Man's Greatest Discovery

Receive The Greatest Gift NOW

 

 

The Book of Mormon - a Gift From God - Lesson 1 from natemoller

JESUS CHRIST: CELESTIAL KINGDOM INHERITANCE

Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation

God, the Father, said,  “I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth him shall be saved, and he that receiveth him not shall be damned.”

God, our Heavenly Father, sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem all from sin and death, to establish a path and pattern for happy and successful living now and how to prepare for eternal life in the hereafter. The plan and pattern that God established is for those who believe in Christ and receive Him with all their hearts, will be rewarded, and this reward is salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven. On the contrary, those who reject Christ and His true gospel, will not gain eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom, but they will inherit another degree of glory, either Terrestrial or Telestial, lesser degrees of Glory. We have the freedom to choose  which path we will follow.

 “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:27).

God forces no one to choose righteousness or evil; for, He grants us our agency to act for ourselves. Herein, all have equal opportunity for freedom of choice whether to follow Christ or not. Choose wisely,

“Decisions Determine Destiny” (Thomas S. Monson)

JESUS CHRIST: LITTLE CHILDREN REDEEMED

Jesus Saves Little Children

God the Father said, “But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me.

--Doctrine and Covenants 29:46-47

Little children cannot sin because Satan doesn’t have power to tempt little children to do wrong. When they arrive at the age of accountability, then satan can tempt them to choose the right or wrong. Little children are automatically redeemed through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father. It is a gift from God.

JESUS CHRIST: REPENTANCE MADE POSSIBLE

The Suffering of Jesus

"Glory be to the Father"

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

--Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19

Jesus suffered for all, giving us the opportunity and freedom to repent if we choose to do so; otherwise, we must suffer as He suffered. One of the sufferings we will experience if we don’t repent is that His Spirit will withdraw from us. Jesus’ suffering was so great that it caused Him to tremble because of pain, to bleed at every pore. He suffered both body and spirit to fulfill the will of the Father and bring about the Father’s desire of providing a Savior for all.

Jesus is that Savior who glorified the Father from the beginning. We to can glorify God by repenting and following our Savior in righteousness; herein, is peace and happiness and joy.

JESUS CHRIST: HIS PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Jesus Testifies of Himself

Jesus testified, “Behold, I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, and your Redeemer, by the power of my Spirit have spoken it.”

--Doctrine and Covenants 18:47

Jesus bears a testimony of himself, of just who He actually is. Prophets testified of Him, individual people testified of Him, and now Jesus testifies of himself that He is truly our Lord, our God, our Redeemer. He spoke to people in ancient times, and He continues to reveal His and the Father’s will to people today, even prophets, apostles, various called and ordained leaders in His church, and to individuals who humble and sincerely seek His face. Jesus promised:

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;

2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;

3 And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—

4 The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.

Our challenge is to:

1. Forsake our sins
2. Come unto Christ
3. Call on Christ’s name
4. Obey Christ’s voice
5. Keep His commandments

His promise: That we may see His face and know Him.

JESUS CHRIST: THE SUFFERINGS OF

Jesus Christ Suffered Death in the Flesh

The Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

--Doctrine and Covenants 18:11

Jesus, our Redeemer, suffered pain and agony in the flesh, mind, and His spirit. He experienced excruciating pain and torment and affliction for all people and things, giving us the chance to repent, to change our ways and come closer to Him, to become His sons and daughters. He suffered torment from those who hated Him and persecuted Him, from those who scourged and crucified Him, from those who betrayed Him. Even those who didn’t believe Him or believe in Him, this caused great mental trauma in His soul. Jesus loves all people, regardless of their actions, although He doesn’t like one’s evil actions. Jesus is the great I AM.

JESUS CHRIST: THE FOREORDAINED SON OF GOD

Jesus said, “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.”

Jesus Came to Give us Life

--Book of Mormon Ether 3:14

Jesus was chosen and foreordained to come to earth and be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, redeem us of our sins by sacrificing His life, blood, and body for us, to bring about the perfect Atonement. He is a Father and Son: Father in the sense that He begat us life and provides us life here on earth; the Son in the sense that He is literally the Son of God, the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh for He has a mortal mother and an immortal father. In addition to Christ giving us life, He has provided us with the way to live eternally in an exalted state, with God the Father, Jesus himself, and the Holy Ghost and others who qualify. Believing in Jesus Christ is the first step in becoming His sons and daughters; for this is when He can spiritually begat us.

JESUS CHRIST: LIGHT AND LIFE

The Bitter Cup

Jesus said, “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”

--Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 11:11

Jesus is the light and life of all created beings and things. His light is within every individual soul, animal, planet, the sun, the moon, star, tree, all things that were created by the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus drunk from the bitter cup; He suffered pain and agony in Gethsemane and on the cross to glorify the Father and to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation and exaltation. Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world from ages past to eternities to come-no ending. His atonement was infinite and eternal. His influence extends in the past to no beginning and to the future to no ending. His life and atonement is unlimited and never-ending. He is the Great Atoner.

JESUS CHRIST: THE MASTER TEACHER

Receive Christ

And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.

--Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 9:17

Redemption comes through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As we come unto Christ, we become His sons and daughters because he begets us life, even the abundant life. He gives life to us and we sally forth and seek Him. When we put away things of the world and seek for things of a better, we are putting God first in our priorities. If we seek Him and His righteousness first, then all other good things will fit it, will fall into place for us in our pursuit of the principled-filled life.

Belief in Jesus Christ is the starting point to all good things, to laying hold of those things that are good and wholesome. It is a way of life, and the style of life God hopes we all pursue. He is happy when we follow Him by keeping His commandments.

JESUS CHRIST: REDEEMER OF ALL MANKIND

The Resurrection of Christ

Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.

But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

--Book of Mormon Helaman 14:16-17

The resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ redeems all mankind, and brings them back into the presence of the Lord. Our sins separate us from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost due to our unworthiness, but their love is still there for us and they are desirous for us to repent and come unto them. As we do so, then we draw nearer to them and they to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through the shedding of His atoning blood.

JESUS CHRIST: THE ONLY NAME

The Only Way: The Atoning Blood of Christ

O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

--Book of Mormon 5:9

Through the atoning blood of Christ is the only way than humankind can be saved. There is no other way nor means for salvation to occur. Christ’s blood atoned for all is the one and only way to eternal life and never-ending happiness. Christ is the Redeemer of the whole world, and all worlds created by the Almighty God. Put Him first in your life and He will put you in the top kingdom of glory in the hereafter, even the Celestial Kingdom. Jesus said, “I am the way.”

JESUS CHRIST: JUST AND MERCIFUL

And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

--Book of Mormon Alma 42:15

God has a plan for us  to learn and live by to qualify us for eternal life. His plan can be called the Plan of Salvation, Plan of Happiness, Plan of Mercy, Plan of Exaltation, Plan of Eternal Life. They all refer to the same plan.

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness, grace, clemency, charity, forbearance. Jesus Christ’s atonement makes mercy possible, for He atoned for our sins to bring about the plan of mercy, this plan of forgiveness and charity. Jesus is the Son of God. By His divine nature, Jesus can forgive us and pour peace into our souls. God is a perfect and just God. Mercy cannot rob justice when justice is due, if so, God would cease to be God. God treats everyone fairly and justly, for He is just and merciful.

JESUS CHRIST: LOOSING THE BANDS OF DEATH

Remission-Redemption-Resurrection

Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have

eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

--Book of Mormon Alma 11:40-41

Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, each of us can become clean and the burden of our rebellion will be lifted. Look here how to receive personal strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as delivered by Elder Scott, Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the world to remit our sins and redeem the people.  By so doing, He took upon himself the sins and transgressions of the people that believed in Him. Believers repented and received a forgiveness of their wrongs and opened the gate for them to gain eternal life if they endure; however, the wicked will be resurrected, but will not be redeemed unless they do repent. God knows all things. We will all be judged on Judgment Day and all truth will surface at that time. Those who live in secret and think they are getting away with it will be surprised when they stand before their Maker. Here is the time of reckoning and they will be accountable for every action here in mortality. It will be a rude awakening for lots of people because satan deceives them into thinking they can sin, hurt others, be dishonest and never get caught. God will not be mocked; therefore, their time will come.

Jesus made the resurrection possible. He is the Redeemer and purifier of souls. He is the center of all true religion. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is supreme to all other events and doctrines. The Atonement does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We stand all amazed at the Atonement of Jesus Christ, His infinite and eternal sacrifice.

JESUS CHRIST: HIS RIGHTEOUS EXAMPLE

Faith in Christ-Repentance-Baptism-Holy Ghost

27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.

28 Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been—if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.

---Book of Mormon Alma 9:27-28

The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, Repentance. Third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fourth, laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus taught the path to heaven and that was to believe in Him, that He is our Savior and Redeemer. Repent of our wrongs, to change our way, our minds and our perspective on life. Then we need to be baptized by one holding the proper authority to do so. Not just anyone can baptize and it be recognized by God.

Everybody will be judged and rewarded according to their thoughts, motives, actions, deeds, and works. God will not be mocked. The righteous will receive a glorious reward. The wicked who don’t repent will reap damnation for their consequences resulting from the devil and his evil influence. Jesus is the master example for us to pattern our lives after. He said, “Come, Follow Me.” We follow Him by striving to be like Him in righteousness and perfection.

JESUS CHRIST: REPENTANCE MADE POSSIBLE

Repentance

Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Book of Mormon Alma 7:13

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He suffered, bled, and died so that He could fulfill the Father’s purpose: working out the infinite atonement for all humankind and all living things. Jesus suffered according to the Father’s will in order for us to receive a remission of our sins and transgressions based upon our faith and repentance. Read a thorough description of Repentance here. REPENTANCE: From the LDS Bible Dictionary, Repentance is defined as followers: The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God.

Repentance denotes:

1. A change of mind: We are literally in charge of our thinking. We control our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. “As a man thinketh, so is he.”
2. A fresh view about God: As we study the holy words of God, ponder, and pray, our views and perceptions about God improve that increases our faith in Him. Faith leads to good works.
3. A fresh view about oneself: The more we learn about God, the better we feel about ourselves, that we are His spirit offspring, His children, and that He loves us and wants the best for us, that which we need.
4. A fresh view about the world: Knowing God and His gospel gives us reasons for living, purposes for being on the earth. Knowing the ‘WHY” of earthlife motivates to action in doing that which is righteous and pleasing to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our lives become single to the Glory of God.

Jesus is our Master teacher and friend. We sin-He saves. He is our Savior and Redeemer. May we repent and enjoy our mortal experience.

JESUS CHRIST: THE RESURRECTED LORD

22 And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.

Mosiah 15:22-24 (Book of Mormon)

23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.

24 And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.

Jesus made possible both the first and second resurrections. The first resurrection is for the righteous, and the second resurrection is for the wicked and evil people. Jesus redeemed all humankind, but it is up to each individual to choose the life he/she will live, and they will be rewarded accordingly. Those resurrected in the morning of the first resurrection will inherit a Celestial Glory in the Celestial Kingdom living with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, God the Holy Ghost, family members and others who also qualify for Celestial glory. Jesus removed the bands of death and opened the door for eternal life for the righteous to enter therein and dwell in a state of neverending happiness.

JESUS CHRIST: HIS NEVER-ENDING INFLUENCE

Mosiah 15:10-11

10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?

11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.

God the Eternal Father sacrificed His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for all the sins of the world, and Jesus humbly and willingly accepted this sacrifice, the infinite and eternal sacrifice. He is the only one qualified to make such an never-ending sacrifice whose influence would stretch beyond no boundaries. Jesus is the Great Atoner, the Holy One of Israel. As we learn the Savior’s gospel and heed His teachings, we become His sons and daughters, His seed forever as long as we obey all His commandments. We become heirs of His kingdom everlasting. Eternal life is the greatest gift that God the Father can grant unto us as His children, for we are His spirit offspring, and Jesus is our Brother, for He too is a Son of God.