Read the previous post in this series here.
Lecture Five of the Lectures on Faith is where we start getting to the really fascinating doctrine: the Godhead. This is also the lecture that was one of the main excuses the 1921 committee used to remove them from the scriptures. The first reason was that they were "not received as revelations by the prophet Joseph Smith"--so what? He vouched for them and was willing to "be called to answer to every principle advanced." The second reason is supposedly that they are explanations of the principle of faith, but not doctrine. I disagree with this wholeheartedly. The preface to the original edition specifies that the lectures cover the "important doctrine of salvation": they represent the "Doctrine" in the title Doctrine and Covenants. And as I have said so many other times, there is only one true doctrine: the doctrine of Christ, as set forth in 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11, and the first principle of this doctrine is faith in God--exactly what these lectures are about. I don't understand how anyone can say that these lectures are not doctrine, unless they are simply restating that the administration of the Church has removed them from the official canon. But the fact that they are not part of the canon doesn't take away the fact that they are still about the doctrine of Christ. The third reason the committee removed them was that they believed the explanation of who the Godhead is to be incorrect. They were wrong, and I'll address this in my post today. But consider this: who do you want to believe about the nature of God: Joseph Smith, who talked to Him face to face, and who vouched for the accuracy of the explanation in the Lectures on Faith, or a committee almost a century later, none of whose members ever claimed to have seen or spoken to God, making executive decisions without the sustaining vote of the Church? I'll let you decide.
Note: I highly recommend that you study Lecture Five along with D&C section 93. You'll see why shortly.
So let's get started! The first bit of confusion for me comes immediately in the second paragraph, when it begins talking about two personages, instead of the usual three. However, the lecture does specify that the Godhead consists of three people: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so I'm sure it's not a mistake. These two personages "constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme power over all things--by whom all things were created and made." We are speaking of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is currently being excluded from the description of the governing and creating power. More about him later.
Se afișează postările cu eticheta Lectures on Faith. Afișați toate postările
Se afișează postările cu eticheta Lectures on Faith. Afișați toate postările
30 martie 2015
18 martie 2015
A Correct Idea of His Attributes
Read the previous post in this series here.
I've neglected the Lectures on Faith a bit over the past few weeks; I've had a lot of other things on my mind. But in the past few days, the importance of knowing God in order to exercise faith in Him keeps coming to the forefront of my mind. So the fourth Lecture on Faith is a great place to start, with its discussion of the attributes of God.
As I said previously, I think characteristics are something you have, whereas attributes are something you are, and that is perhaps how the list of qualities in lecture Three differs from lecture Four. I'm not actually sure the difference is important. The purpose of the fourth lecture is to "show the connection there is between correct ideas of the attributes of God, and the exercise of faith in him unto eternal life" (4:1). This is a good time to remind ourselves that we are still talking about the doctrine of Christ, which is to have faith, repent, be baptized, and press forward in Christ until we obtain a sure promise of salvation from the Father (2 Ne 31). Put in context, we are still trying to figure out what it means to have the kind of faith that gets you from the first step to the last.
"For without the idea of the existence of the attributes which belong to God, the minds of men could not have power to exercise faith on him so as to lay hold upon eternal life" (LoF 4:2)--it is the mind which exercises faith, so it is essential that the mind have a correct understanding in order to "enable [us] to exercise faith in God, and through this means to be partakers of his glory" (LoF 4:3). To lay hold upon eternal life means to be partakers of his glory: something worth the effort and faith, no? So in order to exercise faith in God to reach that goal, we must know what kind of being He is (attributes), in addition to knowing what kind of powers He has or what kinds of things He can do (characteristics).
This lecture has an interesting structure: it covers each attribute three times. The first pass is just a list of scripture references referring to each quality; the second is a detailed explanation of what it means, and the third is a quick summary. I will address each attribute once, and integrate the material.
I've neglected the Lectures on Faith a bit over the past few weeks; I've had a lot of other things on my mind. But in the past few days, the importance of knowing God in order to exercise faith in Him keeps coming to the forefront of my mind. So the fourth Lecture on Faith is a great place to start, with its discussion of the attributes of God.
As I said previously, I think characteristics are something you have, whereas attributes are something you are, and that is perhaps how the list of qualities in lecture Three differs from lecture Four. I'm not actually sure the difference is important. The purpose of the fourth lecture is to "show the connection there is between correct ideas of the attributes of God, and the exercise of faith in him unto eternal life" (4:1). This is a good time to remind ourselves that we are still talking about the doctrine of Christ, which is to have faith, repent, be baptized, and press forward in Christ until we obtain a sure promise of salvation from the Father (2 Ne 31). Put in context, we are still trying to figure out what it means to have the kind of faith that gets you from the first step to the last.
"For without the idea of the existence of the attributes which belong to God, the minds of men could not have power to exercise faith on him so as to lay hold upon eternal life" (LoF 4:2)--it is the mind which exercises faith, so it is essential that the mind have a correct understanding in order to "enable [us] to exercise faith in God, and through this means to be partakers of his glory" (LoF 4:3). To lay hold upon eternal life means to be partakers of his glory: something worth the effort and faith, no? So in order to exercise faith in God to reach that goal, we must know what kind of being He is (attributes), in addition to knowing what kind of powers He has or what kinds of things He can do (characteristics).
This lecture has an interesting structure: it covers each attribute three times. The first pass is just a list of scripture references referring to each quality; the second is a detailed explanation of what it means, and the third is a quick summary. I will address each attribute once, and integrate the material.
24 februarie 2015
Autoritatea Credintei
Citat din Prelegeri despre Credinta care am folosit in lectia duminica trecuta. Tema: ce trebuie sa cunoastem despre Dumnezeu ca sa credinta noastra sa aiba putere pentru salvare.
Dar, de asemenea, este necesar sa stie ca El nu este partinitor, sa aiba o idee despre toate celelalte lucruri minunate din caracterul Lui, iar daca acest lucru ar lipsi atunci nu si-ar putea exercita credinta in El. Pentru ca daca El ar fi partinitor, ei nu ar stie care sunt privilegiile lor, nici nu ar avea de unde sa stie pana unde au autoritate de a-si exercita credinta in El, sau daca chiar au vreo autoritate. Totul ar fi o mare confuzie. In momentul in care mintiile oamenilor ar intelege adevarul cu privire la acest lucru, ca El nu este partinitor, ei ar intelege ca au autoritate prin credinta de a obtine viata eterna, comorile cerului, deoarece Dumnezeu nu este partinitor si ca toti oameni din fiecare natiune au privilegii egale.
Prelegeri Despre Credinta 3:23
Vezi, de asemenea:
Dar, de asemenea, este necesar sa stie ca El nu este partinitor, sa aiba o idee despre toate celelalte lucruri minunate din caracterul Lui, iar daca acest lucru ar lipsi atunci nu si-ar putea exercita credinta in El. Pentru ca daca El ar fi partinitor, ei nu ar stie care sunt privilegiile lor, nici nu ar avea de unde sa stie pana unde au autoritate de a-si exercita credinta in El, sau daca chiar au vreo autoritate. Totul ar fi o mare confuzie. In momentul in care mintiile oamenilor ar intelege adevarul cu privire la acest lucru, ca El nu este partinitor, ei ar intelege ca au autoritate prin credinta de a obtine viata eterna, comorile cerului, deoarece Dumnezeu nu este partinitor si ca toti oameni din fiecare natiune au privilegii egale.
Prelegeri Despre Credinta 3:23
Vezi, de asemenea:
- 2 Nefi 26:33
- Alma 32:23
- Faptele 10:34-35
11 februarie 2015
Why I Write, De Ce Scriu
(In limba romana mai jos)
I have recently been feeling a bit down because I feel so inadequate. I have this whole list of things that I feel need to be written about--like my current series in English on the Lectures on Faith, or one that I'm planning in Romanian about the discourses of Alma the Younger, but I'm not a spiritual genius, and I don't feel particularly insightful as I study or write. Mostly I just feel like somebody needs to write about these things, for two reasons.
First, as people who aspire to be members of the Lord's church, as He defined it in D&C 10:67-68, we sure preach a lot of stuff that violates the standard He gave us in those same verses, and we teach for doctrines the commandments of men (Matt 15:9). I cannot stress enough how important it is to realize that any teaching that is not faith in Christ, repentance, and coming unto Christ, is not His doctrine. Our talks, our lessons, our manuals and publications and handbooks are all full of commandments that are not doctrine, and it's not healthy for us. We need to invest a lot more effort in understanding what Christ's doctrine is, so that we can actually be His church, and not just another worldly imitation. (Hence my series on the Lectures on Faith.)
Second, in September of 1832, only two and a half years after the LDS Church was established, the Lord gave Joseph Smith a revelation that is quite shocking if you think about it: He declared that the "whole church," "the children of Zion, even all," was "under condemnation" (D&C 84:55-56). If you read the whole passage of D&C 84:54-58, you will find that we are condemned because we do not believe the Book of Mormon and have treated its teachings lightly. And unless we manage somehow "not only to say, but to do according to that which [the Lord has] written," a scourge and judgment will be poured out upon us.
And lest you doubt that this condemnation still rests upon us today, consider the fact that Ezra Taft Benson, whose teachings we study this year in Relief Society and priesthood quorums, taught this same principle when he was president of the Church. You can read a bit of it in our lesson manual.
We need to spend a lot more time with the Book of Mormon: reading it, studying it, applying it to our lives today, and praying for understanding. I worry that we pass through it superficially only once every four years in our Church curriculum. I can't do anything about the worldwide curriculum, but maybe by writing about the Book of Mormon and my own efforts to learn from it, I can help myself and a few others. That's all I want, even if I'm not very good at it.
I have recently been feeling a bit down because I feel so inadequate. I have this whole list of things that I feel need to be written about--like my current series in English on the Lectures on Faith, or one that I'm planning in Romanian about the discourses of Alma the Younger, but I'm not a spiritual genius, and I don't feel particularly insightful as I study or write. Mostly I just feel like somebody needs to write about these things, for two reasons.
First, as people who aspire to be members of the Lord's church, as He defined it in D&C 10:67-68, we sure preach a lot of stuff that violates the standard He gave us in those same verses, and we teach for doctrines the commandments of men (Matt 15:9). I cannot stress enough how important it is to realize that any teaching that is not faith in Christ, repentance, and coming unto Christ, is not His doctrine. Our talks, our lessons, our manuals and publications and handbooks are all full of commandments that are not doctrine, and it's not healthy for us. We need to invest a lot more effort in understanding what Christ's doctrine is, so that we can actually be His church, and not just another worldly imitation. (Hence my series on the Lectures on Faith.)
Second, in September of 1832, only two and a half years after the LDS Church was established, the Lord gave Joseph Smith a revelation that is quite shocking if you think about it: He declared that the "whole church," "the children of Zion, even all," was "under condemnation" (D&C 84:55-56). If you read the whole passage of D&C 84:54-58, you will find that we are condemned because we do not believe the Book of Mormon and have treated its teachings lightly. And unless we manage somehow "not only to say, but to do according to that which [the Lord has] written," a scourge and judgment will be poured out upon us.
And lest you doubt that this condemnation still rests upon us today, consider the fact that Ezra Taft Benson, whose teachings we study this year in Relief Society and priesthood quorums, taught this same principle when he was president of the Church. You can read a bit of it in our lesson manual.
We need to spend a lot more time with the Book of Mormon: reading it, studying it, applying it to our lives today, and praying for understanding. I worry that we pass through it superficially only once every four years in our Church curriculum. I can't do anything about the worldwide curriculum, but maybe by writing about the Book of Mormon and my own efforts to learn from it, I can help myself and a few others. That's all I want, even if I'm not very good at it.
05 ianuarie 2015
A Correct Idea of His Character
Read the previous post in this series here.
The third Lecture on Faith has to do with God's characteristics, and the fourth has to do with His attributes. There is some overlap in what makes the list, but to be honest, I'm not sure if the difference between characteristics and attributes is significant. Maybe I'll figure it out by the end of this and the next post. Characteristics are something that God is, while attributes are something He has.
The third Lecture on Faith has to do with God's characteristics, and the fourth has to do with His attributes. There is some overlap in what makes the list, but to be honest, I'm not sure if the difference between characteristics and attributes is significant. Maybe I'll figure it out by the end of this and the next post. Characteristics are something that God is, while attributes are something He has.
We begin with a reminder from the previous lecture that "faith comes by hearing the word of God" (LoF 3:1, JST Rom 10:14). And then this nice summary:
"Let us here observe, that three things are necessary, in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, The idea that he actually exists. Secondly, A correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes. Thirdly, An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing, is according to his will.--For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (LoF 3:2-5.)
29 decembrie 2014
The genealogy of faith
Read the preceding post in this series here.
Having defined faith in the first lecture, in the second Lecture on Faith we turn to the subject of the "object on which it rests"--namely, God himself. When we get to the third and fourth lectures, we will discuss what kind of being God is and what his characteristics and attributes are, but I do want to share this little tidbit now: "In him the principle of faith dwells independently; and he is the object in whom the faith of all other rational and accountable beings centers, for life and salvation" (v. 2). I had to spend some time thinking about what it meant by faith dwelling independently in God. The conclusion that I came to was that in order for us to have productive faith, we must depend on God to be the object and validator of our faith. But in order for him to have productive faith--which means he has the power to do all things good and right for himself and for us--he doesn't have to have faith in anything outside of himself. Simply put, God exists independent of any of us, but we depend on him for our very being (Mosiah 2:20-25). The second thing I wanted to comment on here is the phrase "for life and salvation." "Life" can be understood to refer to existential things: to live, breathe, and have our being, which will continue in perpetuity. "Salvation" can be understood to refer to existence or life that is saved and purified--to continue on in eternity in God's presence. God alone really is the only thing, the only being we need to have faith in, in order to make our eternal existence a happy and glorious one.
Having defined faith in the first lecture, in the second Lecture on Faith we turn to the subject of the "object on which it rests"--namely, God himself. When we get to the third and fourth lectures, we will discuss what kind of being God is and what his characteristics and attributes are, but I do want to share this little tidbit now: "In him the principle of faith dwells independently; and he is the object in whom the faith of all other rational and accountable beings centers, for life and salvation" (v. 2). I had to spend some time thinking about what it meant by faith dwelling independently in God. The conclusion that I came to was that in order for us to have productive faith, we must depend on God to be the object and validator of our faith. But in order for him to have productive faith--which means he has the power to do all things good and right for himself and for us--he doesn't have to have faith in anything outside of himself. Simply put, God exists independent of any of us, but we depend on him for our very being (Mosiah 2:20-25). The second thing I wanted to comment on here is the phrase "for life and salvation." "Life" can be understood to refer to existential things: to live, breathe, and have our being, which will continue in perpetuity. "Salvation" can be understood to refer to existence or life that is saved and purified--to continue on in eternity in God's presence. God alone really is the only thing, the only being we need to have faith in, in order to make our eternal existence a happy and glorious one.
Let's move on to the main point of the lecture, which is to "show the evidences which mankind have had, and the foundation on which these evidences are, or were based, since the creation, to believe in the existence of God.... [or] by which the first thoughts were suggested to the minds of men that there was a God who created all things."
29 noiembrie 2014
What is faith?
Read the previous post in this series here.
How many times have we heard Hebrews 11:1 recited as the definition of faith? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." And how many times have our eyes glazed over as we heard it? No, it doesn't really make any sense to me either.
How many times have we heard Hebrews 11:1 recited as the definition of faith? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." And how many times have our eyes glazed over as we heard it? No, it doesn't really make any sense to me either.
I highly recomment using Webster's 1828 Dictionary as a study help for the scriptures in English, and for anything from Joseph's time. It is a wonderful dictionary, and a valuable resource to figuring out language and phrasing that is now foreign to us.
A Useful Definition of Faith
So when I started studying the Lectures on Faith earlier this year, I spent sometime looking up several of the words used in Hebrews 11:1, and came up with my own rendition of this idea: Faith is the conviction we have that things we hope for actually exist or will happen. It is the witness or testimony we can give about things we know or suspect, even though we don't currently see them.
18 noiembrie 2014
Lectures on Faith
I recently downloaded all the page images for the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, and had them printed and spiral bound so I could study them. Why? First, because they contain the Lectures on Faith, and second, because I wanted to read the modern revelations in their original format, without all the formatting, footnotes, and distractions that have been added in recent editions. I would like to study the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith in a format that is closer to how he received them and passed them on to us.
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