Lorem Ipsum DolorLesson 36: Beloved of God, Called to Be Saints

PurposeTo remind us that we are children of God and to encourage us to live worthy of our divine inheritance

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul reminded teachers of the importance of living the principles they teach (Romans 2:2122).21Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?22Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

GRACE! What is grace?

Is choosing to have Faith a work?Grace is Gods giving us something we cannot earn or deserve. According to Romans 11:6, works of any kind destroys gracethe idea is that a worker earns payment, while the recipient of grace simply receives it, unearned. Since salvation is all of grace, it cannot be earned. Faith, therefore, is a non-work. Faith cannot truly be considered a work, or else it would destroy grace. James 2:24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Taken in the context of the entire passage (James 2:1426), it becomes evident that James is not saying our works make us righteous before God; instead, he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or dead faith and is not saved. James is making a contrast between two different types of faithtruth faith that saves and false faith that is dead.

Grace in the Bible DictionaryA word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by His atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

Grace contdDivine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the Fall of Adam and also because of mans weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2Ne. 25:23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus parable of the vine and the branches (John 15:111). See also John 1:1217; Eph. 2:89; Philip. 4:13; D&C 93:1114.

Romans 3:10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:What did Paul mean?Paul was not suggesting that no one ever does righteous acts; instead, he was pointing out that no one on earth is perfectly righteous. Christ was the only person who ever lived a completely sinless life. Everyone else has committed some sin (see also Romans 3:23).When we have sinned, what must we do to become clean again? Exercise faith in Christ and repent of our sins so we may receive the cleansing power of his Atonement.

all ha ve sinned

Once we commit sin, we cannot become completely clean again on our own. We can become clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, a process that Paul called:Justification.Romans 2-5Paul had been writing to Church members in several areas who had returned to practicing the law of Moses, believing that strict observance of this law was necessary for salvation. What is an example today of someone living a law they believe is necessary for salvation?Although the Saints in Rome were strong in the gospel (Romans 1:8), Paul wrote this epistle to emphasize that justification and salvation come through faith in Christ, not through the works of the law of Moses.

In his letter, Paul tried to help the Roman Saints understand the doctrine of justification. What does it mean to be justified? To be reconciled to God, pardoned from punishment for sin, and declared righteous and guiltless.Why do we need to be justified? Romans 3:1012, 23; see also Alma 7:21.We have all offended God and become unclean through sin. Since no unclean thing can dwell with God, we must be justified in order to return to him. What did Paul teach about how we are justified? (See Romans 3:24, 28; 5:12; see also 2Nephi 2:6. We are justified by the grace of Jesus Christ and our faith in him.Romans 5:811; 2Nephi 2:78. The grace of Jesus Christ is made available to us through his Atonement.

Paul explained that justification comes through the grace of Jesus Christ, not through the deeds of the law (Romans 3:20, 24, 28).Many people have interpreted Pauls writings to mean that we can be justified through faith alone without good works. What is the relationship between our actions (or works) and justification through the grace of Christ?Romans 3:31; James 2:1418, 24; 2Nephi 25:23; D&C 88:3839.)The Prophet Joseph Smith said: To be justified before God we must love one another: we must overcome evil; we must visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world: for such virtues flow from the great fountain of pure religion, strengthening our faith by adding every good quality that adorns the children of the blessed Jesus. We can pray in the season of prayer; we can love our neighbor as ourselves, and be faithful in tribulation, knowing that the reward of such is greater in the kingdom of heaven. What a consolation! What a joy! (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 76).

By Roger R. KellerRoger R. Keller, Teaching the Fall and the Atonement: A Comparative Method, inReligious Educator5, no. 2 (2004): 101118.

JUSTICE MUST BE SATISFIED!

Traditional Christianitys View of the FallRooted in the book of Genesis, whereas the Latter-day Saint position is based on the book of Moses, Joseph Smiths inspired translation of Genesis 1:16:13. Adam and Eve were mortal in the Garden of Eden, that they could procreate, and that they had the ability to choose to follow Gods commands or not to do so.[1] They were created to live in the garden in the presence of God. To be truly human meant that they lived with God, for humanitys chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.[2] They were, however, given a commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would die (see Genesis 2:17).

Traditional Christianitys View of the Fall (contd)Satan cajoled Eve into eating from the tree with the promise that if she and Adam did so, they would be like gods. Traditional theology understands this decision as an act of pride that challenges Gods position and is thus the ultimate sin. The results of this act were the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden, their ultimate deaths, and a warping of human nature to a greater or lesser degree, since true humanity exists only as human beings live in Gods presence.

Thus, the Fall was a disaster for humanity. Because of what Eve did, human beings lost their birthright. They were ejected from the presence of God. In the thought of many traditions, Adam and Eve no longer could choose between good and evil but were turned completely away from God. Humanity inherited the sin of Adam and Eve (original sin)the sin of prideand that sin is passed from generation to generation and can be overcome only by an act of God. In several Christian traditions, free will was left behind in the garden. As Paul wrote, There is none that doeth good, no, not one (Roman 3:12). The Atonement is thus necessary for all individuals if they want to enter the presence of God, and the Atonement is wholly Gods act without human cooperation in many Christian traditions, especially those that have their roots in John Calvin.[3]

Robert R. Keller (Professor of church history and doctrine)https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/volume-5-number-2-2004/teaching-fall-and-atonement-comparative-method

Robert R. Keller (Professor of church history and doctrine)We dont have the full extent of Gods conversations with Adam and EveIf you want to stay in the Garden of Eden with no cares and no possibility for growth, you should not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, if you desire to grow and receive all that I have in store for you, you will have to leave the garden. If you eat of the tree, you will be cast out of the garden into the earth and into mortality, and you will die both temporally and spiritually, but you will open the door for yourselves and for all humanity to receive eternal life like I have. The choice is yours. In other words, God gave them information.Eve understood this, at least in part, and chose to leave the garden, taking with her Adam, who realized the correctness of the decision. Thus, the first step in our eternal progression was taken, and the hosts of heaven shouted for joy, for they had a futurethanks to the courage of Adam and Eve.What of the transgression of Adam and Eve? If they did only what God asked of them, how could there be transgression?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks provided insight when he said the following:When Adam and Eve received the first commandment, they were in a transitional state, no longer in the spirit world but with physical bodies not yet subject to death and not yet capable of procreation. They could not fulfill the Fathers first commandment without transgressing the barrier between the bliss of the Garden of Eden and the terrible trials and wonderful opportunities of mortal life. . . . It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and Adam fell that men might be [2 Nephi 2:25]. . . . Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. . . . This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin . . . for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do! (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 195456], 1:11415). . . . [This] echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sininherently wrongbut a transgressionwrong because it was formally prohibited.[8]

We can be reborn and become joint heirs

2. We can be reborn and become joint-heirs with Christ.Read and discuss selected verses from Romans 6 and Romans 8.Paul compared baptism to death, burial, and resurrection. How does baptism represent death, burial, and resurrection (new birth)? (See Romans 6:34; D&C 76:5052.) How was baptism a new birth for you?Explain that baptism by immersion is a symbol of our spiritual rebirth. When we go under the water, it is a symbol that we are burying our old self in a grave. When we come out of the water, we are symbolically washed clean. We have become a new person who has covenanted to follow Christ.How can we maintain the cleanness and newness of life (Romans 6:4) that we experienced at baptism? (Answers may include by renewing our baptismal covenants as we partake of the sacrament each week, by repenting and seeking forgiveness from the Lord, and by beginning each day with a renewed determination to serve God.)What does it mean to be carnally minded? (See Romans 8:56.) What are the consequences of being carnally minded? (See Romans 8:68, 13.) How can we eliminate the carnal from our minds and hearts? How have you been blessed when you have chosen to be spiritually minded?Paul testified that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16). How are you affected by the knowledge that you are a child of God? What does this imply about your capacities and potential?Elder DallinH. Oaks said: Consider the power of the idea taught in our beloved song I Am a Child of God (Hymns, 301). Here is the answer to one of lifes great questions, Who am I? I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God, and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 31; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25).If you arranged to have I Am a Child of God sung or played as a special musical number, have the soloist or small group present it now. Or sing it with class members (see the Preparation section).What great promise did Paul say the children of God will receive? (See Romans 8:17.) What does it mean to be a joint-heir with Christ? (See D&C 76:50, 5470.) What must we do to receive this great inheritance? (See D&C 76:5153.)How can knowing that we are children of God and potential joint-heirs with Christ help us endure the trials of this world? (See Romans 8:18, 28, 31; see also Romans 5:35.) How have you seen all things work together for good to them that love God? (Romans 8:28).What did Paul teach in Romans 8:3539 about the love of Jesus Christ? How have you felt the Saviors love in your life? What difference has his love made in your life?If you arranged to have I Feel My Saviors Love sung or played as a special musical number, have the soloist or small group present it now. Or sing it with class members (see the Preparation section).

We should live as becomes Saints

3. We should live as becomes Saints.Read and discuss selected verses from Romans 1213; 15:17.Paul exhorted the Roman Saints to present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). How can we present ourselves as living sacrifices to God? (See 3Nephi 9:20; D&C 59:8.)Elder BruceR. McConkie explained, To present [oneself] as a living sacrifice is to come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit through obedience (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [196673], 2:292).Paul counseled the Roman Saints to be not conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). What are some ways that we try to conform to the world today? How can we overcome this tendency? (See Romans 12:2.)Romans 12 and Romans 13 list many attributes of true Saints. Have class members identify these attributes, and write them on the chalkboard. (You may want to divide the class into small groups and assign each group to search part of a chapter.) Then discuss the following questions about several of these attributes: Why is this attribute important to develop? What can we do this week to further develop this attribute?How did Paul instruct us to treat our enemies? (See Romans 12:1921.) What blessings can come into our lives if we treat our enemies this way? What examples have you seen of someone using kindness to overcome evil or ill will?What commandment did Paul say includes all other commandments? (See Romans 13:89.) How does this commandment include all others? (See Romans 13:10.)What did Paul teach about how members who are strong in the faith should respond to members who are weak in the faith? (See Romans 15:17.) How can a person who is strong in the faith help a person who is weak?

ConclusionIt is through faith in Jesus Christ and righteous living that we can be justifieddeclared righteous and reconciled to God. We are children of God and have the potential to become joint-heirs with Christ if we have faith in him and live as he has commanded us.

I Am a Child of GodMusic OnlyThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsChildren's Songbook, track 00102002Music201572.67XXX - ID3v1 Comment0