No Coincidences

Tag: law

  • The Higher Law and the End of Blood Sacrifice

    The Higher Law and the End of Blood Sacrifice

    Christ fulfilled the law. This was why blood sacrifices were done with after His last and great sacrifice. But what does this mean, practically?

    The Israelites practiced God’s law which was a law of reparations. You take out the eye of an enemy maliciously, you take out his eye. Someone kills your brother, you kill him. The problem with this is obvious. Blood begets blood and when does it end?

    This is why the Israelites practiced the law of sacrifice. They took an animal, that had nothing to do with bloodshed, or theft, or lying, and instead of continuing the constant cycle of reparations, they sacrificed the blood of the animal. This is obviously what Christ represented when He died on the cross. He paid the price for all our sins, because we are incapable of paying such a price.

    This is why Christ preached a higher law. No longer was it an eye for an eye but it was turn the other cheek. No longer was it sue for damages but give your second coat. Christ’s point was that after He died for our sins, animal sacrifices would be done away with, there was no more putting your sins off on a goat. Christ was teaching the end of strife. Someone wrongs you, forgive them and move on. This put an end to the vicious cycle of payback and recompense.

    Who was the greatest example ever of this? Jesus Christ never asked us to do something He didn’t do first, when He was up on the cross, and forgave those who had scourged, beaten, and crucified Him.

    But of course, justice still had to be paid for a wrong done. That’s where Christ came in, paying the ultimate and last sacrifice with His blood. So, we flawed human beings, who sometimes commit wrong without even meaning to, can be forgiven. This is the miracle of what Christ did for us, the miracle of His atonement, the miracle of His forgiveness, and the miracle of the higher law.

  • A Scripture as important to Latter-day Saints as it would be to the Ancient Jews

    A Scripture as important to Latter-day Saints as it would be to the Ancient Jews

    One of my favorite scriptures of all time is 2 Nephi 25:26 which reads:

    And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophesies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

    A common criticism that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints receives from other sects of Christianity, often Protestant groups, is that the Church teaches works as a form of salvation taking precedence over faith.

    As I read the Book of Mormon with this criticism in mind, I’m struck by how clearly the Book of Mormon teaches this principle – that faith in Jesus Christ is the most important thing.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is (as far as I know, open to correction) the only church with an explanation on how faith in Jesus Christ alone can result in being saved. 

    Saved, or immortality, is different from Eternal life and salvation.  All of God’s children who choose to be saved, will be saved, for He loves us all.  You can be saved by simply having faith in Jesus Christ, no works needed.  To attain all that the Father has to give, eternal life and salvation in His Kingdom for eternity, you must follow Him, and do what He asks of you.  For without works faith is dead (James 2:26).

    Sometimes I think the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be benefitted immensely by reading verses 26 and 27 of 2 Nephi chapter 25 every single day.  I think if we each did this, it would help us to re-orient ourselves and never lose sight of what is most important – faith in the Lord, or Savior, Jesus Christ. 

    The below scripture is what I am referring to in the title of this post.  This scripture is as important to latter-day saints today as it was to the ancient Jews:

    Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.”

    2 Nephi 25:27

    I believe this scripture to be extremely important to latter-day saints.  The ancient Jews lost sight of Jesus Christ.  They looked to the law for salvation.

    I bear my testimony that I do not believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has lost sight of Jesus Christ.  His name is the name of our church, His prophet has implored us to use His name, our leaders preach of Jesus Christ, prophesy of Jesus Christ, teach of Jesus Christ, emphasize Jesus Christ.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints points us to Jesus Christ.

    It is we, the members, I think, that need to read verse 27 often.  What is the law without Jesus Christ?  I fear that sometimes church members become focused on the wrong things.  Temple attendance for temple attendance’s sake.  Church service because it’s their duty.  Serving in church callings to keep up appearance as a faithful latter-day saint.  Partaking of the sacrament in a rote, mindless manner, not considering what it really means.

    I know I am at fault when it comes to some of the things I’ve just listed.  Sometimes I lose sight of Jesus Christ.  Sometimes I lose sight of what this is all really about.

    I’ve been back in church activity for 5 years now.  My first couple years of returned church activity were so Christ focused.  They were Christ focused because it was all I had.  He was all I had.  He was my strength, and He was everything.  I felt His forgiveness so potently because I’d so recently experienced it with such power.  As my church activity has steadied and become consistent, I’ve found myself relying on church activities, social events, friendships, and making my appearance as a faithful member.  These things aren’t necessarily bad, but they can be.  If they distract from Jesus Christ, they distract from the point.  If I get distracted from Jesus Christ, I am missing the mark.

    What is the law without faith in He who the law points to?

    I think we could all benefit from a consistent study of verse 2 Nephi 25:27.

    Why do we do what we do?  Is it for love?  Is it to serve Jesus Christ?  Is it to remember Jesus Christ, worship Jesus Christ, thank Jesus Christ?

    When is the last time you thought about all your sins and what Jesus Christ did for you at Gethsemane and on the cross?  For me, it’s been far too long since I’ve been brought to tears considering that event.  I’m glad I’m writing this because in doing exactly that, remembering what He’s done for me, and feeling it in my heart, tears are inevitable. 

    Remember why we go to church, the temple, and serve.  It’s for Him.  Not because we have to but because we want to.  Not because it will get us into heaven but because we love Him.  Salvation is through Jesus Christ.  If we go to the temple 5 days a week without Him in mind, we are wasting our time.

    Without Jesus Christ, all of it: temple worship, baptism, sacrament, service; it’s all for naught.  All these things point to Him.  Without Him as our focus all the items listed above are dead works.  

    This is the misconception of other faiths, that we go to the temple to substitute for Jesus Christ.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  We go to the temple because of Jesus Christ.

    I think every once in a while, it’s important we re-center our focus and remember what it’s all about.

    I hope and pray that we continue to steadfastly talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of Christ, prophesy of Christ, and bring others unto Christ, that we always remember to what source we may look for a remission of our sins.

  • Lectures on Faith – Lecture 2: The Object of Faith

    Lectures on Faith – Lecture 2: The Object of Faith

    A main theme throughout the Lectures on Faith is God’s perfect attributes.  Logically, for us to be able to have any faith in God He must be perfect.  We must know that we can trust God and, in turn, His Son, Jesus Christ. 

    The major theme I took away from Lecture 2 specifically is how we have attained faith throughout history.  Lecture 2 presents the profound idea that our faith in God is always dependent, or comes initially, from the faith of another.  Consider this, if no one in your life ever mentioned any sort of higher being, any sort of God, any sort of creator, would you come up with the thought on your own?  You think about God because He is someone we have been taught about since Adam.

    Even if your parents aren’t the ones who teach you about God, you learn about God from someone.  I would venture to say that in the world today every single person on the face of it has heard of the concept of a supreme being.  Why is this?  Where does our innate belief/consideration of God come from?

    Lecture 2 points out that there was an unbroken chain of testimony that started from Adam and was handed down through Abraham.  If you read Genesis carefully and do the math you will see that ancient prophets handed the knowledge of God down for generations.  It continues today.

    Adam knew God in the Garden of Eden.  When he left the Garden Adam still knew God.  We know Adam’s sons knew God.  Abel provided sacrifices to God.  Cain spoke to God even after murdering his brother.  This shows us that God spoke to men even after the fall and continued to speak to them as they continued to fall into transgression.  There is something significant here that I’d never considered.  Abel first got his knowledge of God from his father, Adam, as did Cain.  After they were told about God by Adam, then they had to develop their own faith in God.  They had to learn, trust, and depend on Him, or not. 

    The important thing to remember from this: we all start our faith by leaning on the faith of another.  We possess dependent faith.  This leads to another profound truth: God possesses independent faith.  God’s faith is not reliant on any outside source.  As discussed in lecture one, God’s faith is perfect.

    I’ve been studying the lectures alongside a video series that I will link at the bottom.  There were many amazing thoughts and ideas presented in that video, related to this second Lecture on Faith.

    Faith is faith until it happens, then it is knowledge. Since God has perfect faith, He doesn’t need to wait for something to happen for Him to know it.  He knows it is going to happen.  His faith is perfect therefore His knowledge is perfect.  It’s simple when you think about it in these terms, but it’s so critical.  It’s why we can have perfect faith in Him, BECAUSE we know His faith is perfect.

    IMPORTANT:  God is not still progressing.  This is important for us to understand.  God is not still learning.  If He was, we couldn’t have perfect faith in Him.

    God is Perfect - Ottawa Church of Christ

    This leads to a question: isn’t life boring for God if He has mastered everything?

    In the video they gave an awesome analogy.  Imagine you’re an accountant.  You master every aspect of accounting there is.  You have a perfect knowledge and ability in accounting.  Would you get bored with accounting?  Probably.  So, what would you then do?  You would teach others how to also master accounting.  God is the master accountant.  He has attained all knowledge on life, faith, eternity, creation – so what does He do?  He teaches us.  What a thought!  We are being tutored by the God of the universe.  That’s what makes this life so important.  When we consider that we are learning and being personally groomed by God Himself, what power it adds to our existence here!

    This leads to another important thought.  What was Christ’s ultimate message while here?  I think it would be service.  Love through service.  Give through service.  Charity.  Without charity you are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2, Moroni 7:44)  Why did Christ teach this ever-important principle?  Because His Father, our Father, God is the ultimate server.  He is doing everything He does to teach us.  We truly are “His work and His glory” (Moses 1:39).

    I want to conclude with two last realizations: 

    1. The scriptures help develop our faith by teaching us of God.  This is important.
    2. Faith comes by hearing the word of God through the testimony of the servants of God, that testimony is always attended by the spirit.

    You aren’t told to have a testimony.  You’re not made to know Jesus is the Christ.  These are things you must come to a knowledge of through the spirit.  Think about it.  Christ, in His whole ministry, never told anyone He was the Son of God.  He always let them come to that conclusion on their own.  One example is Peter who He told, “blessed art thou for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).   Another example is Christ to the woman at the well (John 4).  Christ didn’t go telling people who He was.  It had to be revealed by the spirit.  This is why signs come by faith, and not the other way around (D&C 63:7-12).

    Our hearts must be open for us to receive the testimony of Jesus Christ.  2 Nephi 33:1 “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it UNTO the hearts of the children of men.”  Not INTO but UNTO.  It’s then on the heart of the individual to accept or reject the testimony.  The system is in place.  The system has been in place for God’s children to develop faith in Him from the beginning.  Once the testimony is carried to the heart It’s then on the agency of the individual to receive or reject that testimony. 

    God has perfect faith.  We are here to develop our faith so that we can be like Him.  He is the great accountant, and we are his protégés.  It is His hope, His glory that we can become like Him.  As we develop our faith here it will benefit us for the rest of eternity.  I know I say it a lot, but, what a thought.

    Video 3 (Lecture on Faith 2):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-o59d9ioGA&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=3

    Lecture on Faith 2: http://lecturesonfaith.com/2/

  • Lectures on Faith

    Lectures on Faith

    Lectures on Faith – Introduction and Lecture 1: Faith Defined.

    I’ve been watching a series of videos on the Lectures on Faith as supplemental material to my study of the Lectures.

    If you’re not familiar with the lectures on faith, you can read them all here:

    https://lecturesonfaith.com/

    It’s unclear who officially wrote the Lectures on Faith, though they were approved of and taught by Joseph Smith.  At a minimum, the concepts and theology of them comes from revelation given to Joseph Smith.  Yet another example and evidence of his calling as a prophet.

    I write here my notes and thoughts on these videos and the lectures.  There are seven Lectures.  The 10 video series I’ve been watching spans almost 5 hours and reviews each of the Lectures.  In writing this it will help me put together my thoughts and understanding on what Joseph Smith tried to teach us about faith.  Through this process I know my faith will grow by studying these principles.  What Joseph Smith taught about faith is beyond profound, it is revelatory. I will need to study his words and all supplemental material for the rest of my life to get a grasp of the profound and eternal nature of faith.  I look forward to reading over my notes here many times to refresh my mind and expand my knowledge on the subject.

    Video 1 was an introduction to the Lectures.  Video 2 was all about Lecture 1 – Faith Defined. 

    First, what are the Lectures on Faith?  They are principles put together by Joseph Smith to help early elders to share the gospel.

    What do the seven lectures cover? (from Video 1)

    Lecture 1 What is faith?

    Lecture 2 Links the principles of faith and the doctrine of revelation.  The power of human testimony is the medium with which the gospel is passed from generation to generation.

    Lectures 3 and 4 The character and attributes of God.  If we don’t understand the attributes of God, we can’t have confidence to exercise proper faith in Him.

    Lecture 5 The Godhead, nature of the members of the Godhead.

    Lecture 6 The Law of Sacrifice.

    Lecture 7 The fruits of faith.

    What is the plan for the Lectures on Faith?

    1. Teach what faith is.
    2. Teach how to obtain faith.
    3. What happens if you obtain faith?
    Lectures on Faith: The Exalted Nature of the Godhead (Part ...
    Bob Millet

    My favorite part from the first video was this suggestion from Bob Millet, one of the panelists. His suggestion was this: read the Lectures on Faith 20 times then you can start to study them.

    Now that I have an overview on what all 7 lectures will cover and teach, I can get into Lecture 1.

    Lecture 1: Faith Defined

    Obvious question to start, what is faith?

    Faith is the first principle in revealed religion and the foundation of righteousness.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for but not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  The lecture starts broad – faith is the belief that something will come to pass.  Then it gets more religious in tone: “the principle of action in all intelligent beings.”

    Faith is a principle of action.  Faith implies works, it implies activity, both physical and mental.  Just as faith is the moving action in all things temporal, so it is with spiritual (paragraph 12). 

    By faith God formed the earth.  I think this is the most profound point from Lecture 1.  That it is God’s faith that is His power.  Take faith from God and He would cease to exist (paragraph 16).  I know to many this seems like outright blasphemy.  But before rejecting the idea without thought, consider what is being said.  Faith is a principle of power.  It is the power by which God formed the earth.  Take away His faith, take away His power, He ceases to be God.  Luckily for us God’s power cannot be taken away.

    God’s faith and knowledge are equivalent.  It is God’s perfect faith that allows His perfect knowledge.  Consider: faith is believing in something that you haven’t yet seen.  Since God’s faith is perfect what He has faith in will be, it will exist.  We mortals look at faith as weak, unproven, unscientific.  It is God’s trust in the Plan of Salvation that makes Him create worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that created those worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that makes Him the Almighty.

    Again, faith is the power of God.  If faith is that important, it adds a whole new meaning, explanation, and understanding to this life.  Why do we move through life as if through a misty darkness, unsure of everything?  Why the veil that covers our eyes and fogs our minds to so much that we used to know?  Why don’t we know where we come from?  Why don’t we know where we’re going?  Why doesn’t God send angels down to tell us which church is true?  Why doesn’t God allow profound miracles to occur before unbelievers’ eyes so they can KNOW that He exists?  The reason God doesn’t do these things is due to the importance of faith.  We are here to learn faith, develop faith, grow faith; because it is that important.  God does not want to take that opportunity of growth and development away from us.  He won’t.  He knows how critical it is.

    Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God.  Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence!” (Paragraph 24).

    Link to Lecture 1: https://lecturesonfaith.com/1/

    Link to Video 1 An Introduction on the Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiV4dCY9OEA&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=1

    Link to Video 2 What is faith?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_EXFQK-KJE&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=2