2 John. Abide “in the Doctrine of Christ”

Unit 1 Choice 5

2 John. Abide “in the Doctrine of Christ”

1. Read 2 John 1:7 and the institute student manual commentary for 2 John 7, “For Many Deceivers Are Entered into the World” (p. 437). Summarize in one or two paragraphs the false doctrine John warned against, where it came from, and what effect it would have if it were believed.

John warned of those that say that Jesus did not come in the flesh. He branded these people as antichrists and advised the members to not invite them into their homes or befriend them. John was not telling the members to be unfriendly, but to keep a little distance so that these people would not gain influence over church members and affect their eternal salvation.

2. Read 2 John 1:8-13. Write one of two sentences explaining what counsel John gave that could help avoid this and other false doctrines generally.

John recommended that the members continue to keep the commandments and stay close to the church to avoid false doctrine. He also gave the counsel that the members not spend time with those that teach things that are contrary to the teachings of the church.

Unit 2 Choice 2: James 2. “Faith Without Works is Dead”

1.Some people teach that faith is all that is needed in order to be saved and that good works are not necessary. James clarified the relationship between faith and works.

• Your friend, who is investigating the Church, has expressed a question in the letter below.
• Write a response using counsel from james 2. How could you use Matthew 7:21; 19:16-17; Ephesians 2:10; Revelation 20:12-13; and 2 Nephi 25:23 to help support the truths you teach?

“Dear LDS Friend,

Some of my friends are saying that Mormons are not Christian because you believe that you need to do righteous works along with having faith to be accepted by God. My other friends claim that with the grace of Christ, works are not necessary. They say that if I join the Mormons I would be denying Christ’s grace. How should I respond to them?

-Your Friend”

Dear Friend,

We know that the only way for us to be saved is through Christ’s grace because there is no possible way for us to save ourselves. None of us are perfect and we can only come close to being clean by using the Atonement. It was only through Christ’s love and grace that the Atonement is available to us. We accept Christ’s grace and are so very thankful for it.

We believe that as disciples of Christ we should follow his example and try to live as he lived. We strive to follow the teachings of Christ and obey the commandments. One of the things we learn from Christ is to do good to others and not be selfish. Doing service and caring for others are “acts” in that we are physically doing something. Can we truly say that we have faith in Christ and believe His words if we are not willing to do the things that He has asked us to do? Christ said that we need to do the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21) and that we need to keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). Both of these scriptures talk about us taking action, not just having faith.  The “acts” that we perform show Him how much we love and honor Him and are striving to be like Him. Christ has commanded us to “love our neighbor”. How can we show our love for our neighbor without helping them and performing “acts” of service or good works for them?  We follow His example in going to church, teaching one another, and caring for and serving our neighbors. The devil knows that Christ is the Savior, but the difference between he and I are our works. The devil tries to lead people away from Christ while I, through my works, am trying to bring joy, love, and Christ into people’s lives.

We learn in Revelation 20:12 that we will be judged according to our works and James 2:17 tells us that faith without works is dead. There are many scriptures that talk about the actions that we need to take as followers of Christ, but ultimately it is up to us to gain a testimony of the gospel and gain the desire to do ask Christ has asked us.

-Amie

Philippians 1-4

Unit 1 Choice 1; Philippians 1-4. Find Solutions in the Scriptures to Life’s Challenges

For each of the following common challenges, write the counsel from Philippians that you would use to resolve it:

• People sometimes argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week (see Philippians 2:1-8, 14-15). Paul teaches us in Philippians that we should, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings” and that we should be humble and love one another.  We should work together to solve the problems and not let them come between us.
• Many youth feel that their parents’ testimony is sufficient for them. Since they have good parents, they rely on them for all their spiritual strength (see Philippians 2:12-15 and institute manual commentary for Philippians 2:12, “Work out Your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling” [pp. 361-62]). Paul teaches us that we must work out our own salvation. It is not enough for us to trust in the testimony of other people, we must gain our own testimony. It is only by our own efforts and faith that we can be saved, not through those of our loved ones.
• An investigator is considering joining the Church, but his family will no longer associate with him if he does (see Philippians 3:7-16; 4:13). Though it will not be easy, our eternal salvation is more important than our mortal relationships. Christ will comfort you and help you through these hard times.

I have a friend who went through a similar experience. Her parents refused to come to the temple grounds for her wedding day and even refused to come to the wedding luncheon that was held in a local restaurant. Even though her parents were not there, she felt surrounded by love thanks to the the people who had come to celebrate her wonderful day with her.  

Her parents no longer have any contact with her because of her church membership. It has not always been easy, but she has many friends who have become her family and she has an automatic church family wherever she goes.

• How is this writing assignment an example of the principle taught in 2 Nephi 32:3? This scripture tells us, “the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” As we search the scriptures and keep the spirit with us we can find answers to all of lifes problems and questions in the scriptures.

Romans 6 - Baptism

Unit 1 Choice 3

1. Review Romans 6:1-13 and answer the following questions in writing:

• What must be done with sin before baptism can occur? We should be “dead to sin” or turn from sin and keep the commandments.
• What events from Christ’s life are symbolized in baptism? Death, burial and resurrection.
• Considering this symbolism, why couldn’t someone be baptized by sprinkling? Because baptism is symbolic of burial and resurrection we need to be fully submerged in the water (buried) and come up out of the water (resurrection). When baptism is performed by sprinkling there is no motion to represent the burial and resurrection.
• What do these verses teach us about how we can maintain the “newness of life”? Follow Christ and yield ourselves unto righteousness.
• According to Mosiah 3:19, what part of us would ideally die at baptism? The natural man

2. Study Romans 6:14-23. Write a paragraph that describes how we know whose servant we are. Then write a statement identifying the true source or freedom.

We know whose servant we are based on our actions and attitudes. It is not enough to do good, we must do it for the right reasons and with the right spirit. If we are doing something good for it to be seen by others then it does us no good. We must do righteous actions because we know they are right and because we earnestly desire to follow Christ.

The true source of freedom is having a testimony of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 2:1-11. Forgiveness

Review 2 Corinthians 2:1-11; Matthew 6:14-15; Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10. Then respond to the following questions:

1. What were the people of Corinth commanded to do “if any have caused grief”?

To forgive that person so that the offender would not be weighed down in grief.

2. What blessings do we see if we forgive?

Christ will forgive those that we forgive. As we forgive others, Heavenly Father will forgive us.

3. What is the danger in failing to forgive?

If we do not forgive we will be condemned before the Lord and we have committed the greater sin than the person who gave the offence. The Father will not forgive us if we do not forgive others. We are also in danger of being under Satan’s control if we do not forgive others.

Unit 2 Choice 6

1. Read 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 4:1-12; 5:1-22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, 11. Then compile a list of attributes Paul counseled members to improve.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 4:1-12; 5:1-22 love one another, keep the commandments, chastity, honesty, love one another, hard work, watchfulness, sober, faith, hope, missionary work, pray, avoid the appearance of evil, hold fast to the good

2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, 11 hard work, refrain from gossip, keep the commandments, patient, obedience

2. Select three attributes from your list and write plans of how you want to improve in each area.

Prayer - I struggle with having morning prayer, always have.  I am in a rush each morning and don’t think to kneel down before I leave my room and with five kids once I leave my room there is not quiet moment to say a prayer.  I have had private prayer in my mind and feel that can be effective, but when I am looking for a clear answer to prayer I need a quiet place and time to listen for the answer, and that requires a closed door. I am going to try tying a neckerchief to my bedroom door handle so that every time I open the door I will be reminded to say my morning prayers first.

Hard work - I am about to start one of the hardest times of my life.  Homeschooling four kids, babysitting two more, helping a high school student with his homework and doing my own school work each day not to mention keeping the house clean, doing laundry, making meals, and staying sane. I have no idea how I am going to accomplish it all. I like to tell people that all of these activities are things that the Lord has told us that we need to do, so He will prepare a way for me to accomplish them.  While that is true, it is also true that I have to put in a lot of effort before He helps me make up the difference. The problem is that I would much rather sit on the couch and watch tv than teach grammar. I am going to have to fight my desire to relax and instead work harder than I ever have before in order to make this all happen. I expect to go to bed exhausted every night. I have done a lot to prepare, but it is only by diving in that I will be able to prove to myself that it is possible.

Missionary work - Even during my time as a full time missionary this was hard for me.  I worry too much about what others are going to think of me and whether or not they will still want to be my friend if I start talking about religion.  There is one family that we are close to that I know I need to talk to about the church.  My husband and I have been talking about it and realized that all we can do is open our mouths and trust that the Lord will fill them with the things we need to say. It is my goal for August to open my mouth and invite them to meet with the missionaries.

Lesson Eleven

Choice 2: John 14:15-17, 26-27; 15:26-27; 16:7-8, 13-14. The Savior's Instructions about the Holy Ghost
1. As you study the following verses, make a list of what the Savior taught about (1) what the Holy Ghost does and (2) what disciples must do to receive the Holy Ghost:
John 14:15-17 comfort, dwell in you, abide with you 
keep the commandments
John 14:26-27 "teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you", brings peace
John 15:26-27 testify of Christ
Bear witness of Christ
John 16:7-8 reprove the world of sin, righteousness and judgment
Christ must depart for the Holy Ghost to come
John 16:13-14 guide you to truth, show things to come, glorify Christ
quickens the intellect, purifies passions, inspires and develops our nature, develops beauty, invigorates the physical, intellectual, and spiritual
He instructs, enlightens, and quickens  minds and bears witness of truth to those that have made covenants as we are faithful and obey the commandments. He does the will of the Father and Son and is their special messenger.
witnesses that the gospel is true, acts as a cleansing agent, can lead one to know of future events
2. Add to your list above as you study the following resources:
Institute student manual Points to Ponder, "The Holy Ghost Brings Man to His Fullest Potential" (pg. 168)
Institute student manual Points to Ponder, "As a Messenger of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost Teaches Faithful Members" (pg. 168)
Bible Dictionary, "Holy Ghost" (pg. 704)
3. Review your list of what the Holy Ghost does. Then write responses to the following tasks:
Describe how the Holy Ghost helped the Apostles fulfill their missions after the Savior's death and resurrection.
The apostles needed the Holy Ghost to bear witness of Christ and bring things to their remembrance when they taught people the gospel.
Write a paragraph about a time when the Holy Ghost blessed you in one of the ways you listed above. Give an example of how the Holy Ghost has inspired you.
For years my husband would ask me if I wanted to go back to school when all of our kids were in elementary school. I never had much of a desire to finish my degree so I would usually shrug and be non-commital in my response. Two years ago I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting when an announcement about the Pathway Program. I immediately felt the Spirit telling me that I needed to be a part of it.  The Spirit reminded me of Conference talks when we have been told to get an education and told me that now was the time for me to follow that exhortation.  Gaining my education has not always been easy, but whenever I wonder if I am doing the right thing, I think back to that day and the feelings I had, and know that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do.