 |
| Source |
Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance,
comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc.
To receive the conditional blessings
of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
·
Faith- belief in, trust in, and
commitment to obey Christ
·
Repent- submit will to Christ
and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart
·
Covenants- make/keep promises by
priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.
·
Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy
Ghost, invite and follow His guidance
·
Endure to the end- consistently grow
our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost
|
1. "For by grace
are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8).
2. "And Christ hath
said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is
expedient in me" (Moroni 7:33).
3. "In order for
your faith to lead you to salvation, it must be centered in the Lord Jesus
Christ (see Acts
4:10–12; Mosiah
3:17; Moroni 7:24–26; Articles
of Faith 1:4).
You can exercise faith in Christ when you have an assurance that He exists, a
correct idea of His character, and a knowledge that you are striving to live
according to His will.
"Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though you do not understand all things, He does. Remember that because He has experienced all your pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help you rise above your daily difficulties (see Alma 7:11–12; D&C 122:8). He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and prepared the way for you to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help you as you remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36)….
"The Lord will work
mighty miracles in your life according to your faith (see 2
Nephi 26:13). Faith in Jesus Christ helps you receive spiritual and physical
healing through His Atonement (see 3 Nephi 9:13–14). When times of trial
come, faith can give you strength to press forward and face your hardships with
courage. Even when the future seems uncertain, your faith in the Savior can
give you peace (see Romans
5:1; Helaman
5:47)" (True to the Faith).
Q How has faith blessed you? Helped you to receive some of the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ? How has faith in Christ helped you to overcome temptation? Overcome weaknesses? Find spiritual or emotional healing? Find peace? Experience miracles?
“Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy
doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord;
yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of
thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy
doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night
lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou
risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do
these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:6-7)
Q How has faith blessed you? Helped you to receive some of the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ? How has faith in Christ helped you to overcome temptation? Overcome weaknesses? Find spiritual or emotional healing? Find peace? Experience miracles?
Belief
Q What truths should we
base our faith on?
(God
is our loving heavenly father, Jesus is our Savior, Priesthood authority and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ were restored through Joseph Smith, etc.)
4. "And by the
power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever
thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the
Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power
of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of
God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men,
the same today and tomorrow, and forever" (Moroni 10:5-7)
Q How can we recognize when the Holy Ghost is testifying to
us that something is true?
5. "The fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23).
6. "The voice of the
Spirit is described in the scripture as being neither 'loud' nor 'harsh.' It is
'not a voice of thunder, neither … voice of a great tumultuous noise.' But
rather, 'a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper,' and
it can 'pierce even to the very soul' and 'cause [the heart] to burn.' (3 Ne.
11:3; Hel.
5:30; D&C
85:6–7.)
Remember, Elijah found the voice of the Lord was not in the wind, nor in the
earthquake, nor in the fire, but was a 'still small voice.' (1 Kgs.
19:12.)
The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy
hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we
may not feel it at all." (Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Jan 1983, 51).
7. "Many voices in
the world compete for your attention, and they can easily drown out spiritual
impressions if you are not careful." (Preach My Gospel, p. 96).
8. "Yea, behold, I
will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall
come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the
spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the
children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground" (D&C 8:2-3).
9. "Behold, you
have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you
took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you
must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it
is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you
shall feel that it is right" (D&C 9:7-8).
Trust
10. "Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Q What are some ways we can trust the Lord? How have you
been blessed as you have put your trust in Jesus Christ?
·
Hope-
positive attitude, look for the good, being optimistic
·
Having
confidence in the Lord and in His timetable.
·
Believe
He will fulfill all His promises- forgiveness of sin, salvation, all that is
unfair can be made right through the atonement.
·
Trust
he will consecrate our afflictions for our gain (2 Nephi 2:2-3).
·
Obey
commandments/priesthood leaders, even when we don't know fully why or what the
outcome will be.
“Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to
take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth
in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works” (Jacob
4:10).
11. "The Lord seeth
fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at
the last day" (Mosiah 23:21-22).
12. "Faith is things
which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not,
for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether
12:6)
Q How has trusting the Lord when your faith is being tried,
or in times of adversity, blessed you?
Q What are some things
that the devil tries to get us to put our trust in instead of Jesus Christ? How
does this keep us from accessing the blessings of the atonement?
Commitment to Obey Christ
Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which
I say?” (Luke 6:46).
13. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:19-20).
14. "And whosoever
doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Wherefore,
settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and
command you" (JST Luke 14:27).
15. “Consider on the
blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold,
they are blessed in all things, both temporal [physical] and spiritual; and if
they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby
they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41).
16. “Be faithful and
diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the
arms of my love” (D&C 6:20).
17. “Be faithful unto the
end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor of men, but of me,
even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer” (D&C 31:13).
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do
good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”
(Galatians 6:7-10).
Q How have you been
blessed by committing to obey Christ? By consistently trying to become more
obedient?
Q How can we show the
Lord that we are loyal and faithful to Him?
Q How does true faith
lead us to live the other principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Building Faith
18. "Faith is like the
muscle of your arm. If you exercise it, it grows strong. If you put it in a
sling and leave it there, it becomes weak" (True to the Faith).
Q How can we build our faith? How can we keep our faith
fresh and growing?
Q What lessons can we learn about building faith from growing plants or building relationships?
The
prophet Alma used the analogy of faith being a seed that grows into the tree of
testimony and taught:
19a. "If ye will nourish the word,
yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great
diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall
take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting
life" (Alma 32:41)
19b. "But if ye neglect the tree,
and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and
when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it
withers away... Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it
because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground
is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit
thereof." (Alma 32:38-39).
Q
How can growing our faith strengthen our families?
Q How can we build
other's faith?
.
20. "Bear
testimony to your family in word and deed in the privacy of your own home. Bear
testimony in regular family home evenings, family prayer, and family scripture
study. Bear testimony as you join with your family in service projects and as
you live your life in a Christlike way. You can also bear testimony in Church
settings, such as in fast and testimony meetings or in classes or while giving
Church service" (A guide to addiction recovery and healing, p. 72).
Please share your testimony of the principles covered in this lesson or share a favorite scripture or quote that wasn't included.
No comments:
Post a Comment