Tag: Goodness

Nothing That is Good Denieth the Christ

~ Richard Rowley

Moroni defines the good as that which is just and true. All philosophies, creeds, and actions that deny Christ — who is the embodiment of all that is good – are essentially opposed to goodness. The power of God’s goodness is manifest in the mortal world through the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of mortals who exercise faith in the Good Lord.

“…Whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledges that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow and forever.” (Moroni 10:6-7)

Questions:

-Are there many things that appear good but, at core, are not based on the above teachings of Moroni?

All Good Things Come from Christ

~ Richard Rowley

Moroni teaches that faith in Jesus Christ is (and always has been) the means by which good flows into the lives of individuals and into the world in general.

“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 of every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.” (Moroni 7:20-24)

“Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.” (Moroni 7:25-26)

Questions:

-As Christ, under the direction of the Father, was the Creator, is His spirit woven into all of creation? Does this include the heart and mind of every human soul who has inhabited the earth since the creation?

Wickedness Never Was Happiness

~ Richard Rowley

Alma teaches his son that all people will be restored (in the Resurrection) to what they have become based on their desires and actions in this life.  

“Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness…All men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in the carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature? O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.” (Alma 41:10-13)

Questions:

-Why will Christ save souls from their sins but will not save them in their sins (see previous post entitled Ye Cannot Be Saved in Your Sins)?

-How can one be helped by Christ to move away from his or her sins through repentance so that his or her nature changes toward what is good, righteous, and just?

All Are Alike unto God

~ Richard Rowley

The prophet Nephi provides additional insight into God’s perfect and just way of working with His children.

“…The Lord…doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” (2 Nephi 26:33)

Questions:

-Do you believe a just God would ever show favoritism toward any of his children on earth?

-What is the difference between His showing favoritism, and the favor He shows those who repent and seek to follow the portion of His commandments they have?

-Would He judge those who do not have His law (those who Nephi refers to as the heathens) by His law?

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

“The Book of Mormon promises that all who receive and act upon the Lord’s invitation to ‘repent and believe in his Son’ become ‘the covenant people of the Lord’ (2 Nephi 30:2). This is a potent reminder that neither riches nor lineage nor any other privileges of birth should cause us to believe that we are ‘better one than another’ (Alma 5:54; see also Jacob 3:9). Indeed, the Book of Mormon commands, ‘Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another’ (Mosiah 23:7)” (Dallin H. Oaks, “All Men Everywhere,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2006, 79).

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“All men and women have not only a physical lineage leading back to Adam and Eve, their first earthly parents, but also a spiritual heritage leading back to God the Eternal Father. Thus, all persons on earth are literally brothers and sisters in the family of God.

“It is in understanding and accepting this universal fatherhood of God that all human beings can best appreciate God’s concern for them and their relationship to each other. This is a message of life and love that strikes squarely against all stifling traditions based on race, language, economic or political standing, educational rank, or cultural background, for we are all of the same spiritual descent” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter [2015], 123–24).