Obedience and Disobedience

‘Our Father in Heaven is a being who governs by law. Nothing is haphazard or accidental about the manner in which he dispenses his blessings. If men keep the commandments, they receive the promised rewards. If they disobey the commandments, they lose the proffered gifts. It is now as it has ever been: “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).’

Old Testament Institute student manual, 1981, p. 224

God shares with His children, through prophets, the way to live according to eternal law. He explains the blessings associated with this obedience, and the consequences of disobedience. When He says, ‘when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise’, this means that it’s a direct equation: render obedience to eternal law, and receive the rewards. Fail to do so, and you lose that promise – that link of obedience and reward. The universe is not bound to respond as it does when that law is kept.

This might be connected to the fact (it’s a fact in my mind) that God acts against entropy. Everything in existence moves naturally from a state of higher energy to a state of lower energy. It degenerates, loses its momentum, etc. God’s work seems to be to move things the other way: from lower to higher energy. It requires constant effort. This is living according to eternal law. When we live as God commands, we do what moves us from lower to higher energy – away from entropy. When we don’t, we stop making that effort, which lets things flow again the other way – the direction they always flow, without applied force.

Thus, there’s no longer a promise when we live this way. The ‘promise’ is the connection between effort and progression/higher evolution. We lose that promise without that applied effort, and our actions then bring only haphazard results; we might receive some good things, but not consistently; like a game of chance.