A Law Unto Itself

I was messaging a "friend" from Hawaii. Friend is in quotation marks because we have many differences and there is a huge gap between how we choose to live our lives. He was raised in a very strict and sheltered Christian home. When he got out on his own, he experimented with everything that was previously forbidden.

You can tell that there is a lot about his life that he can't reconcile.  His belief in God with his rebellious life. I have teased him about how he has Mormon envy and he agreed with me. He has at least two other LDS friends that I can tell he respects. I think he has a hard time understanding how a people can live their convictions despite their temptations and be happy about it. He can't seem to understand our dedication or our love for God.

As we were chatting, he went on and on and on about how happy he was in his sinful life (my words not his). I would add little comments about how I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I wanted the conversation to be over because, he seemed to think that his opinion was the only one that mattered. He was trying to convince me that I would be so happy and free if I just lived like he did. I interjected that I would remember what he said when I was standing before God to be judged of him. I just wanted him to see a different perspective.

How does he seem to be so happy about his life when the thought of it just makes me sick and sorry for him?

I thought about him at Institute class tonight when we were learning about the three degrees of glory and we read Doctrine and Covenants 88:34:35...

And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.

That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still.

There is a lot there to ponder and I am not sure I can unpack it all right now. To me this scripture talks about how as we are governed by law, it sanctifies and perfects us. This with the aid of the atonement we are changed. If we do not allow the law to change us by living it, we will set our will as the law. Our desires rule over us. If we take our own path, we will not be changed or cleansed by following our own desires. We will not progress, grow or learn. Seems like such an awful state of being to me. In the mean time I will just feel sorry for all he doesn't see, when I am sure he feels exactly the same way about me.