A Father’s Hard Conversation
Corianton, I need to talk to you about something more serious than what I told your brother. Have you noticed how steady Shiblon has been? How faithful and diligent he is in keeping God’s commands? He’s set a good example for you.
But you didn’t pay attention to my words the way he did when we were among the Zoramites. Here’s my concern: you went around boasting about your own strength and wisdom. And that’s not all. You did something that broke my heart. You abandoned your ministry and went to the land of Siron, near the Lamanite borders, chasing after a prostitute named Isabel. She lured many men away from what mattered. But that’s no excuse for you. You should have stayed focused on the ministry you were entrusted with.
The Gravity of Sin
Don’t you understand? These things are disgusting to God—more serious than almost any other sin except murder or denying the Holy Spirit. If you deny the Holy Spirit after he’s dwelt in you, and you know full well what you’re doing—that’s an unforgivable sin. And when someone murders with full knowledge of God’s light, forgiveness doesn’t come easy. I’m telling you, it’s not easy to obtain forgiveness for that.
I wish to God you hadn’t committed such a serious wrong. I wouldn’t bring up your sins to torment you if it weren’t for your own good. You can’t hide what you’ve done from God. Unless you repent, these things will testify against you on the last day.
A Call to Repentance
I’m begging you to repent and turn away from your sins. Stop chasing after whatever your eyes desire. Discipline yourself in all these areas, because unless you do, you can’t inherit God’s kingdom. Remember this—commit to it. Discipline yourself in these things.
I’m telling you to listen to your older brothers and take their advice on what you’re doing. You’re still young and need their guidance. Pay attention to their counsel. Don’t let yourself get distracted by empty, foolish things. Don’t let the devil lead your heart back to those immoral women. You have no idea how much damage you caused among the Zoramites. When they saw how you behaved, they refused to believe my message.
The Spirit is telling me to command my children to do what’s right, so they don’t lead countless people to destruction. So I’m commanding you with the reverence I have for God: stop this wickedness. Turn back to God with everything you have—your whole mind, all your strength. Don’t lead anyone else into sin. Go back to the people you’ve hurt, admit what you did wrong, and try to repair the damage you’ve caused. Don’t chase wealth or the empty pursuits of this world. You can’t take any of it with you when you die.
The Ministry You Were Called To
Now let me tell you something about Christ’s coming. He will certainly come to take away the sins of the world. He’s coming to bring his people the good news of salvation. That was the ministry you were called to—to share this good news with these people, to prepare them. Or rather, so salvation could reach them and they could prepare their own children to hear his message when he comes.
Let me ease your mind about something. You’re probably wondering why these things need to be known so far in advance. Think about it: isn’t a soul just as precious to God right now as a soul will be when Christ comes? Don’t these people need to know about God’s plan of redemption just as much as their children will? Isn’t it just as easy for God to send his angel to announce this good news to us now as it would be to announce it to our children later, or after Christ has come?