Just Curious

[Red]

I've been looking at these passages, looking at the context of each, trying to understand exactly what each one says before I decide what I think about them. Just curious as to how you as mormons interpret these. What might you be taught in Sunday school? Or what conclusion might you come to in your own study? I would be grateful for any insights on any passage here.

I'm sure you've had this one thrown at you plenty:

2 Nephi 25:23-27

23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children,

and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled

to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after

all we can do.

(question: do you read "after" as in in sequence, or "regardless of")

24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of

Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the

law shall be fulfilled.

25 For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath

become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of

our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of

Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our

prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may

look for a remission of their sins.

27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may

know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness

of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ,

and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is

fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts

against him when the law ought to be done away.

Here's another one:

Alma 5:27-35

27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?

Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within

yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your

garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of

Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?

28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are

not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare

quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an

one hath not eternal life.

29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of

envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I

would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at

hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an

one is not found guiltless.

30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth

make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him

persecutions?

31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is

at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

32 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent,

for the Lord God hath spoken it!

33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms

of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I

will receive you.

34 Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit

of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and

the waters of life freely;

35 Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and

ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire...

number next:

Alma 11:32-37

32 And Zeezrom said again: Who is he that shall come? Is it the

Son of God?

33 And he said unto him, Yea.

34 And Zeezrom said again: Shall he save his people in their

sins? And Amulek answered and said unto him: I say unto you he

shall not, for it is impossible for him to deny his word.

35 Now Zeezrom said unto the people: See that ye remember these

things; for he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the

Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his people--as

though he had authority to command God.

36 Now Amulek saith again unto him: Behold thou hast lied, for

thou sayest that I spake as though I had authority to command God

because I said he shall not save his people in their sins.

37 And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their

sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no

unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how

can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven?

Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.

...and one more:

Alma 34:32-35

32 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.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many

witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not

procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after

this day of life, which is given 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.

34 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 bodies at the

time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have

power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 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; and this is the final

state of the wicked.

second to last:

Moroni 10:32-33

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny

yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of

all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and

strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace

ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are

perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ,

and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the

grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which

is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins,

that ye become holy, without spot.

and last but not least:

D/C 82:7-10

7 And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.

8 And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a new commandment, that you may understand my will concerning you;

9 Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.

10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

..uno mas!:

D/C 76:71-79

71 And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament.

72 Behold, these are they who died without law;

73 And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;

74 Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.

75 These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.

76 These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.

77 These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father.

78 Wherefore, they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.

79 These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.

Well, 7 is a nice number I guess. Thank you for your time.

[LionHeart]

Using the site search engine, type in the words "degrees of glory." It will take you to a thread in which someone was curious about many of the same things; to which I explained in much detail.

[Traveler]

To answer some question. These scriptures teach two principles of G-d.

1. G-d will not do for any man those things of eternal value what man can do for themself.

2. G-d will do for all men that which is of eternal value that they cannot do for themself.

To deny #1 is to deny that man can lay up in store "Treasures" in heaven.

To deny #2 is to deny the Christ and the Atonement.

When man learns of divine things only that which he desires and seeks will be given for G-d will force nothing upon those that do not desire it. I even believe that the only reason that anyone will suffer the pains of hell is because they do not desire the strings attached to deliverance.

The Traveler

[Ray]

The main idea in those scriptures are Faith in and from Jesus Christ, which we need to know Him and His will for us, and Repentance from sin, which involves what we must do or not do with the Faith we have been given, doing all we can do to be in harmony (or at one) with His will.

And btw, try following the footnotes the next time you have more questions, and keep praying! :)