I am a Christian. I
want to represent my Savior well and follow his example. As I have prayed to know how to better do
that, I feel the Lord has blessed me with some adversity and trials. These trials have taught me what I don’t
think I could have seen clearly without them.
I am a Christian and a sinner. I
don’t think I have met anyone who needs the atonement more than I do. The cumulative effect of my self-will, pride
and missteps are sufficient to prevent me from achieving eternal life, unless I
consistently employ the repentance process and seek to improve every day from
this hour forward by adding to my knowledge of gospel principles and laying my
doings at Christ’s feet. I need to not only follow the Savior by being
kind and loving, but I need to emulate the way in which he got his errand. The Savior’s errand was to do and promote the
work of the Father.
Where do I start? One way is to seek to know truth, to really seek to understand God’s character and attributes and my true relationship to him, as well as the purposes of life. It is, with the help of heaven, an attempt to see myself as I really am. When I see myself as more than I am or less than I am, I am terribly handicapped in doing good for others. I have sought to know these things through the instrument of prayer and study. I have read the Bible and the Book of Mormon and I believe these books to be the word of God. When I have tried to implement the teachings and principles contained in the scriptures, I have felt a sense of spiritual progress and a growing knowledge that these principles are true. I believe that God is both omniscient and omnipotent. I have sought to find a church which has the authority to baptize and bestow the potential of the perpetual companionship of the Holy Ghost.
God has knowledge of all things past, present and future and
based on that omniscience, he has foreordained individuals to accomplish things
in this life that are particular to them.
Neal Maxwell, an LDS theologian and apostle now deceased, authored the
following: “It does no violence to our
frail human logic to observe that there cannot be a grand plan of salvation for
all mankind, unless there is also a plan for each individual.” I
believe we had a pre-mortal existence and that there was a war fought in heaven
that included the spirits of all those who would be assigned to this
earth. We were given volition to choose
Satan’s plan or God’s plan. The war was
fought over agency. Though God is
omniscient, his omniscience did not and has not violated the agency of man in
the least degree. I believe that this earth life is a test,
actually part two of a two part test.
The first test was to choose either the Father’s plan or Satan’s
plan. Those who chose the Father’s plan
now get to enjoy mortality. Now, we get
to live by faith, having forgotten all we learned there, but when truth is
presented to us, we have the capacity to remember it, if we are honest truth
seekers. We are currently being tested
to see if we will keep the commandments of God and prepare for eternity. At the conclusion of this life we will be
judged by him who is completely fair and receive a designation and ultimate
condition of existence based on how we performed. Faith
in true things can only be awakened and obtained by hearing true concepts, by
hearing the testimony of those who have faith.
That is why the ancients were commanded to write. It is why those who profess knowledge of God
are commanded to share. It is the
economy of heaven. Just as evil is
hastened by the collective efforts of those who are evil, such as in gang
activity, good is promoted by gathering and sharing with others of faith. We will be judged greatly as Christ declared,
in relation to how we interfaced with others, how we treated them, how we
judged them, and how we ministered to them.
Many will come to that judgment believing they served well, only to be
told they never knew Him, nor applied His doctrine.
Because I am a Christian and I believe the Bible to be the
word of God, I have come to define certain behaviors as sins. They are those things which offend God and
make us unclean. There are certain
behaviors that please God and when those behaviors, beliefs and attitudes are
not present, they constitute sins of omission.
Anyone who has, through revelatory experience, determined that there is
a God and that Jesus Christ is our Divine Redeemer, has been commanded to
promote such. For example, if you had knowledge
of a calamity that was about to threaten your neighborhood, you would be remiss
for not acting on that knowledge or sharing that knowledge with your neighbor. Thus if someone believes in the Bible and
believes that sexual impurity, in any of
its forms, would impact one’s condition in the world to come as well as
happiness, peace and safety in this life, and that person doesn’t promote that belief,
God would hold him accountable. The
Bible is clear that premarital sex, (sex outside of marriage) and adultery,
(which is sex with someone other than your wedded spouse), and homosexuality
are sins before God, (I Corinthians 6:18, Proverbs 6:32 and Leviticus chapter
18). It stands to reason that anyone who
promotes or encourages sexual immorality as
being acceptable before God,
would be not be considered as one who is valiant in the testimony of
Christ. Sharing these things is based on a basic
premise, as promoted by Paul in the New Testament, that God is a “rewarder” of those who keep his
commandments, (Hebrews 11:6). In other
words, good things will follow living a life of righteousness. Paul was also astute in the following
observation recorded in Hebrews 1:9:
“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” The goal here is not, as many suppose, to
make everyone feel comfortable with their current state of righteousness and
not make any waves. But, often it takes
someone who doesn’t see themselves as above reproach to really impact others
for good. Again, the words of Paul in
Hebrews indicate that God needs those “who can have compassion on the ignorant,
(those unaware of the laws of God),
and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with
infirmity, (Hebrews 5:2, Italics added).”
Some maintain that it isn’t Christian to define certain
behaviors as sinful. They argue, “It makes people feel uncomfortable
and wasn’t he the Prince of Peace?” Christ didn’t mince words and he wasn’t
afraid to offend others when it came to doctrine or need for change. He did ask others not to throw stones, figuratively
or literally, for none are without sin.
This didn’t mean they weren’t to promote what was good and identify what
was sin according to His doctrine. For a
Christian to say there is no sin is to deny there is a God, to deny their faith
and be counted as in infidel. Both Ezekiel 3 and Ezekiel 33 both describe a
variety of scenarios concerning those who are willing to raise a warning voice
and those who are not. Christ and Moses
were two who were described as having attributes of meekness, (Numbers, 12:3). Yet, these two were extremely bold and
willing to offend. Inherent in biblical
definitions of meekness, one must include obedience to God and faithfulness to
his words. Prophets were frequently stoned for
preaching. Almost all of the original
apostles were murdered for promoting their beliefs. Can we hope to enjoy the same glory as the
ancients who were willing to give their very lives if we are unwilling to
promote the things that they did.
Isaiah taught that there would be those who would call good evil
and evil, good, (Isaiah 5:20). Isaiah
3:9 relates how in the last days, there would be those who would “declare their
sin as Sodom and hide it not” and Paul prophesied that there would be those “without
natural affection” . . . lovers of their
own selves. Peter 2:2 stated that “the way of truth would
be evil spoken of”. I believe the “way of truth” is to seek
knowledge through the vehicle of personal revelation. Paul
explained that the things of the spirit can only be spiritually discerned and
to all others, it will sound as foolish traditions. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned, (1 Corinthians 2:14)”. As Americans, we have come a long way
in overcoming prejudice, but does that include and presuppose that we should
promote evil as acceptable, inconsequential behavior?
I believe that Satan’s greatest tactics involve adding to or
taking away from truth. The adversary is
incredibly subtle. The Prophet Daniel
speaks of the abomination of desolation and that abomination which maketh
desolate where it ought not to be as signaling the proximity of the last days
and great calamity, (See Daniel, chapters 11 and 12). Could that possibly be a description of a
formerly god-fearing nation that kills
its unborn when it is inconvenient to bear and makes it illegal to promote
moral values? The word of God, as recorded in Leviticus 26,
rehearses the consequences of a godless nation.
It is not a pretty prophecy. I
believe we live in a promised land and God makes clear that those who forget
Him cannot continue to live in a promised land in peace and safety. Paul spoke of that which is essential to the
role of a woman, who “shall be saved in child bearing, (1 Timothy 2:15).” and God,
according to Genesis, commanded Adam and Eve to “multiply and replenish the
earth,” (Genesis 1:28). If the bearing
and rearing of children is perhaps the most important work or achievement of
human beings, as established in the beginning by our first parents, then
homosexuality and abortion would not be activities leading toward that end. It is
understandable that the more crucial the principle, the greater Satan’s
campaign against it.
Horrific things have been done to those believed to be
homosexuals. Horrific things have been
done to individuals because of their beliefs and practices. Horrific things have been done to individuals
because of their gender. But for an
individual to say that a practice is not in keeping with the word of God and
that word of God is contained in what they consider a holy book is not an
act of bigotry or prejudice.
It is simply a declaration of their faith. Efforts to force all members of society to
speak, act, and promote as though there is nothing inherently wrong with any
form of sexual impurity is in itself an act of bigotry. It is also bigotry to force others to behave
morally. It is also a sin to reinforce
negative patterns of behavior. Webster
defines a bigot as “one who is intolerant of others.”
I have concluded that no individual can
wait to speak until they are perfect. I believe, as I stated, that there is a God
and that one of the purposes of life is to establish an enduring, permanent
relationship with an individual of the opposite sex and raise children. In raising children I believe it is crucial
to teach them what I believe to be true. I believe that exposure to things that are
not wholesome is not wise. After
investigating child abuse, I saw the fruits of alcohol and drug abuse. I saw that it was extremely difficult
for meth users to overcome their addictions, once having experienced its
addictive effects. I saw the fruits of pornography manifest in
domestic violent tendencies. I saw
tender concern for spouses and children diminish as the addictions increased. I saw the incredible toll that divorce had
upon children. I have and will continue to encourage my
children to choose close friends and associates who encourage them in moral
integrity. I will discourage them from
watching shows that promote immorality in any of its forms. I
believe that this life is a time to prepare to meet God and that no unclean
thing can endure His presence. I believe
that there is life after death. I
believe that a connection with heaven is possible and essential.
Several things are certain:
Either there is a God or there isn’t.
Either the scriptures contained in the Bible are true or they are not,
even given errors in translation. If
they are true, then God has established a way for individuals to come to the knowledge
of their truthfulness. Matthew 11:28-30 invites, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.” I simply encourage you to
seek Him. I am currently reading the
Bible again from cover to cover. The
important thing is not where we have been, but where we are going. Isaiah’s words bring great comfort for the
repentant sinner, (Isaiah 1:18). Those who
do not think the Bible establishes clear guidelines about morality have not
read the scriptures or simply choose not to believe them. You simply cannot read the words of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Paul and a host of others and not conclude they didn’t see our day
with exactness.
In conclusion:
With all of my heart, I feel the words of Christ are worthy
of careful and prayerful consideration and that there is no better time than
the present to do so. As in the
beginning, we are again in a war for the salvation of souls. We cannot force others to be righteous, but
we can put on the whole armour of God, which by in large, we haven’t done.
12 For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate
of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked.
18 Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
With Love,Vicki Robinson
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