Day 272 The Danger of Doctrinal Contentions
Show Notes
Join Allen Roberds in a reflection on Helaman 11:22, exploring the profound danger of doctrinal contentions, even seemingly small ones. This episode highlights how minor disagreements can lead to spiritual decline and apostasy, emphasizing the critical importance of unity and following the teachings of living prophets to avoid wickedness.
Key Points
- The Book of Mormon's cycle of wickedness and repentance in Helaman 11 illustrates how quickly people can abandon spiritual progress.
- Helaman 11:22 serves as a warning, indicating that 'a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine' are a precursor to widespread wickedness.
- Doctrinal contentions, no matter how small, can drive away the Spirit and ultimately lead to a rejection of the Lord and His teachings.
- Unity is a divine principle, as Jesus taught, 'if we are not one, we are not His,' making contention contrary to His will.
- Following the united counsel of living prophets and apostles is essential to avoid contentions and stay grounded in revealed doctrine.
My friends, don't buy into the contentions. Don't be part of the contentions. Seek the will of the Lord. Listen to our living prophet. Follow him.
Full Transcript
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth, and in the same sentence offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life and ultimately you and I can be savory salt.
Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from, thank you for joining me and know that I'm cheering for your every success. Just a few won't hurt, will it? Surely not.
Welcome to day 272 on our 365 day journey through the Book of Mormon together. Today, you're going to be reading Helaman chapter 11, verses 10 through 31. You'll be in the middle of that chapter.
And oh my goodness, is it a roller coaster in this reading or what? We have the people so wicked that Nephi brings a famine in, and this famine starts to work through all of the land. The people start to suffer immensely.
They repent. They go to Nephi. They believe his words.
Nephi prays that the famine is removed. And so, due to repentance and forgiveness on the Lord, there he—the record says that when he returns water to the land, they get crops again. And then in four crazy years, they bring back everything they got rid of in their lives that drove away the Spirit.
They brought it all back. They bring back the Gadianton robbers, and it happened in four years. How does this keep happening in the story?
I keep asking myself this question. Until today when I saw this verse and I thought, what is Mormon trying to tell us? That's our verse for today in Helaman chapter 11, verse 22, and I think Mormon sneaks it in here.
It's not the only time that he sneaks this type of phrase in, and it always seems to happen as an indicator for us that danger is approaching. Let's see what we can find inside of verse 22. It says, "And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets." Did you catch that?
Everything's peaceful, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets. Surely a few contentions wouldn't cause the destruction of an entire civilization, wouldn't it? Now the interesting thing with that question is, perhaps the few contentions don't cause the full destruction of the civilization.
But these few contentions become more contentions, and more contentions ultimately drive the Spirit away. And then the extreme version of that is people buy into the evil that is the Gadianton robbers inside of this civilization. My friends, as Christ would say, be one, and if we are not one, we are not His.
These contentions, it makes me look to the prophet and the apostles as an example in my life. There have been a couple of conference talks where several of the apostles and even President Nelson have talked about how when these men get together and seek revelation from the Lord, they wrestle inside of the topics until they are unanimously approved through the Spirit of the Lord. If there is one or two of these men that do not agree or do not come in line or do not feel the Spirit, they do not move forward.
And so when they come forward and present to us the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what do we do to receive them? Because here is an indicator for Mormon saying, beware: If there are a few contentions out there around the doctrine, these few contentions lead to more contentions and ultimately lead to full wickedness and rejection of the Lord. My friends, don't buy into the contentions.
Don't be part of the contentions. Seek the will of the Lord. Listen to our living prophet.
Follow him. He will continue and always continue to give us the word of the Lord. I believe that.
I'm grateful for a living prophet today. And I want to keep my eyes peeled for those few contentions around the doctrine so that I can do my best to avoid those and stay inside the doctrines the Lord has revealed to us today. That's all for today, my friends.
Remember that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow, and I hope you are too.
This transcript was generated using AI and may contain errors. I do my best to review and edit them when I can.