Monday, January 27, 2014

2 Nephi 6

(January 26, 2014)
I believe I have said before that my metaphorical ears perk up when I hear absolute language in the scriptures – always, never, all, none, and so forth. I am beginning to wonder whether by doing this I might be wresting the scriptures, so it is something that I am trying to be more careful about, but it strikes me nonetheless.  That is why my ears perked up at the language “none will he destroy that believe in him” in verse 14.

We worry so much about the randomness of arbitrary nature of life that we sometimes forget that randomness evens out over time.  If we flip a coin, we may win or we may lose.  But if we flip a coin every moment over infinity, we can expect the results to hew very, very close to evenly.  So it is with us – the arbitrary and capricious nature of the universe only appears that way because we are looking at the universe in such a small segment of time.  Some people get breaks, and some people don’t.  But over the course of eternity, all of these things will balance out – not by mere probability but because of the justice and mercy of God.

It does not say that those who believe in him will not suffer, or even that they will not die, but that none will be destroyed.  And that is a comforting thought.

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