No Coincidences

Tag: Power

Lectures on Faith – Lectures 3 and 4: The Character and Attributes of God.
These two lectures are combined because they are so closely linked. They were also combined into one video in the series I’m watching that teaches about the Lectures on Faith.

Lectures 3 and 4 are about the unchanging attributes of God and why understanding those attributes is necessary for our faith.

The points made in the video were so good I’m going to just list the character traits and attributes of God given in these lectures and then give points from the video. All the points from the video I believe inspire some thought-provoking ideas.

Character of God:
1. He was God before the world was created and continued to be God after.
2. He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, He was from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.
3. He is unchanging, there is no variableness with Him, His course is one eternal round.
4. He is a God of truth and cannot lie.
5. He is no respecter of persons.
6. He is love.
Attributes of God:
1. Knowledge
2. Faith or power
3. Justice
4. Judgement
5. Mercy
6. Truth
It is obvious why these two lectures go hand in hand as there is a lot of overlap between the character and attributes of God.

I’ll now go over some interesting thoughts from the video.
1. Pretty obvious but worth saying, this is not a finite list of attributes. It’s meant to help our minds to understand who God is so we can put complete faith in Him.
2. Unfortunately, this has become less true in our day, but most of us don’t have a problem believing in God, it’s what He’s like where we have an issue – and so much disagreement.
3. The first attribute listed is mercy. One of the first attributes of God Nephi mentions in the Book of Mormon is mercy. In Moroni’s last chapter, the concluding chapter of the book of Mormon, mercy is mentioned again.
  - 1 Nephi 1:14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
  - Moroni 10:3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
  - It is important for us to understand the mercy of God.
4. If we have the idea that God is easy to anger it makes it harder for us to have faith in Him. In the parable of the talents, why did the servant bury his talent? Because he was afraid.
5. The fifth and sixth attributes can be combined. God is a God of love because He is no respecter of persons. He loves us all.
6. God doesn’t stop loving people when they sin. The difference is God is not able to bless people when they sin.
7. Where there is doubt faith cannot exist. Questions are different from doubts.
I’ll conclude with a statement directly from lecture 4:16 because I think it is extra relevant to us today.

“And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is the idea of the existence of the attribute truth, in him. For, without the idea of the existence of this attribute the mind of man could have nothing upon which it could rest with certainty: all would be confusion and doubt; but with the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity, in the mind, all the teachings, instructions, promises and blessings become realities, and the mind is enabled to lay hold of them with certainty and confidence.”

We see the fruits of this today. If no one knows for sure what truth is we become so shaken and confused, thrown about by any wind, blown about on the sea like a boat without paddle. That’s how we are today when we try to understand truth without putting our faith in the truth of God. One expert disagrees with another expert. No one knows how to fix anything. It is all confusion. We don’t know who to listen to or who to trust. Trust God. His attribute of truth allows us to put our complete confidence in Him and know He will never lead us astray.

To read the lectures yourself you can find them HERE.

For the videos about the lectures you can go HERE.
February 25, 2021
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.

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/
December 31, 2020
At Peace in the Light
By Dannion Brinkley with Paul Perry

Copyright 1995

_________________________________

I don’t recommend books to people often. This book I recommended directly to a cousin. This was a great book. I wonder if I say that about every book I read…

At Peace in the Light is a true story of a man who has died twice. Both times he was struck by lightning. Both times he returned to his body.

I guess not everyone would believe this to be a true story. I love near death experiences. I am all in on belief in near death experiences. They often support what I believe to be true of the afterlife.

I often joke that being struck by lighting would be the way to go. I say that’s a clear indication that God needs you back pronto. Dannion’s story made me rethink this slightly. His return to his body was an excruciating experience. His body was destroyed both times, inside and out, by the lightning strike.

Two very interesting points from this book.
- Dannion’s near death experience gave him special abilities.
Dannion became famous as a psychic. It seems whatever happened to him left him with some ability to speak or understand the souls of individuals around him. It’s fascinating to read his description of his “powers” for lack of a better word.
- Dannion’s near death experience led him into an interesting career change.
After Dannion was struck by lightning he received clear instruction on what he was supposed to do. His purpose was to setup a center to help people spiritually transition into death. Dannion describes a major issue with our society being the fear of death. It was his new purpose in life to help people transition into their next life.

It’s partly for this reason that Dannion transitioned into hospice care. To hear Dannion describe the rewarding experience of caring for the dying made me reconsider somewhat what is important in life. Near death experience books often help me re-orient my priorities.

We live this life to die. Ultimately, the most important moment of this life will be how we die.

I have a new appreciation for the sanctity and importance of hospice care. The cousin I recommended this book to works in this field.

I have had one experience with “assisting” someone (for lack of a better word) who was near death. A friend’s mother-in law was nearing the end. She had battled with cancer and it was time. This friend is not a member of my faith, but, in his words, “we don’t really know our priest. We know you.” So, he asked me to come give her a priesthood blessing.

It was a unique, uplifting, powerful experience I will never forget. This lady I didn’t know, had never met, was so frail. You never know what a person is thinking in these last moments. It’s hard to understand the pain, fear, acceptance, peace; whatever emotions and feelings they are experiencing. It was an honor to get to lay my hands on her head and let her know her Father wanted her home, and soon the pain would be gone. Soon she would be happier than she could imagine. Though she would miss her children here, and they would miss her, it was time for her to progress into the next part of her journey.

This was one experience I had with a person moving on. It has impacted me ever since. It was something I’ll never forget. Imagine having thousands of these important experiences.

For anyone that hasn’t read a near death experience book, At Peace in the Light may not be the best place to start. It kind of jumps into the topic. I still recommend it. It may leave you asking for more.
December 24, 2020
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?
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
November 12, 2020
Truths Removed from the Bible: What does the Book of Mormon tell us about Baptism?

I like to think about what critics would say as proof against the Book of Mormon. I think it helps to have responses to honest concerns about its validity. I always hope something I read, know, or especially my testimony can one day help someone to see what I see, the truth of this ancient record.

The Book of Mormon makes a very important claim. The claim is that many plain and precious truths have been removed from the Bible over time. When Joseph Smith first translated the Book of Mormon this was an outlandish and inflammatory statement. Even more so than today. Christianity in the early to mid-1800s had a firm belief that the Bible was infallible.

From a website (https://stepbystep.alancminer.com/) I’ve loved using to study alongside the Book of Mormon, I read this:

“Richardson, Richardson and Bentley write that while the Book of Mormon testifies to the authenticity of the Bible, it does not claim that the Bible is without error. It specifically states that there were many “plain and precious things” that were deleted from its pages through the evil works of men. (See 1 Nephi 13:20-32; 19:10-12; 20:1-3; 2 Nephi 3:5-22; Alma 33:3, 13, 15; 34:7; 46:23-27; Helaman 8:19-20; 15:11; 3 Nephi 10:14-17; 12:13, 17-19, 22, 29-30; 14:1.)

Scholars of the Bible have found indisputable evidence that the Bible has indeed suffered many deletions. Non Mormon scholarship has concluded that the gospels found in the New Testament have also been manipulated.”

Critics may ask for specific examples of any “plain and precious truths” found in the Book of Mormon that are not also found in the Bible.

The website I mentioned above goes on to list 24 plain and precious truths removed from the Bible and where they are laid forth in the Book of Mormon. I’d like to go over an extremely important one.

Baptism is only for those who are accountable (Moroni 8:5-23).

I know of nowhere in the Bible that lays forth the age of accountability. Should children be baptized? We know baptism is of the utmost importance:

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

What does the Book of Mormon teach us on the subject of baptism? Moroni chapter 8 is full of profound truths found nowhere in the Bible. I will quote portions of the chapter here but encourage everyone to read the chapter and ponder its truthfulness.

8 “the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me (Jesus Christ), that it hath no power over them”

9 “I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.”

10 “repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.”

11 “And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism.”

12 “But little children are alive in Christ…if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respector of persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!”

15 “For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.”

19 “Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of mercy.”

20 “And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.”

Who can read this and deny the truth that speaks to your heart and soul? It is so clearly laid out. So perfectly explained.

What about how to baptize? There is so much confusion in the world on not only when but how. Does the Book of Mormon provide an answer? Of course! 3 Nephi 11:24-28.

24 And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:

25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

26 And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.

27 And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one.

28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

How lucky we are to live in the dispensation of the fullness of times. I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon. I’m grateful that it clarifies what has been a point of contention within Christianity for centuries.

Christ was our ultimate example.

2 Nephi 31:5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized yea, even by water!

Click below to learn more about baptism as it has been perfectly restored through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/baptism?lang=eng

October 1, 2020