Hi everyone!
Today I would like to teach you about the "Doctrine of Christ." Have you ever wondered what the doctrine of Christ is? There are so many opinions and versions to Christian's beliefs. We all believe in Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian, and yet we all have varying beliefs on what it is that Christ taught and what we're supposed to get out of His teachings.
God has used Prophets to speak through since the beginning. If you've read the Holy Bible you know this to be true. We study the teachings of Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and many more. Well, this is also true in the Book of Mormon. Not as many people know the names of the Prophets of the Book of Mormon let alone what their teachings are that they received from God, just as the Prophets of the Bible did.
If you own a Book of Mormon, I will teaching from 2 Nephi Chapter 31. If you don't have a Book of Mormon, here a link you can click to view and study the Book of Mormon online. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng (if you would like to own a free copy of the Book of Mormon click this link- it's a gift! https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon )
I'd like to teach you about the prophet Nephi's final words in the Book
of Mormon and what he taught concerning the "Doctrine of Christ." Keep in mind these are Nephi's final words to us- because he wrote for us in our time. If I knew I only had a few words I could share before my voice was silenced, you can bet I would write what I deemed to be the most important for my posterity to read. Nephi did the same for us. In 2nd Nephi 31:2 Nephi wrote, "Wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying."
I strongly urge all to read all of this chapter, as well as the last 6 chapters of 2nd Nephi but I will start in verse 13 in sharing what it is we need to do to receive eternal life. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if you shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism- yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."
Now I ask the question, is this all we need to do? Let's listen to what our Heavenly Father told Nephi, (v 15) "And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." We learn from that verse that first, God is verifying the words that Christ taught Nephi are true, and second, that we must endure to the end to be saved.
So what does baptism and enduring to the end look like in our every day lives? I close with the final verses of the 31st chapter, (verses 19-21) "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far say it was by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, beholdm, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eteranl life.
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holt Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen"
So there we have the doctrine of Christ. If we follow these steps with diligence, and relying upon the grace of Jesus Christ, we have just been given the formula of how we need to live to return to our loving Heavenly Father and live with Him for eternity in happiness and peace.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
How to "Liken" Isaiah into My Life...and Like It
Hi everyone!
Okay the last thing I ever thought I would write about in my blog is about the prophet Isaiah and why we should “liken his words” unto us. One might ask, “Liesl, why wouldn’t you write about Isaiah?” My answer would be, “because I’ve never felt like I could understand him or his prophecies.” For those of you who may not know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Church’s nickname is the Mormon Church. If you haven’t read the Book of Mormon before, I want you to know that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and goes hand in hand with the Holy Bible as true scripture.
In 2 Nephi 11:8, we are told by Nephi, “And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.” Even more importantly, Jesus Christ taught the Nephites how important Isaiah’s words were. The Savior taught, ““great are the words of Isaiah” and instructed the Nephites that they “ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently” (3 Nephi 23:1- Student Manual Book of Mormon) If the Savior wants me to search something diligently, I’m going to listen!
So what does it mean to “liken?” According to dictionary.com, the definition of “liken” means; “to represent as similar or like; compare.” When we liken something to our own lives, we look for comparisons or similar things we can relate to. How can I relate to an Old Testament prophet who lived hundreds of years ago? In many ways, it’s difficult for me to understand Isaiah’s prophecies. There are differences in how he lived, dressed, and what his culture was like, compared to mine. Isaiah’s way of writing was often written with a “dualistic nature” (Book of Mormon Student Manual) and heavily uses symbolism. Despite these differences Isaiah and I have similarities. The biggest similarity is that Isaiah and I both worship the same God and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
So what can I, or anyone, do to understand and “liken” Isaiah’s prophecies? Thankfully we have many spiritual helps. First, I think it’s important to start with prayer. We should ask God. We are promised in James 1:5 of the New Testament, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” That’s a great promise! We also have footnotes in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament that direct us to other scriptures that give insight as well as a Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary which furthers knowledge and understanding of principles, or even symbols, that might seem foreign to us. I’m also grateful for living prophets today who have been called and chosen by the same God Isaiah was called by. They too receive revelation and spiritual guidance for all mankind on the earth.
So if you’re like me and desire to have a better understanding of Isaiah, this post is a guide to help you know how you can “liken” Isaiah to yourself. With diligence and patience on our part, and the help of the Lord, we are promised, “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept…” (D&C 98:12)
Happy reading!
Okay the last thing I ever thought I would write about in my blog is about the prophet Isaiah and why we should “liken his words” unto us. One might ask, “Liesl, why wouldn’t you write about Isaiah?” My answer would be, “because I’ve never felt like I could understand him or his prophecies.” For those of you who may not know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Church’s nickname is the Mormon Church. If you haven’t read the Book of Mormon before, I want you to know that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and goes hand in hand with the Holy Bible as true scripture.
In 2 Nephi 11:8, we are told by Nephi, “And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.” Even more importantly, Jesus Christ taught the Nephites how important Isaiah’s words were. The Savior taught, ““great are the words of Isaiah” and instructed the Nephites that they “ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently” (3 Nephi 23:1- Student Manual Book of Mormon) If the Savior wants me to search something diligently, I’m going to listen!
So what does it mean to “liken?” According to dictionary.com, the definition of “liken” means; “to represent as similar or like; compare.” When we liken something to our own lives, we look for comparisons or similar things we can relate to. How can I relate to an Old Testament prophet who lived hundreds of years ago? In many ways, it’s difficult for me to understand Isaiah’s prophecies. There are differences in how he lived, dressed, and what his culture was like, compared to mine. Isaiah’s way of writing was often written with a “dualistic nature” (Book of Mormon Student Manual) and heavily uses symbolism. Despite these differences Isaiah and I have similarities. The biggest similarity is that Isaiah and I both worship the same God and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
So what can I, or anyone, do to understand and “liken” Isaiah’s prophecies? Thankfully we have many spiritual helps. First, I think it’s important to start with prayer. We should ask God. We are promised in James 1:5 of the New Testament, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” That’s a great promise! We also have footnotes in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament that direct us to other scriptures that give insight as well as a Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary which furthers knowledge and understanding of principles, or even symbols, that might seem foreign to us. I’m also grateful for living prophets today who have been called and chosen by the same God Isaiah was called by. They too receive revelation and spiritual guidance for all mankind on the earth.
So if you’re like me and desire to have a better understanding of Isaiah, this post is a guide to help you know how you can “liken” Isaiah to yourself. With diligence and patience on our part, and the help of the Lord, we are promised, “For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept…” (D&C 98:12)
Happy reading!
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