Today we'll be jumping around a bit. Doctrine & Covenants 88:14-18, 93:33, and Alma 11:42-44.
These passages all discuss the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Kind of fun, considering the newness of life we all seem to crave at the beginning of a new year.
What do you learn about the Resurrection in these passages? What are your thoughts on 88:17-18? Is the "it" in verse 18 (...it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness...) the earth or the soul? I lean toward the earth, but I'd like to study a little further and hear your thoughts on it as well.
What do you make of 93:33?
And Alma, wonderful Alma -- the part of my Book of Mormon that was beautifully worn and marked just a few months ago before I fell off the study wagon for the umpteenth time in my life. I love Alma 11. Verses 42-44 took on new meaning for me this last time we studied them together. Share your feelings about these verses.
What do you think humankind's "perfect form" is? Is it a collective "this is the perfect body" sort of thing, or do you suppose it's more individual...maybe "this is you at your best" or something entirely different. What are you hoping for?
What about the "bright recollection of all our guilt?" I have some thoughts about this one. What are yours? I used to fear that moment -- I still do a bit, I suppose, considering all that I have yet to repent for -- but I think I may have misunderstood the meaning of this phrase for a time. I feel now that this is not a recollection of ALL our guilt (as in everything I've ever done wrong EVER, even if I've repented of it), but a recollection of the guilt we still possess -- the things we haven't asked forgiveness for. I have a greater motivation to repent when I think of it this way. What are your thoughts?
As always, discussion is open in the comments.
4 comments:
Ah ha ha! I just read a little further in Section 88 - on through verse 20 -- "it" is indeed the earth. And through Christ it is sanctified so that it can possess the bodies of those celestial kingdom inheritors. This makes me love our earth even more and want to be careful to treat it with respect. Sure, the earth is here for us to use and subdue, but it should also be cared for and protected because of its own great potential.
I also really like the definition of "soul" in verse 15. It helps clarify the full extent of the Atonement -- not just the suffering in Gethsemane for our sins, but the resurrection of the body, and therefore the redemption of the soul.
Section 93:33, I feel, reiterates the importance of the Resurrection. Do you sometimes forget how huge that part of the Atonement is? I do. Without perfect, glorified bodies, we cannot experience a fullness of joy. I'm grateful even more for that free (to me) gift.
I,too,feel now as I study about our "bright recollection of all our guilt" that it will be only those sins we still possess. That gives me peace and motivates me to constantly reevaluate what I just said, or did, or thought. It it Christlike? If not, I had better repent (and not wait until Sunday's sacrament, either!) Do I always do it? No, but I am thinking about it much more and that is progress for me!
In regard to the "perfect body" part of the resurrection, I hope it is my body at its healthiest!
Even though "it" means the Earth, I like to think of it as myself, too. No unclean thing can enter into God's presence, and I would say that an unresurrected body is similar to this (although I know there have been several mortals who have seen God). Also, part of our "preparation for Celestial Glory" would be a perfect body.
Whenever I read that passage in Alma about a bright recollection of all our guilt, I think it's also a sense of gratitude and awe for how completely unworthy we are to be in the presence of deity --like Moses when he beheld Christ --knowing that no matter how much repentance we've done, we still need mercy. But I love the idea of daily repentance and feeling guilt for those sins that are still not repented of. My biggest hurdle, though, is forgetting my sins (even now).
My perfect body will have loads of energy. That's what I'm counting on!
Cheryl, I loved your comment about the feeling of gratitude and awe realizing that no matter how much we have repented, we are totally at His mercy! I have chills and tears contemplating the wonder of that time! Thanks for that profound insight!
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