Amulek again. Here he lays out the most basic underlying structure of mortality to Zoramites.
1) Man's unaided situation - Fall and its effects.
"all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost and must perish..." (v. 9)
2) The Atonement as God's response to the Fall ("the great plan of the Eternal God" v. 9)
"...except it be for the atonement" (v. 9).
"Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people...and he shall atone for the sins of the world" (v. 8).
"that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal...this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice....And thus mercy can satisfy justice, and encircles them in the arms of his safety" (v. 14-16).
3) The conditions by which the atonement is applied.
"And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance" (v. 15).
"...only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption (v. 16).
"...he [Alma] hath spoken unto you to prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience--Yea, even that you would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of his goodness" (v. 3-4).
"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to call upon his holy anme, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save" (v. 17-18).
"I desire that ye...contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ" (v. 37-38).
4) Missing the atonement and its consequences.
"...there must be an atonement mad, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement" (v. 9).
"...he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice" (v. 16).
"...harden not your hearts any longer" (v.31).
"contend no more against the Holy Ghost" (v. 38).
"For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you" (v. 35).
5) This life is a time to prepare for eternity by accepting and using the atonement
"Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation;" (v. 31).
"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (v. 32).
"...Therefore I beseech you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given for us to prepare for eternity, behold if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" (33).
"Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodes at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world" (v. 34).
"For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you" (v. 35).
6) There are immediate results of seeking the atonement now
"...if you will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you" (v. 31).
7) However, applying the atonement is not a single event, but is a lifelong process
"come forth and bring fruit unto repentance" (v. 30).
"..this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (v. 32).
"...behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" (v. 33).
"...work out your salvation with fear before God" (v. 37).
7) How to endure/press forward with the atonement
"Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy of all righteousness.
Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you" (v. 19 - 27)
"after ye have done all these things [exercised faith unto repentance, prayed] if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need...behold, your prayer is in vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith" (v. 28).
"I desire that ye...humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you" (v. 37-38).
"Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that you may not become his subjects at the last day" (v. 39).
"I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out...lest ye become sinners like unto them; But that ye have patience and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions" (v. 40-41).
No comments:
Post a Comment