Tag Archives: Sins

Summary of Enos + Enos 1

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Summary of Enos + Enos 1

                The Book of Enos… is the fourth book in the Book of Mormon….

Enos opens up speaking of the knowledge his father had taught him, Enos goes out to hunt and while hunting finds himself pondering the words spoken by his father concerning eternal life and the joy of the saints.

                “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, know that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Enos 1:4-8)

                Here, Enos cried out to God for his sins to be forgiven. God answered his prayer, just like he answers all of our prayers. God forgave Enos of his sins, because of his faith in Jesus Christ. This is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Faith in Him!

After having felt this remission of his own sins, Enos desires this same for his people and asks God to deliver them from their sins as well. Enos desired that they would be spared and that the record which he had would not be destroyed; “…that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephities… that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites…” (Enos 1:13)

Enos goes on to explain how the Nephites had attempted on numerous times to reach out to the Lamanites to help them come unto Christ, but their labor was in vain. Enos explains that the Lamanites were “…a blood thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness…” (Enos 1:20) Enos saw many wars and contentions between the Lamanites and the Nephites.

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1 Nephi 10

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1 Nephi 10: Lehi tells of the coming of Jesus and the scattering of the Jews

                Nephi explains that before he starts his account of his people, he must speak concerning the words of his father Lehi. After the dream of Lehi, Lehi began to speak about the Jews, saying that the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and that they would be carried away captive into Babylon. Lehi also foretells that the Jews would be led out of captivity to return to the land of their inheritance. Nephi explains what his father told him; “…six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world. And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.” (1 Nephi 10:4-6) Nephi explains that because the world was in a lost and fallen state, because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, mankind needed a Redeemer! This Redeemer would come and take upon himself the sins of the world!

Lehi mentions that before the coming of this Messiah, that a prophet would come before to prepare the way; “…he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose…” (1 Nephi 10:8) – See also Matthew 3:3 Lehi explains that this Prophet [John the Baptist] would baptize the Messiah and after this baptism the Messiah would become the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the World!

Lehi explained to Nephi, who then taught us that this Lamb of God would be rejected and slain by the Jews, then; “…rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles.” (1 Nephi 10:11) Because of this Lehi explained that the house of Israel would be divided and be scattered and broken off upon all the face of the earth. This is compared like unto an Olive Tree, which in the last days the remnants of the branches of Israel [after having received the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ] “…should be grafted in…” (1 Nephi 10:14) into the Olive Tree. Nephi explains that all these visions and writings were done in a tent in the valley of Lemuel.

After Nephi had heard about these visions and dreams he became desirous to see and hear for himself through the power of the Holy Ghost. Nephi explains that; “…he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.” (1 Nephi 10:19) Nephi knew that if he had faith to know these things, that the mysteries of God could be unfolded before him. He just had to have faith to TRULY know if what his father Lehi had seen was true.

Jude 1 + Summary of Jude

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Jude 1: Mockers in the Last Days + Summary of Jude

                Jude writes a general epistles and explains that many leaders in the church have turned the; “…grace of our God into lasciviousness…” (Jude 1:4), which can also be seen today with many false teachers preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ for financial gain.

Jude explains that like in times of old with Sodom and Gomorrha, the people looked towards their own lusts; “…giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh [homosexuality]…” (Jude 1:7) Jude explains that Jesus Christ will come again for the Second Time; “…the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds…” (Jude 1:14-15) Jude explains that in the Last Days, before the second coming of Jesus Christ that; “…there should be mockers… who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.” (Jude 1:18) Jude invites all the members of the church and the followers of Jesus Christ to “Keep yourselves in the love of God…” (Jude 1:21)

1 John 1

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1 John 1: We Follow God by Obedience to His Law

                John writes a general letter to all the believers of Christ and explains that we must be obedient to God and His commandments. For; “…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Therefore our purpose to become like Him means that we need to also be filled with the light and rid ourselves of the darkness. John explains that “If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we life, and do not the truth.” (1 john 1:6) Because of this we must not be hypocrites and instead practice what we preach. If we follow Jesus Christ and say we follow Him, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM! For “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Essentially, we need to confess our sins and admit that we have and/or are currently sinning. We are not perfect, and therefore will make mistakes that are contrary to the commandments of God. If we work hard to rid ourselves of our sins by confessing them and promising to no longer participate in those sins, God is merciful and just to forgive us. Just like Salvation is a FREE gift we must still accept the gift. Unfortunately many believe that these gifts come FREE without any stipulations, but the truth is not so… we have to do our part in order to receive these wonderful gifts from God.

Hebrews 9

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Hebrews 9: Christ = The Mediator

                Paul writes to the Hebrews and explains that in times of Old (the Old Testament) a priest would come into the Holy Tabernacle once a year to “atone” for the sins of the people. However, Christ came to Atone for the sins of the people with a far greater tabernacle, which was His own body, the very same body that He sacrificed and Atoned for us. In order for this Atonement to take effect, Jesus Christ had to die for the Testament. This is similar to “last will and testament”, which is only executed upon death of an individual. Because of this it was necessary for Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Those who follow Him; “…are called [to] receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:15)

Paul explains the divine mission of Jesus Christ;

“…Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands… but into heaven itself…. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the scone time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:24;28) Therefore those who follow Jesus Christ will be given salvation when Jesus Christ returns for the Second time.

 

Hebrews 2

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Hebrews 2: The Atonement

                Paul writes to the Hebrews and asks them; “…if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation…” (Hebrews 2:2-3) Essentially Paul asks; if we know that our wickedness comes with punishment, WHY would we NOT accept SALVATION?

Jesus, “…by the grace of God should taste death for every man… to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:9-10) Paul goes on to say; “…I will put my trust in him…” (Hebrews 2:13) and he encourages others to do the same.

Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can ALL be Saved, if we so choose. Jesus Christ was; “…made like unto his brethren, that he might be merciful and faithful… to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [comfort] them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18) Jesus Christ knows our temptations, our fears, our suffering, our deepest desires; he suffered so that He would know how to comfort us in our times of sorrow and rejoice with us in our times of rejoicing!

Romans 3

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Romans 3: Man is Judged by Faith in Jesus Christ

 

“What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision?” (Romans 3:1) Paul addresses the Romans and states that regardless of being a Jew or a Gentile, ALL are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ. He asks: what does it profit a man to have only the LAW, and not the FAITH? Man’s unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God. The law cannot save us from our sin and the penalty that accompanies it. Paul points out that “…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.” (Romans 3:23-25)

Sinners (everyone) are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus Christ Atoned for the Sins of ALL, we can be saved. However, we must understand what being Saved means.

What is Salvation?

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, everyone will experience a temporal death. However, through grace, which was made possible by the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, everyone will be resurrected and receive immortality. Resurrection alone does not qualify us for eternal life in the presence of God. Remember, Paul said; “…all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23), these sins make us unclean and unfit to dwell in God’s presence. For this reason, we are saved through Grace, ONLY after all we can do. After all, Jesus Christ died for us, the very least we can do is follow His law. Essentially, Jesus Christ unlocked and opened the door to Eternal Life, we however must make the choice to enter through that door. This is where Grace is a FREE gift from God, but Eternal Life and Salvation require our part. What is it that we must do? We must live by God’s law and we must follow in the steps of Jesus.

Paul ends this chapter by asking; “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31) What does he mean? He means that we should throughout either the Law of Faith, but have both. Faith without works is dead! The Book of Mormon helps us to understand a little more about grace; “…we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God, for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (Book of Mormon; 2 Nephi 25:23) 

Ezekiel 17-18

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Ezekiel 17-18

Chapter 17: Parable of Israel

Ezekiel shows in a parable of Israel, how Israel will be subject to Babylon.  It goes like this…

An eagle (Babylon) on the top branches of a cedar tree, takes it off. It also takes the seed of the land and plants it in a fruitful field. The seed becomes a vine. The vine bent to another eagle (Egypt), and is promptly destroyed by the first eagle. Changing his tone, the Lord says he will take the highest branch of the cedar tree and set it in the mountain of the height of Israel (Zion), where it shall prosper. This will happen in the last days from a goodly tree in the cedars of Lebanon.

Chapter 18: Punished for our own sins

The word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel and tells him that Men shall be punished for their own sins, sinners shall die, and the righteous shall save their souls. Anyone who sins and does not repent will not be saved.

The Lord says; “…all souls are mine… the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4-5)

One important thing to get out of this chapter is that you are only responsible for YOUR OWN SINS! “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son…” (Ezekiel 18:20)

For this reason I don’t understand some religious beliefs that claim an “original sin” and for this purpose needing a baptism for this original sin to be “cleansed”. First of all we are not responsible for others sins, and therefore the idea of an “original sin” is blaspheme. In the LDS church we believe: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” (Articles of Faith, 2) Therefore if we are not to be punished for other’s sin, then why does a baby who has done nothing wrong in the world… therefore is innocent, need a baptism? Baptism is for people who can sin, and can understand they have sinned and are mentally able to repent of those sins. In the Book of Mormon it speaks of the horrible practice of infant baptism.

“Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician…  children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me… wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children… this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism! (Moroni 8: 8-12, Book of Mormon)

Jeremiah 5-6

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Jeremiah 5-6

Chapter 5: Sin= Less or No Blessings

Judah’s iniquities are recounted. It will be destroyed by a strange nation whose tongue is unknown. Their “…prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them…” (Jeremiah 5:13) They continue to serve strange gods. The Lord calls out to Judah; “Hear now this, O foolish people and without understanding; which have eyes and see not; which have hears and hear not: Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence…” (Jeremiah 5:21-22) The people of Judah did not listen to the Lord. Because they have strayed from His path and committed sin the Lord calls out; “…your sins have withhoden good things from you.” (Jeremiah 5:25) Because of evil and sin, the Lord can and will hold blessings that could be yours. If we are not willing to the live the Gospel and follow the Lord’s commandments he is not bound to bless us.

In Doctrine and Covenants we read “I, the Lord am bound wjem ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10) So if we strive to do what is right and generally do what is right, we are entitled to more blessings from the Lord and He will not have to withhold those blessings from us. However, in the case of Judah they have strayed from the Lord and therefore the Lord will not protect it.

Chapter 6: Jerusalem shall be destroyed

Jerusalem will be made desolate, because they did not hearken unto the word of the Lord.

“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? …behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10)

In the Last days, like Jerusalem the people will become ashamed of the word of the Lord and will no longer listen. Because of this Jerusalem with be destroyed and punished for its transgressions by a nation from the north. This nation is cruel and will have no mercy. Repent.

Psalms 37-38

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Psalms 37-38

Chapter 37: The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

A Psalm of David.

David opens the first 2 verses of this Psalm by telling the reader that we are not to be worried about the “evil-doers” because they will soon be “cut down like the grass”. But he does give us some sound counsel…

“Trust in the Lord, and do good… delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalms 37:3-4)

The Book of Mormon also gives us some insight into our desires; “…I know that he [God] granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life…” (Alma 29:4; Book of Mormon)

Essentially we are reminded that God has given us agency, and with that agency we can have any desire of our hearts… we alone have the power to choose life or death. We can choose to be good or we can choose to be evil. If we chose to do good and we ask God for the righteous desires of our heart, He will grant them according to His will.

David goes on to speak about those who shall inherit the Earth and those who will have the support of the Lord…

“…those that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” (Psalms 37:9)

“…the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (Psalms 37:11)

“…in the days of famine they shall be satisfied…” (Psalms 37:19)

The meek shall inherit the earth. Who are the meek? To be meek, means to be humble and patient. Those who wait on the Lord and stay humble, will inherit the earth and come out triumphant.

I also read this verse which really stood out to me. It is a good reminder of living within your means and not borrowing more than you can pay for. After all if WE borrow WE must pay it back!

“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth” (Psalms 37:21)

Chapter 38: Sins are Like a Disease

A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

                David explains the sorrows of his sins; “…there are no rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head… they are too heavy for me.” (Psalms 38:3-4)

When we sin, we don’t feel right. David reminds us of the pains and sufferings that come from not following the commandments and sinning.  David says “…I am ready to halt (stop what he is doing)…I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.” (Psalms 38:18)

David tells us of not only the sorrows, but the steps we can take to be free from those sorrows! He explains that he “halted” what he was doing and declared his sins, but not only that… he was sorry for doing them. David had truly repented.