God promised to spare Sodom if He could find ten righteous people. What did He mean? Evil was rampant in the city, but surely not everyone was equally bad or good. The answer is surprisingly simple: Send messengers and see who is willing to listen. Responsiveness, not perfection, is the measure of righteousness.
Doing Good and Being Good
Mormon said we can't do good without being good. Specifically, he said that we have to do good with real intent. Why? Because insincere good works do not change us. As we wholeheartedly offer gifts and prayers, God transforms us, helping us become good.
Imputed to Him for Righteousness
God imputed righteousness to Abraham because of his faith. To impute something is to give them credit for it. Abraham did some good things, and he made some mistakes, but God called him righteous because he kept believing in God's promise.
A Pure People
John wrote that we can become like God. "When he shall appear, we shall be like him," he wrote, "for we shall see him as he is." Then, he added, "[Everyone] that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). Mormon described a similar future state for those... Continue Reading →
“The Girdle of His Loins”
Immediately after prophesying of the destruction of the wicked and the gathering of Israel, Isaiah proclaims the coming of the Messiah: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:Isaiah 11:1, 2 Nephi 21:1 Isaiah often writes in synonymous parallelisms, saying the same thing twice using different words. Jesus Christ... Continue Reading →
Righteousness
The Jaredite king Emer presided over a period of prosperity, following a troubling time of political upheaval and distrust. Moroni tells us that "Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days" (Ether 9:21). What a relief it must have been for his people to know what to expect and to be able to have... Continue Reading →