“And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.” (Alma 41:11). Gall, or bile, is a substance the body produces to aid with digestion. The bile forms bonds with individual food molecules, separating them out. Once each molecule has been separated, it becomes isolated and vulnerable to the digestive enzymes that break it down into pieces that can be used by the body or discarded as waste. Without the bile, the molecules would group together and would not be able to be digested. Sin is like bile, forming bonds of iniquity with each of the little parts of ourselves, isolating them and making them vulnerable to the digestive enzymes and destructive forces of the adversary. Unless we can maintain our integrity by earnestly seeking to live righteously and to be one and whole with God, then we will be in the gall of bitterness, each little piece of ourselves peeled off and broken down. If we allow ourselves to be swallowed up by the world, then the world will digest us and dismantle us until there is nothing left. But if we allow our will to be swallowed up by the will of the Father, then we will be wrapped up and protected and covered by the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gall of bitterness will not be able to form bonds of iniquity with us or put us in a state contrary to the nature of God or the nature of happiness.
