2 Ne 2:2 he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
Most members of the church are all too
familiar with this principle. It seems if there is one concept that is well appreciated
it is this one—that the trials and tribulations of mortality serve God’s
purpose because they become the refining fire which purifies the soul and gives
us experience. Some of the better quotes on this subject are included, Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an
immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you
have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory,
saith the Lord (DC 98:3).
Joseph Smith had suffered in Liberty
Jail for months before he came to his wits end. He received two great
revelations about the process of affliction:
If thou art called to pass
through tribulation…if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements
combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape
open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall
give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. (DC 122:5-7)
My son, peace be unto thy
soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And
then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph
over all thy foes. (DC 121:7-8)
Joseph Smith
“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling
down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner
gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with
accelerated force against religious bigotry, priest-craft, lawyer-craft,
doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of
perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men
and women-all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will
become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give
me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall
fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished
stones with which I come in contact become marred.” (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 304)
Elaine Cannon
“Adversity in our own lives can bring
life's purpose to mind. Bad times have certain scientific value, according to
Emerson. In his "Conduct of Life" essays he says that the trying
times are occasions a good learner would not miss. One can learn a great deal.
Can it be, then, that if one doesn't kick against the pricks, increased
understanding comes-the nature of God, the importance of the adventure of
life?” (Elaine Cannon, Adversity, p. 4)
Marion G.
Romney
“If we can bear our afflictions with
the understanding, faith, and courage,…we shall be strengthened and comforted
in many ways. We shall be spared the torment which accompanies the mistaken
idea that all suffering comes as chastisement for transgression…
“…I have seen the remorse and despair
in the lives of men who, in the hour of trial, have cursed God and died
spiritually. And I have seen people rise to great heights from what seemed to
be unbearable burdens.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1969, pp. 59-60 as
taken from the Book of Mormon Student Manual, 1981 ed., p. 69)
2 Ne 2:4 thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory
Jacob received his calling while quite
young. Like Nephi, Enoch, Joseph Smith, and others, the Lord called him to the
work from his youth. Jacob’s righteousness was such that he was privileged to
see the Lord and His pre-mortal glory as did Nephi and many other prophets.
Peter tried to teach the saints how to reach this degree of spiritual maturity,
faith, and purity:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
¶ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness
charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:4-7)
Joseph Smith taught that the
“knowledge” that Peter was talking about was a personal knowledge (Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.305). This is what Jacob had received. He
had partaken of the divine nature and his knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ
was not unfruitful. DC 93:1 states, Verily, thus
saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins
and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth
my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.
2 Ne 2:4 salvation is free
The term, “salvation,” can be used to
mean many different things. In this context, it refers to the fact that all of
God’s children will be resurrected and thereby overcome physical death. Death
came into the world by one man, Adam. The resurrection was engineered by
One-even the Mighty One of Israel. This gift is free. No matter how evil or
rebellious the individual is, he or she will be resurrected at the last day.
2 Ne 2:5 by the law no flesh is justified
If one were to keep all of God’s
commandments, without ever breaking even the smallest of his laws, it would be
possible to return to his presence. Since all of us sin (1 Jn 1:8), we become
cursed under a broken law. Even if we break the least of all of God’s commandments,
we become unworthy of our Father’s presence. For
whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all (James 2:10). Were it not for the atonement, we must be
cast off forever. The law only justifies the individual who can keep it
perfectly. This is why Paul said, the law worketh
wrath (Rom 4:15).
2 Ne 2:7 a
sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a
broken heart and a contrite spirit
A commonly quoted scripture is DC
130:20-21. It talks about the receipt of blessings by obedience to the law upon
which the blessing is predicated. It could also be fairly modified as follows,
“There is a law, irrevocable decreed in heaven before the foundations of this
world, upon which all cursings are predicated—And when we obtain any cursing
from God, it is by disobedience to that law upon which it is
predicated.” The justice of Almighty God demands that whenever a law is broken,
that an irrevocably decreed price be paid for that transgression. Verse 10
speaks of this price when it says, unto the
inflicting of the punishment which is affixed. For every sin there must
be a payment. No exceptions.
Since God’s children are the ones
transgressing His laws, justice demands that they pay the appropriate price.
However, the mercy of God has allowed an intercessor. The price would still
have to be paid, but an allowance would be made such that the price could be
paid by someone else. The only individual who met the qualifications needed to
act as an intercessor was Jesus Christ. Thus, as our Savior and Redeemer, he
answers the ends of the law; he pays the price, he makes sure the irrevocable
decrees of a just God are fulfilled.
The ends of the law are not answered
for all, only those with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. This type of
salvation is not free. It requires the sacrifice of the individual.
Every
man must repent or suffer…
Therefore I command you to repent--repent, lest I smite you by
the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be
sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear
you know not.
For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that
they might not suffer if they would repent;
But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to
tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body
and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished
my preparations unto the children of men. (DC 19:4,15-19)
In order to avoid these terrible
sufferings, a broken heart and a contrite spirit must be laid upon the altar of
discipleship. Many have mistakenly thought that the law of sacrifice ended with
Christ. Although animal sacrifice is no longer performed, the new law requires
as regular a sacrifice as the children of Israel were required to offer in the
tabernacle of Moses. All that has changed with the fulfillment of the law of
Moses is a change in the nature of the sacrifice.
2 Ne 2:8 Wherefore,
how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the
earth
Anyone who has tasted of the sufferings
of the wicked and then learns of the merciful Plan of Salvation, understands
how important it is to preach the gospel. How important is it that those doomed
to suffer are warned of what is to come? How important is it that they learn of
their Savior who has already paid the price with his infinite atonement? These
thoughts are echoed in the words of the sons of Mosiah:
Now they were desirous
that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear
that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul
should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. (Mosiah 28:3)
2 Ne 2:9 he shall make intercession for all the children of men
Bruce
R. McConkie
“Jesus is the
great Mediator, Advocate, and Intercessor. His mission is to plead the cause of
his saints in the courts above. He makes intercession for them, advocates their
causes, and performs the divine service of mediation which reconciles them to
God. ‘There is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus.’ (1 Tim. 2:5.)
2 Ne 2:10 the law which the Holy One hath given
The Book of Mormon makes it very clear
that the God of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ. This underscores the irony
of many events in the Savior’s life in which he is accused of violating the law
of Moses. How absurd to accuse Him of breaking the law when He was the one who
gave the law in the first place! He explains, I am
he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel (3
Ne 15:5).
2 Ne 2:10 An explanation of the word,
“atonement”
Russell M. Nelson
“In the English language, the
components are at-one-meant, suggesting that a person is at one with another.
Other languages employ words that connote either expiration or
reconciliation. Expiation means ‘to
atone for.’ Reconciliation comes from Latin roots re, meaning ‘again’; con,
meaning ‘with’; and sella, meaning ‘seat.’ Reconciliation,
therefore, literally means ‘to sit again with.’…In Hebrew, the basic word for
atonement is kaphar, a verb that means ‘to cover’ or ‘to forgive.’
Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning ‘a close
embrace’—no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace….While the words atone
or atonement, in any of their forms, appear only once in the King James
translation of the New Testament, they appear 35 times in the Book of Mormon.
As another testament of Jesus Christ, it sheds precious light on His Atonement.”
(Ensign, Nov. 1996, pp.34-5 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on
the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 85)
2 Ne 2:11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all
things
This doctrine is supernal. In one
passage, Lehi earns the right to an honorary degree in philosophy. What a
simple concept? How incredible are the implications? This one passage explains
why the plan of Satan, as proffered in the pre-mortal sphere, was unacceptable.
How could one experience opposition in all things if we were all forced to be
good. Lehi correctly explains, there would have been
no purpose in the end of its creation (v. 12).
Ezra Taft Benson
“…the Father’s plan, which required
that all people obtain mortal bodies, be tried and proven in all things, and
have opportunity to choose of their own free will…Lucifer—a personage of
prominence—sought to amend the plan, while Jehovah sustained the plan. The
central issue in that council, then, was: Shall the children of God have
untrammeled agency to choose the course they should follow, whether good or
evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be obedient? Christ and all who
followed Him stood for the former proposition—freedom of choice; Satan stood
for the latter—coercion and force. Because Satan and those who stood with him
would not accept the vote of the council, but rose up in rebellion, they were
cast down to the earth, where they have continued to foster the same plan. The
war that began in heaven is not yet over. The conflict continues on the battlefield
of mortality. And one of Lucifer’s primary strategies has been to restrict our
agency through the power of earthly governments. Proof of this is found in the
long history of humanity” (The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner, pp. 2-3
as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K.
Douglas Bassett, p.87)
Richard G. Scott
“Sadness, disappointment, severe
challenge are events in life, not life itself….A pebble held close to the eye
appears to be a gigantic obstacle. Cast on the ground, it is seen in
perspective. Likewise, problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the
perspective of scriptural doctrine….Some people are like rocks thrown into a
sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem,
fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness….When you trust in the
Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His
will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of
the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from
this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig
in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to
bless you.” (Ensign, May 1996, pp. 24-5 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.86)
2 Ne 2:12 for there is a God, and he hath created all things
Reynolds and Sjodahl expounded on the
grand philosophical question, “Is there a God?”:
“Only a ‘fool’-that is, one who is
deficient in moral qualities (see Rom. l:22)-contradicts this self-evident
truth, and his negation is determined by the heart rather than the intellect;
that is to say, he wishes that there were no God, and he talks accordingly. ‘The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.’
(Psalm 14:1) That is his wish, his desire.
“Such an individual may, perhaps, find
comfort in the conclusion of Kant, that the existence of God, a First Cause,
cannot be proved by any argument known to logic, since every cause seems to
require a previous cause to account for it, wherefore a First Cause can never
be located. But St. Paul does not agree with this conclusion. His assertion is
that all that which can be known by mortal man concerning God has been made
manifest by our Lord himself, for ‘God has showed it
unto them.’ Paul is also of the opinion that his eternal power and
Godhead ‘are clearly seen in the creation.’
(Rom. 1:19, 20) The Hebrew poet expresses the same thought:
“The heavens declare the Glory of God. And the firmament
showeth his handywork. Day unto day poureth forth speech, And night unto night
showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language; Their voice cannot be
heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end
of the World." (Psalm 19:1–3) (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the
Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 245)
“It is also recognized by a majority of
the great scientists that there is a God and that he is the source of
truth. As Albert Einstein said, ‘The
harmony of natural law reveals an intelligence of such superiority that
compared with it all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an
utterly insignificant reflection’ ("Search for Truth" 7). Similarly, the great space scientist Wernher
von Braun has written,
“Anything as well ordered
And perfectly created as is our earth
And universe must have a Maker
A Master Designer
Anything so orderly, so perfect,
So precisely balanced, so majestic as
This creation can only be the product
of a Divine Idea…
‘There must be a Maker; there can be no
other way’ (“Creation” 21)” (Book of Mormon Symposium Series, edited by
PR Cheesman, MS Nyman, and CD Tate,
Jr., 1988, p. 348)
Ronald Reagan has been quoted as
saying, “sometimes when I’m faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him
to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve. And when we have
finished eating that magnificent dinner to ask him if he believes there’s a
cook.” (Quote Book #4, compiled by James H. Patterson, p. 5)
2 Ne 2:17 an angel of God….had fallen from heaven
The Latter-day Saint doctrine regarding
Lucifer comes from multiple sources. Many different scriptures, and doctrine
taught in the temple, combine to paint a clear picture of his origins and
intentions. Here, Lehi explains that he was “an angel of God.” Other scriptures
which teach of him are listed:
AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses,
saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten,
is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me,
saying--Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all
mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore
give me thine honor.
But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my
Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me--Father, thy will be done,
and the glory be thine forever.
Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled
against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had
given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power
of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
And he became Satan, yea, even the devil,
the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive
at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.(Moses 4:1-4)
And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And
one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered
and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.
And the second was angry, and kept not his
first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.(Abr 3:27-28)
And there was war in heaven: Michael and
his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place
found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:7-9)
And his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth (Rev 12:4)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken
the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God (Isa 14:12-13)
2 Ne 2:21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged
Lehi is referring
to the state of probation which began with the fall of Adam. He is also making
reference to the long lifespan of those who lived in the days of Adam. Adam
lived 930 years, Seth lived 912 years, Methusaleh has the record with 969
years, and Noah lived 950 years. After the flood, something happened. Lifespans
began to be cut much shorter. This was according to will of God, And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with
man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty
years (Gen 6:3). This can be seen in the lifespans of Abraham-180 years
and Joseph-110 years. Lehi’s reference is instructive because he gives us at
least one reason why the lifespans were so long for the early fathers, that they might repent while in the flesh…and their time
was lengthened.
For behold, this life is the time for men
to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to
perform their labors.
And now, as I said unto you before, as ye
have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not
procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of
life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve
our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there
can be no labor performed.
Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that
awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot
say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that
ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body
in that eternal world. (Alma 34:32-24)
2 Ne 2:22-23 If Adam had not transgressed…they would have had no
children
This doctrine
is taken for granted by latter-day saints. Search the record of Genesis! You
will not find this doctrine taught in Genesis or anywhere else in the Bible.
The implications of a different interpretation are enormous. Many Christian
denominations believe that Adam and Eve could procreate prior to
partaking of the forbidden fruit but that they didn’t. According to this doctrine,
without their transgression, all of humanity would have been born into the
paradise of the Garden of Eden. They conclude that the Fall of Adam forces all
of mankind to live in a dark and dreary world instead of paradise.
This is where
our doctrine differs. Thanks to Lehi, and other sources, we understand that
they could not have children in their state of innocence. In fact, the
entire plan of salvation would be spoiled if they had never partaken of the
fruit. If they hadn’t, we would all still be in the pre-mortal existence while
Adam and Eve remained in the Garden renaming the animals. Adam’s decision,
prompted by the wise counsel of his wife, made it possible for all mankind to
experience mortality and learn of the opposition in all things that Lehi spoke
of. It was only in this way that they could become as
God, knowing good and evil.
Joseph
Fielding Smith
“ Adam and Eve
therefore did the very thing that the Lord intended them to do…The Lord said to
Adam that if he wished to remain in the garden, then he was not to eat the
fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at liberty to do
so. So really it was not in the true sense a transgression of a divine
commandment….It was the divine plan from the very beginning that man should be
placed on the earth and be subject to mortal conditions and pass through a
probationary state as explained in the Book of Mormon.” (Answers to Gospel
Questions, vol. 4, pp. 79-82 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the
Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.92)
2 Ne 2:25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might
have joy
Contrary to
some notions, God actually wants us to be happy. He wants us to have joy, to
experience the beauty of his creations, to know the love of parenthood and
family, to feel of His love for us, and to live according to His Spirit. He
only wants us to experience the negative so that we can appreciate the
beautiful things He has in store for us. The concept of religion which teaches
that one must deprive oneself of all pleasure in some sort of austere
self-deprivation of mind, body, and spirit is false.
We are only to
deprive ourselves of those worldly pleasures which enslave the human mind,
body, and spirit. Satan mimics the plan of the Lord. He says, “men are that
they might have fleeting pleasure.” God’s plan is that we have lasting joy in
this world and eternal joy in the world to come. This sort of joy can only come
when the body and spirit are joined together, the
elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a
fullness of joy; And when separated , man cannot receive a fullness of joy
(DC 93:33-34).
The Lord has
provided many ways for us to experience this divine joy while here on the
earth. He has given us the privilege of parenthood, that we may “have joy and
rejoicing” in our posterity. The scriptures also teach us that the Spirit will
bring us joy, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will
impart unto you of my Spirit which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill
your soul with joy (DC 11:13). The Israelites knew that newlyweds were
to have joy in their marriage, When a man hath taken
a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any
business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his
wife (Deut 24:5). Of this earthly joy, Brigham Young taught:
“’Mormonism’
has done everything for me that ever has been done for me on the earth; it has
made me happy; it has made me wealthy and comfortable; it has filled me with
good feelings, with joy and rejoicing. Whereas, before I possessed the spirit
of the Gospel I was troubled with that which I hear others complain of, that
is, with, at times, feeling cast down, gloomy, and despondent; with everything
wearing to me, at times, a dreary aspect.” (Discourses of Brigham Young,
compiled by John A. Widstoe, p. 452)
The Lord also
has provided for those who are worthy to experience eternal joy, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all
men most miserable (1 Cor 15:19) This is the reason for our creation,
for God’s work is to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). The eternal joy of God’s love is
likened to the fruit of the tree of life, for it is the final reward of the
righteous. What greater joy could one possibly experience than to hear the
Savior say, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over
many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matt 25:21)?
Joseph
Fielding Smith
“Adam's
transgression was banishment from the presence of God and bringing the physical
death into the world. The majority in the religious world maintain that every
child born into this world is tainted with ‘original sin,’ or partakes of
Adam's transgression in his birth. The second Article of Faith contradicts this
foolish and erroneous doctrine.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1,
p. 82)
2
Ne 2:25 the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time
“The
expression used here has reference to the day of Christ's mortal ministry,
usually designated as the meridian of time.
Using the same expression as Nephi, Paul wrote, ‘When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons’ (Galatians 4:4-5). Paul also spoke of ‘the
dispensation of the fulness of times’ as the day in which we live- the
day in which all things are to be restored (see Ephesians 1:10). Those living before Christ's earthly
ministry would properly see his coming as a time of fulness or a time of completion
not only of the law of Moses but also of thousands of messianic
prophecies. In the revelations of the
Restoration the phrase is used to identify our dispensation as the fulness of
all past dispensations (see D&C 27:13; D&C 121:31; D&C 124:41;
D&C 128:18, 20).” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book
of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 191)
2
Ne 2:26 that he may redeem the children of men from
the fall
“Standing
alone, these verses (verses 22-26) would justify the eternal worth of the Book
of Mormon. The most transcendent event
in all history was the atoning sacrifice of Christ. The Atonement came in answer to the Fall. Without an understanding of the Fall there
can be no meaningful understanding of the Atonement. In turn, to understand the Fall one must understand the nature of
the Creation, for it is from the original state in which things were created
that they have fallen and to which, through the Atonement, they are in large
measure intended to return. These three
principles - the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement - are inseparable and
have properly been called the three pillars of eternity.
“Within the
covers of the Bible we can read an account of the Creation, of Adam's fall, and
of the events that surrounded Christ's atoning sacrifice. Yet it is to the Book of Mormon that we must
turn to learn why things were created as they were, why it was essential to the
eternal plan for the salvation of man that Adam fall, and why the blood of
Christ needed to be shed in an infinite sacrifice. To this end, few verses have ever been penned that are more
instructive than those here written by father Lehi. First, he told us that if Adam had not fallen, all created
things- that is, Adam, Eve, plants, animals, and even the earth itself- would
have remained forever in the paradisiacal state in which they had been
created. None would know death, none
would know corruption or change of any kind, and none could produce after their
own kind. All must have remained
forever as they existed at the completion of the creative act.” (McConkie and
Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 199-200)
2 Ne 2:27 men are free according to the flesh
Christ’s
infinite atonement frees us from the fall of Adam. It allows us to exercise our
agency in choosing right and wrong. The term, “free agency” is redundant. It is
not found in the scriptures. Rather, the scriptures use the term, “agency of
man” (Moses 4:3). People only remain free as long as they exercise this agency
wisely. Lehi makes it clear that if they choose the plan of Satan, they are
choosing captivity and death. Thus, the
wicked voluntarily give up their freedom so that Satan can drag them down to
his miserable level.
Joshua tried
to help the children of Israel decide how to use their agency righteously, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods
which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or
the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord (Josh 24:15). It is only through serving the Lord
that we remain free, for we are able to avoid the bondage of sin and the
captivity of the devil.
Brigham
Young
“You are aware
that many think that the Devil has rule and power over both body and spirit.
Now, I want to tell you that he does not hold any power over man, only so far
as the body overcomes the spirit that is in a man, through yielding to the
spirit of evil. The spirit that the Lord puts into a tabernacle of flesh, is
under the dictation of the Lord Almighty; but the spirit and body are united in
order that the spirit may have a tabernacle, and be exalted; and the spirit is
influenced by the body, and the body by the spirit.
“In the first
place the spirit is pure, and under the special control and influence of the
Lord, but the body is of the earth, and is subject to the power of the Devil,
and is under the mighty influence of that fallen nature that is of the earth.
If the spirit yields to the body, the Devil then has power to overcome the body
and spirit of that man, and he loses both.
“Recollect, brethren and sisters, every
one of you, that when evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts,
it is through the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and
step out of the way inadvertently; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit
an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield
to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles,
take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil,
and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the
body, and are overcome and destroyed.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.
69-70 as taken from the Book of Mormon Student Manual, 1981 ed., p. 73-4)