Tuesday, May 26, 2015

1 Nephi 2:21

21  And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be acut off from the presence of the Lord.
            -equating rebellion against Nephi with being cut off from the Lord is a fascinating relationship.  Nephi has become a proxy for the Lord.  There are numerous examples in scripture where the Lord states that rebellion against him –in the form or sin, transgression, action and even thought- will result in being excluded from His presense but He applies that same rational to behavior against Nephi.  By extension then, Nephi has become like the Lord.  The same is true then, as we become Christ-like and pure in our own being.  Those who choose to reject our standard of living will be cut off from the presence of the Lord and they will be alienated from  us.  Not because we reject them but because they reject what is endemic to us (righteousness, purity, obedience).  Like Nephi, this division often plays out most visibly in the lives of those closest to us:  our children, siblings and friends.

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