency man has been bestowed does not immediately quality them for
Godship. As eloquently stated in verse 4, man is admonished to use their agency
to “repent and serve God,” indicating the path to becoming like the Father
partially dependent upon one’s application of gospel principles during their “probationary
time” on Earth. It is notable to point out that this doctrine of repentance and
servitude of God was established ever since man was, beginning with Adam, the
patriarch of the human race, and will be in effect even into the millennial
reign of the Savior.
As one follows this
heavenly counsel, they can be assured of the divine power of the Redeemer’s atonement,
whose cleansing power eradicates even the smallest of sins of the penitent and
lowly in heart. Agency enables one to become as God and with that knowledge one
can be more faithful in this life. As man prepares to meet God, they also
prepare to take upon the mantle of Godship themselves.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
1 Nephi 19:11-12 - The Isles of the Sea
“11 For thus spake the prophet: The Lord
God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with
his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and
salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his
power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke,
and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and
by mountains which shall be carried up.
12 And all these things must surely come, saith the
prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because
of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the
sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature
suffers.”
Nephi prophesies about the
birth and death of the Savior. In this revelation given unto him from the Lord,
Nephi also receives the words of Zenos, a lost prophet whose teachings are
preserved only through the Book of Mormon record. These two verses more
specially describe the destruction of the land when Christ was put to death. It
is interesting to note the strong physical reaction the earth exhibits. In a
way, the earth is personified and “groans” because of the loss of its Savior.
From other prophecies, we know that ultimately the earth itself will “receive
its paradisaical glory” and become celestialized much like man who, through his
obedience and the Atonement of Christ, can too be exalted.
The second verse provides
another interesting insight. It references the “kings of the isles of sea” who
will witness this great destruction. In 2 Nephi 10:20, Jacob teaches the
Nephite people that though they “have been driven out of the land of [their] inheritance…the Lord
has made the sea [their] path, and [they] are upon an isle of the sea.”
It is probable that especially during the days of Nephi and Jacob, the people
considered their place of living an isle of the sea because of its surrounding
geography and tropical environment. However, it is important to recognize that
this verse also suggests that there are other isles of the sea as well.
According to the Book of Mormon Student Study Guide put out by the church, it
explains that Hagoth (see Alma 63) and his people who sailed away settled the
pacific islands. These other isles also were privy to witness the signs of the
Savior’s death. Additional analysis about the origins of the Polynesian people
can be found from Dr. Parsons, a religious professor at BYU (see link below).
Ultimately, these verses
show not only that the destruction would come, but also that it would carry a
greater spiritual significance. Christ is the God of this world. As Zenos and
Nephi prophesied, the kings, through the spirit, would understand suffering of
Christ. In connecting that to our day today, each person should strive to not
only comprehend the Savior’s pain, but also why He had to suffer at all. I
personally have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It happened and
through His death, we all may live again. I think that’s a beautiful dichotomy.
Though we will have destruction in our own lives, if we repent and follow the
words of the Lord, we can overcome the darkness and receive that “great joy and
salvation.”
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