When Jesus lived on earth, He taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. (Matt. 6:9) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter Mormons) believe that we are literally the spirit children of our Heavenly Father. (1 Cor. 8:6, A of F 1) When Mormons speak of "God," they usually refer to God the Father. He is the Supreme Creator of all things and the omnipotent Ruler of the universe. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit join God the Father in what is called the "Godhead." They too are gods and are one in purpose and unity with the Father. However, Mormons believe that these two Beings are separate from (or are not the same Being as) God the Father. God has a physical body.
God is merciful, loving, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and is present everywhere through His spirit. Before this world existed He created a plan which would allow us to progress to become more like Him. This plan required a Savior (Jesus Christ) and our own obedience to enable us to progress. God loves us and wants us to have faith and trust in Him.
More information about God: see the entry on God in the LDS Bible Dictionary, entry on God at lds.org, entry on God in LDS Topical Guide.
Attributes of God: Mosiah 4:9, Jacob 4:9, Luke 6:36, Alma 12:33, John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-8, Alma 41:3-4, Jeremiah 32:17, Moses 1:3-6, 39, Alma 26:35, Moroni 7:22, Joseph Smith History 1:11-20.
God has a physical body and is not the same being as Christ or the Holy Ghost: Talk by Elder Holland, D&C 130:22, Matt. 3:17, Acts 7:55.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Jesus on Prayer - "Even You"
Some of my favorite of Jesus' teachings focus on prayer. He taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father (Matt. 6:9), in His name (John 14:13-14) for the things that we need, and also to give thanks to God for what we receive. At least three times Jesus uses examples which I like to call the "even you" passages. In essence, Jesus says even we know what it means to be asked for something and to respond to the request - even if it is not convenient. The moral of these stories is that if even we know how to do this, then how much more so will God do it, who loves us perfectly and has all power? Here are the references:
Matthew 7
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 18
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Matthew 7
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Even we, in our imperfect state, know what it means to give a good gift to our children - how much better can God do than us? The next passage expands the idea:
Luke 11
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Even we, in our imperfect state, know what it means to give a good gift to our children - how much better can God do than us? The next passage expands the idea:
Luke 11
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
In this passage, the person asked for the favor did not want to help; he was in bed, and it would be a bother to get up and help his friend. The fact that the men are friends is not enough to get him up; however, because of the petitioner's insistence ("importunate" means "troublesomely urgent: overly persistent in request or demand"), the friend eventually gets up and grants the request. Again, the moral of the story is, if even this guy was willing to help his friend when it was inconvenient, how much more willing and able will our Heavenly Father be to answer our petitions, if we have faith and trust in him? And finally, the last passage:
In this passage, the person asked for the favor did not want to help; he was in bed, and it would be a bother to get up and help his friend. The fact that the men are friends is not enough to get him up; however, because of the petitioner's insistence ("importunate" means "troublesomely urgent: overly persistent in request or demand"), the friend eventually gets up and grants the request. Again, the moral of the story is, if even this guy was willing to help his friend when it was inconvenient, how much more willing and able will our Heavenly Father be to answer our petitions, if we have faith and trust in him? And finally, the last passage:
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Here we encounter a character even worse than the friend in bed. Jesus frames the parable to show that the only reason why the judge ended up helping the widow was because she kept asking. The first thing to notice is that the woman she asked was a widow, which (I imagine) in the context already put her in a state of relative disadvantage when making petitions. Second, the judge didn't fear God - apparently this meant that he wasn't afraid that God would punish him for not doing his duty; he lived for himself. Lastly, he didn't "regard man," which I guess means either he wasn't easily persuaded or that he didn't have a powerful enemy who someone could use to get him to do something. In sum, the judge had no personal reason to help the widow. However, "because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." He was just so sick of her coming and asking for help that he was willing to do what she wanted just to get rid of her. Again, the teaching is that if even this lousy judge would respond to a request for help, how much more will our Father in Heaven, who is perfect, respond to our prayers?
I know that God hears our prayers and answers them as we pray in faith.
(For more on prayer, see also: the entry on prayer in the LDS Bible Dictionary and on the LDS website.)
Here we encounter a character even worse than the friend in bed. Jesus frames the parable to show that the only reason why the judge ended up helping the widow was because she kept asking. The first thing to notice is that the woman she asked was a widow, which (I imagine) in the context already put her in a state of relative disadvantage when making petitions. Second, the judge didn't fear God - apparently this meant that he wasn't afraid that God would punish him for not doing his duty; he lived for himself. Lastly, he didn't "regard man," which I guess means either he wasn't easily persuaded or that he didn't have a powerful enemy who someone could use to get him to do something. In sum, the judge had no personal reason to help the widow. However, "because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." He was just so sick of her coming and asking for help that he was willing to do what she wanted just to get rid of her. Again, the teaching is that if even this lousy judge would respond to a request for help, how much more will our Father in Heaven, who is perfect, respond to our prayers?
I know that God hears our prayers and answers them as we pray in faith.
(For more on prayer, see also: the entry on prayer in the LDS Bible Dictionary and on the LDS website.)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 4 of 4
In this post we will finish our brief survey of the Book of Mormon, noting some important teachings and events from the books of Mormon, Ether, and Moroni.
These books comprise the most tragic portion of the Book of Mormon. In them we read of the demise and destruction of two major civilizations: the Jaredites in Ether and the Nephites in Mormon. The book "Mormon" begins about 322 years after Christ's birth and re-introduces us to the editor of the entire book which bears his name, a prophet-historian named Mormon. It was he who, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, selected, edited, and commented on the writings which would eventually comprise most of the Book of Mormon (Mormon's son Moroni would add to the writings after his death).
During Mormon's life the people were quickly descending into self-destruction because "wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land." (Mormon 1:13) Wars raged constantly, and late in his life Mormon knew that his people (the Nephites) would soon be completely destroyed. However, he also knew that the record he was working on would be preserved and brought to light at some point in the future. In chapters 3, 5, and especially 7 Mormon tells the purposes of the Book of Mormon: to persuade all "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God," (5:14) to call us to repentance, (7:3, 5, 8) to tell the descendants of the Lamanites about their ancestors, (7:1, 5) to persuade us to believe in the Bible, which Mormon knew would come forth, (7:8-10) and to impress upon us the fact that we will all stand before Christ one day to be judged of our works. (3:22) (see also the Title Page to the Book of Mormon)
Mormon's people were eventually defeated in a colossal battle in 384 A.D. Hundreds of thousands of his people were killed, and only Mormon, Moroni, and twenty-three other people survived. (6:15) Mormon mourned for the loss of his people, writing "O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! . . . O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy." (6:17, 22)
In time, Mormon was also killed by the Lamanites, but before he died he entrusted the record to his son Moroni. All alone for at least 21 years, Moroni wandered where he could to avoid being killed. His writing comes to several "finales," as if he was expecting to die at any time, but his enemies never catch him, so he continued to write. (see Mormon 9:33-37, Ether 5, Ether 12: 38-41, Moroni 1:1, Moroni 10) As he wandered he wrote a brief history of the "Jaredites," a group of people which came from Babel when the tower of Babel was being built. (Ether 1, see also Genesis 11) Moroni wrote the history based on a collection of records that had been found many centuries earlier. These records tell of a man whom we know by the title "the brother of Jared." He was a righteous prophet and received many revelations from God, including a personal visitation of Jesus Christ. (Ether 3) God guided these people from the Middle East to the Americas, and there they lived for many generations. Ultimately, however, the people became prideful and greedy and killed one another in a massive war. In addition to 3, notable chapters include 2, 4, 8, and 12.
Moroni finished this history and then included a few chapters on priesthood ordinances (that is, special religious acts done by persons who hold the authority to act in God's name) and church governance. (Moroni 2-6) He also wrote down some letters which he had received from his father earlier in life. (Moroni 7-9) Lastly, he included a promise about how someone could know if the record he was keeping, the Book of Mormon, was a true book. He wrote:
"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. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)
I encourage the reader to follow Moroni's invitation. I have read the Book of Mormon, pondered it in my heart, and asked God if it was true. God answered my prayers by the Holy Ghost, giving me a calm, peaceful assurance that the Book of Mormon is a book of scripture, written by prophets of God.
These books comprise the most tragic portion of the Book of Mormon. In them we read of the demise and destruction of two major civilizations: the Jaredites in Ether and the Nephites in Mormon. The book "Mormon" begins about 322 years after Christ's birth and re-introduces us to the editor of the entire book which bears his name, a prophet-historian named Mormon. It was he who, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, selected, edited, and commented on the writings which would eventually comprise most of the Book of Mormon (Mormon's son Moroni would add to the writings after his death).
During Mormon's life the people were quickly descending into self-destruction because "wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land." (Mormon 1:13) Wars raged constantly, and late in his life Mormon knew that his people (the Nephites) would soon be completely destroyed. However, he also knew that the record he was working on would be preserved and brought to light at some point in the future. In chapters 3, 5, and especially 7 Mormon tells the purposes of the Book of Mormon: to persuade all "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God," (5:14) to call us to repentance, (7:3, 5, 8) to tell the descendants of the Lamanites about their ancestors, (7:1, 5) to persuade us to believe in the Bible, which Mormon knew would come forth, (7:8-10) and to impress upon us the fact that we will all stand before Christ one day to be judged of our works. (3:22) (see also the Title Page to the Book of Mormon)
Mormon's people were eventually defeated in a colossal battle in 384 A.D. Hundreds of thousands of his people were killed, and only Mormon, Moroni, and twenty-three other people survived. (6:15) Mormon mourned for the loss of his people, writing "O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! . . . O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy." (6:17, 22)
In time, Mormon was also killed by the Lamanites, but before he died he entrusted the record to his son Moroni. All alone for at least 21 years, Moroni wandered where he could to avoid being killed. His writing comes to several "finales," as if he was expecting to die at any time, but his enemies never catch him, so he continued to write. (see Mormon 9:33-37, Ether 5, Ether 12: 38-41, Moroni 1:1, Moroni 10) As he wandered he wrote a brief history of the "Jaredites," a group of people which came from Babel when the tower of Babel was being built. (Ether 1, see also Genesis 11) Moroni wrote the history based on a collection of records that had been found many centuries earlier. These records tell of a man whom we know by the title "the brother of Jared." He was a righteous prophet and received many revelations from God, including a personal visitation of Jesus Christ. (Ether 3) God guided these people from the Middle East to the Americas, and there they lived for many generations. Ultimately, however, the people became prideful and greedy and killed one another in a massive war. In addition to 3, notable chapters include 2, 4, 8, and 12.
Moroni finished this history and then included a few chapters on priesthood ordinances (that is, special religious acts done by persons who hold the authority to act in God's name) and church governance. (Moroni 2-6) He also wrote down some letters which he had received from his father earlier in life. (Moroni 7-9) Lastly, he included a promise about how someone could know if the record he was keeping, the Book of Mormon, was a true book. He wrote:
"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. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)
I encourage the reader to follow Moroni's invitation. I have read the Book of Mormon, pondered it in my heart, and asked God if it was true. God answered my prayers by the Holy Ghost, giving me a calm, peaceful assurance that the Book of Mormon is a book of scripture, written by prophets of God.
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