"He shall prepare a way for them..."

We talked about Adam and Eve in class this week.

HOLY REVELATION.

Brother Griffin really knows how to answer the questions of my soul. Well, I guess it's the spirit working through him...he's just really good at listening to the spirit and teaching us with the power of discernment. I was about to write about it, and then I realized that I left my notes in the library last night! I'll just write what I remember. I hope that I find my notebook in the lost and found....there are a lot of important notes in there.

First I want to present a possible problem that people have with the story of Adam and Eve. Moses 3:16-17 says:
16 And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: of ever tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

We teach pretty simply about this as missionaries, right? In Preach My Gospel, it teaches "Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and they chose to do so. This was part of God’s plan."

However, Nephi 3:7, says: "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

The issue that some people have with this is WHY would God intend for Adam and Eve to sin and break commandments when he says that he would never give a commandment that we can keep or tempt us above what we will be able to overcome? It seems like God is contradicting himself.

Here's an excerpt from an article in the Ensign:
"President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said: “I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. … This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin … for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!”

Regarding this distinction, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed: “This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’ (emphasis added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.”

Even though Adam and Eve had not sinned, because of their transgression they had to face certain consequences, two of which were spiritual death and physical death. Physical death came to Adam and Eve at the end of their earthly lives, but spiritual death occurred as they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, being cut off from the presence of God (see Alma 42:9)."

The original command in Moses 3 is the ONLY commandment in the scriptures where God explicitly says the word "nevertheless." Nevertheless can be substituted with a < sign. It is clear that the Fall was a part of Heavenly Father's plan. I can't adequately explain in words the exact doctrine behind how I know this, but I know it. We needed to progress.

The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth was a higher commandment than the commandment not to eat the fruit. Eating the fruit WAS the way that God provided for Adam and Eve to fulfill his other, greatest commandment of having children. Remember 1 Nephi 3:7? It IS true.

I love the gospel! It's not always easy to understand everything, but understanding comes over time when we trust in the Lord.

"Did not our hearts burn within us?"

Someone shared this quote in class this week:
“For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”
What is truth? A lot of people spend their lives seeking truth whether it be through faith or science or a combination of the two. Science typically involves the seeking of physical truth, but religious seekers are trying to find eternal truths. There are different levels of truth." Robert Jastrow

We can touch a tree and know that it's actually there. It's true that gravity is in force. When I wear shoes without socks on a hot day, my feet are bound to smell. Water freezes at 32 degrees. Pizza tastes good.

Truth right there. How do I know? Because I've seen it and tested it numerous times.

But what is an eternal truth? What makes the existence of a loving God so abstract? Spiritual knowing is different than knowing with our brain. There are certain levels of truth that can only be felt. A combination of heart and mind, sincerely desiring truth, will receive it. However, if we are beyond feeling, we can't experience eternal truths.

Luke 24:32: "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" Even the disciples didn't understand what they were feeling at first, but it's not something that can be denied.

We, at our very best, as humans only comprehend a little bit of the universe. That's why learning is a godly endeavor. If we are seeking truth and seeking to become as our father, we have to seek truth everywhere, not just at church!! Scientific, spiritual or otherwise. Since our ability to comprehend is limited, we can look up, not around, to discover the mysteries of life. It's not a competition between science and religion, instead: "he/she that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round." We are made in God's image. He has an infinite and astounding plan for each one of us. That's why we absolutely have to soak in truth and light from all sources.

I'll finish with a quote...

Mormonism is truth; and every man who embraces it feels himself at liberty to embrace every truth. … The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth.”
-Joseph Smith

"Get thee hence, Satan"

I am in a class called Christ and the Everlasting Gospel. It's a little funny because when I got home a couple of weeks ago, one of the first things that happened is that  people kept coming up to me and asking if I would keep writing a weekly spiritual thought to share on my blog because they enjoyed the ones that I sent from the mission field. A requirement from this class is that we write our thoughts about something that we studied and share it with someone. So here I am, writing a spiritual thought once a week again, and I'm excited! :)

It is common knowledge in the gospel that when we read a passage of scripture during different times and phases in our lives, it will strike a different chord in our mind almost every single time. I know that seems normal; however, every time it happens, I cannot help but marvel.

Sometimes, I leave a lukewarm session of studying the scriptures, and I hear President Uchtdorf's words in my head:

"Think of how you felt when for the first time you believed and understood that you are truly a child of God; that Jesus Christ willingly suffered for your sins so that you may be clean again; that priesthood power is real and can bind you to your loved ones for time and for all eternity; that there is a living prophet on the earth today. Isn’t that wonderful and amazing?"

And then he counsels, "how could it ever be possible that we of all people would not be excited about attending our Church worship services? Or get tired of reading the holy scriptures? I suppose this could be possible only if our hearts were past feeling to experience gratitude and awe for the sacred and sublime gifts God has granted us. Life-changing truths are before our eyes and at our fingertips, but sometimes we sleepwalk on the path of discipleship...We tread a path covered with diamonds, but we can scarcely distinguish them from ordinary pebbles."

I am loving this class, because it is reminding me just how precious the scriptures are, especially The Pearl of Great Price. In Moses 1, we learn important principles about Satan and who we are in relation to him. Satan comes and tempts Moses, saying: "Moses, son of man, worship me." Brother Griffin made the point that Satan takes away Moses' identity as a son of God by calling him "son of man" and then he steals God's identity for himself. Since Heavenly Father just spent the first few verses of Moses 1 explaining the divine identity of man, Moses isn't fooled by Satan and attempts twice to overcome Satan by saying: "Get thee hence, Satan." At this point, Satan "cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth," which caused Moses to "fear exceedingly." Here's the important part: Moses called upon the strength of the God and he received it. After that, he successfully overcame Satan by saying: "In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan." Heavenly Father never intended for us to use our own strength to overcome Satan. We cannot do it alone.

If we go back to Moses 1:15, Moses says, "Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me...I can judge between thee and God..." We obviously don't have the full glory of God with us all of the time, but we need to be grateful that we do have the spirit of God with us and therefore, we CAN and do discern between God and Satan. It's an innate ability. Jesus Christ himself was tempted three times by Satan in the wilderness.

 Of course, he overcame those temptations, but James E. Talmage wrote:

"It is not to be supposed that Christ’s victorious emergence from the dark clouds of the three specified temptations exempted Him from further assaults by Satan, or insured Him against later trials of faith, trust, and endurance. Luke closes his account of the temptations following the forty-day fast as follows:  “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” This victory over the devil and his wiles, this triumph over the cravings of the flesh, the harassing doubts of the mind, the suggested reaching out for fame and material wealth, were great but not final successes in the struggle between Jesus, the embodied God, and Satan, the fallen angel of light."

We are always going to need the spirit. We are always going to need to be able to discern. That's why it's so important that we live the gospel because even Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan throughout his entire earthly ministry. What makes us think that just because we did one good thing that one time that we are going to be good for the rest of our lives? The gospel and doctrine of Christ is here because it keeps us pure and worthy of the spirit. It's all linked to our true desire to understand and to keep the commandments. Not only do we have to take His name upon us and believe in Christ, we must be built upon the foundation of His gospel.

I love this class! I'm excited to continue sharing the things that I am learning,

Savannah