Helaman 12

Most of Helaman chapter 12 is a downer.  It rings true, pierces a little close to home, and is kind of more depressing because of that.  The first few verses are all about how quick we are to do evil.  Men are "unsteady," "hard hearted," "foolish," "vain," and "proud" (v 1-5).  Yup.  Guilty as charged.

And because we are so foolish, slow to remember God and quick to do iniquity, we face trials that remind us of our "nothingness."  God is all powerful, as explained in verses 8 through 21.

And the point of all this?  That's in verse 22: "And wo unto him to whom he shall say this (thou art cut off from my presence), for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved."  Ouch.  That's what's said to those who do iniquity?  But in the early part of the chapter we see that that's everyone, and that it's everyone pretty much all the time.

But verses 22 and 23 resolve that conflict for us. "Therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared. Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved."

We are all bound to be cut off because of iniquity.  But who is saved?  Those that do iniquity and then repent.

This chapter, which for much of it kind of serves to remind us how doomed we are, contains the two verses that let us know that no matter who we are, no matter what we've done, and no matter how many times we've done it, repentance and salvation are available to us.