Merriment and Happiness

2 Nephi 2:25--Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

2 Nephi 28:7--And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

I have been thinking recently about the difference between being "merry," as described above, and being "happy" or having "joy."  Is merry a synonym for happy?  If not, what's the difference?  Based on the above scriptures, I'd guess that merriment is more fleeting, more shallow.  Happiness and Joy seem like they're more pure.  But that's just me vamping.  So I did some more thought and some research.

The footnote on "merry" in the verse above leads you to the Topical Guide to "Worldliness."  Well that doesn't sound like a synonym for happiness at all!  Clearly being merry as Nephi uses it to describe excuses for "a little sin" is in a worldly context (rather than a celebrate Christmas context).

But what really got me thinking of this was a question the teacher asked in Sunday School recently.  Why do people feel comfortable with "a little sin" and then expect to be "saved in the Kingdom of God."

My answer was, "Because of the Atonement.  Christ suffered for all my sins, including all the ones I've yet to commit.  The Atonement is infinite."

Elder Spencer J. Condie said it this way in 1996:

Alma teaches us that “there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment” (Alma 42:22). By atoning for our sins as our Father planned, the Savior stands “betwixt” all of us sinners and the demands of justice, “having … taken upon himself [our] iniquity and [our] transgressions” (Mosiah 15:8–9). An atonement which could satisfy justice required the sacrifice of an innocent person who would vicariously suffer the punishment for the sins of others (see Alma 34:8–16). Justice demanded death, and the Redeemer died that he might become the firstfruits of the Resurrection and overcome the bonds of death. Mercy opened the way for the resurrection of all.

That sounds a lot like Nephi's writing.  "a punishment affixed"--like being beaten with a few stripes.  "Mercy opened the way for the resurrection of all"--even the "merry," who can expect to at last be saved in the Kingdom of God, right?  Sure the atonement requires repentance, but that's what the merry plan to do, as soon as they're done being merry.

So, why not be merry in this life, if we can repent at the end and be happy for eternity?  I don't know, but here's my current thought.

There are three main reasons why people follow God's commandments.  The first is fear, whether taken to mean frightened or respectful, as in "fear God."  In short, we obey God's commandments because God said to, and we either fear the consequences if we don't or have some degree of faith to act consistent with His law.  The Law of Obedience is the first law of the Gospel, and even the spiritually immature can follow it.

Second, we obey because we have faith that there's something better waiting in the future.  As we become more mature, we see the long view, and recognize that giving up some merry things now, we will qualify for greater, purer, and more lasting blessings later. Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught: “Our highest sense of sacrifice is achieved as we make ourselves more sacred or holy. This we do by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. … As we comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. … We become more sacred and holy—[more] like our Lord!” (“Lessons from Eve,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 88).

Which leads to the third and best reason for doing the right thing.  A we become more sacred and holy, we become closer to God, more like Him.  As we become more like Him, we grow in love for Him, and in love like Him.  As we love God more, we come to want what He wants, for ourselves and for others, and the act of obedience becomes not a "sacrifice" but a "consecration."  That is, giving our free will back to God because we love as He does and want what He wants.

And the merry never reach that point, because they never start with obedience.  They love the merriment of the world more than they love God.  If that continues, the Atonement would still apply for them, despite their turning away from it--the Atonement is still infinite.  But that person won't accept the atonement because they still love being "merry" more than the Lord.  The person hasn't had the mighty change that we all must have if we are to be saved, because without that change we don't want to be saved; we want to be merry.

Eternal happiness awaits every child of God, but only those that want it.  And more good news is that living to qualify for eternal happiness also brings joy in this life, but that joy is very different from being merry, which is shallow and temporary.  We should want more for ourselves than that.