Becoming Chosen

At the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi gave us this powerful promise: "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20).  In his book One by One, Elder Bednar suggested that to be chosen as described here is something that we ultimately control.  To obtain these tender mercies from the Lord we don't have to simply hope that we are randomly selected to be among some special group, but rather we must make the kind of choices that will enable the Lord to chose us.  Nephi hints at that in the qualifier "because of their faith"—the chosen who receive the tender mercies of the Lord are not those who are members of some predefined group; rather they become chosen as they exercise faith in the Lord.  All who exercise faith in the Lord can come unto Him and receive of His mercy: "Black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).

               Other scriptures similarly teach that to be chosen by the Lord—at least in the broad sense of receiving of His choicest blessings—is ultimately based on our own choices.  The Lord declared, "There has been a day of calling, but the time has come for a day of choosing; and let those be chosen that are worthy" (D&C 105:35).  He also stated, "But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are chosen. They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day" (D&C 95:5-6).  The fact that one must be "worthy" and that sins prevent us from being chosen again affirm that we control the choices that determine whether we are chosen.  The Prophet Joseph similarly declared, "Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson--That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness." (D&C 121:34-36).  We can be chosen when we don't set our hearts upon the things of the world, when we don't aspire to the honors of men, and when we practice the principles of righteousness.  The famous missionary section to the prophet's father further emphasizes this: "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work... And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work" (D&C 4:3, 5).  The stipulations for serving in God's kingdom--part of what I believe it means to be chosen--are based on our own desires and works of righteousness.  If we truly want the blessings and mercies of the Lord in our lives, He will bestow them in His time, for "he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life" (Alma 29:4).  

               Many scriptures speak about the Lord's chosen people in the context of the House of Israel, but even this is not an exclusive group designed only for the blood lineage of father Abraham or Jacob.  The Lord said to those whom Moses led, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).  Israel was indeed God's chosen people, but as we understand the gospel we realize that those who reject Christ and His covenants get no free pass to the Lord's blessings, and those who are not in Israel by blood are welcomed in through repentance and baptism.  During Christ's mortal ministry it was clear that only those who accepted Him would be chosen, and the way the gospel went to the Gentiles through the apostles showed indeed that God is not a respecter of persons.  As John the Baptist declared to the Jews at that time, "Repent, therefore, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance; And think not to say within yourselves, We are the children of Abraham, and we only have power to bring seed unto our father Abraham; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children into Abraham" (JST Matt 3:35-36).  Perhaps Mormon said it best in his universal appeal: "Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel" (3 Nephi 30:2).  It is faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost—the first principles of the gospel—that allow us to be chosen in the House of Israel and receive the tender mercies that the Lord has in store for us.