Lessons on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles
Lesson No. Thirty
Personalized Adversity and Opposition
In his ministry Paul overcame great opposition and adversity – Paul experienced chains, imprisonment, shipwreck and a snake attack. He was persecuted, accused of sedition, and subject to a major conspiracy against his life. Despite of all of this opposition, over many years, Paul never faltered. He testified of Christ and His resurrection to kings and rulers, and to Jew and Gentile. (See Acts 22-28)
There are important lessons to be learned about adversity and opposition from the ministry of Paul:
Overcoming opposition and adversity is how we grow and is a necessary part of God’s plan – The required opposition is provided by the physical body or “the flesh.” A primary purposes of this life is to gain a physical body to house our spirit. To realize our divine potential as heirs of eternal life we must, in this life, develop a strong spirit. This is done by our spirit overcoming the appetites of the flesh.
The Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2 explains that mortals are a “compound in one” (Vs 11) comprised of a body and a spirit. God created all things “both things to act and things to be acted upon” (Vs 14). God intends and desires that our spirit is the actor, and our body is to be acted upon by our spirit.
“To bring about his eternal purposes…it must needs be that there was an opposition….Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that we are enticed by the one or the other” (Vs 15-16). In this life we are enticed by both the appetites our body and the desires of our spirit.
Lucifer was cast out of heaven and became the devil (Vs 17), and he seeks “the misery of all mankind” (Vs 18). He does this by dominating our lives and our spirit through the appetites of the flesh.
God has “prolonged” our days so that we “might repent while in the flesh” (Vs 21), and develop a strong spirit so we can overcome the desires and appetites of our physical body.
The grace of Christ, given through His atonement, enables us to “act for ourselves and not to be acted upon” (Vs 26). Therefore, we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (V 27).
If we “look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, [we will] choose eternal life according to the will of his Holy Spirit” (Vs 28).
If we choose to follow “the will of the flesh” this gives “the devil power to captivate, to bring us down to hell, that he may reign over us in his own kingdom” (Vs 29).
Adversity causes some people to harden their hearts and others to soften them – Among the Nephites a few decades before the coming of Christ we learn: “But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened…and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility” (Alma 62:41).
Sue and I are currently service missionaries at the University of Utah Hospital and at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. We spend our Sunday mornings going to patient rooms and offering them the opportunity to partake of the sacrament. Most patients are very grateful for this opportunity. However, occasionally we find someone, who because of their afflictions, rather than humbling themselves before the Lord, has hardened their heart. This saddens our hearts.
Adversity and opposition is often personalized – Some kinds of adversity are common to all people. These include illness and death. Adversity that results from difficult personal relationships or financial setbacks are common. Some adversity results from sin and/or poor choices, and some does not.
It is not unusual that the adversity that we experience, upon reflection, seems customized to provide an opportunity for necessary personal growth. This includes such things as financial difficulties for those focused on materialism, or illness and injury for those consumed with their physical fitness and need to give more heed to their spiritual fitness.
As I consider my life I realize that some of the most difficult adversity I have experienced was customized to my greatest needs. Even when we strive to live righteously (see Mosiah 23-24), “nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith” (Mosiah 23:21). More importantly, as a result of such adversity I have come to know that the Lord “knows the covenant we have made…will ease our burdens that we may stand as witness for him hereafter, and that we may know of a surety that the Lord God does visit his people in their afflictions…yea, the Lord will strengthen us so we can bear up our burdens with ease, and submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah 24:13-15).
We should pray that what Paul said at the end of his life will be said of us at the end of our life – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).