My life has been greatly enhanced since I became acquainted with these wise words:
"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so ... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility."
2 Nephi 2: 11
What do you think when you hear the word "opposition?"
Perhaps it calls up feelings or images in your mind having to do with adversity, like two opposite forces in conflict, pushing against each other in a battle for dominance.
I thought along those lines until I learned about an interesting astronomical phenomenon, when, from time to time, the earth falls exactly between the Sun and Saturn.
It is at this point that Saturn appears at its brightest from our earthly vantage. This is due to the angle of sunlight reflecting off Saturn, which comes straight back to the earth, due to a straight line formed by these three heavenly bodies.
When the Sun, Earth, and Saturn are aligned thusly, we say that Saturn is in opposition.
Learning about Saturn being in opposition unlocked and opened my understanding of what Lehi teaches about opposition.
It's easy to think that the root of the word is "oppose," meaning to antagonize, to fight, to bring about adversity that pushes against a desired outcome.
I have gained a lot of understanding by thinking about the root of the word not being "oppose" but rather, "position."
For me, this places the negative connotations associated with opposition into a more proper light. Different things occupying different positions can actually complement each other and bring about mutual benefits leading to forward progress.
Lehi says that without opposition, everything would remain in a state similar to death, or in other words, nothing can really exist. I believe this is because there is no frame of reference. There is no way to define good or bad, because without good and bad, neither can exist!
Think of a singular point in space. There is an infinity of possible lines that can pass through that point. The point itself has no direction, no indication of where it stands.
Now, set up a second point in space. How many lines can go through both points at the same time? Only one. Suddenly, we have something to which we can refer, we have a way of measuring.
Adding the second point reduces an infinity of confusion down to a single defined path.
Think of sights on a gun barrel. Having only one sight gives no indication that the barrel is aligned with where you want to aim. You need two sights to line up with the target.
Thus, there is no indication that righteousness exists unless wickedness places a second "point" out in the realm of possibility, which then sets up a continuum. This continuum provides an expansive and defined spectrum of possibility that could not exist without the opposing marks outlining this scale.
It is essential that we have opportunity to choose. Merely existing without any frame of reference is impossible for us to navigate.
One enormously significant way that opposition is introduced, allowing us to make real choices, is by having a perfect example of how to live, standing in opposition to the evil temptations to live wickedly, or to waste the days of our lives in aimless wandering.
The life of the Savior provides this perfect example.
Lehi's son Jacob, to whom his teachings about opposition were given, later taught powerfully regarding this need to have an atonement. He taught that there needed to be an atonement to satisfy justice for those who live on earth in a state that is cut off from the presence of God, and thereby lost to an emptiness of hellish darkness and misery.
This atonement acts in spite of the wickedness and uncleanness that prevents us from returning to God. It also acts because justice demands it, otherwise there could be no fairness in condemning people to eternal misery without providing them an opportunity to make a righteous choice. So, not only does justice demand suffering to make up for sin, it also demands an atonement be made to provide a just judgment upon mankind. (See 2 Nephi 9)
I can't recommend these two chapters too highly: 2 Nephi 2, and 2 Nephi 9. They contribute so much to our understanding of the need for the Savior, and how we can exercise our agency to bring about the great plan of God for our individual and families' lives.
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I believe the need for opposition in all things is foundational doctrine. The more I look for ways this law is manifest, the more I find examples of it. Remember, not all opposition is adversarial. Think of ways you can find opposition to outline brilliantly designed systems. This applies to doctrine, belief, practice, and other aspects of spiritual living. It also applies in science, business, industry, and many other "disciplines," showing how all truth is really part of the same great system of governing the universe.
Male, and female. Aaronic Priesthood, Melchizedek Priesthood. The Church, and the Kingdom. Revelation through the Church, and personal revelation through the Holy Ghost. Spiritual creation, physical creation. Hierarchies and networks.
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I take seriously the command to love God will all of my mind, as well as my heart and soul.
I am always amazed by Him. He is so smart!
Know where you stand along the continuum between the Savior's perfect example, and that of the evil that is in the world.
Stand fast in the liberty with which the Lord has made you free!
