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Spirituality - Mosiah 27:25

Alma the Younger, after recovering from his ordeal with the Angel, was explaining to his father and others the things he had experienced and what the Lord had said to him. In Alma's own words:

And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; (Mosiah 27:25)

The Lord describes to Alma a path; a spiritual journey that unless we, yea even all mankind, follow it to it's end "... [we] can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 27:26)

All Mankind ... Must Born Again; Yea, Born of God

Every journey has a beginning; a reason to go. The Lord explains the reason for this journey to Moses when He details the things that Adam was to teach to his children.

That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory; (Moses 6:59)

Mankind, the Lord explains, is in a fallen state. A state brought about by the fall of Adam and, while we are not to be "punished ... for Adam's transgression," (A of F 1:2) we are, none the less, effected by it. We have been born into this world as mortal beings whose spirits must be "sanctified from all sin" in order "enjoy the words of eternal life," or, more simply "immortal glory," yea, even the glory of God.

The first step on this journey, is well documented. We are to be "born again ... of water, and of the Spirit."

The next step is to be "cleansed by ... the blood of [God's] Only Begotten." This cleansing, made possible through the Attonement and through our repentance, is a continuing process that must be continued our whole lives, for, with out it, we cannot be "sanctified from all sin" nor can we "enjoy the words of eternal life."

Changed From Their Carnal and Fallen State

We began this journey because we longed for the "immortal glory" promised us by our Heavenly Father. Yet, we, as a people, have fallen and are carnal in nature. "The natural man is an enemy to God," (Mosiah 3:19) King Benjamin told his people. The natural man seeks not "... the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matt 6:33) but instead "... [sets] [his] [heart] upon riches and upon the vain things of the world ..." (Alma 4:8) and "... [tramples] the Holy One under [his] feet ...." (Alma 5:53)

To progress in our journey, we must overcome the natural man and "... [yield] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit ... and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19) This is not easy by any means and many fall along the way, and yet, we do not have to make this journey alone. Look around you. We are all on this journey and we all want to see each other reach the end of it.

One of my favorite stories includes this warning from a loving uncle to his nephew.

It's a dangerous business ... going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to... (Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring)

God, our Father, in his infinite wisdom, has provided us with guides, in the form of Prophets, Stake Presidents, Bishops, Quorum and Relief Society Presidents and Home and Visting Teachers to help us avoid the pitfalls in the road and to point us in the right direction when the road forks. We have the opportunity to travel with an eternal companion who can help us "keep our feet" when the journey becomes perilous. And, he has given us a Comforter that we might not be alone when the road gets dark and despair closes around our hearts.

In addition, He has provides us with his Word, written by His servents and preserved for us as scripture. We would be wise to take to heart the lessons contained within those sacred pages. To ignore them would be akin to forgoing a map showing the way to our goal at wandering in the wilderness, lost and in torment.

We must embrase these gifts from the Lord, these aids along the path. We must make the council of our Church leaders a part of our lives; welcome the support of our fellow travellers, our brothers and sisters, our companions and friends; and listen to the promptings of the Spirit. If we do not, our journey will be a long and dangerous one and it is unlikely that it will have a successfull end.

And yet, even with all these aids, the journey is still ours to make. We cannot progress if we do not make an effort. We cannot be pulled along by our fellow travelors. To attempt to do so will only hinder those who try to help us. If we do not try to overcome our carnal nature, we will be swept off and may never reach that "immortal glory" we set out to obtain.

A State of Righteousness

If we continue our journey down the path and do not falter, we will, in time, overcome our carnal selves and reach a "state of righteousness," a state of "conformity of heart and life to the divine law" (Webster's 1828 Dictionary, "Righteousness"). We will become "new creatures" able to "inherit the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 27:26)

Being Redeemed of God

Like all journeys, this one, too, has an end. Unlike most journeys in life, however, we cannot reach the end on our own. For, while on our journey, we will have mistepped, made poor choices and taken the wrong path. We are accountable for the choices we make along our journey and, by reason of justice, will face the punishment due us.

Were this the whole story, none of us, yea not one soul could find rest with God in His Celestial Kingdom. There is hope for us, however. In the 42nd chapter of Alma we read,

... There is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. (vv. 22-23)

Becoming His Sons and Daughters

We began our mortal journey with the hope of becoming the sons and daughters of God, heirs to His kingdom and to gain immortal glory. If we succeed, all that the Father has will be ours. We will become His children in righteousness and the glory of God will be ours forever.

I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.