5 Yea, and I know that
good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is
blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to
his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of
conscience.
6 Now, seeing that I
know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I
have been called?
7 Why should I desire
that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
8 For behold, the Lord
doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word,
yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see
that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
(Alma 29:5-14)
Alma2 continues.
Good and evil have come before all. The person who does not
know good from evil will stand blameless before God. It is difference for those
who know good from evil.
“And because [the devil] had fallen from heaven, and had
become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore,
he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the
father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye
shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
“And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may
redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed
from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for
themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at
the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given” (2 Nephi
2:18, 26).
“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” (Mosiah 16:3).
“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.
“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.
“And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by
which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not
judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be
judged.
“Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should
search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and
if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly
will be a child of Christ” (Moroni 7:15-19).
This person will be judged according to whether he choose
good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. “My righteousness I
hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I
live” (Job 27:6-23).
“The Book of Mormon indicates that not all have a capacity
of knowing right and wrong. Alma the Younger observes that while ‘good and evil
have come before all men[,] he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless’
(Alma 29:5).”[1]
“As we honestly confess our sins, restore what we can to the
offended, and forsake our sins by keeping the commandments, we are in the
process of receiving forgiveness. With time, we will feel the anguish of our
sorrow subside, taking ‘away the guilt from our hearts’ and bringing ‘peace of
conscience.’”[2]
Knowing what he knows, why, he asks, should desire to do
more? Why does he want to be an angel and speak to all the earth?
“[W]e serve as each other’s clinical material in the
particular sample of humanity constituting ‘what is allotted unto [us].’ The
sample may shrink or swell, but most important is what we are and what we do
within those varied allocations and in the particular ‘work to which [we] have
been called’ (Alma 29:6).”[3]
The Lord grants all nations be taught in their language and tongue.
“But now hold your peace; study my word which hath gone forth among the
children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the
children of men, or that which is now translating, yea, until you have obtained
all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then
shall all things be added thereto” (D&C 11:22).
He will teach them all He sees fit they should have. “Wherefore,
men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are
expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life,
through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death,
according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men
might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27).
“God not only is viewed as an active participant in human
affairs, but his influence extends to all people (see Alma 29:8). God, from the
point of Nephi’s revelatory experience, plays a major role in the destinies of
all nations.”[4]
“For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall
write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and
I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have
led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of
the earth and they shall write it” (2 Nephi 29:12).
“Similarities
between the revealed gospel of Jesus Christ and various facets of non-Christian
religions create no problems for Latter-day Saints. In general, we believe that
the gospel was taught to Adam and his posterity and that remnants of the gospel
have survived in all religions. We also believe that, from time to time, ‘the
Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his
word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have’ (Alma 29:8).
Therefore we expect to find tenets of the truth in all religions and would be
disappointed or surprised if there were none.”[5]
He will teach them in their nations and tongues. “For it
shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the
gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are
ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth
upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ” (D&C 90:11).
He will see they receive His counsel in wisdom, which is
just and true.
“And now Alma began to expound these things unto him,
saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they
are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to
the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according
to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
“And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same
receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his
heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto
him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
“And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given
the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his
mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will
down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell” (Alma
12:9-11).
“Christianity did not begin with Jesus’ mortal Messiahship
in the meridian of time in Jerusalem! The diffusion which followed Adam
naturally resulted in some similarities in various religions. Therefore, as
President Joseph F. Smith declared, we find ‘relics of Christianity’ which ‘date
back … beyond the flood, independent of … the Bible.’ (Journal of Discourses, 15:325.) Latter-day Saints are therefore
unsurprised but instead are enriched whenever discoveries are made which show
how the Lord grants ‘unto all nations’ to teach a portion of ‘his word.’ (Alma
29:8.)”[6]
[1] Redeeming
the Dead: Tender Mercies, Turning of Hearts, and Restoration of Authority,
David L. Paulsen, Kendel J. Christensen, and Martin Pulido, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other
Restoration Scripture 20/1 (2011): footnote 56, pgs 48-49.
[2] “Repent
… That I May Heal You,” Elder Neil L. Andersen, October 2009 General
Conference.
[3] Content
with the Things Allotted unto Us, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 2000 General
Conference.
[6] “My
Servant Joseph,” Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1992 General Conference.
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