Mosiah 25 - 26
Mosiah 25 and 26 emphasize emotional and spiritual unity and the divine nature of personal accountability.
Mourning and Comforting Through Emotional & Spiritual Unity
When the assembled Nephites hear the accounts of Alma’s people and the Lamanites, they are moved to a deep sense of shared grief. When they thought of their brethren's immediate suffering and captivity, "they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow" (Mosiah 25:9). What a great willingness to feel alongside others!
This deep “fellow-feeling” aligns with the principles taught in Preach My Gospel, which explains that developing Christlike love means our actions are driven by genuine concern: "Charity is the pure love of Christ... It includes God’s love for all His children and our love for Him and our fellowmen" Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6: Seek Christlike Attributes. When we develop this trait, we naturally mourn with those who suffer and we even see how we might be able to alleviate some part of the pain.
Sincere Repentance and the Bounds of Forgiveness
In chapter 26, the rising generation won’t believe, they bring dissension into the Church, which causes Alma to seek divine direction regarding transgression. The Lord responds with a universal doctrine of mercy for each of us - "if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also" (Mosiah 26:29). The Lord promises that "as often as my people repent will I forgive them" (Mosiah 26:30).
Remember that, Elders and Sisters! It’s true for us too! We can repent and He will forgive us!
However, the Lord also outlines clear consequences for deliberate non-compliance - "whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people" (Mosiah 26:32). This distinction echoes the core lesson taught in Preach My Gospel: "Repentance is the process of turning to God and turning away from sin... When we sincerely repent, God forgives us. Forgiveness is possible because Jesus Christ atoned for our sins" (Preach My Gospel, Chapter 3: Lesson 3—The Gospel of Jesus Christ).
God requires our personal accountability and while His forgiveness is endlessly accessible to the repentant heart, remaining deliberately unrepentant can separate each of us from Him and His Church.
Finally, we learn a powerful lesson in Priesthood Authority in these chapters. The Church was organized, new members baptized, people met and were taught, and even members confessed, repented and were forgiven, or didn’t and were separated from the Church, all through priesthood keys.
Keep this in mind. Don’t just acknowledge the Lord’s hand, His power and His authority - Praise it! It is here in THIS CHURCH!
Today we were in the Kola’a Ridge DCM (which was amazing - you Elders and Sisters bring us such joy!), and we were discussing friends that don’t understand their need to be baptized or in their minds "baptized again."
Remember our purpose is to invite all to come unto Christ and receive the RESTORED gospel by helping them…
One part of helping them is to take Elder Boom’s invitation to learn more about Joseph Smith and the restoration. What was restored in the First Vision and subsequent visions and revelations was that Baptism is the gateway that points us to the Temple and additional covenants with God and an eternity of blessings with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and our families!
Look at the power and authority revealed -
1. Direct counsel about which church to join and why 2. The Book of Mormon 3. The Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist 4. The Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John 5. The Keys of the Gathering of Israel from Moses 6. The Dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham from Elias 7. The Keys of Sealing from Elijah
Look at that list! Some of the GOAT’s of discipleship and priesthood power! That is what people need to understand! His POWER and his AUTHORITY are back on Earth and it can bring such blessings into their lives. We know it! We love you Elders and Sisters and pray for you everyday!