A.
Reasons that the Linkages are Not As Clear As
One May Expect
One wants to believe that good things come to good people
and bad things happen to those who are bad.
This simple thesis is behind commonly held beliefs such as “karma, “good
guys” win and “good” eventually triumphs.
There are at least five reasons why the linkage between goodness (here
called “obedience”) and promised blessings, here in this life, breaks down,
leaving the righteous or good subject to unwanted afflictions and trials,
seemingly at odds with the promise that they will prosper and be blessed for
their righteousness: (i) the pain and sorrow of human mortality, including
those arising out of natural disasters, may fall upon all men, irrespective of
their righteousness; (ii) the exercise of agency by others, whether or not they
are punished, may harm or injure the righteous; (iii) if rewards and
punishments were immediate, men would not be free agents in this life, but would
be compelled to be “good;” (iv) men are often called upon to endure trials and
afflictions in order to grow spiritually; and (v) there is no promise that the
blessings of obedience will be awarded in this life—instead, all men will be
judged at the time of the final judgment and then either rewarded or punished for
their works.
1.
Sun and Rain Upon Righteous and Wicked
“[F]or he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt. 5: 45. This aphorism, speaking to rains coming upon
the just and unjust, is commonly used to capture the popular sentiment that no
one, irrespective of their state of righteousness, is immune to the challenges
common to all men and women. All are
descendants are Adam and Eve and as such subject to the challenges of
mortality, the frailties of the human flesh and death. When pronouncing punishment upon Adam and Eve
for partaking of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, the Lord said to Adam[1]
the earth would be cursed, bringing forth thorns and thistles to torment man,
requiring men to labor to produce crops by the sweat of their brow. Death would be man’s constant companion—from
the dust man come and to the dust he would return. To
Eve, the Lord said that she would bring forth children in pain and sorrow and
be subject to her husband’s dominion.[2] Being human exposes all men to the vagaries
of mortality—diseases, sickness, old age, death, loss of sight, pains of work,
to name a few. Some may have easier
lives than others, but sooner or later everyone succumbs to the frailties of
mortality. Adhering to the Word of
Wisdom increases the probability of a healthy and longer life, but does not rule
out early onset cancer, heart attacks, or premature death. Within this category one may add the
challenges that grow out of natural events—such as floods, droughts,
earthquakes, fires, epidemics, storms, bad weather—like problems arising from
our flesh, these climatic events are outside of our control, causing mercy and
loss to both the righteous and the wicked.
The occurrences of such events certainly deprive those who are good of
many of the blessings they might otherwise enjoy because they have led
righteous lives.
2.
Exercise of Others’ Agency
Human trials often occur due to the exercise of the others’
agency—again breaking the simple linkage that might otherwise exist between
righteousness (i.e., obedience) and promised blessings. Apart from life itself, the greatest gift
bestowed upon men and women is the knowledge of good and evil and the power of
agency—the right to choose from themselves whether to be obedient or not. Certainly others can circumscribe the range
of choices available to you, but at the end of the day, each of us, within
one’s own sphere, decides how we wish to act, whatever the consequences may
be. “And it is given unto them to know
good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves….” Moses 6: 56. The acts of others, taken through the
exercise of their agency, may infringe upon others’ privileges, quality of life
or even life itself. The Lord does not,
as a general rule, interfere, shortcutting the exercise of men’s agency, allowing
them to act as they choose—whether it be to do good or evil. They are left to themselves until, after this
life, they are called up to account for their works. The parable of
the tares and wheat illustrates the forbearance of the Lord and patience in
allowing men to live their lives without interference pending the Lord’s judgment.
“[H]e said unto them, An enemy hath done this.
The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them
[the tares] up? But he said, Nay; lest
while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and
in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my
barn.” Matt. 13: 28-30.
3.
Preserving the Agency of Men
A third reason (apart from the human condition and the
existence of men’s agency) why there may not be a neat correlation between
righteousness and promised blessings is another more subtle way of preserving
men’s agency. If there were a perfect,
and immediate, correlation between righteousness and promised blessings, and
between wickedness and punishment, this would undercut the purpose of this
life—to see if men, of their own accord, without compulsion, would choose good
over evil. If men were always, and
immediately, rewarded for doing good, and if they were always, and immediately,
punished for doing evil, no one would be free to choose for themselves. The choices would always be clear. Such a world is not far off the world
envisioned by Lucifer, son of the morning, who proposed a plan in the premortal
counsel in heaven whereby no one would be lost.
In fact, it is precisely because of this “slippage” that men are really
free to choose—recognizing that choosing good does not always, nor immediately,
bring rewards, even if in the long run such rewards are expected.
4.
Higher Laws
It is often hard for us to understand what the Lord has in
store for us. Many scriptures suggests
that general obedience to God’s commandments leads to prosperity and happiness
in this life, a reassuring thought for us.
Yet, at the same time, the most dedicated servants of God are seemingly
asked sacrifice much to up build the kingdom, and held to a higher standard of
conduct. In the Lectures on Faith, the
Prophet Joseph Smith said that no religion had the power to save men unless it
asked of them the “sacrifice” of all things.[3] In like fashion, the Apostle Paul did not see
his life in terms of a search for “happiness,” at least not if happiness is
thought of as comfort, ease, spending time with family. Instead, his life was one of constant service
involving years of sacrifice and self-denial, through which he learned lessons
of longsuffering charity and patience.
“But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith,
longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me
at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them
all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution.” 2 Tim. 3: 10-12. One would not wish for such afflictions but
out of them flowed the peaceable fruits of righteousness. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to
be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down,
and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is
lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord.”
Heb. 12: 11-14.[4] Moreover, promised blessings of happiness may
be reserved for the next life, and only available to us after enduring well affliction
and tribulation here. “For verily I say
unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in
death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is
greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye
cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your
God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which
shall follow after much tribulation. For
after much tribulation come the blessings.
Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the
hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.”
D&C 58: 2-4.
5.
Proper Timeframe
The faithful would like to see the blessings from living a
faithful life credited to them in the “here and now.” It would be disheartening to think there were
no current benefit, and I think most of us expect that righteous living have
its own rewards now. It is hard to think
that most of us could adhere to a life of righteous if we did not believe that
such a life were not rewarded with blessings.
Of course, those blessings may not be thought of as “blessings” in the
world’s eyes. But nonetheless, one could
not keep going without the hope of being rewarded. Yet nothing in Section 130: 20-21 dictates
that the blessings to which men are entitled as a result of their conduct
during this life are “blessings” that will necessarily come to them during
mortality. Indeed, the scriptures are
replete with passages reminding the faithful that they may be required to wait
for many of the blessings that are in store for them. The ledgers are only reconciled at the time
of the final judgment. “And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.”
Rev. 20: 12-13. Indeed, it is
easy to think that the real blessings that will flow from a lifetime of
obedience are not those that may be experienced in the here and now, but
instead are those reserved for the life to come. Alma, speaking to his son of the “plan of
restoration,” says: “I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is
requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things shall be
restored to their proper order….And it is requisite with the justice of God
that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were
good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should
also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good. And if their works are evil they shall be
restored unto them for evil. Therefore,
all things shall be restored to their proper order, everything to its natural
frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to
endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to
inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on the one hand, the other on the
other.” Alma 41: 2-4. It is also worth noting that all men, both
righteous and wicked, just and unjust, will acknowledge the justice of God at
the Day of Judgment.
[1]
“Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the
tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shall not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life; Thorns also and thistles shall it being forth to thee; and thou shalt eat
the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen. 3:
17-19.
[2] “I
will great multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee.” Gen. 3: 16.
[3] “Let us here observe, that a religion that
does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to
produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” Lecture 6: 7a, Lectures of Faith. See also infra “Joining the Mormon Church for
the Wrong Reasons.”
[4]The Prophet Joseph Smith received from the Lord similar counsel, when called
upon to endure bitter persecutions: “My
son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but
a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high;
thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
D&C 121: 7-8. “And if though
shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence
of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing
surge conspire against three; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the
heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and
above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee,
know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall
be for thy good. The Son of Many hath
descended below them all. Art thou
greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy
way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they
cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy
years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God
shall be with you forever and ever.”
D&C 122: 7-9.
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