Hebrews: Jesus Christ, "The Author and Finisher of Our Faith"

Hebrews

Have a bowl of small treats, such as mini chocolate bars, on display on the table.  Don't mention them or answer any questions about them, but don't allow anyone to have one.

If the book of Hebrews was studied and understood by the other Christian sects of the world today, it would change their beliefs and doctrines drastically.  Here is a very general outline of Hebrews.

WITNESSING OF CHRIST (CHAPTERS 1-6)

Paul's primary calling was to bear witness of Christ.  Therefore, Paul opens every single epistle by witnessing of the godhead and what they are like.  In this epistle, he opens with the most explicit description of all:  Jesus Christ is

1. Heavenly Father's Son
2. Heir of all things
3. Creator of the worlds
4. The brightness of his Father's glory (a much expanded "apple of his eye" statement)
5. The express image of his Father's person.

All of chapters 1 and 2 are devoted to teaching about Christ's character and calling.

An allusion to the following section is made in 2:17--He became part mortal in order that he might become a "merciful and faithful high priest."  4:14-15--We have a high priest who understands us.

What does it mean to say that he was a high priest?  Well, as you can imagine, if you have been paying attention the past few weeks and learned of Paul's other epistles, it is going to have to do with the Atonement.

A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST (CHAPTERS 7-10)

Chapters 7-9 detail the duties of the high priests of the Old Testament and explain that all of their responsibilities were types of Christ--in other words, they symbolized and foreshadowed Christ and his Atonement.  Foreshadowing is put in literature to allude to an important event later in the story.  Foreshadowing in the Old Testament is to explicitly point the people to Christ.

Melchizedek was the greatest high priest and the greatest type of Christ.

"For this Melchesedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace" (7:1-2).

The rest of chapter 7 tells about high priests of the Aaronic Priesthood, under the Law of Moses, compared to Christ and the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood depended upon personal righteousness, not lineage, as did the Aaronic.  (See v. 3.)  (Be sure to note the three large JST passages in the footnotes.)

The summary is found in 8:1-4 (with JST footnote):  "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: where it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.  Therefore while he was on the earth, he offered for a sacrifice his own life for the sins of the people.  Now every priest under the law, must needs offer gifts, or sacrifices, according to the law."

The high priests, under the Law of Moses, had a tabernacle or a temple (9:2).  Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, reported that Melchizedek had a temple (Ogden/Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ, p. 255).  Within this temple, once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies alone in behalf of the people, to offer a sacrifice for their sins (9:3-7).  This was symbolic only; he could not actually pay for the sins of the people. 

"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come"  [isn't that a nice phrase:  "an high priest of good things to come"] "by a greater and more perfect tabernacle [his body], not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (9:11-12).  He sacrificed his own blood, and he entered, not just the Holy of Holies, but what the Holy of Holies symbolized:  Eternal Life.

The result of this for us is found in 10:17-22:  "And [our] sins and iniquities will [he] remember no more.  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin [no more need for the earthly high priest to offer blood sacrifices].  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest [the Holy of Holies, or Eternal Life] by [because of] the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh [his bodily sacrifice provides the entryway for us to enter that Holy of Holies, as the veil in the temple does] and having an high priest [Christ] over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts [purified] from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [the Living Water of Jesus Christ's atonement]."

The arch shows the relationship between the concepts taught in Hebrews.  In his teachings about the Melchizedek Priesthood, Paul links back to his witness of Christ, calling Christ the Great High Priest.

FAITH (CHAPTER 11)

First we find a definition of faith, or perhaps the formula under which faith grows:  "Now faith is the substance [assurance or guarantee] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not [yet] seen" (11:1).

"The assurance is founded upon a correct understanding about and trust in God and enables us to press forward into uncertain...situations...The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith is the evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance...Assurance leads to action and produces evidence" (David A. Bednar, CES talk given February 3, 2006).  So as something tries our faith, and our trust in God is rewarded, we have more proof that God is there and that he helps us, and so the next time, our faith has a greater assurance.  This cycle continues throughout our lives, if we continue to exercise faith.

Following this definition or formula, we are given 18 great examples of faith.  "For by [faith] the elders [ancestors, forebears] obtained a good report [a beneficial result]" (2:2).

You may want to ask your class to look over vs. 3-40 and see how many examples of faith they can find.

The greatest and first example, of course, was Christ.  We speak of the necessity of having faith in Christ, but Christ also exercised faith, because faith is the principle upon which the Priesthood works.

1. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God [Christ], so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.  (Things were physically formed from spiritual creations or ideas.)
2. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain..."  (Abel's sacrifice was "more excellent" than Cain's in that it was in exact obedience to God's command, and in that it symbolized Christ's atonement.  Cain made up his own sacrifice, which symbolized nothing.)
3. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found [on the earth any longer], because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony[:] that he pleased God.  But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  This perfectly matches Joseph Smith's first Lecture on Faith:  That we must know God, know his character, and know that our lives are pleasing to him in order to exercise faith.
4. Noah
5. Abraham
6. Sara
7. Isaac
8. Jacob
9. Joseph
10. Moses
11. Joshua (walls of Jericho)
12. Rahab
13. Gideon
14. Barak
15. Samson
16. Jephthae
17. David
18. Samuel

The stories of all these faithful people can be found by following the footnotes.

Ask your class whether they have faith in you as a teacher and your willingness and ability to give them a treat.  Undoubtedly, they will all say they do in hopes of getting a treat.  Give most of the class members a small treat, like a bite-size chocolate bar.  Ignore the rest of the class.  Everyone will protest loudly, but continue with the lesson.

Note that faith does not always immediately produced the hoped-for results.  Although some "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions...received their dead raised to life again..."  (11:33-35), "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection (JST says "first resurrection"): and others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings...they were stoned, they were sawn asunder...And these all, having obtained a good report [satisfactory result--can this be a satisfactory result?] through faith, received not the promise..."  (11:35-39).

What?  Is it a satisfactory result to not receive the "promise," the answer you wanted?

Yes, in fact, it's always more than satisfactory because if God does not give the requested blessing, it is because he has prepared a better one.

"...God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect."  (11:40 JST footnote).

Now ask those class members who didn't get a treat before whether they still have faith in your desire and ability to give them a treat.  They will say yes in hopes of a treat.  Give them a full-size candy bar.  Explain that often God has better blessings in mind for us than we have for ourselves, but he expects us to exercise our faith in patience and wait for the greater blessings.

And the message is summarized (in the next chapter) with an injunction to follow the perfect example of faith:  Jesus Christ.  "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience (patience and faith are inextricably connected) the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author (originator--see 11:3 regarding his faith to create our world) and finisher of faith (who made it possible for us to be finished, perfected); who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:1-2).  (Notice the word "our" in "finisher of our faith" is in italics, indicating that the King James translators added it in, so I have taken it out.  Christ is the author and finisher of faith itself, not just our faith.)  (See also 12:11.)

ENCOURAGEMENT TO FOLLOW CHRIST (CHAPTERS 12-13)

Paul was an apostle, and therefore a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.  In every epistle he shows the proper function of his priesthood calling.  (See D&C 121:36, 41-44.)  Paul had the "doctrine of the priesthood distilled upon his soul."  Just as every epistle of Paul the Apostle begins with his witness of Christ, every one is also filled with Paul the High Priest "maintaining power" by "persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and [the summary of these:] love unfeigned;" some of them with Paul "reproving..with sharpness as moved upon by the Holy Ghost," and all of them "showing afterwards an increase of love."  Every epistle contains (usually at the end) an encouragement--a blessing--a pep talk.  Paul knew that encouragement was a powerful motivator and a necessary tool of priesthood authority.

Paul gave some truly great "pep talks" that we may want to reread ourselves from time to time.  If King James' English had used exclamation points, I have the feeling Paul's writings would be full of them.

As a teacher, you may want to write up each of these on a little handout or fridge magnet, put them in a basket, and let each student randomly choose one out to read, and then to keep and take home to encourage himself throughout the coming week.  There are plenty of others which you can choose from in Paul's writings, but here are a few:

• "Be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"  (Heb. 13:5).
• "Stand fast in the faith"  (1 Cor. 16:13).
• "I have confidence in you" (Gal. 5:10).
• "Put on the whole armour of God" (Eph. 6:13-18).
• "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philip. 4:13).
• "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies" (Col. 3:12-15).
• "Ye are all the children of light" (1 Thess. 5:5).
• "We have confidence in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things which we command you" (2 Thess. 3:4).
• "Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12).
• "Run with patience the race the race that is set before you" (Heb. 12:2).
• "Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:3)
• "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
• "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2).
• "The Lord is my helper" (Heb. 13:6).

Romans: "Beloved of God, Called to be Saints"

Romans

"Romans is a letter, not a treatise on gospel subjects.  It is not written to the world, but to the saints, to people who already know and understand the doctrines of salvation.  Paul's comments on gospel subjects presuppose an extensive prior knowledge on the part of his readers.  He does not here expound doctrines as such; he simply comments about them, leaving unsaid the volumes of gospel understanding already possessed by the saints.  Romans, hence is not a source of gospel knowledge for the spiritually untutored; it is not the initial place to turn to learn of Christ and his laws.  In the hands of the sectarian world, Romans is a book on calculus in the hands of students who are still struggling to learn the basics of common arithmetic" (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:211-212).  This accounts for so many misunderstandings in the Christian world about the doctrines of salvation.  Fortunately, as Latter-day Saints, we have access to the doctrinal "arithmetic" in our other witness of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon.  With that basic knowledge, we can understand the "college course" taught by Paul in Romans.

CONTEXT

Romans, like most of the other epistles, was written to correct a problem existing among the saints in Rome.  The Romans had taken the teachings of Paul that we find in Galatians about having liberty in Christ and twisted them into liscenciousness, thinking that they could do anything and Christ would cover it--"continuing in sin" and thinking that "grace would abound."  (See Rom. 6:1.)  Paul was appalled by this.  "God forbid!" he wrote in verse 2, which, translated into English loses its very, very forceful Greek meaning.  "It is unbelievably impossible!  Abhorent!  It cannot be imagined!"  (Gaye Strathern, BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2011, personal notes 10:68).

So Romans was written to explain how grace and works work together.

A good way to approach any doctrine is to ask what, why and how.  Once we understand the answer to one of these questions, we can add to that knowledge by pursuing the answer to the next question.  It creates a snowball effect of understanding.

Write on the top of the blackboard:  ROMANS
Write on the left side of the blackboard, in a column: 
WHAT?
WHY?
HOW?

Since Romans is "doctrinal calculus" it is nice, and even necessary, to have a little help from a gospel "professor" in understanding it.  Fortunately, we have just that right in our scriptures: The LDS King James Bible is the only one in the world (as far as I know) that has chapter headings summarizing the content of the chapter.  These chapter headings were written by the scripture committee, and principally by Elder Bruce R. McConkie.  In each chapter, then, we have a great little guide and commentary about the content of the chapter, its meaning, and particularly its key elements.

WHAT IS THE MAIN MESSAGE OF ROMANS?

"The gospel of Christ...is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:Heading).

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (1:16)

But:  "God shall render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:Heading).

"[God] will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath" (Rom. 2:6-7).

Write on blackboard next to WHAT:  The Atonement Saves Us, But We Must Qualify 

WHY DO WE NEED THE ATONEMENT?

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"  (3:23).

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..."  (5:12)

Let's read a little bit about what really happened to us with the fall of Adam:

"So how does the fall of Adam and Eve still affect us?  As their physical offspring, we inherit the physical consequences of their actions just as we inherit their changed physical condition.  The offspring of Adam and Eve are fallen physically.  That may not be apparent to people in their twenties who are enjoying good health, but when we are sick or injured and as we age, the evidence becomes more clear--to be born is also to suffer and die.  There is no more inexorable connection, no more firmly established scientific certainty in the natural world than that.  The bad news here is particularly bad:  at some point in your life, whatever is wrong with you will get worse, and then you'll die" (Stephen E. Robinson, Following Christ, p. 50).

We are physically fallen.

"Besides being physically fallen, we are also spiritually fallen.  That can be correctly described as geographical separation from God, being physically excluded from his presence because of our fallen and sinful condition.  But the spiritual aspects of the Fall are more directly experienced as feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, alienation, anxiety, depression, and guilt.  Where once we lived and talked with heavenly parents for thousands, perhaps millions, of years, suddenly we have been separated from that divine influence.  What comfort, what security must our parents have given us as we grew up under the loving care.  How much a part of our lives they must have become in those premortal aeons.  Now, like homesick freshmen, we suffer from a tremendous separation anxiety, a sense of loss brought about by the Fall, but because the veil has been drawn over our minds, we cannot remember what it is that we so desperately miss.  The resulting condition might be called severe spiritual trauma, like being hit on the head, kidnapped, and waking up as a slave with amnesia in Timbuktu.  In our spiritually more sensitive moments, we may feel that something isn't quite right about all this, but until we find and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ we can't really know what is wrong with this life or how to fix it" (Robinson, p. 51-52).

So we are also spiritually fallen.

"While the physical and spiritual aspects of the Fall, death, and separation from God get a lot of attention, I would like to point out some other aspects that are often overlooked but that also have a profound impact on us here in mortality.  For example, we often forget that as fallen beings we are mentally fallen...We bring no data with us from behind the veil...Even if fallen reason did have reliable data to start with, we couldn't follow it through to correct conclusions, for intellect itself is a defective instrument.  If a yardstick that is too long or too short is always used to measure itself when it is checked, the error will never be detected.  Since intellect is our fallen yardstick, intellect can never detect its own distortions.  Most of us are aware that our universe keeps surprising us, that it resists our attempts to impose our understanding upon it.  We live daily with the bloody noses that result from the way things really are being different from the way we suppose them to be"  (Robinson, p. 52-53).

We are mentally fallen.

"Another way in which we are fallen is emotionally.  Our emotions, like our flesh, are part of our carnal natures.  They are flawed and often out of control.  We cannot choose our temperament.  We don't usually choose what will 'bug' us.  Sometimes our emotional state can be influenced by physical or chemical factors in the brain, and in these cases may not be governed by agency or subject to accountability.  However, in most cases our fallen emotions, like our fallen bodies, can and must be subjected to the rule of our spirits"  (Robinson, p. 55).

We are emotionally fallen.

"Also we are fallen morally.  That means our sense of right and wrong is defective.  While it may be true that we can usually let our conscience be our guide, many times different individuals get contradictory indications from their consciences, and often conscience does not state any opinion whatever...The light of Christ gives all people enough information to be held accountable for some sins, and perhaps to avoid certain sins, but it cannot be a substitute for the Holy Ghost...We receive a physical body, which naturally seeks pleasure rather than righteousness because it has no ability to distinguish between right and wrong--flesh has no conscience" (Robinson, p. 56).

We are morally fallen.

"The Fall is not in itself the immediate cause of our personal sins, but it does put us in a bad neighborhood where we may encounter and be enticed by sin.  That enticement, combined with the enthusiastic urging of our carnal self, often overcomes the righteous desires of our spirit, and we pollute ourselves" (Robinson, p. 58).

Nothing about us is without flaw!  It is impossible for us to succeed!

Write on the blackboard next to WHY?  Because of our fallen state, we are unable to save ourselves.

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.  But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (5:19-21).

Note that chapter 7 of Romans has major changes made by the Joseph Smith Translation, from verse 5 through the end of the chapter, completely reversing the message.  You may want to draw a light X through each column to bring attention to this fact, so that you never read one of these verses out of context. Although this is a long passage to read aloud in class, it is one we seldom read and are unfamiliar with because it is tucked away in the Appendix, so it may well be worth the time.

HOW CAN WE RECEIVE THE POWER OF THE ATONEMENT?

In the Book of Mormon, as King Benjamin taught the gospel of the Atonement to the Nephites, they all fell to the earth, as they "viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth" (Mosiah 4:2).  They realized that if God were to "render to them according to their deeds" and according to their fallen state, they were in big trouble!  But King Benjamin taught the same gospel that Paul taught and so the Nephites knew where to find hope.  "And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins..." (Mosiah 4:2). They were asking to be returned to a state of guiltlessness.  They were asking for justification. 

"But how is this gift [of justification] given and received? The scriptures are explicit: it is received by exercising faith in him who can give the gift...[Here is] how that process works: As we come to Christ in faith, repenting of our sins, and covenant with him in the waters of baptism to keep his commandments, he justifies us—treats us as though we are guiltless—even though we are not yet perfect. He does this so that we might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will cleanse us of sin as we repent and work out our salvation 'with fear and trembling.'" (Michael Wilcox, "I Have a Question," Ensign, June 1996).

Gaye Strathern explains that justification is an external change, it is a change in status.  It is like being washed with water.

But this is not all that the Atonement will do for us.  The Atonement can also sanctify us.  Sanctification is an internal change, it is a change in our state of being, not just our status before God.  It is like being purified with fire.

"As we progress from “grace to grace,” receiving “grace for grace” (see D&C 93:12–20), we will eventually be perfected and be able to stand before the Father fully justified as one who has become like him—guiltless, perfect, and holy. In the scriptures, the process by which we are cleansed and perfected is often called sanctification. Those who are justified by Christ and receive the Holy Ghost are sanctified, or 'reborn.'" (Wilcox).

The Nephites asked for justification and sanctification:

"O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men" (Mosiah 4:2).

In Romans, Paul explains the two-fold process of sanctification (justification being the first part of it) as an adoption.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father"  (8:14-15).  Remember, Abba's English equivalent is Daddy.  "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (8:16-17).

There are two kinds of "children of God."  In one sense, everyone is a child of God, begotten spirit sons and daughters of our heavenly parents.  But the children of God this scripture is talking about are the heirs to the kingdom, people who have met some qualifications, who have "received the adoption," who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ, and who are growing and becoming like him (their Father) through the keeping of their covenants: it is a subset of the other general type of children of God (Strathern).

An infant or small child who is legally adopted by parents needs to do or say nothing to be adopted; the adoption is completely in the hands of the parents and the court.  But if prospective parents want to adopt an older child or teenager (in the United States), that child must state in court that he desires to be adopted by those parents.  He has to "receive" the adoption. 

Once an adoption is final, the adopted child is legally identical in status to a child that was conceived and birthed by those parents.  A new birth certificate will be issued stating that the child was born to those parents. Within the glorious walls of our temples, that child who is sealed to an adoptive family is theirs eternally, just as if he had been born into that family.

As a member of a family, an adopted child can learn to lose her fear of hunger, danger, loneliness, and failure and can trust in the love and care of her parents.

As a member of the family of Christ, we also must learn to trust in the love and care of our parent, our "Daddy." 

 When one of our daughters was three years old, she took a thick, black preschool crayon and, starting at her bedroom door, drew a line at her eye level all the way around the room, over the closet doors, on the dresser front, on the bed frame, under the window, over the toy china closet and back to the door.  When I discovered it, I was understandably rather shocked!  It was a lot of damage to her beautiful little light-blue bedroom. 

But did I send her packing because she colored on the walls?  Of course not.  I was upset, frustrated...I insisted that she help me scrub the walls with a toothbrush and baking soda paste.  Of course, her help didn't really help that much, and most of the cleaning was actually done by me.  But even as a very imperfect parent, kicking her out of the family would never have occurred to me!  Is there any reasonably loving parent who would throw out a three-year-old for coloring on the walls?  Of course not.  There would be no children left in families if that were the case.  Loving parents understand that a 3-year-old, or a 10-year-old, or a 21-year-old, or even a 45-year-old, lacks understanding and development.  When mistakes occur, the parent helps the child to recognize them, to make amends, and to understand how to do better.  Love deepens between parent and child, a little more maturity develops in the child, and so the process continues throughout life.

Similarly, we must "receive" the adoption into the family of Jesus Christ if we want to be children of God and heirs to the kingdom.  We do this by making covenants--entering into the waters of baptism, taking upon us the name of Christ, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, making and keeping temple covenants, and growing more and more like our "Daddy" until the end of our probation.

Being a member of Christ's family gives us a great sense of freedom, freedom to try, freedom to fail, freedom to learn, freedom to receive help.  As we "receive the adoption" we are justified; that is, our status is changed outwardly as we repent and are baptized.  Legally, we are now children of God.  As we receive also the Gift of the Holy Ghost and use it throughout our lives, continue to repent, receive instruction from and develop a closer relationship with our Father Jesus Christ (the head of our family, which is the Church and Kingdom of God), make and keep more covenants, and continue faithful to the end, we qualify to be sanctified; that is, our inward state is changed to become like our Parent.

Because our parent is all-knowing and all-powerful and all-present, and because He loves us intensely and individually, we can trust in his care, relax, and flow with the external circumstances of our lives.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called [adopted] according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). 

As we develop this relationship by believing in Christ, trusting him (Mosiah 4:9), following him, and continually repenting (Mosiah 4:10-11), King Benjamin taught that we can enter into his rest, even in this fallen life.  "And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true" (Mosiah 4:12).

Paul wrote to the Romans, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  ...Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35, 38-39).

SEEKING FOR ZION

The rest of Romans is counsel for church members to build up a Zion society.  If you want to discuss this, you might ask class members to read their favorite scriptures that they might already have underlined in Romans and share their throughts on them.  For a class that hasn't done much personal scripture study, you could pass out the following scripture references and ask them to read them and have the class comment on them.  Or you could read and comment on the chapter headings.

10:13-14

12:5-8

12:9-15

12:21

13:11-12

14:10-13

15:1

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

EPISTLES OF PAUL

Although our King James Bible was published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you will note on the backside of the title page (in the original 1989 printing), that it was actually printed under direction of Cambridge University Press in England, which holds the rights to the King James Translation.  When the church finished this edition with its cross-references to other LDS scriptures, and with its chapter headings written by the LDS scripture committee (principally Bruce R. McConkie), Cambridge suggested they include a Bible dictionary.  The LDS Church did not have a one prepared, so Cambridge offered theirs, and gave the committee permission to edit it to align it with our doctrine.  So we have the generosity and research of the fine Bible scholars at Cambridge University to thank for our dictionary, which is only included in the English language version of our scriptures.  (Versions translated into other languages have a merged dictionary and topical guide called "The Guide to the Scriptures," which is also available in English, but only online.  Here is a link.)  (Gary Poll, BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2011)

Cambridge University

There is an excellent and comprehensive section on the Pauline Epistles on pgs. 743-750 of the Bible Dictionary.  An outline of each epistle is included, key doctrinal points, and some historical background.  The Cambridge scholars divided the epistles into four groups and gave us a chronological order:

1. Thessalonians, written A.D. 50-51 during Paul's first visit to Europe.
2. Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, written A.D. 55, 57 from various locations of his ministry.
3. Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Hebrews, written A.D. 60, 62 while Paul was in captivity in Rome.
4. Titus, Timothy, written A.D. 64, 65, known as the Pastoral Epistles, dealing with management of the church.  Titus and 1 Timothy were written while Paul was enjoying freedom and visiting friends.  When 2 Timothy was written, Paul was once again in prison and facing his impending death.

We are now studying the second set of epistles and the same problem keeps coming up in all of them, a problem which was never satisfactorily resolved and which eventually led to the fracture of the church and its fall into apostacy.  (Gaye Strathern, BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2011)

Knowing that the New Testament was written, not just for the primitive church, but also for the latter-day church (see a previous post for more on this), we must study this problem and ask ourselves whether we are facing the same, and what we can do about it.

GOVERNING OURSELVES; COMFORTING OTHERS

Joseph Smith said, when asked how he managed the church, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves" (quoted by John Taylor in The Millennial Star, 13:339).  This, of course, is the ideal relationship between members of the church and their leaders.  The difficulty arises when church members prefer to govern others, which we generally do.

You may recall how many times this problem came up among the most intimate of Jesus's disciples.  Martha complained that Mary was listening at the Savior's knee while Martha did all the cooking and serving.  The Lord responded, not by saying one sister had chosen better than the other, but by reprimanding Martha for "being careful and troubled over many things," the main item of which, taken in context, was the "good" thing that her sister had chosen to do at the moment.  (See "Mary vs. Martha" in a previous post.)  Peter questioned why John would be allowed to live until Christ came.  His own request was to join the Lord in heaven quickly at the end of his life.  Jesus didn't say one request was better than the other, but answered, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?  Follow thou me [in the path I have laid out for thee]" (John 21:22).

It is a mistake that mortals perpetually make:  comparing and competing with each other, when we should be encouraging and empowering each other.

This problem is evident in the second set of epistles as Paul worked to reconcile the Judaizers and the Gentiles.  (See a previous post for more on this.)  The Jerusalem Council (a special meeting of the church leaders) 15 years earlier proclaimed "the Jewish members free to continue the practice of the law of Moses if they cared to do so.  The council did not say that the Gentiles could not or must not practice the Law of Moses, but only that they need not do so for salvation." (Robert J. Matthews, "The Jerusalem Council," The Apostle Paul: His Life and Testimony, p. 107).  It was up to the individual to decided what was best for himself.  He wrote to the Jews, encouraging them to accept the Gentiles living outside the Law of Moses.  He wrote to the Gentiles, encouraging them to allow the Jews to live the Law as they were used to.

To the strong Gentile members in Rome, he advised, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. [In other words, welcome new members and returning members to your congregation, but don't argue with them about personal opinions.]  "For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. [In keeping with the vision Peter had received, declaring no animals unclean, one person would eat anything, while in order to not risk any possibility of breaking the Law of Moses, another person would be a vegetarian.]  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him" (Rom. 14:1-3).  Who hath God received?  Both of them.  The issue is now one of culture, and it does not matter to God.

"Paul outlines his position regarding the tension between those who scrupulously observe religiously grounded regulations governing dietary matters and special days (the weak) and those who insist on their freedom in Christ to ignore those regulations (the strong).  Weak in faith or conviction is clearly not the self-designation of a group but an epithet used by its opponents, the strong, to whom this exhortation is addressed" (Harper-Collins Study Bible). 

With strong words he condemned such comparing, counseling, and criticizing:  "Who art thou that judgest another man's [i.e., God's] servant?  to his own master he standeth or falleth. [Each man is accountable before his God for himself.]  Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:4).  Christ's atonement is what saves us individually, as we individually keep our covenants with him, live by the Spirit, and help each other along the way with charity.

Second Corinthians, written to a different group but dealing with the same issue, opens with Paul's salutation, followed by his vision of how the saints ought to be knit together in love.  "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

What we need in order to live in unity without so much concern regarding detailed rules is a deep trust in the Lord and a confident ability to comprehend the spirit of the law.  "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:5-6).  Simply following regulations without thought as to their purpose is not acceptable, particularly now that Christ has fulfilled the law, making it merely a tradition to keep it.  "In these doubtful things [or differences of opinions] every one not only may, but must, walk according to the light that God hath given him" (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the New Testament, p. 204).

JUDGERS AND DESPISERS IN THE LATTER-DAY CHURCH

(The following comparison comes from a BYU Education Week lecture given by Michael Wilcox, August 2011.)

Okay, so we don't really have much of a problem with people arguing about whether to live the Law of Moses in the church today, so is this really relevant to us? 

It most certainly is.  We have our absolute commandments, the principles of the gospel, that we must keep.  We have essential covenants that we must qualify to make.  Every member of the church should be doing his best to keep the ten commandments, exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, keep or work towards making temple covenants, and renewing all covenants at the sacrament table regularly.  These are some of the essentials.  Some commandments can only be obeyed one way:  tithing, for example.  It's always 10%.  Alcohol consumption, for another example, should always be zero.

But many of the ideas about how a Latter-day Saint ought to live are matters of culture, upbringing, or personal opinion.  In these matters, the decisions about what to do in day-to-day life are up to, not the preference of the individual or the dictates of the culture but the guidance of the Spirit. 

• One person may feel that it is okay to drink a cola drink, and another may abhor the idea. 
• One person may eat a diet heavy in meat, while another feels that he should severely restrict meat. 
• Each individual must seek the advice of the Spirit as to how to keep the Sabbath day holy.  A grocery store owner may feel it is in keeping with the Sabbath to close his store on Sunday, and the Brethren certainly encourage that.  But a doctor may feel that if he were not available to his patients on the Sabbath, he would not be serving his neighbor. 
• One person may feel that knee-length shorts are fine to wear with temple garments; another may think the knee should never be uncovered. 
• One family may have a child every year, another may have only one or two, and another may not be able to have any at all. 

You get the idea.  It is easy to become a judger or a despiser.

But every observance not specifically noted in the temple recommend interview is up to the individual to decide for himself, based upon the guidance of the Spirit.  That guidance may change and increase as he progresses along the path to perfection in Christ.  If our church leaders advise one way, even in such a small matter as to whether to wear hose to church or a white shirt to bless the sacrament, we would be very wise to prayerfully follow their counsel.  But as to how to judge one another, it's easy: if you don't have stewardship over that person, you don't judge--you love.

Tattoos:  Get Used to Them

Matters of dress and appearance often divide us because they are so obvious.  While the Brethren wisely advise against such permanent ornaments as tattoos, and we would certainly want to counsel our youth accordingly, about 40% of young adults in America today have tattoos and the number is rising.  Rather than being a statement about a particular wild lifestyle, tattoos have become a common fashion trend.  Of course, God wants all those young people to join the church or return to the church.  Whether they do, do not, or cannot remove their tattoos, our goal must be to have the temples filled with these young people.  If we make a judgment as to a person's lifestyle or worthiness based on something that is only skin-deep, rather than getting to know the heart underneath, we become what Paul refered to as "judgers" and we give that person reason to become a "despiser."  We lock each other up in the prison walls of bigotry, where no spiritual progress can be made.

But if we follow the Spirit's counsel in the conduct of our own lives, while allowing others the same according to their own spiritual progression, we are free to love all.  For "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  [This is the liberty to progress towards perfection and become like God.]  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass [or mirror] the glory of the Lord [we realize that everyone bears the reflection of the Divine nature], are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:17-18).  We must see in everyone, no matter their outward appearance or demeanor, the child of God within.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible makes it a little easier to understand the next few verses.  (You may want your class to read along in the KJV while you read the NRSV.)

"Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.  We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. 

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:1-5). 

Then, these beautiful words about what it means to be a missionary or a member missionary from the King James Version: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  If we are "judgers" or "despisers" we may miss seeing this light, because "we have this treasure in earthen vessels [unpolished human beings], that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:6-7).

Because of the fallen state we are in, as "earthen vessels," and the "darkness" that surrounds our "light," "we are troubled [afflicted] on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body [that earthen vessel] the dying of the Lord Jesus [the power of his Atonement], that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body [that others may see Jesus Christ through our actions] (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

"He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again...Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Cor. 5:15, 20).

So, as Christ died for us, we must live for him.  And what exactly is involved?  Paul gives us an enormous list by which to measure ourselves, and none of it has to do with outward observances.

1. "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed..."  First off, we must be accutely aware that although we must not judge others, our own conduct may give offence to someone else and cause them to harbor resentment against the church.
2. "But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities [hardships], in distresses [calamities], in stripes [beatings], in imprisonments, in tumults [riots], in labours, in watchings [sleepless nights], in fastings [hunger]..."  Nothing that happens to us should free us from the obligation to be a light to others, an example of the believers.
3. "By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned..."  Wait!  Where have we read this before?  In D&C 121:41-42.  It is the doctrine of the Priesthood (yes, it applies to women, too--we are all part of the Priesthood, men actively, women passively), "which greatly enlarges our souls without hypocrisy and without guile" and which will show others that our "faithfulness [to them] is stronger than the bonds of death" (v. 44). 
4. "By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left..."  The armour of God is described in Eph. 6:13-17 and includes working only with truth ("loins girt about" refers to tying up one's long robes in order to get to work), protecting one's life from the attacks of temptations by godly living (breastplate of righteousness), an expectation to share the gospel (feet shod with the gospel of peace), an active defense of faith which can meet any angle of attack (shield of faith), an eternal vision (helmet of salvation), and the weapon of the word of God, even his daily and hourly personal direction to you as well as the revelations given to the church through the prophets (sword of the Spirit).
5. "By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known..."  It doesn't matter what the world thinks of the believers, whether it admires them one day or despises them another day.
6. "As dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed..."  We may come close, but if our mission is not complete, we will not be taken.
7. "As sorrowful, yet alway[s] rejoicing..."  We may be surrounded by troubles and sadnesses, or the sorrow of sin, but through repentance and hope in Christ, we can and will be filled with joy.
8. "As poor, yet making many rich..."  Of course, the gospel is the greatest treasure there can be.
9. "As having nothing [in the way of material blessings], and yet possessing all things [the things of eternal significance].  (2 Cor. 6:3-10)

THE IMPORTANCE OF THORNS

Being "earthen vessels" with "light shining in our hearts" makes for an interesting paradox:  We see perfection and glory and eternity, but we must live in imperfection and trouble and mortality.  This paradox is the subject of Chapter 12.

Paul wrote of the amazing vision he had in which he was "caught up to the third heaven."  (Scholars agree that he was writing about himself.)  One would think that such a person who beheld such a vision would be glorious himself.  Paul said, "For [if] I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me" (2 Cor. 12:6).  It is true that a recount of his vision would be glorious, but if he told it, he would be viewed as being much holier than anyone else (a good reason to keep any glorious spiritual experiences to ourselves, except at the prompting of the Spirit). 

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7).  Even the greatest of apostles is not meant to live on earth wrinkle-free.

The gorgeous Barbara Bush Rose in my backyard

is incredibly thorny.

"The exact nature of the thorn is unknown; suggestions include physical or mental illness, spiritual trials, persecution, and opposition by adversaries" (Harper-Collins Study Bible). 

"Much has been written about Paul's 'thorn in the flesh.'  Numerous hypotheses have been advanced by way of identifying the 'thorn,' including stuttering, epilepsy, a shrewish wife, an eye affliction, malaria, some mortal antagonist, or some spiritual weakness" (D. Kelly Ogden & Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ, p. 157).

Isn't it interesting that everyone is fascinated by Paul's "thorn"?  Maybe we all want to know if it is one of the same ones we have.  Or maybe it's even worse!  But this curiousity only proves Paul's point:  It is Paul's imperfection that makes us feel that we might be like him, whereas his glorious visions seem completely above us.  Such a great spiritual hero as Paul had a problem which his great faith was not sufficient to solve because it was God's will that he have the problem.  Whatever it was, seemed to "get in the way" of Paul's service and logically ought to have been removed.  But herein is an even greater and yet more down-to-earth lesson in faith than that of great visions: the acceptance of God's will.

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  [Clearly, it was very troublesome.]  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

Sometimes the Lord wants us to use our faith to move mountains, sometimes to climb them, and sometimes to go around them the long way.  It is his choice, not ours.

Another great spiritual leader whose "thorns" really seemed to cause major problems in his ministry was President Spencer W. Kimball.  Wouldn't it have been logical for the Lord to want his future prophet to be able to speak?  Yet he was afflicted with recurring throat cancer.  Those who are old enough remember his gravelly whisper amplified through a miniature personal microphone attached to his eyeglasses, a necessity after having his voicebox removed. 

President Kimball's miniature microphone

can be seen next to his mouth in this photo

Wouldn't it have been logical for the Lord to want his future prophet to be hale and hearty and able to travel the world without any physical impairments?  But Elder Kimball had a heart attack in his early 50s and as his heart continued to fail, his work slowed.  At the age of 77, with a very weak heart, he underwent life-threatening surgery at the hands of now-Elder Russell M. Nelson.  (For the story, click here.)

But the Lord's ways are not our ways, as Elder Kimball discovered long before he became the President of the Church.  "Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors.  Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery" (Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 98).

A PARTING REMINDER

Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians was very important to him.  Paul advised the Corinthians to "examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5). As he closed the letter, he stated, "I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction" (2 Cor. 13:10).  Say what?  He meant that it was better that he send a letter than that he be there in person using his great gift of preaching, because he might speak so harshly that it would not edify them as the Lord would have intended, but discourage them. 

And in order that he might encourage and not destroy, Paul left his readers (both the early Saints and us) with words of encouragement, as he did at the end of every epistle, building us up to hope that we could do what was asked of us.  (We also must always employ this technique when reproving someone over whom we have stewardship.)

"Finally, brethren, farewell. 

• "Be perfect..." This word in scripture refers to being complete, rather than to being flawless.  Harper-Collins suggests that "put things in order," a related Greek phrase, might be the meaning expressed here.
• "Be of good comfort..." NRS Version translates this "listen to my appeal."  Either way, allowing God and his word to govern our lives brings us comfort.
• "Be of one mind, live in peace..."  It is so very important that the saints be united in love!

"...and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

New Testament Lesson #34 "Keep the Ordinances, As I Delivered Them"

1 Corinthians 11-16

PREPARATION

Prepare three gift boxes or gift bags that each contain the ingredients for cookies or cupcakes or some other treat.  Ask three class members ahead of time to assist in the following role play.  Make enough of the treats at home to share with the class members and hide them somewhere outside the classroom in a location known to the third class member.

You may also want to draw the timeline used in the section "Developing Spiritual Gifts" on the very top of the chalkboard before class.

OBJECT LESSON

Give a wrapped gift to each of three class members. 

Class Member A does not even reach out to take the gift, but ignores you, walks away, and sits back down.  Ask the class, "Have you ever been given a gift that you did not open?  Can you even imagine leaving it there like that without even finding out what it is?  Crazy!"

Class Member B takes the gift, opens it to see what it is, and expresses confusion about what it could be good for.  She digs around in it, and says she doesn't know what to do with it; it looks like it's just a bunch of miscellaneous food staples.  She thinks that's an odd sort of gift--not what she was expecting.  She sets it down and walks away.  Ask the class, "Have you ever been given a gift that you did not understand or appreciate?"

Class Member C opens the gift and is also confused about its purpose, but he returns to the giver (you) to thank you and ask what he should do with it.  You whisper something in his ear, and he says, "Oh!  That's a good idea!" and leaves the room with the gift.

In a moment, he returns with the prepared treats and passes them among the class members.

Ask the class, "Aren't you glad Class Member C accepted his gift, learned how to use it, and shared it with all of us!"

THREE WITNESSES OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

About 55 years after Christ, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians to correct errors in their congregation.  He knew that there was an ever-present problem of disharmony between the Jews and the Greeks, and so he gave a marvelous written discourse telling the saints that God had wonderful spiritual gifts for them to share with each other, and he itemized some of those gifts, and encouraged the saints to seek them. 

421 years after Christ, Moroni was the last righteous man alive on the American continent.  He wandered to and fro, keeping himself and the priceless plates of scripture hidden from the wicked civilization around him.  At one time, he thought he would soon be found and killed and so he buried the plates.  But as time went on and he was still alive, he dug them up again and wrote a little more since there was still space on the last few.  He knew that no one of his generation would ever read them.  He knew that he was the last man on the threshold of the Great Apostacy, as it took place in America.  He knew, also, that there would be a Restoration.  And so he added The Book of Moroni, a handbook of instructions for the restoration of the true church on the earth.  The very last thing Moroni included in his book was a list of the spiritual gifts that we must seek, and which God will give to us if we come unto him (Moroni 10).  After that, he wrote the title page of the Book of Mormon on the very last leaf of gold, and buried the plates for good.

Paul and Moroni, having lived 300 years and half the world away from each other, never having been members of the same civilization, writing their scriptures in completely different languages, wrote the selfsame list of gifts.  Obviously, they got these lists from the same Source, transcendant of time and place.

1831 years after Christ, in Kirtland, Ohio the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation on how to conduct church meetings and run church congregations.  Guess what this revelation included?  A list of spiritual gifts for which members of the congregation should seek (D&C 46).  Since this was a revelation from God, it should not surprise us too much to find that it is the very same list as given to Paul in 55 A.D. and to Moroni in 421 A.D. 

In the mouth of three witnesses, the Lord established his word.

VERIFICATIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Have the class open their scriptures to 1 Cor. 12:1-11, and take turns reading the verses aloud as you (or a class member) itemize the 9 gifts listed in the blackboard.

The purposes for having three witnesses are so that the witnesses can both verify and clarify each other.  So let's look for verifications (which would appear as similarities) and clarifications (which would appear as differences) in Moroni's and Joseph Smith's lists.

Have one side of the class read Moroni 10:8-17, and the other side of the class read D&C 46:17-27.  As they find something that is either the same as or in addition to Paul's list, have them raise their hand so you can check off the item already listed, or add it to the list. 

If you want to clarify the gifts further, please refer to Elder Oaks' article, "Spiritual Gifts," in the September 1986 Ensign.

AN INFINITE NUMBER OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

"One of the great tragedies of life, it seems to me, is when a person classifies himself as someone who has no talents or gifts. When, in disgust or discouragement, we allow ourselves to reach depressive levels of despair because of our demeaning self-appraisal, it is a sad day for us and a sad day in the eyes of God. For us to conclude that we have no gifts when we judge ourselves by stature, intelligence, grade-point average, wealth, power, position, or external appearance is not only unfair but unreasonable.

"From D&C 46:11–12, we have this truth:  "For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God"...

"...From the Book of Mormon, particularly 3 Nephi, chapters 11 through 26, when the Savior Jesus Christ showed himself to the people on the American continent, many gifts are referred to as being very real and most useful. Taken at random, let me mention a few gifts that are not always evident or noteworthy but that are very important. Among these may be your gifts—gifts not so evident but nevertheless real and valuable.

"Let us review some of these less-conspicuous gifts: the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost" (Elder Marvin J. Ashton, "There Are Many Gifts," Ensign, November 1987).

Elder Ashton expounded upon several other gifts:  the gift to ponder, the gift to look to God for direction, the gift to hear and use the Small Voice, the gift to calm others, and the gift to care for others.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "Their purpose is to enlighten, encourage, and edify the faithful so that they will inherit peace in this life and be guided toward eternal life in the world to come...Faithful persons are expected to seek the gifts of the Spirit with all their hearts."  After itemizing those listed in the scriptures, as we have done, he added, "And these are by no means all of the gifts.  In the fullest sense, they are infinite in number and endless in their manifestations" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 314-315).

SPIRITUAL GIFTS MUST BE DEVELOPED

They are called gifts, because "they are freely available to all the obedient" (McConkie, p. 314), not because they do not require any effort on our part.  Just like the gifts that members of our class received today, spiritual gifts do not come ready-made.  We must thank the Lord for our gifts, ask Him how to use them, practice and develop them continuously, and share them with other, and He will give us more.

Joseph Smith had the marvelous spiritual gift of translation of an unknown language in order to give the world the gift of the Book of Mormon.  He was given the gift of translation when he was given the plates, but he had to develop that gift.  It is a fascinating and instructive example of the work required by the Lord of one who receives a spiritual gift.  (Keep in mind, also, that Joseph was not able to work without interruption because of moves, work, persecution, etc.)

(This information comes from my personal notes taken during a BYU Campus Education Week lecture, given August 19, 1999 by Bruce Woolley, BYU professor, Notebook 4, p. 31.  The same information can be found in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations 1820-1844, chapter 3, edited by John W. Welch.)

Draw a timeline on the chalkboard dating from September 1827 to June 1829, with individual months marked above the timeline.  As you tell about each event below, mark an X on the timeline.

• 9-27-1827: Joseph Smith received the plates.  For three months he almost daily dug them up and reburied them to keep them hidden from his enemies until he found a safe situation.
• 12-1827:  For the next three months, he practiced translating, until he finally had some characters figured out.
• 2-1828:  Martin Harris took the finished characters to Professor Charles Anthon in New York City for verification of the translation.
• 4-12-28:  The translation began in earnest with Martin as the scribe.  In two months and two days, the Book of Lehi was completed.
• 6-14-28:  Martin Harris took the Book of Lehi (116 pages) to show his wife. They were stolen.  The gift of translation was removed from Joseph Smith, as were the plates themselves and the Urim and Thummim.
• 9-22-28:  After a three month period of repentance, all was restored to Joseph Smith, but there were no fruits to the effort so far.  Joseph started back at ground zero re-developing and relearning the gift for six months (twice as long as before).
• 4-7-29:  Oliver Cowdery began as scribe and translation once again began in earnest at the Book of 1 Nephi.
• 5-15-29:  Mosiah 18:8-10 was reached, and in answer to prayer regarding the passage, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph and Oliver and they were baptized.
• 6-1-29:  Joseph had moved to Fayette, NY and reached Ether 5 where he read about the importance of three witnesses, whereupon he prayed for witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and his prayer was answered.
• 6-11-29:  The Book of Mormon was finished and the copyright was obtained.  Joseph had translated the entire book in 60-65 days, a rate of 3,100 words per day!  Although Oliver Cowdery had excellent penmanship, you can see from the photograph below that he had to write sloppily because of the great speed required as Joseph dictated.

Joseph Smith asked Oliver Cowdery to make him a copy.  It took Oliver three times as long to copy it as it took for Joseph Smith to dictate it.

Seeing that Oliver Cowdery came into the process after Joseph had worked for months to learn it, we can understand why he thought he would be able to quickly translate when he asked for the opportunity, and why he quickly gave it up when he didn't immediately succeed.  (See D&C 9.)  He did better than Class Member A, who didn't even receive the gift, but he was like Class Member B, who didn't expect to have to work to produce the gift given her.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS DEVELOP CHARITY

Returning to Paul's itemization of the spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12, we see that he next expounded on the need church members have for each other's gifts.

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ...

"If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?...And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be [lesser] are necessary...

"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular...

"Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?  But [seek] earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:12, 15, 21-22, 27, 29-31).

What is the "more excellent way?"  It is explained immediately in Chapter 13.  (Remember:  Paul did not divide the chapters.  It was all just one letter.)  The spiritual gifts, he wrote, were nothing but a cacophany ("sounding brass or tinkling cymbal") if used without charity.  No matter what great spiritual gift you may have, if you do not exercise it with the motivation of love, your gift is useless, it "profiteth you nothing."  The purpose of the gifts is to serve each other, to knit us together.  If it were not so, each of us would have been endowed with all of the gifts, so that we could be completely independent in our spiritual journey.  But it is in the plan of God for us to need the gifts of others, as well as our own gifts.  We are all "one body" with its "several parts."  So never should we bemoan the fact that we have different gifts than someone else--it is meant to be that way.  Our job is to seek out our own, and use them with charity.

So Paul gave us the very familiar and famous definition of what it means to exercise a spiritual gift with the pure love of Christ, Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.

In addition to reading aloud this chapter in the King James Version, you may want to read some of the passages in the New International Version (available online at this link) or the New Revised Standard Version (available online at this link) for some helpful clarification of the Old English words.

For my personal interpretation of verse 8, please refer to "A Formula for Success" in a previous post.

RECOGNIZING OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

We must each take upon ourselves the lifelong challenge to find and develop our spiritual gifts for the benefit of others.  How do we discover them?  When we find that we have done something that has benefited someone, that is a clue that there is a gift there.  We may find we possess the gift of friendship, the gift of awareness of other people's needs, the gift of singing, the gift of encouraging, the gift of teaching, the gift of testimony, the gift of understanding children, the gift of making others feel comfortable, the gift of being cheerful, the gift of thinking deeply, the gift of complimenting others, the gift of working hard, the gift of visualizing the beauty of a finished product, the gift of cleaning, the gift of cooking, the gift of listening, the gift of reading aloud, the gift of organizing...as Elder McConkie said, the number of spiritual gifts is infinite.  And remember that we must all seek the gift to love others--all others--or our gifts are useless.

A beautiful way to end may be to ask class members to identify spiritual gifts they see others in the ward or branch as possessing.  If you have a large class, just ask for volunteers.  If you have a small class, go around the room identifying special traits of each class member (which you have prayed and thought about ahead of time) and encouraginging other class members to add their thoughts on each other.  Doing it this way will ensure that no one will feel left out or like they are the last one chosen by their peers.  If you're into handouts, you may want to prepare a little bookmark with "To Every One is Given a Gift by the Spirit of God" and the name of the student at the top, to which you can add the gifts identified in class, and give it to the individual to keep in their scriptures.

Great Idea for Visual Aids

Of course, we are all aware of the Gospel Art Packet, and the downloadable Gospel Art available from LDS.org, but a really great idea to build up a large collection of beautiful gospel prints for use in teaching is to buy calendars by LDS artists such as Liz Lemon Swindle, Simon Dewey, Greg Olson, Mark Mabry, Elspeth Young, or others, and simply cut the pages apart.

I also just bought a great 2012 "Lands of the Bible" calendar with photographs of present-day sites from the Bible by Todd Bolen, from the BYU Bookstore.

For about $12 (U.S.) full price, you can get a 12 x 12 inch calendar with 12 gorgeous prints.  If you buy them on clearance after the New Year, of course, you can get them even cheaper.  Ask friends and family to give you theirs instead of throwing them away at the end of the year, and you can get them for free.  Or tell people you would love calendars with gospel-themed art for Christmas.

If you don't have easy access to a store that sells LDS products, you can shop at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, or Amazon online, or at LDS Art online.

Simon Dewey's 2011 Calendar is for sale for $1.60 at Deseret Book.com right now.  (Shipping was $2.99 for my Utah address.)  A few of Todd Bolen's 2011 Calendars are on sale for 1 penny plus $4.99 shipping from Amazon Marketplace.