Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon contains a long parable about the "Lord's vineyard." This vineyard contains both tame and wild olive trees, which represent Israel and the gentiles. One theme to recognize in this parable is how people can be changed so that they who once rejected Christ might be ready for His Second Coming.
The entire chapter represents different time periods:
1. Before Christ (vs 4-15)
2. During the time of Christ (vs 16-28)
3. After Christ, during the Great Apostasy (vs 29-60)
4. The Gathering of Israel (vs. 61-77)
This whole chapter is so rich, but I want to focus on one particular phrase that caught my eye: to "lay up fruit against the season." I noticed this multiple times throughout the chapter, so I took some time to study what that means.
In Jacob 5:41-47 (the section describing the Great Apostasy, or the corruption of the gospel after the time of Jesus Christ), the Lord of the vineyard weeps because of the corruption of His vineyard. He asks multiple times,
"What more could I have done for my vineyard?"
In verse 46 He mourns:
"And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. But, behold, they have become like unto the wild olive tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them."
In this context it seems that the Lord of the vineyard was trying to preserve good fruit despite the corrupt surroundings. He did all that He could to care for the trees in every part of the vineyard in order to produce good fruit. To me, this shows an unconditional love and desire that Christ has to bring us back to Him. He does everything He can to lead us to truth and peace, but ultimately it is our choice to follow Him.
Earlier in the chapter (verses 11-14, representing before the time of Christ), the Lord of the vineyard instructs his servant to graft in the natural branches of a tame olive tree into other trees of the vineyard:
"And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing.
"Wherefore, go thy way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words.
"And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I may preserve unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof against the season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof.
"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure."
The "grafting" that the servant of the vineyard refers to the steps that each person must take to receive the full blessings of the kingdom of God: the steps of faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Taking these steps allows people to be nourished by God's word and have a deeper understanding of His truth and His plan. As Jacob 5 illustrates, throughout time the world has gone through periods of corruption and periods of peace. But God has always provided ways for people to find the fulness of the gospel and to again be "grafted" into His family. Throughout time, God has "laid up fruit against the season" to preserve His gospel even during times of corruption.
I am grateful for God's unconditional love and for His desire to bring us back to live with Him again after this life. His main purpose is to help us achieve "immortality and eternal life" (Moses 1:39), and He provides us with a plan to achieve those!
Showing posts with label children of christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children of christ. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Thursday, May 28, 2015
2 Nephi 30:15 - How does the "knowledge of the Lord" create peace and harmony on the earth?
The verses leading to 2 Nephi 30:15 illustrate a scene that would seem quite unusual for the world today: the wolf dwelling with the lamb; the leopard lying down with the kid, calf, and fatling, all led by a little child; the cow and the bear feeding together and their young ones lying down together; the lion eating straw like the ox; the baby playing on a hole of a snake, etc. This scene comes at a time of peace and righteousness on the earth, after the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This time will be called the Millennium.
2 Nephi 30:15 explains that "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." What is it about the knowledge of the Lord that will create this peace and harmony? The next few verses begin to answer this question.
"The things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men. There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed. Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time" (2 Nephi 30:16-18).
When I think of secrecy I think of mistrust, miscommunication, misunderstanding, and unsurety. Because all things will be made known in the Millennium, all these negative effects of secrecy will disappear.
I imagine being in a classroom learning new material and not understanding that material. My peers get together to study together, but they don't allow me to join. They are secretive about it, because they want to have an unfair advantage over the rest of the class. This would leave me feeling mistreated, lost, and frustrated. If I didn't understand the material I would not have the ability to do well in the class. However, with knowledge, I would be enabled to pass the class and continue to receive further knowledge. I would feel fulfilled and liberated.
It is a beautiful prophecy that in the times preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, "wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of [our] times, and strength of salvation" (Isaiah 33:6).
In October 2013 general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction." All of us have questions, some of which will never be answered until we pass on to the next life. But letting those questions cause doubts lead us to stop progressing and gaining more knowledge. President Uchtorf says to "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (Dieter F. Uchtorf, "Come Join with Us").
It was necessary for Adam and Eve to exercise their faith in Jesus Christ after they chose to partake of the forbidden fruit. They were commanded not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were given a choice, and they chose to eat the fruit. With their choice came the ability for Satan to tempt and try God's children. Because of this, it was necessary for God to provide a Savior to redeem all mankind from the results of the Fall. Without gaining knowledge, Adam and Eve would never have had the opportunity to progress and become like God. They would never experience good and evil and understand the difference. They would never have the opportunity to exercise their agency. They would never experience true joy. (See 2 Nephi 2:22-23.)
The Bible Dictionary states that "knowledge of divine and spiritual things is absolutely essential for one's salvation. . . . The scriptures, and also living prophets, are given so that the people might have knowledge of things of God. . . . Knowledge is one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost and one of the gifts of the Spirit. . . . Since no one can be saved in ignorance of the gospel, and one progresses only as fast as he gains knowledge, it follows that the person who gains knowledge will have 'the advantage in the world to come' (D&C 130:18-19)."
Knowledge comes from the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of peace. The Spirit gives us knowledge "and power according to [our] faith and desires which are in God" (Alma 18:35). When we receive knowledge through the Spirit, we discover the mysteries of God and "all the riches of the full assurance of understanding" (see Colossians 2:2-3).
In Romans 15, Paul lays out the beauty of obtaining knowledge from the scriptures: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. . . . Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another" (Romans 15:4, 13-14). With knowledge we can obtain hope, joy, and peace, because we understand what is good.
As stated in the scriptures, the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth before the Second Coming of the Savior. "And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep" (Helaman 15:13).
In the Book of Mormon, Mormon glorifies God as he illustrates his gratitude for the knowledge God has given to him and his people: "I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls. Surely he hath blessed the house of Jacob, and hath been merciful unto the seed of Joseph. And insomuch as the children of Lehi have kept his commandments he hath blessed them and prospered them according to his word. Yea, and surely shall he again bring a remnant of the seed of Joseph to the true knowledge of the Lord their God. And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen" (3 Nephi 5:20-26).
The "knowledge of the Lord" is far more valuable than any other knowledge we could attain. Let us continue to seek knowledge so that we can be brought into the fold of God, and receive the peace and joy that comes from knowing our Savior, Jesus Christ.
2 Nephi 30:15 explains that "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." What is it about the knowledge of the Lord that will create this peace and harmony? The next few verses begin to answer this question.
"The things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men. There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed. Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time" (2 Nephi 30:16-18).
When I think of secrecy I think of mistrust, miscommunication, misunderstanding, and unsurety. Because all things will be made known in the Millennium, all these negative effects of secrecy will disappear.
I imagine being in a classroom learning new material and not understanding that material. My peers get together to study together, but they don't allow me to join. They are secretive about it, because they want to have an unfair advantage over the rest of the class. This would leave me feeling mistreated, lost, and frustrated. If I didn't understand the material I would not have the ability to do well in the class. However, with knowledge, I would be enabled to pass the class and continue to receive further knowledge. I would feel fulfilled and liberated.
It is a beautiful prophecy that in the times preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, "wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of [our] times, and strength of salvation" (Isaiah 33:6).
In October 2013 general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction." All of us have questions, some of which will never be answered until we pass on to the next life. But letting those questions cause doubts lead us to stop progressing and gaining more knowledge. President Uchtorf says to "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (Dieter F. Uchtorf, "Come Join with Us").
It was necessary for Adam and Eve to exercise their faith in Jesus Christ after they chose to partake of the forbidden fruit. They were commanded not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were given a choice, and they chose to eat the fruit. With their choice came the ability for Satan to tempt and try God's children. Because of this, it was necessary for God to provide a Savior to redeem all mankind from the results of the Fall. Without gaining knowledge, Adam and Eve would never have had the opportunity to progress and become like God. They would never experience good and evil and understand the difference. They would never have the opportunity to exercise their agency. They would never experience true joy. (See 2 Nephi 2:22-23.)
The Bible Dictionary states that "knowledge of divine and spiritual things is absolutely essential for one's salvation. . . . The scriptures, and also living prophets, are given so that the people might have knowledge of things of God. . . . Knowledge is one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost and one of the gifts of the Spirit. . . . Since no one can be saved in ignorance of the gospel, and one progresses only as fast as he gains knowledge, it follows that the person who gains knowledge will have 'the advantage in the world to come' (D&C 130:18-19)."
Knowledge comes from the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of peace. The Spirit gives us knowledge "and power according to [our] faith and desires which are in God" (Alma 18:35). When we receive knowledge through the Spirit, we discover the mysteries of God and "all the riches of the full assurance of understanding" (see Colossians 2:2-3).
In Romans 15, Paul lays out the beauty of obtaining knowledge from the scriptures: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. . . . Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another" (Romans 15:4, 13-14). With knowledge we can obtain hope, joy, and peace, because we understand what is good.
As stated in the scriptures, the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth before the Second Coming of the Savior. "And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep" (Helaman 15:13).
Monday, September 5, 2011
Mosiah 5:7 - What does it mean to be the children of Christ? Are we not His brothers and sisters?
What does it mean to be the children of Christ? Aren't we his brothers and sisters?
In the scriptures, there are a lot of references to the people of Christ being "born of him" because of their conversion to Him (see 1 John 4:7, 5:1; Mosiah 27:25; Alma 5:14; D&C 5:16). When our hearts are changed to follow Christ, we are born again of Him; we are his "sons and daughters" spiritually. We are of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, named after the Son of God. The verse says that when people have made a covenant with God they are "spiritually begotten" by Him: "for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and daughters."
When we take the sacrament, we promise that we will take upon ourselves the name of Christ. Similarly, in our own families, we literally take upon ourselves the name of our parents. When we are spiritually born of God, we take upon ourselves His name.
Accompanied with taking the name of Christ is accepting the law of obedience. We promise to remember the atoning sacrifice of the Savior as well as keep His covenants.
In The Guide to the Scriptures on lds.org, "children of Christ" is defined as "Those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ." We are identified with Christ and in His church. Following are some useful scriptures that support the idea of becoming children of Christ:
Select this link to hear a free podcast on "Children of Christ." http://mormonchannel.org/programs/qa-episode-38?lang=eng
When we take the sacrament, we promise that we will take upon ourselves the name of Christ. Similarly, in our own families, we literally take upon ourselves the name of our parents. When we are spiritually born of God, we take upon ourselves His name.
Accompanied with taking the name of Christ is accepting the law of obedience. We promise to remember the atoning sacrifice of the Savior as well as keep His covenants.
In The Guide to the Scriptures on lds.org, "children of Christ" is defined as "Those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ." We are identified with Christ and in His church. Following are some useful scriptures that support the idea of becoming children of Christ:
- Believe in the light that ye may be the children of light (John 12:36)
- Because of the covenant ye shall be called the children of Christ (Mosiah 5:7)
- If ye will lay hold upon every good thing, ye certainly will be a child of Christ (Moroni 7:19)
- As many as received me, gave I power to become my sons (D&C 39:4)
- Fear not, little children, for you are mine (D&C 50:40–41)
- Thou art one in me, a son of God (Moses 6:68)
Select this link to hear a free podcast on "Children of Christ." http://mormonchannel.org/programs/qa-episode-38?lang=eng
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