To Be Cut Off Was Good (2019/03/09)

Alma 42: 7

And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.

Thus we see - the wording shows the     second sentence is a conclusion from the first.

The only way they could have been in a position to 'follow their own will' would be if they were no longer in the presence of the Lord (cut off from his presence).  If they were still in his presence, it would be influencing them.  In his presence there would be no way to know for sure what they would do on their own away from his influence.*

This is the same function of when the Father withdrew his spirit from the Savior during the crucifixion.  Jesus said "why hast thou forsaken me?"

 

Mark 15: 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

He also had to be 'cut off' so it would be an absolute knowledge of what he would do when 'subject to follow after his own will'.

That connects to what the Saivor said repeatedly.  He came into the world not to do his own will, but to do the will of the Father.

3 Nephi 11:11

...I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.    

*It is clear we still had our ability to choose while in the Father's presence in the pre-mortal life. That would be why there are all sorts of levels of valiency among the spirit children of our Heavenly Father.     

Abraham 3:19, 22

19 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

    

The other evidence is Lucifer and 1/3 of the hose of heaven.  Even in the Father's presence, they chose to rebell against his plan and push their own plan.

Abraham 3:27,28

...And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. 

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him

DC 29:36

...the devil... rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency    

Thus we see we can have and exercise our own will in his presence.  As far as gaining the power of Godhood, there needs to be a way to know that we merit the trust of all the intelligences because we will always do the good thing. A more ultimate test for that is to know what we will do when we are on our own (spiritually speaking). That is, there needs to be some way to see what we will do when we are not environmentally under his influence, i.e. in his presence. 

In mortality, while we are not under his influence by just being, as it were, in the same room, we still have the choice to allow him to influence us.  That is also part of what is revealed when we are on our own.  Do we want and allow and even seek for his influence to help us?

John 15: 26

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me    

John 10:27

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me    

I see so much more how important it was that Adam and Eve were spiritually and physically 'cut off from the presence of the Lord.'  It was for their sakes and for ours.