Unworthy?

Wondering why many prophets talk about abasing themselves and not believing that they were worthy (Book of Mormon, book of Alma, chapter 6, verse 5), I began to think more deeply about what it is that makes them unworthy or almost inherently sinful.  I had memorized Mosiah 3:19, in the Book of Mormon, which talks about the natural man being an enemy to God. That had something to do with the conundrum, I thought.  Why, though, were these men and women that were always doing so much good abasing themselves?

I began to realize that the fact that they considered themselves “unworthy” had little or nothing to do with what it was that they had done; the sins that they had committed or the repentance fort he sins committed, and had more to do with the fact that they were human beings and therefore had fallen natures, like King Benjamin reminds us in Mosiah.  

In the book of Alma, chapter 42, verse 5 it explains that if Adam had immediately partaken of the fruit of the tree of life, he would have lived forever and would have had no space for time to repent, and the Plan of Salvation would have been frustrated.

Thus, Alma teaches in Alma chapter 42, verse 10, man had “become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature.” Man is by nature carnal, sensual, and devilish, and therefore sinners.  Man isn’t able to do anything good by himself, and must rely on the Lord to do anything good, must repent, and also rely on the Lord to become sanctified and good—to be reclaimed from this fallen state and allow himself or herself to have the atonement work to make them clean and have the demands of justice appeased and return clean the Celestial kingdom, having had mercy work on their behalf (Alma 42:12, 15-16).

JPS