Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
In recounting the creation of Adam and Eve, Lehi teaches his sons about our ability to discern and choose between good and evil. Often we think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we want. In fact, we have always had our own free will to choose what we believe, say and do (good, bad, or ugly). But Lehi explains the role of Christ is securing our agency, the ability to make good choices, and clarifies that while conflict, contradiction and opposition are everywhere, and enable us to learn and grow, real freedom is choosing to follow God.
"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" (2 Nephi 2:26).
We live in an imperfect world. We are fallible and our bodies are fragile. In this fallen condition there are many choices that are not available to us without assistance. Because I make mistakes that I can't erase I cannot choose to be a faultless father, I cannot choose to be faithful son, and I cannot choose to be an ideal husband. Our bodies can present further limitations that prevent us from choosing to have children, choosing to attend church meetings, or choosing to have mental health. This verse, however, promises that because Christ atoned and redeemed all people from the fall, we have agency to choose the good things that would otherwise be impossible for us.
The most impossible and amazing gift set before us is eternal life, the chance to live with God and our families forever and continue to learn, grow, and create:
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 (2 Nephi 2:27).
Part of the opposition that Lehi mentions is the opposition between good and evil, or Christ and the devil. We are actually unable to obey and make good choices without the atonement of Christ. Only through Him can we choose to be free and have eternal life. To exercise agency is to accept the options that Christ has presented us, to walk the path he has paved for us, and choose the life he has made possible for us. While free will is the ability to choose between right and wrong, agency is the ability to choose righteousness and return to live with our Heavenly Father.
Since my choices will always be flawed in this life, and I will never be perfectly committed to my desire to follow God on earth, the best way I know to "choose liberty and eternal life" is to repent. I think this is what Lehi meant when he said we could be "free forever" through the redemption of Christ. We are free to choose liberty and eternal life the second time, the third time, and the forty-seventh time. Instead of choosing "eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom" I know I can keep trying to heed Lehi's invitation to "look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; (2 Nephi 2:28-29).
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