The condition of man would resemble this hypothetical condition if there were no opposition in the world. He could not progress. The presence of God that we seek, however, is not just a brief audience during which we will be judged but rather an eternal sojourn with him in the celestial kingdom. This joy, however, can only be obtained by an individual who has the opportunity and the ability to choose between good and evil, and he selects the good. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. Thus, the actual working out of one's salvation and ensuring that the blessings of the Lord's atonement will be applied to any individual are not in fact free. "all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things", The fall of man was planned in advance by God. Now, I want to tell you that he does not hold any power over man, only so far as the body overcomes the spirit that is in a man, through yielding to the spirit of evil. Would happiness be possible if there were no sadness? "he shall make intercession for all the children of men" An intercession is an intervention to resolve a predicament. ¶ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. "he shall make intercession for all the children of men", An intercession is an intervention to resolve a predicament. In this case part of his underlying "natural" inclinations were profound fears that he would fail to return to his former place of prominence. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents. The war that began in heaven is not yet over. 2 Nephi 2:14 Things to act and things to be acted upon. 2 Nephi 26. Enos. All that has changed with the fulfillment of the law of Moses is a change in the nature of the sacrifice. It seems clear that man's natural self has always existed. But St. Paul does not agree with this conclusion. 2 Nephi 27-30 Nephi prophesies of latter-day apostasy, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the gospel. Many scriptural words may be considered synonymous with atonement. Note Satan's statement to Eve. Lehi's reference is instructive because he gives us at least one reason why the lifespans were so long for the early fathers, that they might repent while in the flesh...and their time was lengthened. Please recall that because of Adam's transgression, all men will suffer a physical death, and all will also be temporarily separated from God-they will suffer a temporary spiritual death. Simply stated, they are that a man guilty of sin is unworthy to return to his celestial home, or in fact, unworthy to return to any degree of glory. McConkie and Millet wrote: "No virtue can exist without its corresponding evil: without the evil of danger there could be no courage, without suffering there could be no sympathy, without poverty there could be no generosity, and so forth. Indeed, the natural self of man is the greatest source of evil in the universe. He lived six hundred years before the Savior came to earth to work out the infinite atonement. Less intuitively obvious, however, is the obligatory interdependence of God and the law. In this case part of his underlying "natural" inclinations were profound fears that he would fail to return to his former place of prominence. ("Truth is the Issue," Conference Report, October 1993). (Journal of Discourses, 2:255-256), The journey from bad to good is the process of putting off the natural man or the natural woman in each of us. The "things to act" are the vast host of intelligences. "be as God" We know it is a righteous desire of all who cleave to gospel truths to seek to one day "be as God.". 2:5.). Note that the adjectives ("sweet" and "bitter") modifying the phrases "forbidden fruit" and "tree of life" are in reverse order. For a more detailed discussion of adversity, see, "thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother Nephi". The individual will then be left to suffer personally for his own sins in the spirit prison (see D&C 19:4; D&C 19:15-17). Here we learn that Satan's very objective is to bring about "the misery of all mankind." You are aware that many think that the devil has rule and power over both body and spirit. The expression "dispensation of the fulness of times" was also spoken of by Paul (Ephesians 1:10). Man is a dual or "compound" being, having both a physical or "natural" self and a spiritual self. verses 22-23 Here we are taught that if Adam had not fallen, "all things" would have remained forever in the state in which they had been created. The "eternal purposes" of God are "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (, "even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life", The "forbidden fruit" is symbolic of the world and its worldliness. . If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Jacob. This same phraseology is used elsewhere, several times in the scriptures (, "he showed unto men that they were lost because of the transgression of their parents". The same concept is restated later in this verse-"their time was lengthened." The optimal form of redemption is, of course, to be exalted in the celestial heaven. Agency is a free gift. (2 Pet 1:4-7). It is the purpose of man's very existence to obtain true joy. Certainly not. 2 Nephi 2:14 Things to act and things to be acted upon. 14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. The greatest conflict that any man or woman will ever have (I care not how numerous their enemies may be) will be the battle that is had with self. Nephi’s brethren rebel against him. "and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit". And the law is given unto men. They created the word at-one-ment or atonement. These thoughts are echoed in the words of the sons of Mosiah: Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. verses 22-26 In all of the scripture, these five verses are unique in that they make clear truths about the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement that are found nowhere else in scripture. Only in the Garden were living things all created in a "spiritual" or paradisiacal state. 2 Nephi 31:4-7 If the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water! Strictly speaking, this is not true. "they would have remained in a state of innocence" "Innocence" means that they lived in a bland and naive state where there was little opposition and they had a limited concept of the difference between good and evil. They saw their loftiest responsibility as multiplying and replenishing the earth. As he began the process of creation, he was given, by the family of Gods, a vast repository of primal building blocks-elements (unorganized matter) and intelligences which he organized together. Only in the sense that they became mortal (subject to death) and temporarily separated from God. 2 Nephi 16. 3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Cast on the ground, it is seen in perspective. Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that when Adam and Eve partook of this fruit they "complied with whatever the law was that brought mortality into being" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 86). 2 Nephi 13. It was only in this way that they could become as God, knowing good and evil. We are all totally and abjectly dependent upon him. "the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever" From the context of this passage, the "Spirit" is Jesus Christ. Strictly speaking, this is not true. The Latter-day Saint doctrine regarding Lucifer comes from multiple sources. "It is also recognized by a majority of the great scientists that there is a God and that he is the source of truth. All life forms placed upon the earth at the outset of this era (human, animals, and plants) initially existed in a paradisiacal or "spiritual" state. Of this earthly joy, Brigham Young taught: "'Mormonism' has done everything for me that ever has been done for me on the earth; it has made me happy; it has made me wealthy and comfortable; it has filled me with good feelings, with joy and rejoicing. He teaches that Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan of salvation. Rather it teaches a simplistic view of the life hereafter which is living either with God (exaltation) or with Satan (in outer darkness) (see the commentary for, "the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein". Indeed, would we in fact possess any meaningful agency? Without these things there could be no God. The Plan of Redemption goes into effect after the Fall. Are all men really "lost" because of the sins of Adam and Eve? When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lead. The Second Book of Nephi. The phrase "according to the flesh" in the Book of Mormon is often used to remind the reader that the current topic is literal and practical and not referred to in any figurative or symbolic sense. The most transcendent event in all history was the atoning sacrifice of Christ. "I believe," the rabbi said, "that joy is the essence of religion. Here, Lehi explains that he was "an angel of God." In this context, Jesus may be referred to as the "righteous judge" or able to judge with perfect "righteousness. The origin of evil resides deep within each of us and has always done so. 2 Nephi 16. ", 2. Hence, here in mortality-"according to the flesh"-man has his agency. (1) First, there is the fall of Adam. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 2 Nephi 24. Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning 'a close embrace'-no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace....While the words atone or atonement, in any of their forms, appear only once in the King James translation of the New Testament, they appear 35 times in the Book of Mormon. 2 Nephi 22. We are not to assume from Peter's illustrative mention of the disobedient antediluvians that they alone were included in the blessed opportunities offered through Christ's ministry in the spirit realm; on the contrary, we conclude in reason and consistency that all whose wickedness in the flesh had brought their spirits into the prison house were sharers in the possibilities of expiation, repentance, and release (Jesus the Christ, 672-73). Here, however, it may simply refer to the fact that the Savior's atonement has made it possible for man to achieve a kingdom of glory, whether it be celestial, terrestrial, or telestial. Each man will be judged by the Lord according to the individual's intentions and actions relative to the law of the gospel. Even though Adam and Eve were warned by God of the consequences of partaking of the forbidden fruit, they were given to act for themselves (see 2 Nephi 2:16), and God knew they would fall. The plan was laid from the very beginning. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "they would have remained in a state of innocence". 2 Nephi Chapter 3 | Book Home | Next: 2 Nephi Chapter 5. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? We may thus rephrase Lehi's statement, "God . . Similarly, the great space scientist Wernher von Braun has written. "happiness . For example, bones, if broken, could become solid again. The spirit that the Lord puts into a tabernacle of flesh, is under the dictation of the Lord Almighty; but the spirit and body are united in order that the spirit may have a tabernacle, and be exalted; and the spirit is influenced by the body, and the body by the spirit. In all of the scripture, these five verses are unique in that they make clear truths about the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement that are found nowhere else in scripture. Many Christian denominations believe that Adam and Eve could procreate prior to partaking of the forbidden fruit but that they didn't. … Chapter 1. "In the English language, the components are at-one-meant, suggesting that a person is at one with another. In order to make this agency operative in an especially meaningful way, he allowed Satan to operate in the world. He must have a rescuer, a redeemer, a savior. Here we are taught that if Adam had not fallen, "all things" would have remained forever in the state in which they had been created. 2 Nephi 10. Before studying this chapter, please read Ye Shall Know of the Doctrine, volume 1, chapter 19, The Essence of the Lord's Atonement and volume 2, chapter 2, Consequences of the Savior's Atonement. 19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth. The very elements out of which our bodies were created are by nature fallen and ever subject to the pull of sin, corruption, and death. However, he was apparently not taught as many of the specific details of that plan as we have today in this final dispensation. Without an opportunity to sin, man cannot progress. 28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; 29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. Doesn't Christ's atonement apply to all men? This notion paints a dark and negative picture of Adam and Eve. 21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the World." The phrase first fruits may be used to mean the first action as a consequence of another action or principle. Lehi opens Second Nephi with his prophecies concerning the future of his posterity. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions, yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee. The Lord said that if Adam "wished to remain as he was in the garden, then he was not to eat the fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at liberty to do so" (Joseph Fielding Smith, "Was the Fall of Adam Necessary?" In his "Conduct of Life" essays he says that the trying times are occasions a good learner would not miss. 2 Nephi 7. 2 Nephi 32. "And the law is given unto men" The "law" here is apparently the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ-all the commandments of the Lord. If you are normal, you probably feel that you have just studied a truly complex chapter. There are at least two possible interpretations of this phrase: "And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. If man were only a natural or physical or temporal being ("if it should be one body"), then he would be entirely subject to natural law. "I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. Knowing first hand of the existence and preachings of the Father and the Son, he not only gave in to his "natural self," but he began to contend openly against the teachings of the Father and the Son. When the individual's penalty for sin is removed, he or she is said to be "justified.". Please recall that because of Adam's transgression, all men will suffer a physical death, and all will also be temporarily separated from God-they will suffer a temporary spiritual death. This spiritual death is actually "permanent" only until the law of justice is satisfied. 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