Mosiah 16

(Below is a list of questions and quotes that help me think about each verse as I read it. The numbers represent the verses in the chapter.)

The Savior wants to bring you back into the presence of your Heavenly Father. He intercedes, mediates, and pleads on your behalf. The Savior has paid the demands of justice for you if you will repent. Jesus is the light and life of the world. If you believe in Him and live His teachings, you will never be in the darkness.

1-5. Who will be excluded from redemption? In what ways can you think of that the voice of the Lord is heard today? What will be the consequences if you are taught the truth but you refuse to hearken? How can you better obey what the Lord asks you to do when you hear His voice?

1-8. What kinds of things in these verses symbolize darkness? In what ways are people living in darkness today? How does Jesus bring light into a darkened world?

1. What does it mean when people see eye to eye? What conditions do think must exist for all mankind to see eye to eye? How does confessing before God that his judgements - or in other words seeing eye to eye with God - help all mankind to develop the ability to get along?

2. What must you do to be redeemed from the Fall? What will happen to the wicked or those who do not accept the judgements of God? What will they be experiencing? 

3. What is the difference between knowing evil from good and subjecting oneself to the devil? How can knowing good from evil assist you in becoming more like your Father in Heaven? How hard does the adversary work to try to get you to make carnal and devilish choices? What can you do to emulate God and draw closer to Him?

"The influential tendencies of the natural man are unfriendly to the seventh commandment and these involve the self-damaging “carnal, sensual, [and] devilish” (Mosiah 16:3; see also Mosiah 3:19; Moses 5:13). If these three words sound too harsh, consider, ... the awful goal the adversary pursues: “that all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Ne. 2:27). Misery really does love company! One of the best ways we can put “off the natural man” is to starve him (Mosiah 3:19). Weakened, he is more easily dislodged. Otherwise, he insists on getting his ticket punched at every stop on the temptation train. Sadly, corrective words do not usually help the natural man either, because lust chokes the word (see Mark 4:19)." - Neal A Maxwell, GC, October 2001

4. In what ways were mankind lost? How does Jesus Christ help you when you are spiritually lost?  How does the ability and tendency to sin separate you from God? Why would this condition cause you to be endlessly lost? What has been done for you to prevent this from happening?

"Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ. No one adequately and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the doctrine of the Fall and its effects upon mankind." - Ezra Taft Benson, GC, April 1987

5-6. Who has power over you if you persist in following the ways of the natural man? What power does the redemption of Christ have over one such as this who rebels and chooses carnality?

"To some degree, the natural man described by King Benjamin is alive and well in each of us (see Mosiah 3:19). The natural man or woman is unrepentant, is carnal and sensual (see Mosiah 16:5; Alma 42:10; Moses 5:13), is indulgent and excessive, and is prideful and selfish. As President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “The ‘natural man’ is the ‘earthy man’ who has allowed rude animal passions to overshadow his spiritual inclinations” (“Ocean Currents and Family Influences,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 112).In contrast, the “man [or woman] of Christ” (Helaman 3:29) is spiritual and bridles all passions (see Alma 38:12), is temperate and restrained, and is benevolent and selfless. Men and women of Christ lay hold upon the word of God, deny themselves and take up His cross (see Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; D&C 56:2), and press forward along a strait and narrow course of faithfulness, obedience, and devotion to the Savior and His gospel. As sons and daughters of God, we have inherited divine capacities from Him. But we presently live in a fallen world. The very elements out of which our bodies were created are by nature fallen and ever subject to the pull of sin, corruption, and death. Consequently, the Fall of Adam and its spiritual and temporal consequences affect us most directly through our physical bodies. And yet we are dual beings, for our spirit that is the eternal part of us is tabernacled in a physical body that is subject to the Fall." - David A Bednar, GC, April 2013

"The devil is strongly against man’s repenting and preparing himself for the kingdom of heaven. The devil’s mission and goal is to destroy man’s potential godliness and his preparation to be again with his Heavenly Father. Repentance will stop the devil and keep him from entering the hearts of men." - Bernard P Brockbank, GC, October 1974

6-8. What would be different in your life if Jesus Christ had not come? What difference would it make for you in eternity if there was no redemption or resurrection? (See 2 Nephi 9:8-9) How does this help you appreciate more fully what Jesus did?

7-8. What condition would you have been in if Christ had not come to redeem you and break the bands of death? How grateful do you feel to Him for this gift? What can you do to increase the gratitude you feel toward Him? What can you do to show Him your gratitude?

"That brings us to the Atonement. Paul said, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The Atonement of Jesus Christ became the immortal creation. He volunteered to answer the ends of a law previously transgressed. And by the shedding of His blood, His and our physical bodies could become perfected. They could again function without blood, just as Adam’s and Eve’s did in their paradisiacal form." -Russell M Nelson, GC, October 1996

9. What does the word 'endless' convey in this scripture? Who is endless? Can Godly light ever be darkened? In what ways can your life be Godly?

"[Jesus Christ] is the light and the life of the world.” As we fix our gaze on His teachings, we will be guided to the harbor of spiritual safety." - Boyd K Packer, GC, October 2012

"There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the 'light that is endless, that can never be darkened.' It is the very Son of God Himself. ... It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His 'more excellent ministry' with a future of 'better promises.' He is your 'high priest of good things to come.'" - Jeffrey R Holland, GC, October 1999

10. What will you be judged of as you stand. before the bar of God? How important are your works? He do your works convey the gratitude you feel for the grace of God available to you through the Atonement?

"That gift of immortality became a reality because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." - Russell M Nelson, GC, October 2007

11. What reward awaits those who have filled their lives with good works? What reward awaits those who have sought after carnal and worldly possessions and recognition?

12. What arms of mercy are extended toward you? He do you receive the arms of mercy that God extends toward you? What does The Lord do to let you know that He wants to give you mercy? Who decides if the gift of mercy is accepted or not?

13-15. At the end of his discourse, what did Abinadi exort Noah and the priests to do? How can you apply this counsel to your life?

13. What do you do to receive the gift of mercy offered by the Savior?

14. How do symbols help you remember Christ and His great love for you?

15. Through whom does redemption come? Can you get it through anyone else? What does this tell you about the importance of building a relationship with Christ? How good is your relationship with Christ? What can you do to strengthen it and come to know Him better?