Episode 48: D&C 45

Ben and Shiloh talk about the goodness and universal love of God. Although we often read and think that Christ is our advocate “to” the Father (as if the Father is the punisher and is either undecided or his hands are tied against us, and Christ is trying to change his mind), the scriptures are consistent that Christ is our advocate “with” the Father. Satan (meaning “adversary” and “accuser” — as if in a type of courtroom setting as the prosecuting attorney) stands against us to tell us that we are unworthy, unclean, and unforgiven from our sins. The choice is ours to whom we look to, listen to, and believe: Christ (and the Father) or Satan. If reasoning is what we need, Christ promises us that he will reason with us. Christ will manifest himself coming “in the clouds of heaven,” and he will come “clothed with power and great glory.” How many times have we, like the ancient Israelites and the Jaredites, followed the promptings from a God into the “wilderness” of our lives that we didn’t fully understand, comprehend, or grasp (like trying to mold or form a cloud)? When we think of God coming in his “glory,” do we think in terms of how it is described in Alma: “full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people, and to answer their prayers” (Alma 9:26)?