The Soul Felt it’s Worth!?!

 

In the Christmas song, "O Holy Night" there is a line that states, "Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth."

I've been pondering that line for quite some time and would like to express some of my thoughts:

* Did the soul not feel any worth before?  He or she was a child of the Eternal Father, an immortal being, and thus, heir to divinity!  How could it not have felt its worth until then?  Well, to make a claim about one's divinity (and it's not just a casual relationship, but a child of God the Father!!!) is enough to shock anyone into feeling the worth of your soul!

* Everyone's soul is of infinite worth because of Who made it--God the Father and Our Heavenly Mother, but imagine your Father's Well-Beloved-Son, the firstborn spirit child (so, that would make Him our--everyone born on this Earth and all Earth's created by Christ--Elder Brother!!!) sacrificing Himself--an eternal and infinite sacrifice, where "He bled from every poor as He was brutally reviled, mocked, spit upon, and scourged. In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Savior took upon Himself every pain, every sin, and all of the anguish and suffering ever experienced by you and me and by everyone who has ever lived or will ever live. Under the weight of that excruciating burden, He bled from every pore. All of this suffering was intensified as He was cruelly crucified on Calvary’s cross" (see Russell M. Nelson's talk in the Sunday morning session if general conference called "The Correct Name of the Church").  All of this as He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity as the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and yet, with His stripes, we are healed (Mosiah 14:5)! 

* He did that for each and every one of His brothers and sisters.  That is how very special you are to Him and to Our Heavenly Father (that He would be willing to allow His firstborn in the flesh to sacrifice Himself and be sacrificed for His brothers and sisters)!

* Imagine that... Your soul is so very, very, very special and of infinite worth!

JPS

What is it about filthiness or uncleanliness that God or the Holy Ghost can’t abide?

What is it about filthiness or uncleanliness that God or the Holy Ghost can’t abide?

And what is it, about choosing sin that makes one unclean?

Here are my thoughts… 

To sin is to act contrary to the will of God but what makes that a sin?

Jesus Christ was the only perfect person to live on this Earth, and perfect = clean and able to stand in God’s presence—so inasmuch as I choose to act contrary to that perfection, I am sinning and the laws of Justice demand that I either follow that perfect example or have to pay!  That’s just the way it is and always has always been!

To act contrary to that example is to sin and to be unclean or filthy and the reason why is because the demands of Justice require that… but why is that the only satisfiable payment or form of universal currency?  Because of the Atonement and the demands of Justice created by the intelligences of the universe require to be satisfied.  You can’t fight a tidal wave, right?

JPS

Death IS merciful!

 

In the Book of Mormon, we read, from the little brother of Nephi (the first writer in the book and the first prophet), Jacob, in the second book of Nephi, chapter nine, verse five, “Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.”

“O How Great the Plan of Our God!" Pres. Uchtdorf 10/16 

'It seems to be human nature: as we become more familiar with something, even something miraculous and awe-inspiring, we lose our sense of awe and treat it as commonplace.' And the Jews thought Jesus so commonplace, that they murdered their God and their Christ!!!

Helaman 14:15

“For behold, he surely must die that ​​​salvation​ may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he ​​​dieth​, to bring to pass the ​​​resurrection​ of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the ​​​presence​ of the Lord.”

2 Nephi 9:5

“Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great ​​​Creator​ that he ​​​suffereth​ himself to become ​​​subject​ unto man in the flesh, and ​​​die​ for ​​​all​ men, that all men might become subject unto him.”

2 Nephi 10:3

“Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ--for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name--should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him--for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.”

That he might perform the resurrection and that the gift of resurrection might be passed onto all men, that all might be raised to the Father and judged of Christ’s Atonement.

JPS