The blessings of obedience.

The blessings of obedience

Let's look at what the scriptures say to better understand why keeping the commandments are important to make us free.   In 2 Nephi 2:26 we read, “And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever,” Elder Talmage explained, “Atonement is for all mankind it is the message of freedom from sins and its consequences it is the flag of liberty."

What does it mean to be free? Many people think that it means the right to do anything, and everything they want. But that is not true.  In fact, that is the worse definition for freedom or liberty. According to Tad R. Callister from his book "The Infinite atonement" p 252 there are four components to freedom:

1) The need for an intelligent being.

2) The knowledge of good and evil

3) The availability of choices

4) The power to execute or to carry out the choices before us. 

First point. If freedom is being able to act for ourselves and "not to be acted upon" 2 Nephi 2:26, then at some point we must have the capacity to make decisions upon which are predicated.. There can be no freedom without a decision maker, an intelligent being. Man is a conscious, thinking entity, thus fulfilling the first requirement for freedom.
Second point is the need for a knowledge of good and evil. this is an indispensable element for freedom. Moses 6:56
"It is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves
The relationship between freedom and the knowledge of good and evil is a topic discussed from many prophets of old. Samuel the Lamanite declared in Helaman 14:30-31
for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

Helaman 14:31
31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
2 Nephi 2:18,23
2 Nephi 2:18
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
2 Nephi 2:23
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
Alma 12:31-32
Alma 12:31
31 Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as Gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good--

Alma 12:32
32 Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.
Of course if God wanted make sure that mankind couldn't partake of the fruit He didn't need to forbid it was enough to do the same like He did with the tree of life, it was enough to protect it. If to partake the fruit of good and evil were so terrible, sure God would have taken all the precautions, or not, remember God can't be mocked, He knows the end from the very beginning and the lamb was PREPARED from the foundation of the world, why? Because it was well planned.
Continuing from the same book p 253
At first glance, one might be led to believe that the fall, independent of Christ's atonement, was the deliver of thet knowledge sufficient enough to make man free. In truth, it was a vital connection, but it was just the beginning. The fall opened doors that had previously been sealed, and eyes that had previously been shut. His was essential, but it was just the beginning. With increased knowledge comes the opportunity for increased freedom. Like I wrote before "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:36
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
This is the essence of freedom, to know the savior and obey His truths.As we do so, we become free from prejudice, sin, contention and every other bad thing. While the fall opened the gate to the road of knowledge, it was the Atonement that provided the car to proceed. Trough the Atonement we are cleansed in the waters of baptism, making us eligible for the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is such a gift  that will guide us in the whole truth.
The third element is the availability of choices.
Moses 3:17 "thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee" As God intended man to become as he, it was necessary that he should first make him free. Were it not for the atonement, there would be no choice between eternal life and eternal damnation. The Fall would have opened the gate to one road and one only. 2 Nephi 9:7-8
2 Nephi 9:7
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement--save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

2 Nephi 9:8
8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
Lehi taught in 2 Nephi 2:26-27
2 Nephi 2:26
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become FREE FOREVER, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

2 Nephi 2:27
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
The fourth element is the power to execute the choices before us. We may have knowledge of good and evil, we may even have choices placed before us; but unless we have power to execute, the power to fulfill, then our freedom is but a facade. We are somewhat like an astronomer who with his naked eye looks into the starry sky with the intent to spotting Neptune. however long he scans the heavens, however intent his gaze may be, he will look in vain. Now give him a telescope and what vision he beholds! The issue is not knowledge, for he knows with precision the celestial siting. The issue is not choice, for he has the option to look or not to look without obstruction, The issue is simply power, the power to see. God has a vast inventory of spiritual telescopes, hearing aids, time capsules, and power enhancing tools to enrich our lives and make us free to see and hear and do without restraint. All men have some power from God D&A 58:27-28
D&C 58:27
27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

D&C 58:28
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
How we can enhance this power? History has long confirmed that knowledge is the precursor of power. It is knowledge that has expanded space, conquered disease, hastend speed of travel and so on. God does not belittle these powers acquired from secular learning, He encourages such pursuits. He invites our mastery "of things both in heaven and in the earth"
While God is certainly a proponent of earthly knowledge, he also wants us to know that powers of a higher source flow from the acquisition of spiritual truths. It is a spiritual power that parted the red sea, and so on. This unseen force it is the power of  God. With each new power acquired, we develop greater control not only of the elements but of our destiny. In this way, we become the driver, not the driven, the cause rather than the effect.While knowledge is essential to the acquisition of power, there is yet another ingredient, often ignored, and sometimes even ridiculed, that is a prerequisite to receiving the "higher" powers. OBEDIENCE!!
Obedience a key to freedom.

Like I wrote before some could contend that freedom come when there are no laws or restraints. But Nephi prophesied in 2 Nephi 28:7

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

Mormon 8:31
31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.
Does it not seem ironic that such a philosophy is authored by the master slave himself? It was he who was cast out of heaven, who was deprived of a body, who will be bound a thousand years, and who will ultimately be banished to outer darkness. The freedom he promises is illusory; it is a mirage on the desert, it is the very condition that has always eluded his grasp. It was the same lie promulgated by Cain after he slew Abel:"I am free!" Moses 5:33. In truth, he was never in more bondage.
The Lord declared that He made Adam "an agent to himself" and then shared the divine sequel to maintaining and developing such agency:" and I gave unto him commandments" D&A 29:35. In other words, if there were no commandments and no obedience to them, man would soon see his newly acquired agency in irreversible decline. Why? Because the commandments are fair and holy. The right word for them should be "suggestions". God never bound mankind to obey  his commandments, that was the plan of Satan. God gave "suggestions" like a good father is saying to his children :"don't touch the fire!" There are natural laws that  can't be broken, no matter how much love the parent has for his children, he can only warn them against doing something, but if they do the consequences are not a revenge of the father but just a natural consequence of a broken law.
So a loveling and tender God was just warning mankind of troubles and problems. Every person can acknowledge easily, by the light of Christ (or conscience) the perfect justice in these "suggestions". They are the agents by which we are free from sins, or better from  breaking natural laws and then paying for their consequences, obeying is not a matter of constriction but a matter of freedom. Commandments are, in reality, perfect suggestions for the health, physical, mental and spiritual and are the real means by which the light of Christ (or conscience) can be exercised for the total and perfect control psycophisic and spiritual to not pay consequences known or unknown.
So mankind, obeying these suggestions, can be freeded from the terrible consequences, or penalties of the natural law broken.
Tad Callister made  a very good point in his book saying:" There are a number of spiritual truths that must seem like irreconcilable ironies to the secular world:"Humility breeds strength, faith nurtures visions, and OBEDIENCE BRINGS FREEDOM." Obedience unlocks the doors of knowledge,knowledge is a prerequisite of godhead, and godhead is the apogee of freedom. In fact God can do everything but always obeying and respecting the laws.

Why Jesus is the life?
John 1:2-3
John 1:3
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
He gave the life to everything for this reason he was supposed to restore mankind in his natural position by....
John 1:4
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:9
9 [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
(light of Christ)
John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
Who accept the Gospel become like Jesus a real son of God, because from that moment on he is on the path
He became again the life after His resurrection, infect He said "I am the resurrection and the life"
John 11:25
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
So the great Creator,the great Jehovah had to give his personal life to restore our life and further we will see in what way this should happen.
Romans 8:11-16
Romans 8:11
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Romans 8:12
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Romans 8:13
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Romans 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 8:15
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Romans 8:16
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Romans 8:17
17 ¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.

Why was it necessary to shed the blood to atone and purify?