Book of Mormon 8 - “O How Great the Goodness of Our God”

In this lesson we were able to study the words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi. Jacob, like his brother, is a wise, caring, spiritual giant. When reading his counsel, I thought about the words we hear at General Conference. In particular, I thought of the words spoken by President Dieter Uchtdorf. In the April 2015 General Conference, in his talk The Gift of Grace, President Uchtdorf spoke of his marvel at the Atonement, “I marvel to think that the Son of God would condescend to save us, as imperfect, impure, mistake-prone, and ungrateful as we often are. I have tried to understand the Savior’s Atonement with my finite mind, and the only explanation I can come up with is this: God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly”. I also thought a lot about the Saviour’s love for me and the sacrifice He made through His love.

I used a couple of pieces of church music that always touch my soul, in the hope that the class would feel the Spirit. I played ‘I Stand All Amazed’ at the beginning of class, and then used ‘No Greater Love’ by Turning Point, when discussing the Atonement. The words of this beautiful ballad, always bring me to tears. It starts off:

“Father, please forgive, I broke your heart again.

Didn’t mean to let you down, but I know I have.

O, God, hear my plea – I’m not worthy. Set me free.

Just lift me up once more, like you’ve done before.

Sometimes I’m so blind, I know I don’t obey.

I just forget about the price He had to pay…”

And in the verse on Gethsemane, the line that pierces my soul, “Do I realise each time I fall, He feels that much more pain”.

I love my Saviour. I must love Him enough to be obedient. I cannot face the thought of His pain and agony being that much worse each time I sin.

Like Jacob, President Uchtdorf also explained about grace; that it is by grace that we are saved. In 2 Nephi 9:26, Jacob reminded his people that "the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice". If there had been no atonement and no resurrection, we would have been subject to Satan forever. Christ did for us what we simply could not do for ourselves. President Uchtdorf explained it perfectly: "Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience: it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or, thinking after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth".

One of my favourite old Seminary scriptures is also in 2 Nephi 9. In verses 28 and 29, we read: “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish…But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God". I work in the tertiary education sector and I have known many men/women who were learned but foolish. I have seen so many who gain their degrees and then think they have all the answers. Many of these same people are so full of pride that they turn away from anything to do with Christianity or God. I am so grateful for the gospel. It keeps me “real”. As I continue to learn, I comprehend how much there is still to learn. The complexities of science, the immense volume of new knowledge discovered in the world through research, and the ever-changing face of technology, need to be balanced with knowledge of the Saviour and the gospel. I marvel at the infinite breadth and depth of the master creator.

In President Uchtdorf’s October 2015 conference talk, It Works Wonderfully, he spoke about the simplicity of the gospel, “so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it”. He outlined the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! He mentioned the thick sediment that can block our visions of the beautiful truths of the gospel when, through pride in our own wisdom we “gild (gospel truth) with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations”. His suggestions remind us of the counsel of Jacob. He suggested simple steps to live the gospel: hear the truth, believe in the promises and trust In the Saviour. As our trust grows, we will love God and each other more. As our love for Him grows, we desire to be obedient. We then desire to serve Him and our neighbours, the poor, and the needy. The more we walk the path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God. Perhaps this is a good guide to fulfil the directive from Jacob to reconcile ourselves to the will of God (2 Nephi 10:25).