Wherein is man to be accounted of?

Moses's calling as a deliver to the House of Israel began with a paradigm shift (Moses 1:9-10). Prior to his calling, Moses had become intimately familiar with the glory of men.  He was raised in Pharoh's house, in the most powerful kingdom of the known world. His 'father' was considered a god by all those subject to his absolute rule.  He was accustomed to being in the presence of the world's most powerful dignitaries and leaders, he knew and experienced all the glory and honor of men.

The epiphany of Moses took place on an exceedingly high mountain, where Moses witnessed first hand the contrasting glory of the God. His conversation left him lying prostrate on the ground unable to move for the space of MANY hours. While lying prostate, drained of his natural strength, he reflected on the things he had heard and seen from the hand of Israel's one true God. As he did so he thought to himself, "Now for this cause I know that man is nothing which thing I NEVER had supposed".

Moses was not alone in his discovery of man's insignificance before the Lord, the testimony of others is also recorded see Alma 26:12, Mosiah 4:2-3;5, Helaman 12: 7-8, Isaiah 2:22, and Isaiah 40:17-31 for some examples. If man, and even all the nations of men combined are  as as nothing before the Lord (Isaiah 40:17), then wherein are man's opinions and efforts at "self-creation" to be accounted of?  The term "Self-made man" is meant to inspire, but what kind of a man can actually believe it?

"For shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?" Isaiah 29:16

The reality is that man is of himself an empty vessel.  Real power does not come of man, but through him. A man of God is a medium through which the Lord's power is made manifest, not his own.

"As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand" Jeremiah 18:6

We also know through scriptural accounts that the Lord has used wicked men to accomplish his works for him in the past (Isaiah 7:20; 1 Nephi 2:24).  If the Lord can use the wicked, how much more will the Lord use men that humble themselves before him acknowledging their total dependance, and surrender their will's to Him.  King Benjamin got it right, the reality is that we are all beggars before God (Mosiah 4:19).

If man is going to rise to his potential, it cannot be through his own strength, which we have seen is both insufficient and insignificant.  The Lord taught us how to do this in John 15, which we will discuss in more detail later, but the jist is that we must abide in Him as the branch abides in the vine, otherwise we can do nothing. He taught a similar concept in Luke.

And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

But rather seek ye the ^bkingdom of God; and ^call these things shall be added unto you. (Luke 12:25-26;31)

In other word's I believe that the Savior is saying, if you can't of your own free will change your physical attributes, why would you think your personal efforts and strength to change your carnal attributes would yield any different results? But instead, use your strength in seeking the kingdom of heaven first. 

This account is given by several of the early apostles, Matthew's version differs in an interesting way, he states, 

^aBut ^bseek ye first the ^ckingdom of God, and his ^drighteousness; and all these ^ethings shall be ^fadded unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

In the scriptures the Kingdom of God is likened unto several things, here Matthew is likening it unto a man, this man is surely is Jesus Christ.

Moroni, in his closing testimony of the Book of Mormon, wrote a beautiful admonition to all the children of men. He word are beautiful for what they say, as well as what they don't say nor imply. They do not say, "Overcome all your weaknesses, all your vices, all your sins through your own will power, through your own strength, through your own efforts of self-control and will power, in short, do "All that you can do" to perfect yourself of your own power, then, once you have accomplished this, then and only then, are you worth to come unto Christ". Thank the Almighty God of Heaven and earth that this is not what they say, nor the true order of heavenly progression. This is what they say, and this is the true order of heavenly progression:

Come unto Christ, and be ^bperfected in him, and ^cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and ^dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be ^eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

  33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye ^asanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the ^bblood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your ^csins, that ye become ^dholy, without spot. 

Notice the order of things, First, Come unto Christ then deny yourselves.  In order to become healed you first need to go to the doctor, then the healing comes, not the other way around. Christ himself said,  "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matthew 9:12)  I do not believe it is a coincidence that the universal symbol of healing is also the symbol that Moses raised in the wilderness to heal his people. The Master Healer's symbol. 

To be carnally-minded is death

O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in ^atransgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that ^bcunning one. Remember, to be ^ccarnally-minded is ^ddeath, and to be ^espiritually-minded is ^flife ^geternal. (2 Nephi 9:39)


I had always associated the word carnal with the dregs of society.  To be carnally-minded means more than being consumed by the insatiable desires and appetites of the flesh, it is a paradigm through which we see and filter the world that we live in.  One of the meanings attributed to the word carnal in my dictionary is as follows: Having or showing a physical rather than a spiritual orientation. The carnal mind shapes, forms, filters, and interprets everything we know. How does one approach a problem if he is carnally-minded. The libraries and book stores of the word are filled with  self-help books that offer solutions to life's many problems.  The problem with these books is that they "have a form of Godliness but they denying the power thereof" (2 Tim 3:5).

The carnal turn to the strength of their own arm for the answers and power to cope. As it is the weakness of our flesh that gets us in to our problems in the first place, is it logical to think that the strength of our flesh can get us out?

"Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isaiah 2:22).

By turning to ourselves for the "inner strength" to overcome we are looking to ourselves rather than God. We are being carnally-minded.

 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the ^alight of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in ^bsorrow.   Isaiah 50:11

When we walk in the light of our own efforts, trust in the arm of our own flesh we stoop down to receive the exaltation of men. The proverbial equivalent of trading our birth right for a mess of porridge as Esau did of old.  In other words, we lie down in sorrow not because we can not benefit from the self-help strategies the world has to offer, but from the stark realization for how the world's results pale in comparison from what we could have become had we relied on the arm of the Holy One of Israel.

Mosiah 16

4 Thus all mankind were ^alost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.

  5 But remember that he that persists in his own ^acarnal nature .... remaineth in his fallen state and the ^bdevil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no ^credemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the ^ddevil an enemy to God.

  6 And now if Christ had not come into the world...there could have been no redemption.

  7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no ^asting, there could have been no resurrection.

  8 But there is a ^aresurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of ^bdeath is swallowed up in Christ.

Mosiah 3:19

For the natural man in an enemy to God, ..... and will be for ever and ever.... unless he .... putteth off the natural man .... through the atonement of Christ the Lord.

Without Jesus Christ, all mankind is lost.   It is not through man, but Christ that redemption comes. Men must become spiritually minded, they must look to God to live.  The prophet Nephi's life is a great illustration of what it means to be spiritually-minded, the following verses are taken from the 4th chapter of his second book.

 16 Behold, my ^asoul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my ^bheart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.


The above verse illustrates that Nephi was spiritually-minded. It was him afterall that coined the phrase. 

17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great ^agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O ^bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart ^csorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily ^abeset me.

26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath ^avisited men in so much ^bmercy, ^cwhy should my ^dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

  27 And why should I ^ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to ^btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my ^cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I ^dangry because of mine enemy?

  28 Awake, my soul! No longer ^adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the ^benemy of my soul.

The above verses show despite being spiritually-minded, Nephi still had a lifetime of wrestling with the weaknesses of the flesh that are common to man. However, the verses below show how one who encounters such set backs reacts, when they are spiritually-minded.

20 My God hath been my ^asupport; he hath led me through mine ^bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

30 Rejoice, O my ^aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the ^brock of my salvation.

31 O Lord, wilt thou ^aredeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of ^bsin?

  32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my ^aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may ^bwalk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!

  33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy ^arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine ^benemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.

  34 O Lord, I have ^atrusted in thee, and I will ^btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ^ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his ^dtrust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

  35 Yea, I know that God will give ^aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ^bask ^cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the ^drock of my ^erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

Nephi was not relying on his own strength to overcome these weaknesses, but was looking to be made strong and whole in the Salvation of the Lord.

How often in own own lives have we been guilty of looking to our own strength to remedy our problems. Feeling unworthy of the Lord's help or consideration until after we have have done "All that we can do". I believe that we generally misunderstand the meaning of Nephi's words in 2 Nephi 25:23 

For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.

What are the efforts of man whose breath is in his nostrils in the scheme of things.  Do the acts wrought by the  flesh of men's arm bring him any closer to salvation? The answer to this question is made clear in other verses.

John 15:5-8 

 5 I am the ^avine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

  6 If a man ^aabide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

What does the word abide mean?  Look it up in the dictionary, compare it to the definition of endure. What are the similarities, what are the differences?

  7 If ye ^aabide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ^bask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

  8 Herein is my Father ^aglorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

It is only through Christ that we can do anything.   All our efforts must be performed in and through the power of he that is mighty to save.  It is not after all that we can do on our own, it is after all we can do through Him that is mighty to save.  The Savior knows that we of our own account are nothing before him. See Moses 1-9-10, Mosiah 4:2-3;5, Helaman 12: 7-8, Isaiah 2:22, and Isaiah 40:17-31 


Ammon combined these two concepts perfectly when he taught the following in Alma 26:12. 


 Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnot boast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.


This principle of abiding in the strength of a higher power is an eternal law, it is not unique to us, Christ taught that this principle applies to himself as well. 


John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is ^ajust; because I seek not mine own ^bwill, but the ^cwill of the Father which hath sent me.  


See also John 5:19


Now that you see this principle you will see it manifest itself throughout the scriptures and the church. The plainest example in in the sacrament. Why do we take the sacrament, what is the symbolism? 


John 6:56-57


He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.


Christ is in all things our example.  It is not through our own strength that we can expect to overcome the gravity of sin that pulls us down with such startling strength and power, if we are to overcome, we must life our lives in Jesus Christ.

In the beginning there was darkness

Self-loathing, disgust, despair, hopelessness, darkness, emptiness, hallow, fake. My life was not on the path that I needed it to be on.  I say needed, because I don't know how much longer I could have withstood the empty hollowness in my soul.  My efforts at lifting myself from that dark place had been short-lived, meaningless, feeling worse for have trying and failed that had I never tried at all. I stood naked and empty-handed before the judgement bar of God.  I needed to have my heart changed, to be born again, but I just could not do it.

 I am a confessed Christian, I believe whole-heartily in the Lord Jesus Christ, at least I always thought I did. I have wanted to become like him, but I was not like him. My countenance  had been darkened, the bands of wickedness had robbed me.  Slowly over time I had traded my light for darkness, and now my soul hungered.  However, when my soul longed to rejoice, I was  weighed down in sorrow and darkness because of my many sins.  The words of the Savior, as recorded in the scriptures had not been able to sink into my heart, I was past feeling. That is until recently.

My life began to change when my brother told me about a book. A book that I would have never have sought out on my own. A book that I would have likely rejected without opening it had I found it on my own. The book is a 12 step program on the 12 steps of AA, which is why I would have never sought it out on my own.  I would not have thought that the principles that applied to the languishing alcoholic would apply to me, but after reading a little from its pages I know that I was wrong. I am still reading the book, but it is amazing to me the depth and meaning that the scriptures have taken as I read them through this new perspective.  We are all addicts, we are all hopelessly lost and in need of a Savior, the only real different between the rock-bottom alcoholic and most of us, however, is the recognition of that fact.

I have longed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I am starting this blog now, to document my journey from darkness into His marvelous light. I hope, that I you are reading this, that you might find the path as well.