Choosing Eternal Life Through the Great Mediator

2 Nephi 2:28 - "And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;"

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - "We have a merciful judge and a compassionate, sacrificing Mediator. They have given us time to repent and therby alter our sentence. Our judge and our advocate are doing everything possible, within the allowable limits of justice, to give us a way out of our plight. If we truly wish to sidestep the spiritual death penalty, we may."

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Transcript

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Welcome to Seek This Jesus, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps. One of Lehi's final teachings to his sons come at a moment of deep urgency and love. He is not offering abstract philosophy, but clear counsel rooted in the realities of agency, consequence, and redemption. In this setting, Lehi points his sons away from themselves and toward the only source of lasting life and freedom. He teaches them through this verse, Second Nephi two twenty eight. And now, my sons, I would that you should look to the great mediator and hearken unto his great commandments, and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life according to the will of his Holy Spirit. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, we will consider what it means to choose eternal life by hearkening to the great mediator and live with purpose in Jesus Christ. Lehi begins his counsel with direction, not options. He invites his son to look to the great mediator. This phrase establishes where all meaningful choice must begin. Eternal life is not achieved through independence from God, but through dependence upon Jesus Christ. The mediator stands between justice and mercy, between our fallen state and our potential return to God. When Lehi speaks of choosing eternal life, he frames that choice around relationship rather than behavior alone. We do not choose eternal life by checking off commandments in isolation. We choose it by looking to Christ and allowing him to mediate for us. This keeps obedience from becoming mechanical or transactional. It becomes relational and purposeful. Lehi does not minimize the seriousness of our choices, but he also does not portray God as distant or harsh. By placing the mediator first, Lehi teaches that repentance, growth, and correction are expected parts of mortal life. The choice before us is not perfection versus failure, but whether we will turn toward Christ or away from him when we fall short. This helps us understand agency correctly. Agency is not the ability to remove consequences or redefine truth. Agency is the power to choose who we will trust and follow. Looking to the great mediator anchors our agency in hope rather than fear and in direction rather than confusion. Lehi immediately follows his invitation to look to Christ with a call to action. Hearken unto his great commandments. This phrase challenges a common misunderstanding about freedom. Many assume that obedience restricts freedom, but Lehi teaches the opposite. Obedience when rooted in Jesus Christ establishes freedom rather than destroying it. There is a difference between doing whatever we want and becoming who God intends us to be. Lehi's counsel shows that true freedom is not found in limitless options, but in alignment with eternal law. When we hearken, we are not surrendering our will to control. We are choosing direction over drift. This verse does not describe commandments as burdensome or arbitrary. They are his great commandments given by the mediator, who understands both justice and mercy perfectly. Obedience becomes an act of trust. It reflects our willingness to believe that God's vision of our future is greater than our limited view of the present. This reframes freedom entirely. Freedom is not the absence of restraint, but the presence of power, the power to resist temptation, to grow spiritually, and to act with purpose. When we disconnect obedience from Christ, commandments feel restrictive. When we cannot when we connect obedience to the mediator, they become protective and enabling. Lehi's counsel is not theoretical, it is intensely practical. Obedience shapes habits, decisions, and priorities that gradually form who we are becoming. In this sense, choosing eternal life is not a single moment but a pattern of faithful alignment with Christ over time. Lehi adds another phrase that deepens the doctrine Be faithful unto his words. Faithfulness suggests consistency, not flawlessness. It acknowledges that we will need the mediator repeatedly, not occasionally. This is where Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's teachings bring powerful clarity. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught We have a merciful judge and a compassionate sacrificing mediator. They have given us time to repent and thereby alter our sequence. Our judge and our advocate are doing everything possible within the allowable limits of justice to give us a way out of our plight. If we truly wish to sidestep the spiritual death penalty, we may. This teaching reinforces Lehi's message. Eternal life is not earned through perfect performance, but embraced through faithful reliance on Christ. The language of judge and advocate reminds us that justice is real, but mercy is active. Repentance is not a loophole, it is part of the plan designed by God to preserve both actions and compassion and justice. Being faithful to Christ's words means we do not hide from accountability, nor do we despair because of it. We accept correction because we trust the character of the one who corrects us. This perspective removes fear from repentance and replaces it with resolve. Choosing eternal life then includes choosing humility. It requires us to admit our need for a mediator and to act on that admission through repentance and obedience. Faithfulness becomes the steady commitment to return, realign, and continue forward with Christ. Lehi concludes the verse with a powerful phrase choose eternal life according to the will of his Holy Spirit. This teaches that God that choosing eternal life is not abstract or distant. It is guided daily by his Spirit in real decisions with real consequences. The Holy Spirit does not force obedience but invites it. The Spirit helps us recognize when we are drifting from Christ and when we are aligned with Him. Choosing eternal life today may look like choosing restraint instead of impulse, repentance instead of rationalization, or faithfulness instead of convenience. This choice often feels quiet rather than dramatic. It appears in how we respond to correction, how we approach commandments, and how we prioritize spiritual growth. Eternal life begins now as we learn to live in harmony with the Spirit's guidance. Lehi's counsel shows that eternal life is not merely a future destination, but a present direction. When we consistently look to the mediator, hearken to his commandments, and remain faithful to his words, we begin living the kind of life that leads naturally to eternal outcomes. So here is today's challenge. Today we can pause and identify one specific way we can more deliberately look to the great mediator. We can prayerfully consider where there is a commandment or prompting or spiritual correction we have been resisting. Then with humility we can choose to hearken, trusting that obedience grounded in Christ leads not to restriction, but to freedom and eternal life. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.