Romans 6: Baptism

Unit One Choice Three: Baptism

o   Sin must be forsaken before baptism can occur. For converts they have to forsake bad habits such as smoking, drinking coffee, and working on Sunday. They have to be worthy.

o   The events from Christ’s life that are symbolized by the baptism are Christ’s death. Christ’s death is symbolized by us totally immersing in the water. Christ’s resurrection is symbolized in baptism when we come up out of the water which symbolizes being raised up from the dead. When we are baptized, our old ways are crucified just as our Savior was, and we raise up renewed and clean having forsaken our old ways ready to continually choose the right.

o   Baptism by sprinkling doesn’t symbolize the death and the resurrection the way baptism by immersion symbolizes Christ’s death and resurrection.

o   There verses teach us to be baptized and have “our old man” crucified so we no longer serve sin. This will help us to maintain the “newness of life.”

o   According to Mosiah 3:19, the natural man in us would ideally die after being baptized because we would want to be as a little child and be submissive to our father, who is in heaven.

o   We know whose servants we are by our actions. If we yield to temptation, we are servants of the devil because we are submitting our will to sin. We are servants to whom we obey. Likewise, if we choose righteousness if we keep the commandments, we are servants of Heavenly Father because we are submitting our will to His and showing Him that we want to obey His word. We show that we are obedient to what He asks us, and thus we become His servants.

o   The true source of freedom is obedience. It keeps us free from sin and temptation, and in our freedom the Lord protects us from the fiery darts of the adversary.

Forgiveness

 Unit Two Choice Two: 2 Corinthians 2: 1-11. Forgiveness

2 Corinthians 2:1-11 – The people of Corinth were commanded to forgive and comfort and confirm our love for the person whom causes us grief. This shows obedience and in turn allows us to be forgiven of our transgressions by Heavenly Father through Christ. It will also prevent Satan from having power over us.

Matthew 6: 14-15 – If we forgive others, Heavenly Father will forgive us, but if we don’t forgive others, Heavenly Father will not forgive our trespasses.

Doctrine and Covenants 64: 9-10 – The danger in failing to forgive others is we have the greater sin compared to the person who we will not forgive. Because of this, we stand condemned before the Lord. It is up to Heavenly Father to decide who not to forgive…it is up to use to “forgive all men.” 

The Impact of Example

Unit One: Topic Choice One: 1 Corinthians 4:2,  9-17; 8 9-13. The Impact of Example

1 Corinthians 4:2 –  It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful

1 Corinthians 4: 9-17 –  The group specifically selected to be examples is the apostles.

They are apostles of the Lord, but we’ve all been asked to be disciples. People see more members of the church every day than they see of the twelve apostles, so we need to be examples of what we believe so that others will want to know more about Christ because they know us.

 Alma 39: 11-12 – It is not enough just to know what is right because our actions speak louder  than our words, and people will not listen to what we say when our actions speak otherwise.

3 Nephi 8:1 – When we live what we know, we are ‘cleansed every whit’ from iniquity, and we are given additional power to work miracles in the name of our Savior.

Ministering with Proper Authority

Student Choice 4: Acts 19-20. Proper Authority and Ministering to the People.

The five priesthood ordinances Paul performed include

1. Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ
2. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
3. The healing of the sick
4. Performing the Sacrament
5. The healing of the afflicted

Paul baptized the people in the name of Jesus Christ and confirmed upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Before Paul had come, the Corinthian saints had been baptized in the name of John, but that wasn't the correct way so Paul baptized them in the name of Christ. 

This example answers questions for non-members who have been baptized before and they don't understand why they need to be baptized again. This example can be used to show that just because a person is baptized doesn't mean it was done correctly. Therefore, to be baptized a member it needs to be done with the correct authority and in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Paul bestowed the gift of the Holy Ghost to the Corinthian saints through the laying on of hands. Acts 19: 6 tells us, "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." 

The saints met to break bread on the "first day of the week" (Acts 20:7). In John 20: 1 & 19 we learn that Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week which explains why the Sabbath day was changed.  

Day of Pentacost

Student Choice 3 Acts 2. The Day of Pentecost

• The Day of Pentecost is described to us in Acts chapter two. Pentecost was a celebration that lasted 50 days (seven weeks) after the Passover. We get "Pentecost" from the Greek word Pentekoste which literally means "fiftieth." It is also known as the "feast of weeks" because the Lord poured out his spirit upon the people and they were devouring the experience. The people expressed their deep gratitude to God and in return received a fullness of His spirit. 
• Two of Peter's teachings during this time include teaching of the resurrection and teaching of baptism and confirmation. In verse 32 it states, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." Clearly the people knew Christ was crucified, but here Peter teaches them that our Savior and Lord conquered death. Verse 31 states, "...his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." He also taught the people about baptism. After he rebuked them for crucifying Christ, the people were  'pricked' in their hearts and wanted to know what they could do. Peter then taught that they needed to repent and be baptized and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
• Peter fulfilled his role as a special witness of Jesus Christ during Pentecost by testifying of Christ's victory over death and testifying that Christ is the Son of God. He also fulfilled his role as a special witness of Christ by testifying that the day of Pentecost was a flood of the spirit upon the people, which spirit testifies of Christ.
• Gifts of the spirit that were manifested on this day include the gifts of tongues. In verse 17 it tells us that "...your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Another gift that was manifest is the gift "given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world" (Doctrine and Covenants 46:13) for after the day of Pentecost and Peter's teachings, the people desired to be baptized. 
• The people responded with faith after everything that occurred on this day, and they also responded with gratitude to God for giving them such outpourings of the spirit in such a concentrated way. 

Acts 7: 51-60 & Mosiah 17: 7-20

Hey blog readers. I've created this blog for my New Testament class I'm taking online through Brigham Young University, Idaho. Throughout the next several weeks I will be adding my personal insights to this blog. For this week I'll be answering some questions about Acts 7: The Martyrdom of Stephen (choice four of my topic choices).

Read Acts 6: 6-8 and Acts 7: 51-60

• Summary of Stephen's last words and what impressed me
• What I learned about the godhead

Compare to Mosiah 17: 7-20

• Similarities between Stephen and Abinadi's deaths
• What impact their final testimonies have on me

Acts 7:51-53

In Stephen's last words, he declares to the people their stiffneckedness and their hard hearts ("uncircumcised hearts"). He declares the wicked traditions of their fathers; as the fathers ignored the Holy Ghost, so have these people. He calls them betrayers and murderers as prosecutors of the prophets. He speaks of the people's sin in breaking the laws that have come from the angels. 

I am impressed by the way Stephen speaks with boldness in this passage. He really calls the people out on their wicked behavior such as resisting the Holy Ghost, persecuting the prophets, and breaking the commandments. In this passage it speaks about the godhead. Verse 56 states, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Christ was standing as a separate personage on the right hand of God, our Heavenly Father. They are two separate beings.

Mosiah 17: 7-20

Stephen and Abinadi's deaths are similar because they are both martyrs and both died an awful death. Stephen was stoned to death and Abinadi was burned to death. Their final testimonies are full of boldness. Abinadi was told he was going to be put to death and he still declared the truthfulness of his words. He was not ashamed to declare the truth. Even in the act of being burned Abinadi prophesies of the death that will come to King Noah. "He would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death" (Mosiah 17:20). I am grateful for Abinadi's example and I hope I can be as bold and unashamed as he was when it comes to declaring what I know to be true.