1 Ne 15:33
if they should die in their wickedness
Spencer W. Kimball
¡°In
an interview with a young man in Mesa, Arizona, I found him only a little sorry
he had committed adultery but not sure that he wanted to cleanse himself. After
long deliberations in which I seemed to make little headway against his
rebellious spirit, I finally said, ¡®Goodbye, Bill, but I warn you, don't break
a speed limit, be careful what you eat, take no chances on your life. Be
careful in traffic for you must not die before this matter is cleared up. Don't
you dare to die.¡¯ I quoted this scripture:
¡°Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be
cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to
righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be
judged of their works.
. . . And there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom
of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that
which is filthy. (1 Ne. 15:33-34.)
¡°A
slow death has its advantages over the sudden demise. The cancer victim who is
head of a family, for instance, should use his time to be an advisor to those
who will survive him. The period of inactivity after a patient learns there is
no hope for his life can be a period of great productivity. How much more true
this is of one who has been involved in deliberate sin! He must not die until
he has made his peace with God. He must be careful and not have an accident.¡± (Miracle
of Forgiveness, pp.145-6)