Besides
His repeated declaration to Israel that He is God and that there is ‘none else’,
the Saviour spoke a lot about himself and what He is like. The scriptures are
replete with statements like: “I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things
that are right” (Isaiah 45:19). He also often speaks, throughout the
scriptures, of His power, and the wonderful works He has done such as: “I have
made the earth, and crated man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out
the heavens, and all their host have I commanded” (Isaiah 45:12).
When
He came to earth, He proclaimed Himself as the ‘seven I AM’s, as in the Gospel
of John: I am the bread of life (6:31,51); I am the light of the world (8:12); I
am the door of the sheep (10:7,9); I am the good shepherd (10:11,14); I am the
resurrection and life (11:25); I am the way, the truth and the life (14:6); I
am the true vine (15:1-5).
And
there is more. He is: THE CREATOR (Helaman 14:12; Moses 1:33; 2:1); THE
MEDIATOR (2 Nephi 2:9; D&C 76:69; JST 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 2:5); THE
ADVOCATE (1 John 2:1; D&C 45:3; 110:4); THE REDEEMER (2 Nephi 2:26); THE
GATEKEEPER (2 Nephi 9:41; Mormon 6:17); THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH
(Moroni 6:4); MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT (3 Nephi 15:23); THE SAVIOUR (Isaiah
45:15, 20); THE JUDGE (John 5:22, 30).
Sometimes
I think we get rather indifferent by repeatedly reading the scriptures without giving
a thought to their deeper meaning and we miss the almost frantic way He is
trying to teach us who He is and why we should have no other gods beside Him. Do
we really understand His character by these definitions and the bigger question
is, do we trust Him?
I
once had an experience where, despite all my diligent study of the scriptures
for many years, I was finding it
difficult to trust the Saviour concerning a particular matter. I revised all
the particulars I had collected over the years about His character as cited
above but what stood out to me was one very basic truth….I remembered that He
being a God, could not lie. Being a God of truth, it is not in Him to ever
utter a lie. I went searching for scriptures that said this directly and had
some results: Titus 1:2 says, “God that cannot lie”; Hebrews 6:18 says, “it was
impossible for God to lie”; Ether 3:12 says, “Thou art a God of truth, and
canst not lie”; and Enos 1:6 says, “God could not lie”.
Why
is His integrity important for us to know? Because God cannot lie, He can make
promises that challenge our trust in Him: “who am I saith the Lord, that have promised
and have not fulfilled (D&C 58:31). This means, if a promise was made and
not fulfilled, we should be very careful when we assess the reason why.
I
often hear members of the Church who pay tithing casually say: “there is never
enough money, we can’t afford it, we are just scraping by.” When we say things
like this, we are affirming that tithing is just another bill. Our negative
talk negates the faith and trust that we should be expressing first and
foremost in the principle which brings returns.
Another
common saying I have noticed among faithful saints is this: ’I’ll never make it. I am just not good
enough.” This is, in my opinion, a sin.
It denies the power of the Atonement and the Saviour’ s ability to redeem us
and forgive us of our humanity. If we are faithful and devoted to Him and His
laws, doing our best and striving for repentance, we are good enough to qualify
for His saving grace. The Lord looks at the total and complete person including
the desires and goodness of our hearts as well as our deeds. There is no sin
bigger than the Atonement except the denial of the Holy Ghost (Matthew
12:31,32)
One
last thing. The biggest proof we have that Christ the Saviour, our God, is a
man of infallible integrity and can be trusted beyond reason, is His Atonement.
The Atonement performed in mortality was in actuality just a formality. We
could draw upon its blessings and power in pre-existence as if it had already
happened. Hence, we could be born innocent as it covered our pre-mortal sins:
“Over
long eons of time in the premortal realm he proved faithful and dependable and honourable
in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge. The scriptures
tell us that “from eternity to eternity he is the same (D&C 76:4). He never
deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his
word. He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with
precision; he was “not slack concerning his promise” (2 Peter 3:9).
“His
promises were “immutable and unchangeable” (D&C 104:2). As a result, his
spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite
in value. That is why the laws of justice could recognize the benefits of the
Atonement before the purchase price was ever paid, because his promise,
his pledge, his credit was “good for it”, and everyone who honoured their first
estate knew it.
“It was not only when he appeared that he voluntarily laid down his life, but he voluntarily laid down his life from the very day the world came into being. Then he came forth in order to take it, since it had been given as a pledge. Based on that pledge or covenant we had faith in him. Based on that covenant the Father could promise remission of sins prior to the atoning sacrifice because he ‘knew’ his Son would not fail. The issue was not that he could not break his covenant, but rather, that he would not.”
(Tad. R. Callister, The Infinite
Atonement, p 80)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
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