Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Doctrine of Christ

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.  

No comments:

Post a Comment