When the children of Israel were invited upon the mount with Moses, they rejected the opportunity to see the Lord face to face and receive comfort. The Lord considered their refusal and gave to them a law, which if they were to fulfill every whit1, they would be justified before God2 without having to receive anything from Him. The law was the embodiment of the works of a righteous man.2 The law made all men fools before God. It illustrated what God already knew, that we are fallen, carnal, sensual and devilish beings3 that point the finger at each other because the sins of this other guy, are not as bad as mine!4 God gives to men weakness that they may be made strong, not in giving up to the weakness, or calling evil good, or turning the grace of God into lasciviousness,5 but to fight against and cry out for mercy. Christ came as the only strong man who was justified by the law, upon whom no penalty was required, yet the penalties of us all were laid upon Him so that his bowels could be filled with compassion. He came to reverse the fall of Adam for every Adam and Eve that desired it and he was ready to make a kingdom of holy priests from the fallen and perverse Israelites, if they had just trusted in him. Could he not have removed their heavy load?6 Had he even not already7 borne their entire load? He even had the display of terror designed so that the fear would keep them from committing sin,8 that they might have greater confidence in His presence. It will be many eons before we are sinless and "worthy" of the atonement, and at that point we will not need it. It was offered by the love of God for the unworthy. The Lord requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Broken hearts do not come to religionists who declare their righteousness, their fastings, prayers and tithing.9 Broken hearts come when men desire to please God and realize they fall far short.10

One of the follies that we have in ourselves is to think we earn anything by our obedience, or by our "exact obedience".11 Though it is true that any blessing we receive from God is based upon a law ordained before the foundation of the world.12 A pure heart means though we suffer and drag around an anvil, we do all within our power to please God because we believe in His promises.

For those who die in their sins (everyone who is not redeemed), they suffer eternal torment; suffering as exquisite to their minds as a lake of fire and brimstone.13 If the Lord can reach down and cleanse them every whit, and make them whole and clean and pure then, then why not now? What is it about the effect the suffering and torment had on these that enabled this transformation? Why is it that our pride is so damned dangerous?

 

Notes

1. "I have a word to say concerning these people. If they do not walk up to every covenant they make at these altars in this temple this day, they will be in my power!"

2. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by the law of works, he hath to glory in himself; but not of God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him who is justified by the law of works, is the reward reckoned, not of grace, but of debt. But to him that seeketh not to be justified by the law of works, but believeth on him who justifieth not the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:1-5, Inspired Version)

2. When we talk about righteousness and the law, people often recoil at the penalties prescribed in the law, yet if it is studied, it is shown that the law is not as bloody as we think from a cursory reading and it was intended to be a holy law. The law was based upon the principle of satisfaction and the penalties existed as the alternative to making good. See this key: "Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death." (Numbers 35:31)

3. "Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state." (Alma 42:9-10)

"Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires." (Ether 3:2)

4. "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:3-5)

5. "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of oldor dained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:4-7, Inspired Version)

6. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." (Revelation 5:1-5)

7. Already meaning in God's view. "And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me." (Moses 7:47)

8. "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." (Exodus 20:18-21)

9. "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14)

10. Ibid.

11. "Obedience with exactness" is new trend among mission presidents and apparently the church at large. It is also touted as "the first law of heaven."

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

12. "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:20-21)

13. "A man is his own tormenter and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is the torment of man." (Joseph Smith, King Follet Discourse, TPJS p. 357)

"Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you." (Mormon 9:3-5)

 

See Also

"Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:5-9)

"my grace is sufficient for the meek." (Ether 12:26)

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

He gives to men weakness for one purpose: to make weak things strong.

Christ enables us to take what we lack and move forward. Moving forward means keeping the commandments and gaining light and truth until the perfect day.

 

From Lecture 10

Now, it is clear when it comes to the Gospel, there are absolute standards. Doctrine And Covenants 1:31 says: "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." And if that is not a troubling enough idea, then remember King Benjamin’s warning in Mosiah 4: 29: "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them." So there is an infinite supply of opportunities to commit sin, and God cannot look upon that with any degree of allowance.

This is a formidable challenge for us to consider. But there is a Divine purpose underlying it all. The Divine purpose is to bring us in humility to God, while recognizing there is a gulf between who and what we are, and what is expected of us in order to be truly holy.

Think about all the ways that there are to err. Consider the warnings given in Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants concerning priesthood: "That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness," And by the way, "in any degree of unrighteousness," is a serious warning. We are told in verse 41 how power or influence is to be affected, and it is not “by virtue of the priesthood,” it is rather "only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy."

This presents an opportunity for everyone involved, every time, to fail. In addition to all this, as to priesthood if you go to 2 Nephi chapter 26, verse 29 there is another warning: "He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion."

Zion can only come about as a consequence of consecration and sacrifice, and not as a result of seeking to get gain. In fact, when you are in the employ of the Lord you ought to be sacrificing, it should not be gainful; it should cost you in order to serve.

To accomplish purity, there are absolutes that are necessary. Sacrifice is absolutely necessary, and equality is necessary as well. Or at least, there be no poor among us. My guess is, sitting among us in this room here today, there are those who have significant issues with financial needs, and there are some sitting here today who could help in solving those.