People often believe that being obedient to God's commandments is restrictive and takes away their freedom, but just the opposite is true. Obedience equals freedom because sin equals captivity.
Many wonderful scriptures teach this basic truth. Here are a few from The Book of Mormon that I feel clearly teach how sin binds us and does not bring true freedom:
Many wonderful scriptures teach this basic truth. Here are a few from The Book of Mormon that I feel clearly teach how sin binds us and does not bring true freedom:
"O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation" (2 Nephi 9:45).President James E Faust also taught this principle:
"And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none--and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
"Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment....
"And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall" (2 Nephi 28:22-23,28).
"Obedience leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated....I know that being obedient to God's commands brings true freedom, both spiritually and temporally, for that is part of God's plan of happiness. Learn how you can be happy by keeping God's commandments and coming unto Jesus Christ.
"Being bridled, or yielding obediently to restraint, is necessary for our personal growth and progression. Recently a nationally broadcast program talked about wild horses that are being tamed by prisoners. As the prisoners formed friendships with the horses, they learned about patience, controlling tempers, respect for others, and the value of working within a system. As they watched the horses learn to be obedient to their commands, they realized how they could have avoided the terrible mistakes that had put them in prison. I add that obedience to righteous principles would have offered them freedom from social diseases, shame, degradation, and feelings of guilt. Like the horses, they could still learn, progress, and achieve....
"Obedience helps us develop the full potential our Heavenly Father desires for us in becoming celestial beings worthy someday to live in His presence....
"When obedience becomes our goal, it is no longer an irritation; instead of a stumbling block, it becomes a building block." (Obedience: The Path to Freedom," Ensign, May 1999, 45)
This freedom thing is overstated. It is impossible to be free. The reason I say that is because we can only be free if there is middle ground. But there is no middle ground on which a ‘free’ person can stand.
This is not a mystery, nor is it a nonsense: it is a profound spiritual truth because every individual human being is ‘bound’ to either God or Satan. The freedom we have is to choose whether to be chained to God and Blessings, Joys, Exaltations, and Life, or be chained to Satan and Cursings, Disappointments, and Death.
There is no ground between them, we are either bound securely to One, or just as surely to the other. If we think we are in neither camp then we are clearly in that of Satan and under his control.
The ‘liberty’ wherewith we are set free’ is the liberty to escape death and to choose life.
That freedom that delivers us in chains to Satan is not worth having. We are free to choose one or the other but we do not have the ability to choose none.
Ronnie
Obedience is such a wonderful gift to cherish and to realize for oneself what it means and the soul filled beneifts that come from it.