Concerning the Justice of God

Alma 54

Last evening as I was listening to a talk, I was distressed with an example that was used during the talk, as it caused me to feel guilty about my current situation. This morning, reflecting back on the talk and the particular story that was used as an example, I realized that it wasn’t used to convict me, but rather it was used to illustrate an abstract gospel principle.

So now I am reading about Moroni’s response to Ammoron, I am asking myself: what are the principles?

The premise of Moroni’s epistle is based upon points of doctrine (that’s why it is included in the scriptures, Brent). Justice, the wrath of God, repentance and its conditions, these are things that Moroni says he would endeavor to spell out to Ammoron if he were capable of understanding them.

Moroni’s principles are so clearly established within himself, the absolute truth of the reality of their present condition is what compels him, even in his anger, to defend his people.

Justice of God

Are the justice and indignation of God real? In Isaiah 26:10 and 11, it talks about favor being shown to the wicked, and yet they do not learn righteousness and they are oblivious to the God of the land.

Romans 2 in its entirety is an excellent chapter on the Judgment of God. In sum, God judges the heart of man.

It is God’s justice that divides the wicked from the righteous. Man is not responsible for this division. Lehi, and subsequently Nephi, saw it symbolically represented as a “great and terrible gulf”.

Indignation of God

By modern definition, indignation means:

feeling or showing anger because of something unjust or unworthy

Merriam-Webster.com

anger about a situation that you think is wrong or not fair

dictionary.cambridge.org

So when we couple the word “indignation” with “God”, the relativity of wrong or not fair is removed. If God is indignant with me, I am not in the right. And so we get verses like this:

God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Psalms 7:1

La Obligación Familiar

Familia

–¿Cómo me apunta esto a mi al Cristo?–

2 Nephi 25:23-29

En estos versículos, el enfoque es en el Cristo. Pero también enseña la importancia y la ley. Aunque para ellos, la ley hubo muerto, lo enseñaron a sus hijos, porque los mandamientos se guardaron por medio de la ley.

En nuestros días es igual con las estandartes para los jovenes, son como la ley de Moisés. Son importantes a comprender y vivirlos, sin embargo en ellos no hay salvación. Son muertos pautas en sí mismos. Pero la pregunta es: ¿Adónde nos lleva?

Las estandartes me ayudo encontrar al Cristo, pero aún más importante, después me ayudó guardarme seguro el camino de Cristo.

A Facebook Post (that I will not post to Facebook):

Here’s a little religion for us this morning. Recently, President Nelson (my faith’s prophet-leader), spoke to the men of the Church. I found it interesting how in speaking to the men, he still spoke of standards, though it was a different group of standards than what he spoke to the women of the Church six months earlier. To the men, he spoke of repentance, physical health, family relationships, and entertainment. To the women, he spoke of scritpure study, entertainment, temple and church attendance. On both sides, he addressed standards that are found in among the youth’s standards from the Church. These standards in and of themselves don’t save us, but they do serve to protect us from unnecessary hardship. Some have expressed concern that he spoke differently to the men, than he did the women. And of course he did. But it is two sides of the same coin. Both were discussions on standards.

–Los obligaron a [trabajar]–

Alma 53

Yo sé que las escrituras habla de como fue más fácil vigilar sobre los prisioneros mientras que trabajaron.

Pues Moroni se vio obligado a hacer que los lamanitas trabajaran porque era fácil vigilarlos mientras trabajaban;

Versículo 5

En esta ocasión, sin embargo, me estoy reflexionado sobre los tipos de trabajos que obligaron cumplir a los prisioneros lamanitas.

Primero, trabajaron. Esto permitió que ellos vieron el valor del trabajo. El primer trabajo que cumplieron fue el difícil obra de enterar a sus muertos.

En el versículo 2, Moroni confirió la manda de la ciudad de Mulek a Lehi. E la forma en que describe la relación entre Moroni y Lehi fue uno de amor el uno para el otro. Me hace reflexionar sobre el liderazgo de la iglesia hoy en día.

Los hombres jovenes, cuando contemplo como fue que fueron unidos, dos mil de ellos, me parece que no fue por accidente. Esto es un ejemplo de crianza intencional.

Men of Truth and Soberness… Taught to Keep the Commandments of God

Alma 53

This is the part of the Gospel of Christ that I do not understand, I do not know it. I don’t know how a group of converts to the Church can effectively teach their children principles that would cause their young men to be “men of truth and soberness”. This thing seems nearly impossible to me. (I would have better luck raising stones up to be my children, it seems.)

But to see that an entire group of converts were able to teach their sons to keep the commandments of God suggests to me that this isn’t a game of chance, and that it isn’t a personality disorder, and that it’s not so much about every child having their own agency. The group understood the power of the doctrine and were converted to it. How?

April 2019 General Conference Notes

Saturday Morning Session

Pre-thoughts: This morning I thought about the central role of the repentance process in my personal conversion to the Gospel of Christ, His atonement, Priesthood Authority, and so forth. Because repentance works, I have few other questions or issues with the general march and progress of the Church and its leadership.

Elder Ulisses Soares

The divine mandate to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others.

Parents have a sacred responsibility to teach morality to our children. Immersion in the scriptures will help us to recognize the voice of the Savior. This doesn’t happen by chance.

Our actions must reflect what we are learning.

Teach your children to always observe to keep the commandments of God. How shall our children learn save we should guide them. Seek to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Becky Craven

Happiness for $15. Store selling trinkets.

Train accident illustrates the gospel track that leads us to our intended destination.

There is not a right way to do the wrong thing. Are we careful or casual?

Listening to Sister Craven’s remarks causes me to consider the division that sometimes comes to Rachel and I when I am trying to encourage greater obedience to commandments and doctrines.

Elder Brook Hales

God knows us and our timing.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Missionary work. Dragging your feet in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 5 guilt-free things to do to be a better missionary.

  1. Draw closer to God. Others will see your light.
  2. Fill your heart with love for others.
  3. Strive to walk the path of discipleship.
  4. Share what is in your heart. Look for opportunity to share your faith in natural and normal ways.
  5. (?)

(Missed Bishop Waddell’s Remarks)

Pres. Henry B. Eyering

The Church was organized in 1830 in a family home. The feeling that we want in our homes. Contention, pride, and sin have to be kept at bay to have these feeling in our homes.

The pattern of decline: Pride crept in. Stopped sharing. Organized into classes.

The underlying cause is Satan trying to lead good people to do good things. Growing in Faith in Jesus Christ will be better than calling to repentance

Alma recalled the words that his father spoke to the people, when he was repenting.

Worried about decisions of extended family members: You are worrying about the wrong thing.

Saturday Afternoon

Pres. M. Russell Ballard

Priesthood Session

Pres. Henry B. Eyering

The Lord will some day interview each of us personally. Where else is this doctrine found?

Do I regularly pray for preisthood leaders by name with a feeling of love.

Tendency to be critical. God has chosen his servants.

  2. Pray for them as they speak.
  3. (?)
  4. Listen for answers to prayers in their words.

Father to son: “Son, I am with you all the way. The Lord loves you, and with his help you can make it back, and I know you will make it back. I love you!”

Pres. Dallin H. Oaks

The Gospel teaches us to think about the future. Contrary, enjoy it today, spend it today, take no thought for the future.

Parable of the English Setter and the Squirrel. Where will this lead? We should offer a voice of warning.

Playing video games, textings, etc. has opportunity costs, meaning that there a cost for doing something and it takes away from other activities.

Making a present sacrifice to achieve a far away goal. Rewarded with the growth that comes with sacrifice.

Pres. Russel M. Nelson

Lord’s Instruction to Joseph Smith, Say nothing but Repentance unto this generation. Does everyone need to repent? Yes. Repentence is seen as

Change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit, our breath, teaching our children, love our wives, treat our bodies.

Regular daily focus on repentence. Doing and being a little better each day. Transforming into the

The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to thwart

Personal purity bring us power. We need this power to Gather Israel.

Prayerfully seek to identify what is standing in the way of our repentance, then change.

Change, improve the way we treat our bodies. Bodies are a

Your body is your personal temple,

How we honor our women. Your first duty is to love your wife. Her input will improve your output.

As servants of the Lord, we cannot be asleep now.

I need to rescue my family from their spiritual slumber. Set the goal to have all 4 of your sons with you at the next General Priesthood Session. That would be nothing short of a miracle.

Sunday Morning

Elder Renlund

How are blessings obtained? Blessings are never earned. Faith Inspired actions on our part are essential.

Until the match is struck, the energy is not released. If not applied to the woodpile, full energy is not released.

We don’t earn blessings but we do have to qualify for it.

Blessings come on God’s time table, sometime not until the next life. Do all things in our power and then stand still. (Keep your journals, becuase the family life that you want, may not be realized until after you pass this life.)

Sister Eubank

Staying connected to the source of light. Satan works hard to isolate us and tell us we are the only ones experiencing hardship. Jesus reaches out to the exception.

Make and keep sacred covenants. Keep Jesus Christ in the center of your life. This will strengthen your flickering light.

Elder Quinen L. Cook

Those who desire to serve in the work of Lord, must qualify for it in through faith, hope and charity. `

Example of sharing love demonstrated toward the Hawleck family in American Samoa.

If we show love, kindness and humilty our efforts to gather Israel will improve.

The home is now our primary family history centers. Home is a sanctuary from the storms of the world.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Reflect upon the Lord’s pending return. Important to relieve suffering, but also important to prepare for the 2nd Coming of the Lord. Even death shall be done away.

Devote to the preparations needed for Christ’s Return. The church has the unique commission to prepare for His coming.

Publication of the Book of Mormon was the initiation of the Gathering of Israel in our time.

Tad D. Callister

What was the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The Savior overcame the four obstacles:

  • Death
  • Sin – How do I know I am being forgiven? Feeling the influence of the Spirit means you have been forgine or in the process of being forgiven.

Gifts of the Spirit – Attributes of God. Tools for us to become perfect.

Pres. Russell M. Nelson

A recap of recent events.

Discussion of the passing of his daughter, Wendy.

Where is my family?

Savation is an individual matter. Exaltation is a family matter. What is required for a family to be exalted forever. Making covenants and keeping commandments.

Sunday Afternoon

Pres. Dallin H. Oaks

Repentance,

Lord said unto Adam, teach it unto your children, no unclean thing can inheret the kingdom of God.

This time is the time to repent. Not waiting until the next life.

Elder Juan Pable Villar

Our muscles grow only when we use them. Spiritual Gifts are the same also. They need to be exercised.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

The Good Shepherd doth call you by his name.

Elder David A. Bednar

“What did you learn about the Savior and his Gospel in your home this week?”

What Joseph Smith learned in his home paved the way for the restoration. After having the first vision, Joseph’s response to his mother was “I have learned for myself.”

If all we know about Jesus Christ is built upon what other people tell us our foundation is built upon sand.

Gospel learning is becoming home centered.

Elder Kyle McKay

The immediate goodness of God.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Take these things home and ponder over them in your homes. Building homes up as fortresses.

“More Than… Those Who Had Been Slain”

Alma 52

I get the sense, at the end of this chapter, that this is a treatise in how to respond as a Christian during times of war. Of all the details that could have be included, the chapter ends making this point:

And now the number of prisoners who were taken exceeded more than the number of those who had been slain, yea, more than those who had been slain on both sides.

vs. 40

Those that remained were more than those that had perished on both sides of the fight. That is a metric — a statistic, if you will, that was proof to Moroni (and those in his forces) of their success in stratagem. The fewer people who’s lives were spared, that they didn’t end their trial of probation prematurely, the better.

His Promise… Made Was Rash

Alma 51

There is a footnote on the word “rash” that has me considering its meaning and also contemplating past decision that were made rashly, or in haste.

Rashness when resulting in anger seems to be a faulty formula, and maybe this is where anger can be acceptable when separated from rashness (that is, acting quickly or hastily as a result of something provocative.)

There are a couple of other brief thoughts. Moroni was angry with the King-men that thought because of their nobility to place themselves upon the corpus of the Nephite people.

And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of those people whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he was exceedingly wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them.

Verse 14, emphasis added

Then as I read about the needless suffering and destruction that took place as a result of the King-men’s opposition to the government which allowed the Lamanites to overpower and kill many good people, and I could help but feel a degree of anger, pain, and sorrow for the pride that cause this to happen.

–Jamás hubo época más dichosa–

Alma 50

Este capítulo demuestra la realidad de esta frase que puse como tituló.

Fue en la seguridad que proveyó los preparativos al pueblo nefita que animó a los nefitas a unirse a las fuerzas de Moroni. Esto resultó en el crecimiento de las fuerzas de Moroni.

(Yo sé que hay más aquí en estos versículos que no estoy viendo.)

There Never Was a Happier Time

Alma 50

It seems to me that the essesnse of their happiness was in the labors that they were performing to prepare themselves to be protected against the Lamanites.

Building Walls Around the City

There seems to me to be a spiritual parallel between the construction of the walls (mounds of earth, topped with a layer of timbers, topped with a layer of pickets, with lookout towers on top) and the preparations that we need to make to protect ourselves against the spiritual attacks of the adversary.

Another way in which Moroni defended his land against the Lamanites is that he lined the border of the land with cities, that could support armies. It wasn’t just one city, it was multiple cities, just as there is greater strength in families.

“How Merciful and Just Are All the Dealings of the Lord”

(See vs. 19) This is one of those statements that starts with “And thus we see…”, but I’m not seeing it. I’m not makig the connection yet. But this is exactly what the Spirit of the Lord wants me to understand about this passage of scriptures.

It seems counter-intuitive that in making preparations to defend oneself against war that the grand conclusion of it all would be: Behold, God is merciful and just in all his dealings. But that’s exactly what is being stated here.


…Inasmuch as they shall keep my acommandments they shall prosper in the land.

vs. 20

What are the commandments that Moroni and the Nephites are being so attentive to that such profound blessings are extended to them? It doesn’t expressly state in this chapter what the commandements were, only that they “were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord,” (vs. 22) and consequently the Lord delivered them out of bondage every time.

A host of ills are listed as violations of the commandments that resulted in war and destruction, but we’re not spelling out here. I guess what I’m trying to ascertain here is whether it was in response to their observance of the commandments of God that they were blessed enough as a people to prepare, or was it in the actual preparation that the blessings of the commandments were obtained. I feel that is the latter, in the actions of doing, that the blessings were obtained. But is also a reciprocal effect that as we do, we are blessed in the ability to do more.

In work are the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ obtained.

–Hubo paz continua entre ellos–

Alma 49

Las observaciones finales en este capítulo habla de la fidelidad de Moroni y el pueblo nefita durante este tiempo de guerra. Al reconocer el ventaja que fue dado a ellos por medio de los preparativos de Moroni, el pueblo dio gracias al Señor.

Su prosperidad vino por medio de la atención que les prestaron a la palabra de Dios, no por medio de su fuerzas propias en la batalla.