I've been reflecting on the message of this verse:
1 Nephi 10:6 "Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer."
all mankind...everyone. All have strayed in one way or another from the true and only path that leads to eternal life. All have sinned. Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." We have all been lead astray by false prophets, teachers, traditions, or shepherds; by the philosophies of men, by the commandments of men, by the sophistry of the learned and charismatic, by lust, by power, by greed, and by the ideals of this world. All have been deceived. Christ is the only way, He is the only one not to have become mired in the sin and death and traps of this world. He made it through and returned to the presence of the Father.
in a lost and fallen state...Who has not lost their way or wandered in one form or another? Who has not fallen, gotten hurt, been knocked down, or been bruised as a result of sin? Who has not felt a separation from the presence of the Lord?
and ever would be...how dreadful. Imagine going through eternity separated from the love of God, His presence, His light, His joy! It would be too much to bear. To be damned, eternally lost and fallen. Lost to God. The thought makes me shudder.
save they should rely on this Redeemer...To avoid damnation, we must RELY on THIS REDEEMER. Nothing else will suffice. THIS one...Him. He who stands at the gate and employs no servant there. He who overcame all, who is in all and through all. And lives from eternity to all eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Intercessor, the ONLY way.
But how do we RELY on Him? Rely is a wonderfully exquisite word to describe our relationship with the Savior. To rely means to depend on with FULL trust or confidence. There is no room for doubt. We can trust in the Lord, we can have every confidence in Him because His life was perfect, because He was perfect, because He did His Father's will PERFECTLY. There was no error. Although a poor metaphor, it is like the perfectly dependable machine that always does what it is supposed to do without variation or giving any trouble that would lead one to doubt that it will function as designed. The Lord was perfect, He performed and performs His Father's will perfectly, without sin or error. We can indeed rely on Him to carry the "iniquity of us all" and lead the way to eternal life. The origin of the word rely is from the Old French word relier (or the Latin word religare), meaning to "bind together". The original sense was ‘gather together.’ Like the making of a rope, we can bind or gather our life together with His will and work to become one with Him. Fiber of our life by fiber, yarn of our life by yarn, strand of our life by strand...we can integrate our will with His, which is the Father's. We must be united with Christ, know Him, serve Him, love Him in order to be saved.
1 Nephi 10:6 "Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer."
all mankind...everyone. All have strayed in one way or another from the true and only path that leads to eternal life. All have sinned. Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." We have all been lead astray by false prophets, teachers, traditions, or shepherds; by the philosophies of men, by the commandments of men, by the sophistry of the learned and charismatic, by lust, by power, by greed, and by the ideals of this world. All have been deceived. Christ is the only way, He is the only one not to have become mired in the sin and death and traps of this world. He made it through and returned to the presence of the Father.
in a lost and fallen state...Who has not lost their way or wandered in one form or another? Who has not fallen, gotten hurt, been knocked down, or been bruised as a result of sin? Who has not felt a separation from the presence of the Lord?
and ever would be...how dreadful. Imagine going through eternity separated from the love of God, His presence, His light, His joy! It would be too much to bear. To be damned, eternally lost and fallen. Lost to God. The thought makes me shudder.
save they should rely on this Redeemer...To avoid damnation, we must RELY on THIS REDEEMER. Nothing else will suffice. THIS one...Him. He who stands at the gate and employs no servant there. He who overcame all, who is in all and through all. And lives from eternity to all eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Intercessor, the ONLY way.
But how do we RELY on Him? Rely is a wonderfully exquisite word to describe our relationship with the Savior. To rely means to depend on with FULL trust or confidence. There is no room for doubt. We can trust in the Lord, we can have every confidence in Him because His life was perfect, because He was perfect, because He did His Father's will PERFECTLY. There was no error. Although a poor metaphor, it is like the perfectly dependable machine that always does what it is supposed to do without variation or giving any trouble that would lead one to doubt that it will function as designed. The Lord was perfect, He performed and performs His Father's will perfectly, without sin or error. We can indeed rely on Him to carry the "iniquity of us all" and lead the way to eternal life. The origin of the word rely is from the Old French word relier (or the Latin word religare), meaning to "bind together". The original sense was ‘gather together.’ Like the making of a rope, we can bind or gather our life together with His will and work to become one with Him. Fiber of our life by fiber, yarn of our life by yarn, strand of our life by strand...we can integrate our will with His, which is the Father's. We must be united with Christ, know Him, serve Him, love Him in order to be saved.
