DEEP DOCTRINES 2

I naively thought I would be able to cover the doctrines contained in Lehi’s blessings in one Thought for a Sabbath Day, but here I am continuing this joyful task for a second week.

2 Nephi 2:11-16

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away… And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

Even though, as the Apostle Paul said, we will all fall short of the mark, it was necessary for us to demonstrate our propensity to use the gift of Agency to choose to be obedient to the laws which we have been given while continually recognizing our reliance on the merits of the Grace of Jesus the Christ.

Lehi boldly proclaims that Agency becomes the foundational doctrine of all existence, a part of the Plan so paramount, that even He who is Omnipotent does not or at least rarely intercedes in its execution or the resultant consequences. My own meager understanding has come to the conclusion that when we see clearly we will come to understand that our Agency was sacred and not violated at any time.

2 Nephi 2:17-24, 27

And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.

And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Even though men seem to have the capacity to make wrong choices all on their own, the words of Lehi leave us with little doubt that the author of that side of the choice ledger was that fallen angel whom we call the devil.

If we fail to search these verses, we might fall into the old trap of believing the innocence of Adam and Eve caused them to make a tragic mistake when then used their agency to follow the devil’s counsel to partake of the forbidden fruit. We don’t know if it preceded their being driven from God’s presence or shortly thereafter that they knew the real purpose for choosing to leave their paradisiacal home, but we know that Lehi understood that they did know their decision resulted in all of our Heavenly Parents children being given the opportunity to come into their mortal probationary state.

2 Nephi 2: 25

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

I have ridden this horse so frequently that it is a wonder it can still move, but lets take it around the track one more time.
We cannot ignore that Lehi knew there was a connection between the Fall of Adam and the joy of his posterity. Since he had been revealing the conditions and necessities of returning to God, which is by definition overcoming the fall, and since he uses the purpose of man is to have joy. Hence we derive that the definition of joy is overcoming the conditions of the fall or narrowing the gulf which separates us from our Heavenly Home.

I appreciate your indulgence in allowing me to spend another two weeks on the last words of Lehi.


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY