Justice vs. Mercy

Today I read Alma 42, the concluding chapter in Alma's talk with Corianton. This is the chapter where he really lays out the plan of salvation to his son, who is having trouble understanding it and mistakenly thinks it is not just for God to restore evil for evil.

However, as Alma points out to his son, God HAS to do that. Because He cannot rob justice. There are laws that even God must follow. He cannot break them anymore than we humans can defy gravity without assistance. Alma really does lay it out on a very, very basic format for Corianton.

The central message that I take away from this chapter is that Mercy cannot rob Justice. Now, the important thing to understand here, is we are talking about paying the price for the suffering sin causes. I hope by now I have made it abundantly clear that where we finally end up is going to be determined completely by us, meaning what kind of life we have lived, what type of person we are and what things we enjoy. And no matter where we end up, we will be happy. I hope that is clear to everyone who reads this, since we've only talked about it, oh about 5 times so far! :)

No, Alma is talking about the effects of sin and paying the price for sin. THIS is the part that mercy cannot rob justice. Somehow, someway, someone has to pay the price for all sin that has ever been done, or ever will be done. And He has already. Jesus Christ has already paid the price for everything we will ever do. However, there is a price we too must pay to take advantage of this Atonement. It is not free, like the resurrection is. And those who choose not to take advantage of the Atonement will have to suffer for their own sins, needlessly since the Savior has already done it!

But because the Savior has already met the demands of justice for each of us, if we allow Him to, all we have to do is pay His price He asks of us to take advantage of it. The price He asks is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. He only asks that we live a better life going forward than we have in the past. That we live the kind of life He lived. Sadly, for some, that is WAY too high a price to pay. I cannot understand that thought. Oh I can understand being trapped in sin and desiring a way out and so because of the sins which do beset us we cannot find the way out, that I can understand. But what I cannot comprehend are those who look at the price and laugh or scoff at the notion of not doing what they want and of someone else telling them what to do. Biding them down to bondage I think Korihor called it in Alma 30. It is people like Korihor that think living a good, kind, sin free life is too high a price to pay, which is sad.

We have already dealt with the idea that we receive our reward according to our desires, that we will obtain the degree of glory that we desire! We have also already dealt with the concept that we need God's help to change ourselves if we aren't satisfied with our current desires. And so we have come full circle and in the course of 4 chapters have examined the plan of salvation. I will leave you with one final thought that Elder Bednar shared with us on Saturday night. He said that the blessing from living the commandments is more commandments.

Now on the surface that doesn't seem like such a good thing to some people. Even I was taken aback right at first. But that is because those people have forgotten or don't understand what commandments are. Remember, as we have talked about in the past, commandments are attributes of God. So really we can look at it this way, the blessing of living the commandments is more knowledge of God's character! Or we can even break it down even further, the blessings of living like God, is understanding God even better and being given the opportunity to become even more like Him! Now it makes more sense. Now it DOES seem like a blessing. It's all about how you perceive it and what your desires are, a theme it seems like we have been talking about all weekend.

As Elder Bednar constantly says, those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will understand what I am saying. Others might think I am crazy, but it is my testimony that the things I have taught over the last few days as we have examined Alma's counsel to his son are true. That Jesus suffered so that we may not have to. That we have the choice to determine what type of person we want to be and with God's help we can be that person. This I so testify in the sacred name of the Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. Until tomorrow.