C. S. Lewis once wondered, “...how on earth can [faith] be a virtue—what is there moral or immoral about believing or not believing a set of statements?” (Mere Christianity, Chapter 21, first paragraph). Faith is a virtue because all other virtues spring from it. Soil is not food, but it is necessary to make all food.
Mother of All Virtues
“As faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it
is in spiritual. But faith is not only the principle of action...it is also the
principle of power in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on
earth. The principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which
he framed the worlds, was faith” (Lectures on Faith, First Lecture).
Intelligent beings act according to belief. If we do not believe in something, we will not act. Faith is the spring that drives other virtues in us. The stronger our faith, the greater our tendency to do good.
“And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
“And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing” (Moroni 7:20-21). Here Mormon gives us the sense of just how broad faith is, of how much it covers.
“The first principle…of the Gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Articles of Faith 1:4). Faith in Christ is Ground Zero, the beginning of conversion and the introduction to all other principles and the subsequent ordinances.
The oft-read Alma Chapter 32 defines faith:
“And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (v. 21).
Moroni defines faith similarly: “…faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).
The first twenty five verses or so of Alma 32 deal with humility, a quality Alma notices in his audience. I used to read those exposition verses, impatiently waiting for the part about developing faith, the metaphor of seeds turning into trees, etc. Now I recognize that faith in Christ and humility are inseparable; they arrive simultaneously.
There is a very strong correlation between faith in Christ and
humility—in fact, faith presupposes a measure of humility, even requires
it.
Mormon writes to the small band of faithful Christians that remain at the end time of his nation: “…I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness…
“…he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
“If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity” (Moroni 7:39, 43-44). He adds humility to the trifecta of faith, hope, and charity.
The theme of Mormon’s entire epistle in Moroni 7 is recognizing good from evil, and how to lay hold upon the good. Mormon is writing to what remains of the Church as the members are surrounded by depraved, bloodthirsty people engaged in every sin imaginable. They had become mobile military nomads, pillaging, murdering, etc.
Yet there were a few good people, a nucleus of saints, keeping faith alive in the midst of wickedness preceding their annihilation. What he was prompted to write to them, therefore, is useful to modern Christians today. Invitations to sin are everywhere; faith is mocked and attacked openly (atheism is fashionable, if untenable, unsupported by empirical evidence), and groups are actively seeking to ban all expressions of a belief in, or public reliance upon God.
We too need to know how to keep our faith burning brightly in the midst of all these attacks and spiritually eroding forces. We also need to “lay hold on every good thing.”
Evidences
“Faith is the substance (JST “assurance”) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…
“But without faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:1, 6).
Our doubts and fears must be hurtful, even insulting, to God. “…let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly…” (D&C 100:15). But we hesitate nervously or drag our feet. The Lord has the ability to turn all things we experience into something good (often the greatest good comes from the oppositions we face).
“…know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 121:7).
We typically cannot see the good in pain and difficulty we face now. It takes faith in God, faith that He can work things out, and make them into educational, strengthening experiences for us, to face adversity well.
How can faith itself be evidence?
Truth Detector
On the face of it, this sounds circular or confusing. The subject of faith is more complex than we might at first assume after a cursory glance at the scriptures.
Alma 32 seems to indicate that each human being has a built-in truth detector, aided by the Spirit.
He invites us to “awake, and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
“Now, we will compare the word (not faith itself) unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious unto me” (Alma 32:27-28).
He is telling us that when we encounter an idea (“the word”) and ingest it or take it into our hearts, if it is divine truth our hearts will automatically resonate with it. We taste honey and say that it is sweet; we chew on the word, mull it over, ponder upon it, and we feel pleasant burning and swelling motions, increased enlightenment, clearer understanding, as symptoms. The seed of truth we plant actually begins to grow in us; that growth and enlightenment and sweetness we experience is our faith in the word.
We each have a sixth sense, a built-in truth detector, or at least the ability to receive revelation through the Spirit, and when we encounter something we cannot currently prove but that actually is true, and let it into our hearts, that Spirit will register many positive signs. Those things increase our faith in that idea, and so that faith is evidence that it is true.
What is the seed, the word, we are to plant? Alma says to “believe in the Son of God, that he will come down among his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and he will rise again from the dead…
“I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts…” (Alma 33:22-23).
Weak Faith, Strong Faith
“Because faith is wanting, the fruits are. No man since the world was had faith without having something along with it. The ancients quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, women received their dead, etc. By faith the worlds were made. A man who has none of the gifts has no faith; and he deceives himself, if he supposes he has. …tongues, healings, prophecy…and all the gifts and blessings have been wanting” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 270).
Jesus’ disciples asked Him why they could not cast out an evil spirit. “And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:20-21). Have we seen mountains move?
It is easy to look at the world and assume faith is abundant, ubiquitous, as common as air. Despite the innumerable religious traditions and belief systems, where there is no smoke there is no fire. Where the gifts of the Spirit are missing, faith in God consistent with what the the scriptures ask from us is absent.
Faith is a belief in that which is unseen, yet true. Belief in unseen false things, or seen true things, or things we see that are actually false—none of these meet the scriptural criteria that define faith.
The symptoms of weak, dead, or absent faith, on the other hand, are sadly abundant in the world. People assume that radicals and zealots who commit violent atrocities in the name of God have excessive faith. In reality, the opposite is probably true. When a person has a weak belief in his religious tradition, and his belief is challenged or contradicted by evidence, he is far more likely to respond with violence than someone who is secure in his faith.
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear (the opposites of faith, hope, and charity are doubt, fear, and pride): because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love…
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1John 4:8, 18, 20).
Doubt and fear lead to pride, which manifests itself as competitive malice, jealous contempt for others, enmity, and people trying to force their beliefs onto the world.
Respect for free will is a defining characteristic of God; He allows all sorts of bad things to go on, not because He is bad, but because of His commitment to preserving our freedom. How else could we learn and progress? Good choices are not really good unless they include a deliberate rejection of evil, which means good and evil must be available at the same time. Sincerity is impossible without real options.
Faith as a Gift
So many of the virtuous behaviors commanded of us in the scriptures presuppose interaction with God, receipt of His grace. Our faith might begin as part of our own exploration of the Gospel, but when we receive divine intervention, that is when faith really begins to snowball.
The scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as “the author and the finisher of [our] faith” (Moroni 6:4). It is not enough to simply believe on our own; at some point, our faith must be the result of what we witness and experience as we interact with God, and be something God puts into us. A divine spark must ignite our own faith.
God does not leave us in the dark to rely solely on what physical evidences we can scrape together. He rewards the exercise of faith in Him with correction and with greater faith.
Under His influence, our inklings and suspicions and hunches in our conscience turn to impulses, impressions, and promptings. When we act on those promptings, impressions are confirmed; faith becomes knowledge.
“Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought (worked, caused) a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). The Lord upgraded the people of King Benjamin from belief to knowledge via a mighty change He “wrought” in their hearts. (Power to keep the commandments and certainty about God arrived simultaneously— to give us certain knowledge without giving strength to keep commandments would lead to greater condemnation.)
Doubt turns to faith, but faith, as it is confirmed over and over again, turns to sure knowledge.
“…and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting” (Ether 3:19).
We should not be discouraged at the slow or imperceptible growth of our own faith. As faith grows, the opposition and challenges to it also increase, which can make our progress seem smaller than it is. We can find encouragement when we glance back occasionally and see what we used to struggle with.
Faith seems like a friendly, fairly amorphous concept—until it bumps into challenges. Then faith must deploy in the form of virtues like courage, patience, humility, fortitude, and other cumbersome forms of endurance. Experience increases our faith over time and we do not worry so much.
“Knowledge does away with darkness, suspense and doubt: for these cannot exist where knowledge is.
“There is no pain so awful as that of suspense. This is the punishment of the wicked; their doubt, anxiety and suspense cause weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth” (TPJS, p. 287-288).
We do not have to wait until we are in hell to experience these things. Nor do we have to wait until we are in heaven to experience the fruits of firm faith.
“I am Jesus Christ…they who shall believe on my name…they shall become my sons and my daughters” (Ether 3:14).
Real faith manifests itself as a host of virtues—charity, obedience, repentance, etc. It also manifests itself in our hearts as trust in God. External turbulence need not drown out internal peace that comes to us when our faith is burning brightly. God adds fuel to that fire as we use it.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
The Foreknowledge of God
Our free will and God’s foreknowledge might seem like contradictory principles. C. S. Lewis asserted that they are both true principles, but that free will “is the deeper truth of the two” (The Great Divorce, pg. 124-25).
God’s foreknowledge of events before they transpire does not compel us or make our decisions inevitable. It does not rob us of agency.
Somehow, God knows everything, past, present, and future, what we will choose, and yet that is not the same thing as determinism, the idea that everything is inevitable.
Satan tries to sap our drive and commitment with falsehoods. One such lie he promotes is the idea that God’s foreknowledge of our choices destroys our freedom. If everything were predetermined and out of our control, it would be a good excuse to stop repenting. Regardless of how contradictory they seem to us, God’s foreknowledge and our agency are both clearly taught in the scriptures as coexistent and harmonious.
“And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good…” (Alma 13:3).
All metaphors are flawed, but the following image helps me reconcile the seeming contradiction: Imagine someone piloting a helicopter above a driver on a winding road with many forks. Canyon walls flank the road and obscure the view of the driver. The pilot sees him take a wrong turn. Because of his elevated position, he can see what the consequences of this wrong turn will be. He knows that the driver is headed toward danger. If the pilot can communicate with the driver, and the driver listens, the pilot’s advanced view of the terrain ahead will benefit the driver.
“…all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8).
Even though God knows everything that will happen, the constant litany of the scriptures is repent, exercise faith in Christ, repent, exercise faith… This instruction is more than a dictum to be good boys and girls; it is based on God’s knowledge of what lies ahead (whether we can see it or not). Satan wants us to believe all such efforts are futile (no matter how hard we try we are never completely free from our flaws here). Yet the Lord insists that constant repentance is not futile, but vital.
Staying in the Light
The scriptures teach us that the Savior is “the light of the world,” “the true light which ligheth every man that cometh into the world” (John 8:12, 1:9). This life is a time “to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24). While we are here, we can receive a greater amount of light than we have earned—through grace. We get that light for free at birth. Once we die, however, the amount of light we receive will be greatly reduced, unless we have repented, been baptized, and made other priesthood covenants with God and kept those covenants well.
“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;
“…Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit” (D&C 19:16, 17, 20).
That power, the light emanating from God, keeps us alive and makes us happy, the way petroleum fuels automobiles or food sustains our bodies.
“And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
“Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
“The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things…the law by with all things are governed…
“…your glory (in the resurrection) shall be that same glory by which your bodies are quickened (here in our mortal existence).
“Ye who are quickened (now) by a portion of the celestial glory shall then (in the resurrection) receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:11-13, 28-29).
Heaven is heavenly in part because we get a fullness of that celestial light there. “When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is…
“And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:1-2). Joseph Smith experienced that glory during the First Vision:
“A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy” (Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Milton V. Backman, Appendix B, 1835 Account, p. 159). Even without a grand theophany or open vision, we can get a foretaste of that joy in this life.
“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…” (D&C 11:13).
In order to enjoy that same portion of the Spirit we have here and now after we cross the boundary of death, we must repent, make covenants with God, and keep those covenants well.
“I am the bread of life…
“…he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” (John 5:48, 58).
“…If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).
This refers to spiritual life and death, our portion of the Spirit we enjoy, more than physical death (though eventual resurrection for all is literal).
“…the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). All the original Apostles but John died. However, physical death does not include spiritual death (loss of the Spirit, of that light) for those who die in Christ, faithful to their covenants.
“And it shall come to pass that those who die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
“And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter” (D&C 42:46).
“…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 34:34). Repentance, here and now, is vital for happiness hereafter. The command for all men everywhere to repent is to help us in the next world beyond death, not just here in mortality.
Hell is depicted figuratively as a furnace of stinking sulfur. The clinical, literal description of Hell is “Outer Darkness.” God dwells in “fire” and “everlasting burnings” (Isaiah 33:14). When this earth is celestialized and crowned with His presence, it will become a “sea of glass and fire,” a great “Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon” (D&C 130:7, 9).
The more of God’s light we receive, the happier we will be. Misery is to lose that light, to receive a lesser portion, or none at all.
The scriptures applaud every step away from sin, and toward obedience and repentance. Our attempts might seem fruitless at times, but the consequences of repentance here and now might save us from incalculable suffering, loss of that light, after we die.
Trust
The night Jesus was arrested, Peter said, “I will lay down my life for thy sake.”
“Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (John 13:37-38). This is a painful kind of prophecy—the Lord knows Peter will make a big mistake, and foretells it. Should Peter wallow in despair? No. The very next verse says,
“Let not your heart be troubled…
“In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you…
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).
We must trust that the Lord foresaw all our bad choices (and good), and has prepared a way for us to return to Him.
We speak of the “plan of salvation” as though it were a simple, uniform template for everyone, a waterslide that we all traverse. How much information is contained in that little word, “plan?” It is a verb as well as a noun. Millions of threads make up a mighty tapestry, yet each is unique, and serves to create its own part of the final picture. Each life is unique, and so each life must have been accounted for—planned for—in order for the plan of salvation to be complete.
Nephi saw a vision of the creation and destruction of his people, the Nephites. He sank into bitter sorrow because of this, but his final analysis is educational for us: “…nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (2Ne. 4:19).
The fact that God knows the future should fill us with trust and hope, not despair, because He works on our behalf.
Guidance
Rather than feel compelled or limited by God’s foreknowledge, we should feel gratitude that He has our best interests at heart, and that we can trust His omniscience and guidance He sends us through His Spirit (and other sources).
Nephi obtained the brass plates, not because of cunning or his own strength, but because he “was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1Ne. 4:6).
Lehi’s family was led by the Liahona, a miraculous brass ball that pointed the way they should travel in the wilderness. Messages would appear on it and change from time to time. “And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness” (1Ne. 16:16). To ignore spiritual promptings is to invite waste and disaster. Following the Spirit saves time, and leads to safety, greater opportunities, and generally increased prosperity.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
Instead of waiting to be free from flaws before we feel alright about ourselves and start choosing, we should move forward with confidence, do the best we can, and trust that the Lord has foreseen and provided for the results of our choices.
Often, the Lord will place decisions on our shoulders instead of giving us specific instructions.
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant…” (D&C 58:26). The Lord lets us choose, and is prepared for any messes we might make (or invariably make) in the process. The Atonement of Christ is the ultimate power to fix, clean, and cure the aftermath and consequences of our sins or mistakes. (It also does far more; we have only begun to experience the benefits of the Atonement.)
After Joseph Smith was martyred, Brigham Young met him in a dream-vision:
“Joseph…said, ‘tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go…. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls…and their whole desire will be to do good…. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord…they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in heaven before they came into the world” (Elden J. Watson, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1846-47, 23 February 1847).
Both our moral agency and the foreknowledge of God are real, and coexist.
The omniscient foreknowledge of God should console us, not unnerve us. We can rejoice in His ability to foresee what is coming. The Spirit will give us direction according to that knowledge about the future. It will also give us peace and faith to cover gaps in our current limited understanding. “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1Ne. 11:17). When we follow the quiet whisperings of His Spirit, we experience tender mercies, tangible blessings that serve as proofs that God knows the future, and uses that knowledge for us.
I have been blessed with such promptings, and when I have the courage necessary to follow them, I have witnessed those quiet, consoling evidences that God knew what would happen. We should not forget that pure love motivates the use of His power in our lives, and we can return that love by repenting and following directions He gives.
God’s foreknowledge of events before they transpire does not compel us or make our decisions inevitable. It does not rob us of agency.
Somehow, God knows everything, past, present, and future, what we will choose, and yet that is not the same thing as determinism, the idea that everything is inevitable.
Satan tries to sap our drive and commitment with falsehoods. One such lie he promotes is the idea that God’s foreknowledge of our choices destroys our freedom. If everything were predetermined and out of our control, it would be a good excuse to stop repenting. Regardless of how contradictory they seem to us, God’s foreknowledge and our agency are both clearly taught in the scriptures as coexistent and harmonious.
“And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good…” (Alma 13:3).
All metaphors are flawed, but the following image helps me reconcile the seeming contradiction: Imagine someone piloting a helicopter above a driver on a winding road with many forks. Canyon walls flank the road and obscure the view of the driver. The pilot sees him take a wrong turn. Because of his elevated position, he can see what the consequences of this wrong turn will be. He knows that the driver is headed toward danger. If the pilot can communicate with the driver, and the driver listens, the pilot’s advanced view of the terrain ahead will benefit the driver.
“…all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8).
Even though God knows everything that will happen, the constant litany of the scriptures is repent, exercise faith in Christ, repent, exercise faith… This instruction is more than a dictum to be good boys and girls; it is based on God’s knowledge of what lies ahead (whether we can see it or not). Satan wants us to believe all such efforts are futile (no matter how hard we try we are never completely free from our flaws here). Yet the Lord insists that constant repentance is not futile, but vital.
Staying in the Light
The scriptures teach us that the Savior is “the light of the world,” “the true light which ligheth every man that cometh into the world” (John 8:12, 1:9). This life is a time “to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24). While we are here, we can receive a greater amount of light than we have earned—through grace. We get that light for free at birth. Once we die, however, the amount of light we receive will be greatly reduced, unless we have repented, been baptized, and made other priesthood covenants with God and kept those covenants well.
“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;
“…Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit” (D&C 19:16, 17, 20).
That power, the light emanating from God, keeps us alive and makes us happy, the way petroleum fuels automobiles or food sustains our bodies.
“And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
“Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
“The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things…the law by with all things are governed…
“…your glory (in the resurrection) shall be that same glory by which your bodies are quickened (here in our mortal existence).
“Ye who are quickened (now) by a portion of the celestial glory shall then (in the resurrection) receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:11-13, 28-29).
Heaven is heavenly in part because we get a fullness of that celestial light there. “When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is…
“And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:1-2). Joseph Smith experienced that glory during the First Vision:
“A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy” (Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Milton V. Backman, Appendix B, 1835 Account, p. 159). Even without a grand theophany or open vision, we can get a foretaste of that joy in this life.
“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…” (D&C 11:13).
In order to enjoy that same portion of the Spirit we have here and now after we cross the boundary of death, we must repent, make covenants with God, and keep those covenants well.
“I am the bread of life…
“…he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” (John 5:48, 58).
“…If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).
This refers to spiritual life and death, our portion of the Spirit we enjoy, more than physical death (though eventual resurrection for all is literal).
“…the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). All the original Apostles but John died. However, physical death does not include spiritual death (loss of the Spirit, of that light) for those who die in Christ, faithful to their covenants.
“And it shall come to pass that those who die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
“And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter” (D&C 42:46).
“…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 34:34). Repentance, here and now, is vital for happiness hereafter. The command for all men everywhere to repent is to help us in the next world beyond death, not just here in mortality.
Hell is depicted figuratively as a furnace of stinking sulfur. The clinical, literal description of Hell is “Outer Darkness.” God dwells in “fire” and “everlasting burnings” (Isaiah 33:14). When this earth is celestialized and crowned with His presence, it will become a “sea of glass and fire,” a great “Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon” (D&C 130:7, 9).
The more of God’s light we receive, the happier we will be. Misery is to lose that light, to receive a lesser portion, or none at all.
The scriptures applaud every step away from sin, and toward obedience and repentance. Our attempts might seem fruitless at times, but the consequences of repentance here and now might save us from incalculable suffering, loss of that light, after we die.
Trust
The night Jesus was arrested, Peter said, “I will lay down my life for thy sake.”
“Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (John 13:37-38). This is a painful kind of prophecy—the Lord knows Peter will make a big mistake, and foretells it. Should Peter wallow in despair? No. The very next verse says,
“Let not your heart be troubled…
“In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you…
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).
We must trust that the Lord foresaw all our bad choices (and good), and has prepared a way for us to return to Him.
We speak of the “plan of salvation” as though it were a simple, uniform template for everyone, a waterslide that we all traverse. How much information is contained in that little word, “plan?” It is a verb as well as a noun. Millions of threads make up a mighty tapestry, yet each is unique, and serves to create its own part of the final picture. Each life is unique, and so each life must have been accounted for—planned for—in order for the plan of salvation to be complete.
Nephi saw a vision of the creation and destruction of his people, the Nephites. He sank into bitter sorrow because of this, but his final analysis is educational for us: “…nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (2Ne. 4:19).
The fact that God knows the future should fill us with trust and hope, not despair, because He works on our behalf.
Guidance
Rather than feel compelled or limited by God’s foreknowledge, we should feel gratitude that He has our best interests at heart, and that we can trust His omniscience and guidance He sends us through His Spirit (and other sources).
Nephi obtained the brass plates, not because of cunning or his own strength, but because he “was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1Ne. 4:6).
Lehi’s family was led by the Liahona, a miraculous brass ball that pointed the way they should travel in the wilderness. Messages would appear on it and change from time to time. “And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness” (1Ne. 16:16). To ignore spiritual promptings is to invite waste and disaster. Following the Spirit saves time, and leads to safety, greater opportunities, and generally increased prosperity.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
Instead of waiting to be free from flaws before we feel alright about ourselves and start choosing, we should move forward with confidence, do the best we can, and trust that the Lord has foreseen and provided for the results of our choices.
Often, the Lord will place decisions on our shoulders instead of giving us specific instructions.
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant…” (D&C 58:26). The Lord lets us choose, and is prepared for any messes we might make (or invariably make) in the process. The Atonement of Christ is the ultimate power to fix, clean, and cure the aftermath and consequences of our sins or mistakes. (It also does far more; we have only begun to experience the benefits of the Atonement.)
After Joseph Smith was martyred, Brigham Young met him in a dream-vision:
“Joseph…said, ‘tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go…. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls…and their whole desire will be to do good…. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord…they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in heaven before they came into the world” (Elden J. Watson, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1846-47, 23 February 1847).
Both our moral agency and the foreknowledge of God are real, and coexist.
The omniscient foreknowledge of God should console us, not unnerve us. We can rejoice in His ability to foresee what is coming. The Spirit will give us direction according to that knowledge about the future. It will also give us peace and faith to cover gaps in our current limited understanding. “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1Ne. 11:17). When we follow the quiet whisperings of His Spirit, we experience tender mercies, tangible blessings that serve as proofs that God knows the future, and uses that knowledge for us.
I have been blessed with such promptings, and when I have the courage necessary to follow them, I have witnessed those quiet, consoling evidences that God knew what would happen. We should not forget that pure love motivates the use of His power in our lives, and we can return that love by repenting and following directions He gives.
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