And all Saints anciently and modern understand that “virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” are all part of being a Saint and being his people.
“God said thou shalt not kill,--at another time he said thou shalt utterly destroy.”
What was a believer to do with conflicting injunctions?
Answer: “that which is wrong under one circumstance, may be and often is, right under another.” This unnerving principle was the foundation of the government of God.
"WHATEVER GOD REQUIRES IS RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS....although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.“ Just like Abraham who himself was to be sacrificed on an altar by his father when young later was commanded by God to sacrifice his only son, the son of promise. How repulsed he must have been...could it have been an angel of darkness who had commanded him to do such a thing? I am sure the spiritual struggle within was tremendous as he prayed and fasted to know the true will of God. No it was not an angel of darkness...and Abraham came to know it. He was obedient to God's command to sacrifice Isaac in spite of everything and God intervened at the last moment. This was an Abrahamic test to see if Abraham would do all that the Father had commanded him to do. God now knew that Abraham's heart was pure and that he put God first in all things...above everyone and everything....without regard to his reputation, or the fodder it would give to his enemies, in spite of rejection by friends and loved ones if they could not understand about spiritual things and revelation.
"WHATEVER GOD REQUIRES IS RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS."
The idea has actually informed every revealed religion. In the 1800's the Christian evangelist and antislavery advocate Charles Finney was to say with respect to slavery that “no human legislation can make it right or lawful to violate any command of God.” To Finney the higher law—equality—prevailed over human law, and it justified his and others attacks on slavery.
"WHATEVER GOD REQUIRES IS RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS."
No other chosen words are better suited to strike terror into the rational mind....that's right...it trumps the rational, thinking mind. What is being said is that any moral rule, any commonsense limitation on any human constraint, could be overthrown by a revelation. The assertion confirmed the fears of rational Christians for centuries about the social chaos inherent in revealed religion...that is why they fear present day revelation, they do not have the strength to live by it so they fight against it. There is safety in living in the past and judging what has gone on before.
Monday morning quarterback Christians!!
Revelations have always functioned like law...and that is what the Bible is all about. The revelations are the same as “commandments,” the name Joseph Smith gave to all the early revelations. They required obedience.
See: Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling; Chapter 25; By Richard Lyman Bushman, Jed Woodworth.
The scriptures are full of contradictions, for example:
“Even so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven:” and contrariwise, “Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them.”
The intention of a man’s heart, its direction and its aim, is what is to be regarded. St. Augustine give a great sermon on this contradiction and how to harmonize the scriptures in Sermon IV.
And since God has commanded all Christians not to judge, it is only God who is to judge because man cannot know the heart of another...only God can. They cannot know if God did or did not command someone else to do something that seems contradictory or wrong to us. Only the Holy Spirit can testify to us the truthfulness of all things whether they harmonize or not.
So for those critics who don't have the ability to understand what revelation really is and demand an answer may never come to a full understanding of God and his dealings with man.
"WHATEVER GOD REQUIRES IS RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS."
