“My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a self-test:
“Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?
“Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true?
“Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?
“Do you secretly envy another?
“Do you wish to cause harm to someone?
“If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!
“In a world of accusations and unfriendliness, it is easy to gather and cast stones. But before we do so, let us remember the words of the One who is our Master and model: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.’
“Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones” (“The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 76).
“His command to her was, ‘Go, and sin no more.’ He was directing the sinful woman to go her way, abandon her evil life, commit no more sin, transform her life.He was saying, Go, woman, and start your repentance; and he was indicating to her the beginning step—to abandon her transgressions” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 165).
“In all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven. …
“So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness.’ In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, ‘This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own’” (“The Grandeur of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 70, 72).
“Free from the damning power of false doctrine; free from the bondage of appetite and lust; free from the shackles of sin; free from every evil and corrupt influence and from every restraining and curtailing power; free to go on to the unlimited freedom enjoyed in its fulness only by exalted beings” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:456–57).
The declaration of the Jews that they are Abraham’s seed manifests a common misconception relating to the Abrahamic covenant and the doctrine of foreordination. The following explanation from the Bible Dictionary clarifies the promises made to and the responsibilities of Abraham’s seed:
“Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–50; Abr. 2:6–11). … Abraham’s posterity would receive certain lands as an eternal inheritance (Gen. 17; 22:15–18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2). These promises taken together are called the Abrahamic covenant. …
“The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage (see D&C 132:29–33). Those of non-Israelite lineage, commonly known as gentiles, are adopted into the house of Israel, and become heirs of the covenant and the seed of Abraham, through the ordinances of the gospel (Gal. 3:26–29).
“Being an heir to the Abrahamic covenant does not make one a ‘chosen person’ per se but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day. (Matt. 3:9; Abr. 2:9–11)” (Bible Dictionary, “Abraham, Covenant of”).
“Yielding to [Satan’s] temptations leads to a narrower and narrower range of choices until none remains and to addictions that leave us powerless to resist. …
“… The world looks at things through Korihor’s lens, considering obedience to God’s laws and ordinances to be ‘bondage’ (Alma 30:24, 27). …
“… Does anyone doubt that, as a consequence of possessing all light and truth, God possesses ultimate freedom to be and to do?
“Likewise, as our understanding of gospel doctrine and principles grows, our agency expands. First, we have more choices and can achieve more and receive greater blessings because we have more laws that we can obey. … Second, with added understanding we can make more intelligent choices because we see more clearly not only the alternatives but also their potential outcomes” (“Moral Agency,” Ensign, June 2009, 49, 50–51).
“Jesus was Jehovah … (see Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; Isa. 26:4). The use of this holy name is also confirmed in modern scripture (see Moro. 10:34; D&C 109:68; D&C 110:3; D&C 128:9). Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word hayah, which means ‘to be’ or ‘to exist.’ A form of the word hayah in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament was translated as I AM (see Ex. 3:14).
“Remarkably, I AM was used by Jehovah as a name for Himself (see D&C 29:1; D&C 38:1; D&C 39:1). Read the following intriguing dialogue from the Old Testament. Moses had just received a divine appointment he did not seek, a commission to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. The scene takes place atop Mount Sinai:
“‘Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’
“No doubt Moses felt inadequate for his calling, even as you and I may when given a challenging assignment.
“‘And Moses said [again] unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
“‘And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
“‘And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever’ (Ex. 3:11, 13–15).
“Jehovah had thus revealed to Moses this very name that He had meekly and modestly chosen for His own premortal identification: ‘I AM’” (“Jesus the Christ: Our Master and More,” Ensign, Apr. 2000, 6–7).