4 Nephi

4 Nephi

Watching Star Trek as a youth, I was always impressed by how peoples’ race and gender had no bearing upon their jobs on the Federation Star Ship Enterprise.  On that show, the earthlings were all part of the human race.  I long to see a day when people are always judged on their own merits without regard to their gender or the color of their skin.  The closest thing I've seen to it so far is the description of life among Lehi’s descendants 100 years after Christ was born. 

In 4 Nephi we read that there was no contention, “no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness” and this was possible “because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (verses 15 – 16). 

It goes on to further explain that “there were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there any Lamanites, nor any manner of –ites” (v. 17).  This was a people who judged others on their merits, and not on their backgrounds.  How could they do it?  They “were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (v. 17).

Having the love of God in our hearts and realizing we can be joint-heirs with Christ are key to overlooking differences.  If I live long enough, maybe I’ll see such a people, who, like these followers of Christ it can be said: “there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.”