"Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you"

In a landmark address in 2007, Elder Bednar encouraged "searching in the scriptures for connections, patterns, and themes." He offered a few examples of connections we can study.  I previously posted on my study of the relationship between the Father and the Son, here and here. This was the first example given by Elder Bednar.  This post will cover the second example he gave -- the connection between mercy and grace.

I first began my study by reading about mercy and then about grace.  I then focused on passages which discuss both concepts together.

Elder Bednar encourages us to study without "sophisticated study aids." We should not "rely extensively upon the spiritual knowledge of others."

We simply need to have a sincere desire to learn, the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the holy scriptures, and an active and inquiring mind.

The arm of mercy

This post will cover one topic which immediately caught my attention as I studied Book of Mormon references about mercy -- the symbol of Christ's "arm of mercy" extended towards us.  This wording appears five times in the Book of Mormon. One variant appears in the Doctrine and Covenants. It is not found in the other standard works.

• Doctrine and Covenants 29:1
• 3 Nephi 9:14
• Mosiah 16:12
• Alma 5:33
• Mosiah 29:20
• Jacob 6:5

In studying these six passages (the verses listed above plus the surrounding verses for additional context), I've drawn the following conclusions about the arm of mercy:

1. Like hands, "arms" are a symbol of strength to bring something about. Thus, the arm of mercy is a symbol of God's strength to bring about mercy and is all about Jesus Christ.
2. Christ Himself makes it clear that those who come unto Him will find mercy, as I previously pointed out in an example of this scriptural pattern.
• "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." (3 Nephi 9)
3. Christ's atoning sacrifice makes mercy possible, whereby He gained "victory over death" and was given "power to make intercession." With "bowels of mercy," He stands "betwixt [us] and justice." (Mosiah 15:8)
• "Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;" (D&C 29:1)
4. Mercy is the means by which we are "sealed His," "brought to heaven, [to] have everlasting salvation and eternal life." (Mosiah 5:15) "...Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men..." (Moroni 7:27)
5. A vital component of "the arm of mercy" involves divinely authorized messengers proclaiming the "word of God" and "call[ing] men to repentance."  Referring to ministering angels, Moroni calls this "the office of their ministry." Covenants are a crucial part of this ministry. (Moroni 7:29-32) This work of "angels" is a manifestation of the Lord's "great mercy." (Alma 38:7)

What is asked of us?

In the five Book of Mormon passages listed above, we are given specific information about what is required of us in order to access this mercy:

• "come unto me" -- 3 Nephi 9:14
• (Contrasting negative example) "Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires," "having never called upon the Lord," "they would not depart from [their iniquities]," "they would not repent" -- Mosiah 16:12
• "repent" -- Alma 5:33
• "they did humble themselves before him," "they cried mightily unto him," "put their trust in him" -- Mosiah 29:20
• "repent," "come with full purpose of heart," "cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you," "harden not your hearts" -- Jacob 6:5

"He remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches"

It's probably worthwhile to spend a little more time discussing the passage in Jacob 6. "Remember" is a term frequently connected to covenants.  In Jacob 5, Zenos' allegory clearly connects "nourishing the roots" with temple covenants.  Thus, the passage in Jacob 6 clearly connects the "arm of mercy" with the words of the prophets encouraging us to make and keep covenants with God. Notice a three-fold repetition of this injunction to repent "today" and "harden not your hearts":

4 And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
6 Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? (Jacob 6)