And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. (Mosiah 4:13)
I love the account of King Benjamin and his people. There are so many golden nuggets of truth in those first few chapters of Mosiah, many of which are found in chapter 4. After successfully persuading his people to repent, King Benjamin lists some of the natural consequences of receiving and retaining a remission of sins, including those found in the verse quoted above.
Before moving on, I’m going to encourage the reader, as always, to define the words of the above verse. I’m not going to provide definitions here, but I highly recommend looking up the 1828 definitions for the underlined words before reading any further.
This verse has been on my mind quite a bit the last couple of days. In fact, this is going to be one of those posts that doesn’t even come close to expressing what has recently been on my mind and heart as a result of a lifetime of experience.
There is something to be said about the peace that comes from knowing that you, truly, do “not have a mind to injure one another.” That knowledge is not as easy to obtain as you might think. To obtain it, one needs to be radically honest, focused on the love and character of God, and willing to endure whatever situations God might put you through to prove you in all things—and I would venture to say that none of those criteria are, actually, very common among humanity, in general.
But that knowledge is priceless for many reasons. Do you realize how difficult it is for most people to actually believe that God does not have a mind to injure them?—that whatever he puts you through is for your benefit? For most people, it is incredibly difficult. It requires a tremendous amount of trust in Him. But once you choose to trust Him, you begin to see that that is exactly the case, that there are others who trust him, too, and that any action on their part which might cause you any hurt is unintentional and simply a part of their own learning process. They also become more easily recognizable compared to those who do have a mind to injure you because you have an increasing understanding of what actually injures you. That belief enables you to live peaceably. It frees you from any offense and engenders kindness, long-suffering, mercy, and forgiveness.
Not having a mind to injure one another is a godly characteristic that can be easily glossed over as one reads Mosiah 4. It is a hallmark characteristic of those who have received and retained a remission of their sins, and I am persuaded that Zion cannot be built by those without it.