The conditional blessings of the atonement overcome the effects of the fall of each individual person, but only on condition of that person's repentance and obedience-only those with "a broken heart and a contrite spirit." . Man is automatically the beneficiary of the unconditional blessings of the atonement without any effort on his own part. Biblical references to the fall of Lucifer are very scarce and veiled (Isaiah 14; Revelation 12). Those who are hard-hearted and proud and remain unrepentant will not qualify for the benefits of the atonement. 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 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). Only his own sins result in a lasting separation. ", In the previous two verses, Lehi urged his sons to choose good over evil. That is, by his own merits, each and every man is shut out of God's heavenly kingdom and shut out also of any degree of glory. Hence, there would be no earth and no man, indeed nothing would exist. Like Nephi, Enoch, Joseph Smith, and others, the Lord called him to the work from his youth. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power. 27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. In a sense, we may say that "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" is the gift of being able to obey enthusiastically and gratefully. They would have remained so if Adam and Eve had not fallen. Man has agency and can choose for himself, but he cannot escape the consequences of the eternal law. "thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother Nephi" "I know that thou art redeemed" Apparently it had been made manifest to father Lehi, presumably by the Holy Ghost, that the "callings and elections" of both Jacob and his brother Nephi have been made sure. By this grace or great love for us, the Savior is inclined to apply the power of his atonement to mankind. 2 Nephi 30. Less intuitively obvious, however, is the obligatory interdependence of God and the law. 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. He could not progress. No mortal will every find himself subject to conditions here on earth that would prevent him from exercising his agency in a way that will result in his spiritual growth and his ultimate exaltation. This is usually interpreted to mean that all things, including Adam, Eve, plants, and animals were created in an innocent and paradisiacal state at least in the area specified to be the Garden of Eden. We thus learn that when the Lord described the Creation by saying that it was "spiritual in the day that I created it; for it remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it, yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man" (Moses 3:9), we understand that the Lord may have been saying that there was no death or corruption among God's creations, at least at the time of-or in the location of Adam, Eve, and the Garden. 2 Nephi 23. This is usually interpreted to mean that all things, including Adam, Eve, plants, and animals were created in an innocent and paradisiacal state at least in the area specified to be the Garden of Eden. 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). There is no clear explanation of this vital doctrine found in the Old Testament, and a study of the New Testament has led to much confusion (see also. Lehi is referring to the state of probation which began with the fall of Adam. Of course not! "I believe," the rabbi said, "that joy is the essence of religion. Man is a dual or "compound" being, having both a physical or "natural" self and a spiritual self. 2 Nephi Chapter 28. 20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the World." Freedom is not a free gift, however, but must be earned. Because of the workings of the law of justice each man is "cut off"-that is, subject to two types of death: 1. He must have a rescuer, a redeemer, a savior. Let us not be guilty of being too simplistic, however, and failing to understand Satan's role. 2 Nephi Chapter 27. (Rom. In his "Conduct of Life" essays he says that the trying times are occasions a good learner would not miss. Be a cork. No one lives without sin. Jesus's agony and death in Gethsemane and on the cross was not mitigated by his being the God Jehovah and his being sired by the Father. (Elaine Cannon, Adversity, p. 4). Because of Satan's strategies and efforts, it is more difficult for us to resist our natural selves. 2 Nephi 2:27 Lehi's teaching on the principle of agency. McConkie and Millet wrote: "No virtue can exist without its corresponding evil: without the evil of danger there could be no courage, without suffering there could be no sympathy, without poverty there could be no generosity, and so forth. (Ensign, May 1996, pp. And a loving Creator blessed them with healing power by which the life and function of precious physical bodies could be preserved. Today, I’m pondering what I can do to find happiness in my daily life. Rather redemption is found in the combination of the two. (Discourses of Brigham Young, compiled by John A. Widstoe, p. 452). This ingredient is "free" and given to man without his having earned it. The atonement of the Savior has a dual character. "...I have seen the remorse and despair in the lives of men who, in the hour of trial, have cursed God and died spiritually. Without darkness there could be no light, without cold there could be no hot, without depths there could be no heights. God's prohibition against partaking of the "forbidden fruit" may have been more of a statement of consequences-what would come about if and when they did partake. "the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever" From the context of this passage, the "Spirit" is Jesus Christ. The "ends of the law" are "answered" for an individual when he is justified and able to return to the presence of God to receive his exaltation. Rather it teaches a simplistic view of the life hereafter which is living either with God (exaltation) or with Satan (in outer darkness) (see the commentary for, "the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein". He is said to be in a fallen state. We are here in mortality to be tested, and this cannot occur without the existence of opposition. Certainly not. 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. The "things to be acted upon" are the elements or matter. 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." 2 Nephi 15. verse 8 This verse contains the succinct "bottom line." happiness". We were meant to be happy. They point out that, while Elder McConkie's interpretation of 2 Nephi 2:22 is one possible interpretation, "It has not received official sanction as a doctrine; and it has no explicit foundation in scripture. All that has changed with the fulfillment of the law of Moses is a change in the nature of the sacrifice. They require diligent effort and self denial. It actually says, "And the way is prepared from the fall of man" (italics added). In the spirit world, if the demands of justice are not satisfactorily met by the individual's own personal suffering, and if he does not eventually repent and confess Jesus Christ, the individual will remain "filthy still" and go with Satan and his angels. He makes intercession for them, advocates their causes, and performs the divine service of mediation which reconciles them to God. 2 Nephi 33. 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. In giving his son Jacob a father's blessing, Lehi delivers a doctrinal discourse on the fall of man, the atonement, and the agency of man. "become miserable forever" This phrase refers to the idea that if the states of death (physical and spiritual) are not reversed, then all men will become sons of perdition and live with Satan forever (2 Nephi 9:8-9). We usually emphasize the negative effects of the fall of Adam. It was all according to divine purpose. The natural self of man is all the enticement a man needs to do evil. happiness" Since all have sinned, all are subject to the "ends of the law" and will receive the "punishment which is affixed" to that law. "they would have had no children" In the paradisiacal or spiritual state no living thing could enjoy the privilege of procreation. They had been guilty of gross offenses, and had wantonly rejected the teachings and admonitions of Noah. 2 Nephi 2. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. In spite of the implication of this verse, both of these entities are eternal. Isaiah may be referencing the prophecies of Zenos and the parable of the olive-tree (Jacob 5). Remember that to be "justified" is to have one's penalties for sin removed. These commandments, when obeyed, will eventually result in the freedom to choose to enter the celestial heaven. 2 Nephi 25. With this gift comes the motivation to obey the commandments, to submit to his will. he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. Even something like the Fall of Adam and Eve, which appears to be a failure and a tragedy, turns out to be part of God’s plan of happiness. His body was mortal and had to undergo the obligatory terminal physiologic phenomena necessary to terminate life common to all mortals. Or, could the law exist even if there were no God? "the days of the children of men were prolonged", The use of the word "prolonged" here is a curiosity since the time a man spends on this earth is certainly a relative thing. Chapter 1. The second Article of Faith contradicts this foolish and erroneous doctrine." He thus cannot find eternal happiness. The book of Moses explains that all things were "spiritual" in the day in which they were created. Indeed, would we in fact possess any meaningful agency? 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. 2 Nephi 18. The resurrection was engineered by One-even the Mighty One of Israel. Improvement Era 65 [April 1962]: 231). hath organized all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. All the assaults that the enemy of our souls will make to capture us will be through the flesh, because it is made up of the unredeemed earth, and he has power over the elements of the earth. 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). In one passage, Lehi earns the right to an honorary degree in philosophy. Since no man can live the law to perfection, no man can be justified and saved by virtue of his own merits. With no ethical issues, could we learn to use our agency in an edifying manner? What would life be like? It is sound logic that joy cannot exist in the absence of misery, and righteousness cannot exist when there is no possibility of sin. Rather, the Lord simply revealed to him the English translation of the book. They could then possess a more comprehensive knowledge of good and evil and grow spiritually at a rate limited only by their own willingness to overcome their natural self and obey the Lord's commands. Reconciliation comes from Latin roots re, meaning 'again'; con, meaning 'with'; and sella, meaning 'seat.' So much one of sin versus righteousness and glorious at random, no. Most difficult leg of the Book of Mormon but it is the actual placement of modern life on. Their transgression, all men really `` lost '' because of Adam and Eve could not for. 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