40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from
God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.
41 Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he
hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but
whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil,
for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.
42 And whosoever doeth this must receive his wages of him;
therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining unto
righteousness, being dead unto all good works.
43 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for
I speak in the energy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly
that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God. (Alma 5:40-43).
Alma makes clear the source of good and evil.
The source of good…
“Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land
shall yield her increase” (Psalm 85:12).
“And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me;
for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all
good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he
that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I
am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world” (Ether
4:12).
“For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge,
that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may
know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
“For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man,
that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge;
for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in
Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know
with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:15-16).
The source of evil…
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be
afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done [JST Amos 3:6
… known…] it” (Amos 3:6).
“But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe
not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect
knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he
persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do
they who subject themselves unto him” (Moroni 7:17).
“There have always been two great competing forces in the
world. These began before the world was created. These opposing forces are the
forces of good and evil. Between these two powerful forces each of us is caught
in a tug of war. In simple terms, that which is good comes from God, and that
which is evil comes from the devil. You can’t have it both ways and find true
happiness; some have tried, but in the long run all have failed. If any of you
young men think you can have it both ways, you are only deceiving yourselves.
It doesn’t work that way. It never has. It never will.”[1]
You can tell if someone follows the Lord. Good works follow them.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles?
“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire.
“Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them” (3 Nephi
14:16-20).
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
The same is true of those who follow the devil. The works of
evil follow them.
“For [the wicked] are carnal and devilish, and the devil has
power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents,
which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming
carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the
devil.
“Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have
been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost
and fallen state.
“But remember that he that persists in his own carnal
nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in
his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as
though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil
an enemy to God” (Mosiah 16:3-5).
The righteous and wicked will both receive their wages based
on the choices they made.
“And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of
souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according
to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap
eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed
to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one.
“For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to
obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let
it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of
the judges” (Alma 3:26-27).
The wages they receive is based on the choices they made.
“For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds
are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey” (D&C 29:45).
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
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