Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Seven
The Greatness of God and His Merciful Plan
“The merciful plan of the great Creator” – 2 Nephi 9 is one of the great doctrinal chapters in all of scripture. Here Jacob glories in the greatness of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and in doing so he teaches “the merciful plan of the great Creator” (2 Nephi 9:6).
“For as death has passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great creator there must needs be a power of resurrection” (Vs 6). Death is an essential part of the merciful plan of salvation.
“Death releases the spirit for growth and development and places the body in the repair shop of Mother Earth, there to be recast, remolded into a perfect body, and immortal glorious temple, clean, whole, perfected, and ready for its occupant for eternity” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 45).
“Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement [otherwise] this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more” (Vs 7). The atonement of Christ is infinite because Jesus Himself is infinite. It is also infinite because it applies to every person who ever lived. If there were no atonement and resurrection our bodies would return to the earth never to live again.
“O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to [the devil] to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself” (Vs 8-9). If there was no resurrection our spirits would be held captive and we would be like the devil himself.
“O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of…death and hell…and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel” (Vs 10, 12). “I am confident that when we come back with our body again, there will be no aches or pains. There will be no wrinkles or deformities. I am sure that if we can imagine ourselves at our very best, physically, mentally, spiritually, that is the way we will come back” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 45).
“O how great the plan of our God”! In the resurrection “we shall have a perfect knowledge of our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness being clothed with purity.” This is the plan of restoration, and it is consistent with the justice of God. (See Alma 41:2).
“O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words…and his law must be fulfilled…and the righteous…shall inherit the kingdom of God…and their joy shall be full forever” (Vs 17-18). The law of justification is that those who repent are justified through the atonement of Christ and they inherit eternal life.
“O the greatness of the mercy of our God…for he delivereth his saints from death and hell” (Vs 19). “The plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also” (Alma 42:15).
“O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it” (Vs 20). In the premortal existence and in this life Jesus was holy without sin, and as our God He is infinite and eternal and knows all things.
O the great blessing it is to live in the latter days when the gospel is on the earth in its fulness – The Lord spoke to Enoch about the source of the knowledge that would be revealed in the latter days:
“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven (this refers to the revelations to be given to latter day prophets); and truth will I send forth out of the earth (this refers to the Book of Mormon) to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth...” (Moses 7:62).
I add my testimony to the reality of the resurrection of the Son of God. And because He was resurrected everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected. And if we are worthy we will receive power to come forth in the resurrection clothed with glory, immortality, and eternal life.