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.
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”.
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