Replies

[Normandy]

Hi Stourme,

This ties in directly with what Jesus taught in Matthew 25.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Hi Normandy, nice catch. It pretty much ties into the rest of the New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants.

It's a major theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In family scripture study a couple nights ago we were reading Jacob in the Book of Mormon.

Jacob 2:17 - 19
17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

I'm very happy to know that the Church has a focus on helping those in need.

I'll write more later, got to get ready for Church. One of the General Authorities is coming to speak to our stake today. Very exciting. :-)

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Without His Spirit you cannot discern. The overwhelming message of the New Testament is that by faith we are made new. Read a few examples:

Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. [This woman, in Judaic law, was a wholy unclean one because of her issue of blood for years and years. Knowing she was unclean, knowing what an offense her presence would be counted, in faith that He could heal her she snuck up and touched the hem of his garment, thus she had faith that doing this deed would make her whole ... and Jesus confirmed her faith, not her deed, by acknowledging her deed which followed her faith!]

Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Mark 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. [What did Jesus say made this blind man whole?]

Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Acts 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. [What did Peter declare brought this cure of a man crippled from birth?]

And how does one gain this astonishingly powerful faith? ...

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

And where is found this Word that brings faith? ...

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

And what is the result of this faith which cometh by hearing? ...

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

To set about to do this great work on your own power is to deny the Holy Spirit the transformative work He is sent to believers to do. BY faith you can walk in newness of life and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That renewing is the work of His Holy Spirit! Is there better than God's good pleasure? Not for those created by Him. Well then where is Mormon boasting of 'after all that we can do'? ...

Romans 3: 23-28 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

As a man believes himself fulfilling the deeds of the law to obtain righteousness, he is stumbling in the same lie fed to eve in the Garden. Mormonism is the purveyor of this same lie, that by the deeds of the law a Mormon can be made rigtheous enough to obtain God's Grace. That is blasphemous for it denies the Holy Spirit His work in them, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

It is a lie to say that the predominance of the New Testament is other than justification by faith. Once faith arises, faith in His Deliverance, then works will follow as they are authored by His Spirit in you.