23.9.17

Christ simultaneously sees us as Eternal beings with an eternal end as He sees us in our sin!


God can't look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.  Yet, Christ is eternally and infinitely forgiving and compassionate.

Watch/Listen to Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund's April 2017 talk, Our Good Shepard, where he cites the example of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables comparison of the bishop of Digne to Christ and asks, "All the same, should the scabs of the sheep cause the shepherd to recoil?"

The narrator (Hugo) provides a definitive answer: NO!

"The Savior’s mortal ministry was indeed characterized by love, compassion, and empathy.  He did not disdainfully walk the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, flinching at the sight of sinners.  He did not dodge them in abject horror.  No, He ate with them.  He helped and blessed, lifted and edified, and replaced fear and despair with hope and joy.  Like the true shepherd He is, He seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope.  Understanding His compassion and love helps us exercise faith in Him—to repent and be healed."

Christ views sin in us as a condition that needs His treatment, care, and compassion!

"... our genuine conversion brings 'meekness, and lowliness of heart,' which invites 'the Holy Ghost [and fills us with] perfect love,' an 'unfeigned love' for others."

We need to go to those who need help--rest-homes, care-centers, homeless-shelters, soup-kitchens...  We need to be willing seek-out missionary opportunities as directed by the Spirit--also need to remember that we're not full-time missionaries or general authorities...  Get and Be out-of-our-comfort-zone!!!  Till it becomes your comfort zone...

"Understanding His compassion and love helps us exercise faith in Him—to repent and be healed...  Our role is also to help and bless, lift and edify, and replace fear and despair with hope and joy."

We can motivate people to change by our compassion and mercy, just as the Savior did!

"The Savior’s compassion, love, and mercy draw us toward Him... [And] through His Atonement, we are no longer satisfied with our sinful state.

As we understand His role, through doing as He has done, we become more like Him and naturally do more of His work, which helps us become more like Him.  ...  The fastest way to become like our Savior is to do His work--as we do His work, we will repent more and understand Him & our Heavenly Father more... 

Christ told the phrases that implied that the woman taken in-the-very-act-of-adultry, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

The woman was left alone (as those who had planned to kill her left, their consciences having been pricked) and "she was motivated to change because of His compassion and mercy."

We get further insight by the Joseph Smith translation of the bible of what happened then:

"And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name.” JST John 8:11

"God is clear about what is right and acceptable to Him and what is wrong and sinful. This is not because He desires to have mindless, obedient followers. No, our Heavenly Father desires that His children knowingly and willingly choose to become like Him and qualify for the kind of life He enjoys."

"Our role is also to help and bless, lift and edify, and replace fear and despair with hope and joy."

JPS

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