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...
With the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprising such a minute fraction of the global population, it easy to overlook (or simply wonder how) God works with all his children. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are reminded to "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. " (D&C 18:10-11). The most foundational principle of the gospel, and the most essential characteristic of God is that he loves all of his children infinitely and perfectly.
Through His atoning sacrifice he suffered for the sins of all people and ensured that we would live forever. But on a daily, ongoing basis, it is not always apparent how God is demonstrating his love to all of His children. I have derived so much happiness in my life from participation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and from the truths that I have learned there. I can't think of greater gifts in this life than the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the sense of direction, certainty, and purpose the gospel brings. And so at times I am bewildered and deeply humbled to know that 99.9% of God's children do not enjoy those same privileges. I am the spiritual 0.01%
Based on my observations of our mortal existence, God is comfortable with an immense margin of error, staggering risk, and has an extremely high threshold for messiness. I sometimes share Eve's sentiment before partaking of the forbidden fruit and opening our mortal experience and wonder, "Is there no other way?" Despite the darkness and atrocities of our world, I am struck by the fact that if this is the way He orchestrates and allows the trajectory of our world to proceed, there is no better way. "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things" (2 Nephi 2:24).
I use the same logic to keep at bay any sense of religious elitism. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I am richly blessed, and it would be easy to divide the world into "uses" and "thems," the spiritual haves and have nots. There is a real temptation to undervalue the pure beliefs inherent in all faiths, or presume that Mormon's have cornered the market on goodness. Worse, I could come to assume that God's care or concern for His other sheep is somehow lesser than his care and concern for me. Only a tiny fraction of the world population has received the restored gospel at this time because that is exactly the proportion of His children God needs to be bring about the immortality and eternal life of the greatest number of His children.
"Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earthbeneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written. (2 Nephi 29: 7, 11)
God is at the helm and will judge all people in perfect mercy and justice based on the truths that are revealed in a given time and place. Nephi explains that the Lord does this "that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
Application Questions:
How do feelings of spiritual elitism show up in my life? Does my belief in the restored gospel impair my relationships with members of other faiths? How can I counter the negative impact of spiritual elitism in my life?
What evidence do I have that God loves members of other faiths as much as he loves me?
How can I stay motivated to boldly and freely share the truths of the restored gospel while accepting and valuing the differences in other belief systems?
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