King Benjamin
was a prophet-king in ancient America. He
was a righteous king who taught his people the gospel of Jesus Christ. As he neared the end of his life, he anointed
his son Helaman to be the next king.
Before turning everything over to his son, King Benjamin spoke to his
people one last time. He gave a very
memorable address and taught many gospel principles. The principle I would like to share today is
that we must put off the natural man and become a saint in order to qualify for
the kingdom of God.
“For the natural man is an enemy
to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever,
unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural
man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh
as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit
to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child
doth submit to his father” (Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ,
Mosiah 3:19).
This verse raises some
questions. What is a natural man? In common usage, natural means something is a
part of us, something we do by nature.
Her natural hair color is blood.
She is naturally left-handed but has learned to use her right hand. When the scriptures speak of natural, they refer to sin. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit in the
Garden of Eden, they and all their posterity, they “fell” into mortality, a
fallen world. In this fallen condition,
they were in a state of spiritual death, separated from the presence of God. They knew good from evil but lived in an imperfect
world where all men sin. They had
transgressed the law of God and became a “natural man” or “enemy to God.”
King Benjamin taught his people to
put off the natural man. He counseled
them to yield to the enticings of the Holy Ghost. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles explained: “Personal righteousness, worship, prayer,
and scripture study are so crucial in order to `[put] off the natural man’
(Mosiah 3:19). Be wary, therefore, when some demand public
tolerance for whatever their private indulgences are!” (Ensign, November 1994, 36).
What is a saint? Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “The word saint in Greek denotes `set apart,
separate, [and] holy’ [in Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism,
5 vols. (1992), 3:1249]. If we are to be
Saints in our day, we need to separate ourselves from evil conduct and
destructive pursuits that are prevalent in the world.
“We are bombarded with visual
images of violence and immorality. Inappropriate
music and pornography are increasingly tolerated. The use of drugs and alcohol is rampant. There is less emphasis on honesty and
character. Individual rights are demanded, but duties, responsibilities, and
obligations are neglected. There has
been a coarsening of dialogue and increased exposure to that which is base and
vulgar. The adversary has been
relentless in his efforts to undermine the plan of happiness. If we separate ourselves from this worldly
conduct, we will have the Spirit in our lives and experience the joy of being
worthy Latter-day Saints” (Ensign, November 2003, 95).
So, in order to put off the
natural man and become a saint, we must avoid evil and yield to the promptings
of the Holy Ghost. Through faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, we can put off the natural man and put the Atonement of
Christ into effect in our lives. By
following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can obey God’s commandments and
resist temptation. We can change and
qualify to be true saints of God.
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