7 And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.
8 And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. ...
This and so many other posts have been a study of mine toward a more accurate picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As I have done this, I find that many portrayals of Christ describe a largely extra-scriptural representation of him as extremely non-violent and loving to a fault, strongly aligned with modern attitudes of the superiority of unconditional love and behavioral anti-judgmentalism. That is a flawed vision of the Savior insofar as I have found.
Moving slowly through the scriptural record, a different portrayal of Jesus emerges. The record states that he rewards the obedient lavishly and, after a time to redeem themselves in his eyes, punishes the disobedient, the "wicked" in his words, in comparatively harsh ways. My impression is that he uses both carrots and sticks to bring souls to him, especially those already within covenant bonds.
Given the conditions of our lives and our dependence upon the Lord's continuing favor for our peace and success, it seems wise and prudent to be obedient and curry the favor of Christ.
