Sometimes the discussions in the Church regarding the nature and extent of God's love occur in reaction to the positions of others. Those, for instance, who feel God's love is unconditional--as if somehow his caring for us made Him uncaring about our sins--see themselves moving to the "starboard side" in order to balance those who feel God's love is severely conditional, and vice versa.
God loves all His spirit children. How could it be otherwise, since He is a perfect Father? In that sense His love is universal and everlasting for all of His children. But He does not and cannot love our wickedness: "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" (D&C 1:31). He does not and cannot approve of the things we do that are wrong, nor will He say on Judgment Day, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" to those who have been wicked or who have been poor performers. His perfect integrity and His perfected attributes of truth and justice would not permit it. Nor can our Heavenly Father reward us evenly, because our deeds and our degrees of righteousness are so very uneven. Of necessity, therefore, we are told there are "many mansions" in His house, and only of the comparative few can it be said, "all that my Father hath shall be given" (John 14:2; D&C 84:38). It is especially of such faithful that Paul writes: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 39.) It is because God loves us, however, that He seeks with such vigor and long-suffering to separate us from our sins, which He hates. He continues to care for us even when He cannot approve of us. Yet ultimately we cannot go where He is unless He fully approves of us. This outcome, however, reflects the consequences of divine justice, not His love for us, which persists. Likewise it is because He loves us that His redemptive arm "is lengthened out all the day long" (2 Nephi 28:32). Yet even after all of His outreaching and loving long-suffering, there will follow the judgment and justice of God. Thus His long-suffering is not indulgence masquerading as mercy. God will never stop loving all of His spirit children, including those who go to the telestial kingdom, a kingdom of glory which, because of God's generosity, "surpasses all understanding" (D&C 76:89). Thus the hard, cold fact is that how we use our moral agency does not result in a withdrawal of God's love but does determine the ways and the degrees to which a loving God can express His love of us. Only the most righteous will receive His praise, His approval, and enjoy His presence. These supernal blessings are conditionally bestowed. However, as a perfect Father He loves all of His spirit children! The more we understand His character and His love, the more poignant is any separation from Him. (Neal A. Maxwell, _If Thou Endure It Well_, p. 34) ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
