18 For behold he judgeth,
and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his
infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble
themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and
is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord
Omnipotent.
19 For the natural man is an
enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and
ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the
natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and
becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing
to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a
child doth submit to his father.
Mosiah 3:18-19
King
Benjamin has made it clear the only way we can be saved is through Jesus Christ
and no one else. Christ’s judgments are
just. Once again he emphasizes infants
are saved through Christ’s atonement. “[H]e
prefaced this spiritual endowment with warnings that if they proceeded with
taking the name but then turned away in disobedience, they would have to drink
of ‘the cup of the wrath of God’ (Mosiah 3:26), and they would drink ‘damnation
to their … souls’ (Mosiah 3:18, 25).”[1] Only if they humble themselves and have and
belief like a child will have salvation.
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
He
again emphasizes that the only way we are saved is “through the atoning blood
of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.”
“Both
Benjamin and Jesus allowed only certain people to complete the covenant.
Benjamin permitted only those who had entered into the covenant, “all you that
have entered into the covenant with God” (Mosiah 5:8), to take upon them the
name of Christ. Using Benjamin’s words, as revealed to him by an angel, we know
that those who then transgressed knowingly “drink damnation to their own souls”
(Mosiah 3:18) and are “no more blameless” (Mosiah 3:22).”[2]
Benjamin
tells us the natural man is an enemy of God.
He has been and always will be forever.
Paul wrote about the natural man in his epistle to the Corinthians.
“For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in
him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God.
“Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
“Which
things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which
the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
“But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned [GR examined, tried, judged]” (1 Corinthians 2:11-14).
Peter
told the Church:
“But
chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise
government [GR constituted authority].
Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of
dignities.
“Whereas
angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation
against them before the Lord.
“But
these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of
the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own
corruption” (2 Peter 2:10-12).
Alma2,
speaking to Corianton told him, “And now, my son, all men that are in a state
of nature, or I would say, in a 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” (Alma 41:11).
But,
what is mean when we use the term “natural man?” Bruce Van Orden explains:
“Leaders
have offered various descriptions of the natural man’s character and
explanations of why he is an enemy of God. Consensus seems to indicate that the
natural man represents the selfishness that all people must overcome if they
hope to return to the presence of God. President Spencer W. Kimball has added
his own simple definition of the natural man: ‘The “natural man” is the “earthy
man” who has allowed rude animal passions to overshadow his spiritual
inclinations.’”[3]
The
greatest mystery to the fallen and natural man (Mosiah 3:19) is that he is
spiritually dead. What does ‘spiritually dead’ mean? It means that a person is
asleep to spiritual realities, unable to perceive the cosmic forces in which he
or she is immersed. We struggle in spiritual bondage that we don’t begin to
know the nature of and from which we cannot extricate ourselves; we are in
bondage to our spiritual ignorance, because forces of evil play upon us and we
are helpless against them.[4]
The
natural man is spiritually dead. He
cannot be touched the Spirit. His is
unable or unwilling to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. We are, in a sense, in spiritual
bondage. We have given our spirit and
soul to the devil.[5]
In
the early 70’s, there was a popular song called “Natural Man.” In this song, the person wants to be free to
do what he wants. He sums up his
feelings in an often repeated chorus.
I want to be happy and free
Livin’ and lovin’ for me
Just like a natural man (like a natural man)[6]
Livin’ and lovin’ for me
Just like a natural man (like a natural man)[6]
There
was a saying in the 60’s, “If it feels good, do it!” No limitations. It’s about you and your
pleasure. You couldn’t find a better
cliché to represent the “natural man.”
There
is only one way to overcome that natural man; “[yield] to the enticings of the
Holy Spirit … and become a saint through the atonement of Christ.”
We
are also to become like a child.
Benjamin tell us a child is “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of
love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon
him.” We are to submit to the Lord “as a
child doth submit to his father.”
King
Benjamin’s words, while powerful, are also simple and straight forward. Elder Maxwell wrote, “What King Benjamin said
with such clarity and humility about becoming more saintly and childlike, in my
opinion, has a fulness and specificity unrivaled in all of scripture. In my
opinion, if King Benjamin had uttered only the words in Mosiah 3:19, the
verse would still rank among the great gems in all of our scriptures. This
verse is so succinct.”[7]
“The
precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following
question: Will I respond to the inclinations of the natural man, or will I
yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man and
become a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (see Mosiah 3:19)? That
is the test. Every appetite, desire, propensity, and impulse of the natural man
may be overcome by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are here on
the earth to develop godlike qualities and to bridle all of the passions of the
flesh.”[8]
We have
a great example of chiasmus in verse 18-19.
a)
They humble themselves
b) and become as little children
c) believing that salvation is in the atoning blood of
Christ;
d) for the natural man
e) is an enemy to God
f) and has been from the fall of Adam
f’) and will be forever and ever
e’) unless ye yieldeth to the Holy Spirit
d’) and putteth off the natural man
c’) and becometh a saint through the atonement of
Christ
b’) and becometh as a child
a’) submissive, meek and humble
(Mosiah 3:18–19)[9]
b) and become as little children
c) believing that salvation is in the atoning blood of
Christ;
d) for the natural man
e) is an enemy to God
f) and has been from the fall of Adam
f’) and will be forever and ever
e’) unless ye yieldeth to the Holy Spirit
d’) and putteth off the natural man
c’) and becometh a saint through the atonement of
Christ
b’) and becometh as a child
a’) submissive, meek and humble
(Mosiah 3:18–19)[9]
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