Category: God’s Character

The Reason Why God Ceaseth to Do Miracles among the Children of Men is Because They Dwindle in Unbelief

~ Richard Rowley

The prophet Moroni describes the only circumstance under which God ceases to do miracles among the people of the Earth.

“…Who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? …And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.” (Mormon 9:18-21)

Questions:

-Do some believe in God but misunderstand who He is (in that they do not trust that He works miracles in our time)?

God Has Not Ceased to Be a God of Miracles

~ Richard Rowley

The prophet Moroni continues to speak to those who do not believe God continues to perform miracles among the inhabitants of the Earth.

“Behold, [God] created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.” (Mormon 9:12-13)

“And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a God who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.” (Mormon 9:14-15)

Questions:

-Is there a greater miracle than the Resurrection?

-Does the theological stance that God has ceased to do miracles make sense when the resurrection of most of the world’s population is still to occur?

God Has All Power, All Wisdom, All Understanding, and Is a Merciful Being

~ Richard Rowley

Ammon teaches about God’s characteristics.

“…[God] has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.” (Alma 26:35)

Questions:

-Why is God merciful?

-Does mercy guide how God exercises His endless and perfect power?

-Can power be perfectly exercised without perfect wisdom, perfect understanding, and all-encompassing comprehension?

-Does God ever use His power to force people to do what is good and right?

-Does God allow us to choose between giving our individual wills to Him and withholding our wills from Him?

-Since God is merciful, in addition to all His other perfections, is there any difference between God’s will for us and what is best for us?

Teachings of Latter-Day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators:

From Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“Some have sincere faith in the existence of a God but not necessarily in a revealing and omniscient God. Other sincere individuals question God’s omniscience, wondering, even though respectfully, whether even God can know the future. But an omniscient and revealing God can at any present moment disclose things future. This is possible because ‘in the presence of God, … all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord’ (D&C 130:7). Thus God ‘knoweth all things, for all things are present before [his] eyes’ (D&C 38:2). He told Moses, ‘There is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all’ (Moses 1:6).

“No qualifiers on the scope of God’s knowledge appear in holy writ. Instead, we read: ‘O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.’ (2 Nephi 9:20.)” (If Thou Endure It Well [1996], 46).