Mormon 9:1-6

9:1-6 - As far as Moroni knows, this is going to be his last departing message to the readers of the Book of Mormon, he has just ended scolding those who would make the last days so perilous and now turns to "those who do not believe in Christ." It seems to me that this is a little bit of an awkward statement, from my perspective and in these days, there are many who don't believe in Christ, and it's mainly because they don't know about him, they don't understand him or his role or his gospel, such as with many eastern religions, or conversion is prohibited, along with the learning of other religious teachings, so the opportunity not only won't come up, but can be dangerous as well. So when he addresses "those who do not believe in Christ," I immediately think of the Muslims who truly desire to do the best they can and be good people, but can't know Christ explicitly in this life because of their circumstances. Or I think of the Buddhists who can learn all day about the gospel and Jesus Christ, but don't understand what it means to have one supreme God, because of the way they were raised. So for me, this concept doesn't make sense to me because how can people who legitimately don't or can't know the gospel "dwell with the damned souls in hell" because of their lack of knowledge. This is where I think we need to think about the audience that Moroni is addressing, we've heard many times that the Book of Mormon was written to the remnants of the house of Israel, indicating that there is probably some sort of Judeo-Christian background or understanding. When the gospel is presented to people who have some concept about it, then the acceptance or rejection comes from a different place, spiritually, many times it's more "do I want to give up my lifestyle to live God's way?" I think that this is who Moroni is talking to when he asks, "Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to swell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?" To be conscious of your guilt, you have to first be aware that you are guilty of something. If there is a law that people can't wear shirts with ducks on them, and I don't know that and I wear a shirt with a duck on it, am I going to feel guilty for wearing it? Of course not, because I don't know that I'm doing anything wrong. Clearly, here Moroni is speaking to those who know the truth and are not willing to be obedient to the commandments, again indicated by a "consciousness" that we "have ever abused his laws?" Moroni is asking us if we think that we can just go on doing whatever we want and think that we can be happy "to dwell with a holy and just God." I never thought that I wouldn't be happy, because I always thought that, what makes a situation uncomfortable? It's how other people treat you while you're there. I just heard something amazing that goes right along with this, about our comfort level in the presence of God and I can't for the life of me remember where it is. It said something to the effect of, it's like going to a black tie affair wearing sweat pants, which is a shallow, but effective analogy. It said, how could we stand to be in the same room as those who stood valiantly for Christ, who had been washed clean through repentance. But again, from my perspective, this has always meant, "if you're not as righteous as the prophets, then you're not worthy of God's presence," and that's not it at all, I only think that way because I'm not perfect, I'm not even very good, but I am trying as hard as I can to do what the Lord would have me do, therefore, I've found, that as I try my best to be faithful to my covenants the atonement works for me, and I would probably be comfortable in God's presence because I try so hard to be like him. But those who won't be comfortable in God's presence aren't those who are trying but aren't yet perfect, it's those who don't want to even try to change their ways, who know that repentance is a possibility for them, but refuse. Looking at is from that perspective, yeah I could imagine that they would be uncomfortable, it would be like wanting to stay at a country club if you hate golf, or seeing a country western movie if you abhor John Wayne, yeah I can see how, not only wouldn't it be comfortable there, but you wouldn't even have an interest in sticking around. It's like HN says, "He's going to give you the best you want. You're getting let off as easy as (possible). You'd prefer hell a thousand times so that you won't have to (be in his presence), so that's what you get, if you want it. You know the kind of people you like and you want to be with. Everyone's going to get the easiest possible sentence here. You'll be far 'more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God,' so they're not going to make you. You'll say thank heaven for that. God, you're being very kind, not making me dwell here. It's like not being forced to take a certain class that's so far beyond you you'd be utterly miserable. You wouldn't know what was going on there. It's the same thing. We're adjusting to what we're willing to take and what we're able to take. There's justice and mercy all the way here." The more I study, the more I realize that God gives us the tools and opportunities, but we shape and place ourselves, he gives us what we want, even if that is not what he wants for us. For instance, if I wanted to get married so badly that I settled for getting married outside of the temple, then he won't force me to get married there, to wait for a man who can take me there and honestly, I would probably be able to find a decent guy who would be nice to me and the kids, to marry me outside of the temple, God won't deny me my choices, but by going against his commandments, choosing contrary to his counsel, I'm forfeiting all those blessings for me and my family. Just like if I choose wickedly and am not interesting in dwelling with God in his presence, he won't force me to stay, but I will lose out on that eternal progression and amazing blessings that come with truly desiring and trying to be Christ-like. The IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, "There can be no salvation without repentance. A man cannot enter into the kingdom of God in his sins. It would be a very inconsistence thing for a man to come into the presence of the Father to dwell in God's presence in his sins... I think there are a great many people upon the earth, many of them perhaps in the Church- at least some in the Church- who have an idea they can go through this life doing as they please, violating the commandments of the Lord and yet eventually they are going to come into his presence. They think they are going to repent, perhaps in the spirit world." He's, of course, referencing willful rejection of the commandments, this is very much like Brad Wilcox teaches in "His Grace is Sufficient" when he says, "But the older I get, and the more I understand this wonderful place of redemption, the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, 'Let me stay.' No, he will probably be saying, 'Get me out of here!' Knowing Christ's character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it would probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, 'Please, choose to stay. Please, use my atonement- not just to be cleansed but to be changed so that you want to stay.' The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that- miraculously- we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chose to live without faith and without repentance. They don't want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin." Interestingly, there is no indication of a level of righteousness needed to be reached in order to feel comfortable in God's presence, only that there needs to be a desire to be there. And unlike my previous scenario, where we were breaking laws we didn't know existed, we won't need to be reminded of our wrong doings, we will be able to recall them ourselves. Again, somewhere else that I read that I don't remember, it said something to the effect of, in this life our memory is limited, but in the next life, when we come to stand before God, our own minds will be opened to us and we will condemn ourselves because we will be able to recall 100% of everything we've ever thought, said, or done, and that's where the condemnation will come from. This is pretty much in keeping with the concept that God doesn't assign us somewhere against our will, as much as we make our own choices and he respects that. The IM quotes President Spencer W. Kimball as teaching, "As repentance gets under way, there must be a deep consciousness of guilt, and in that consciousness of guilt may come suffering to the mind, the spirit, and sometimes even to the body. In order to live with themselves, people who transgress must follow one or the other of two alternatives. The one is to sear their conscience or dull their sensitivity with mental tranquilizers so that their transgression may be continued. Those who choose this alternative eventually become calloused and lose their desire to repent. The other alternative is to permit remorse to lead one to total sorrow, then to repentance, and finally on to eventual forgiveness. Remember this, that forgiveness can never come without repentance. And repentance can never come until one has bared his soul and admitted his actions without excuses or rationalizations. He must admit to himself that he has sinned, without the slightest minimization of the offense or rationalizing of its seriousness, or without soft-pedaling its gravity. He must admit that his sin is as big as it really is and not call a pound an ounce. Those persons who choose to meet the issue and transform their lives may find repentance the harder road at first, but they will find it the infinitely more desirable path as they taste of its fruits." Interesting teach, I know that for me, I'm definitely done the "sear their conscience or dull their sensitivity with mental tranquilizers" and it's incredibly painful and lonely, I think about that time in my life and honestly, it makes me sick and I dread ever having to go back there again, spiritually. Like President Kimball said, repentance might "appear" to be the harder road, but while sorrow, deep, remorseful sorrow might be felt, guess what? Living that life away from God has that deep sorrow as well, like Mormon says that the Nephites cursed God and wished to die, that's sorrow, the terror they felt as they faced the Lamanites, that's sorrow, so the pain is going to be there regardless, but the question is, which road, repentance or persistent wickedness, has the light of joy at the end of the tunnel? Which one can you emerge from confident, and hopeful, and free? Which option, even during the consideration, offers sorrow with the hope of relief, which path of pain do you pursue that promises eternal life?