Tag: God

The Natural Man is an Enemy to God

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin teaches that the default path of least resistance in life (e.g. letting genetics and the weight of a materialistic worldview have full sway in one’s life) sets a soul in opposition to God. But, there is a remedy…

“…The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19)

Questions:

-How easy is it to yield to the enticement of the Holy Spirit and overcome the natural man?

-Does overcoming the natural man occur suddenly? Or, is it usually a gradual process?

Little Children are Blessed as the Blood of Christ Atoneth for Their Sins

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin teaches that Jesus Christ, through His atoning sacrifice, pays the price for any wrongdoing by children before they reach an age where they are accountable for their actions.

“I say unto you [little children] are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.” (Mosiah 3:16)

“For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:18)

Questions:

-Would a merciful and just God hold children responsible for the things they do wrong before they develop a clear sense of right and wrong?

-In comparison to waiting to baptize until children are old enough to be accountable for their actions, does infant baptism show more, or less, trust in Christ’s redemptive power?

-Is it possible to repent if you are unable to understand what you have done wrong?

The Lord God Hath Sent His Holy Prophets among All the Children of Men

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin teaches that God, prior to Christ’s birth, sent prophets among all peoples to declare the meaning of what Christ would accomplish.

“…The Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.” (Mosiah 3:13)

Questions:

-How many cultures had the ability to record the words of these prophets that were sent among them in the B.C. years?

-What is the probability that the words of these prophets would have been written down?

-What is the probability that those words, which were written down, would survive to our time?

Christ’s Blood Atoneth for the Sins of Those Who Died Not Knowing the Will of God Concerning Them

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin expounds the truth that God, being merciful and just, does not condemn those who sin unaware during mortality due to not having the full light of His true Gospel to guide them.

“…His blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Mosiah 3:11-12)

Questions:

-Would it be consistent with God’s character to only seek the redemption of some of His children on earth when He has the power to bless them all?

-When does a person know he or she is rebelling against God?

Ye Are Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father to Render Him All That You Have and Are

~ Richard Rowley

A second time, during his sermon to the Nephite people, King Benjamin teaches about each individual’s true standing with God.

“…Ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are.” (Mosiah 2:34)

Questions:

-Is it easy for you to wrap your mind around what Benjamin is teaching about each individual’s debt to God? Or, is indebtedness to God a foreign concept for you?

-Is it demeaning to be in a position in indebtedness in relation to Deity? Has God given all He has to us grudgingly? Or, is His giving inspired by perfect and eternal love?

-If joy is tied to connecting with the truth, does Benjamin’s teaching give you insight into why those who are grateful find greater joy in life?

-What does it mean to give all that you have and all that you are to God?

Teachings of Latter-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators:

“How can we ever repay the debt we owe to the Savior? He paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we can never pay. Because of Him, we will live forever. Because of His infinite Atonement, our sins can be swept away, allowing us to experience the greatest of all the gifts of God: eternal life.

“Can such a gift have a price? Can we ever make compensation for such a gift?” (“Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 43).

Ye Are Indebted unto Him

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin teaches of our reliance on God for everything we have.

“…In the first place he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves: I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.” (Mosiah 2:23-25)

Questions:

-How does God see our indebtedness to Him? As a perfect Being with perfect love for His children, would he ever use the indebtedness for anything other than a means for good?

-Is it possible to allow God to lift you to your full potential if you don’t recognize your indebtedness to Him?

He Never Doth Vary from That Which He Hath Said

~ Richard Rowley

Benjamin testifies that every promise God makes is kept, including his promise to bless those who keep His commandments.

“…All he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.” (Mosiah 2:22)

Questions:

-Is the typical person’s awareness capable of perceiving all the ways that God blesses him or her?

-Is it typical to look for blessings in a narrow zone of reality and then assume blessings were not realized?

O How You Ought to Thank Your Heavenly King!

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin seeks to wake those who take God’s blessings for granted. The prophet-king testifies that everything good we have comes from God.

“…O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you; and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:19-21)

Questions:

-Do you consider yourself a creation of God? Or, do you believe you are a creation of chance?

-Does the Spirit testify to your heart that God is sustaining you from moment to moment?

Harden Not Your Hearts

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob addresses the urgency of turning to God and embracing His will now, during mortality, rather than letting the precious opportunity pass by and fade away.

“…My beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of day, harden not your hearts. Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?” (Jacob 6:5-6)

Questions:

-Why does Jacob compare our present condition (mortality) to the light of day?

-How is God holding fast, in loyalty and love, to His children on the earth (even when they are not reciprocating)?

-Why do some harden their hearts against God’s outstretched hands?

Earth Was Created by the Power of God’s Word

~ Richard Rowley

The Book of Mormon testifies (through the teachings of the prophet Jacob) that God created the earth and the life upon it by the power of His word.

“…By the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word.” (Jacob 4:9)

Questions:

-How many see the earth and the life on it as a creation of God?

-Does the fact that it is a fallen creation (including the people of the earth) cause some to feel that God is distant or doesn’t exist?

Latter-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators:

“Think of our physical sustenance. It is truly heaven-sent. The necessities of air, food, and water all come to us as gifts from a loving Heavenly Father. The earth was created to support our brief sojourn in mortality. We were born with a capacity to grow, love, marry, and form families.

Marriage and family are ordained of God. The family is the most important social unit in time and in eternity. Under God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless association with beloved members of one’s family.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Thanks Be to God”)