11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this
is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted
out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not
transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.
12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to
retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the
left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be
called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not
served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and
intents of his heart?
14 And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth
to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto
you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will
drive him away, and cast him out. I say
unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which
ye are called.
15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and
immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God
Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may
have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and
justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who
is God above all. Amen.
Mosiah 5:11-15
Having rejected Christ, and
being found on the left hand of God, the names of the wicked will be blotted
through their sin. “Take heed that ye do
not transgress, that the name not be blotted out of your hearts.”
The people are told to
remember and retain the name Benjamin has given them; they are to have it
written in their hearts at all times. “I
have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law” (Psalms
119:55). The Lord makes the importance
of remembering the name clear. “Wherefore,
if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in
the kingdom of my Father” (D&C 18:25).
“None of us is perfect. We
have all made mistakes. But we repent so that we may be better and ‘retain the
name [of Christ] written always in [our] hearts.’ When we serve in the name of
the Lord, with purity of heart, we reflect the Savior’s love and give others a
glimpse of heaven.”[1]
If they don’t, they shall be
found on the left-hand of God. “[B]ut …
hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also the name by which
he shall call you.”
Benjamin gives us one of the
most important statements in the Book of Mormon. We are told to serve Christ. How do we know Christ if we have not served
Him? We can’t. He will be a stranger us and we cannot
recognize Him. “If we are not serving
Jesus, and if he is not in our thoughts and hearts, then the things of the
world will draw us instead to them! Moreover, the things of the world need not
be sinister in order to be diverting and consuming” (Elder Neal A.
Maxwell, BYU Firesides and
Devotionals, 1992, 105; see also this volume, pp. 10–12).[2]
“God should be the center of
our universe—our literal focal point. Is He? Or is He sometimes far from the
thoughts and intents of our hearts? Notice that it’s not just the thoughts of
our hearts that are important but the ‘intents.’ How do our behavior and
actions reflect the integrity of our intents?”[3]
The Lord told Alma1:
“For behold, in my name are
they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place
eternally at my right hand.
“And it shall come to pass
that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come
forth and shall stand before me.
“And then shall they know
that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be
redeemed.
“And then I will confess unto
them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared
for the devil and his angels” (Mosiah 26:24-27).
“Benjamin makes it clear that
even if one ‘should serve him who has created you from the beginning … if ye
should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable
servants.’ So where does that leave us as mortals? We cannot say aught of
ourselves, not by service to others (for that is only service to God) or by
service to God (for he immediately blesses us, and we are still in his debt).
So why serve? Benjamin gives us the answer … In the end, Benjamin’s point is
this: The purpose of service is not to release us from our indebtedness to God
but to increase our personal knowledge of him and his goodness[.]”[4]
Benjamin uses the example of
a person who has an animal herd. If one
of his neighbor’s cattle wanders into the person’s herd, he does not keep
it. He chases it out of his herd and
back to his neighbor. This is the way it
will be for the person who does not follow and obey Christ. They will not be recognized as part of Christ’s
“flock.” They will be chased out.
“Although Benjamin does not
turn explicitly to dust imagery when he warns his people against breaking their
covenant, he takes it for granted throughout his speech that mortals owe to God
everything that they have and are (see Mosiah 2:20–25), and therefore it is to
be expected that they will be returned to the dust, utterly blotted out, driven
away, and cast out if they are not true and faithful to their God
(see Mosiah 5:11, 14).”[5]
Follow Christ. Dedicate yourself to following Him. Be a strong and firm follower. Do good works, that Christ “may seal you his.” You will have salvation and eternal life in
the presence of Christ.
“In today’s world, no matter
where we live and no matter what our circumstances are, it is essential that
our preeminent identity is as a child of God. Knowing that will allow our faith
to flourish, will motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the
strength to ‘be steadfast and immovable’ throughout our mortal journey.”[6]
“After King Benjamin taught
his people that Christ is the only source of salvation and outlined the
obligations and consequences of enlisting him as their suzerain (ruling power,
ruler), the people declared their desire to “take upon [themselves] the name of
Christ” (Mosiah 5:8). However, King Benjamin issued a severe warning that they
must know his name,
meaning that they must recognize Christ’s authority, in order to receive
salvation (see Mosiah 5:14–15).”[7]
[3] Drawing
Closer to God, Elder Terence M. Vinson, October 2013 General Conference.
[6] I
Am a Child of God, Elder Donald
L. Hallstrom, April 2016 General Conference.
[7] Treaties
and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon,
RoseAnn Benson and Stephen D. Ricks, Maxwell Institute.
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