"The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1)

I have taken a great interest in the New Testament lately as I've studied it both on my own and in my formal schooling. I thought my readers would enjoy a dissection of some of the chapters I have been studying and as always I would like to take both a logical and a devotional viewpoint. The above verse opens the Book of Matthew (let it be noted that scholars aren't actually sure that it was written by Matthew but it is attributed to him as far as we can tell). I would like to begin with a little history on this Book before I delve into its first chapter. The Book was written in about 70 A.D.-80 A.D. It is believed that Matthew was writing specifically to the Jewish Christians and out of all the synoptic (coming from the Greek word which means "to view in the same way") Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), which are called such because they look at the life of Christ is similar sense (though there are distinct differences), Matthew is the book most interested with the "kingdom of God". John we will put in a realm all its own for it takes its own path in describing the ways of Christ

My focus on this verse (with more to follow) is to explain why Matthew wrote the way he did, evidences that He wrote specifically to the Jews/Christians of that time and some interesting insights into his writings. It must first be noted that this time in history Christians (recently converted Jews), were not to eager to allow Gentiles into the Church. They claimed that if they wanted to become Christian they must, essentially, first become Jewish. It could be argued that Matthew is definitely the most harsh of the four Gospels and I hope that this post will transform your study of the Book of Matthew from a casual reading into a rediscovery of both the literary and spiritual grace that is the Book of Matthew. 

Let's talk about the very first verse (which is the title of this post). In this verse, right off the bat, Matthew puts forth three very bold claims. 

I. That Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. 

I think to often people apply the word Christ as the last name of Jesus. This is a mistake that invite everyone to correct. The name Christ comes from the Greek word "Christos" which means anointed and that is similar to the Hebrew word "Mashiah" which also means anointed To understand why this would be significant to the Jews we must go way back into the Old Testament. The first significant act of anointing occurred in Exodus 40. After Israel's miraculous departure from Egypt, God gave the Israelites detailed instructions for building the tabernacle, an elaborate tented structure designed to be the center of worship for the nation. After its completion, God told Moses, "And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy” (Exodus 40:9). So the purpose of the oil was to make a place (in this case the tabernacle) holy. To make holy, or sanctify, in Hebrew comes from the word "kodesh" and the root "kadash" which means to sanctify but it also means to separate. Fundamentally, the purpose of anointing was to sanctify, or separate some thing or some one from the rest of the world. 

So what is significant about Christ being the Lord's anointed? Well think of how Christ lived his life: His entire life was set apart for God's holy use. He testified many times "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). So Christ acting as the anointed one of the Lord consecrated Himself and His life for God. I think it is safe to say from the sparse accounts we have from his life that He did just that. 

II. A Davidic King/ Of Davidic Monarchy

Since Matthew was writing to the Jews, who had extensive knowledge of the Torah, he asserted as His second claim that Christ came from a Davidic line. There are a plethora of prophecies by ancient prophets declaring that the Messiah that would deliver Israel would be a "Son of David". The Lord tells David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” This prophecy assured King David that the Messianic line would continue through His descendants, thus the Christ, the Messiah, had to be a descendant and in turn apart of the Davidic monarchy, making it more fitting that at times he was called "king of the Jews" than we realize. 

III. Son of Abraham

In Genesis 12:2-3 the Lord promised Abram "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This established the requirement that the Messiah would come through the lineage of Abraham. Within this claim of Abrahamic seed Matthew also asserts the important that "all the [nations] of the earth would be blessed". Matthew was declaring indirectly that God is no respecter of persons, that the Messiah had come to redeem all people, Jew and Gentile alike, the bottom line was that Gentiles should not be excluded from joining the Church. 

To come will be discussion of the lineage presented in the first chapter of Matthew, mainly why Matthew presents us with the lineage of Joseph when Joseph wasn't Christ's actual Father. I pray my dear readers that as you study all these things for yourself that you do so with the intention of drawing closer to Christ, of experiencing the joy of His influence in your life, and share that influence with those around. I testify that Christ was and is the Savior that the Old Testament and Book of Mormon prophets testified of, he redeemed from our sins and He has the power to save you from yourself. In the sacred name of that Redeemer I ask that God bless you until you read again. 

Be Not Drunk With Wine... But Be Filled With The Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)

Perhaps one of the most distinguishing features of Mormons is their abstinence from wine and other strong drinks. Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints often use the story of Christ turning water into wine in discussions about the health habits of latter Day Saints. The common argument: "Jesus drank wine... so why don't you (or the cases of investigators: I)?" They accuse Latter Day Saints of claiming that their God is a God of change. Yet no really looks hard enough because if they did I sincerely feel that it would make a lot of sense to a lot of people, especially to those who are familiar with the scriptures and the ways of our eternal Father in heaven. To sum it up, there are numerous reasons why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints don't partake of such things as alcohol, tea (except herbal), and coffee. However, there are two main points I would like to discuss in this post. One, the common reason, Latter Day Saints do it because the Lord has commanded it; and another, not so common reason, because the Lord desires to separate His people from the rest of the world. 

However, before I jump into the two reasons I have submitted for your consideration I wish to outline the heath, formally known as the Word of Wisdom, of the Mormon Church. It can be found in the Doctrine and Covenants in Section 89; in these verses can be found numerous health guidelines. I do not intend to outline all of them but let’s discuss a few.

All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; (verse 14)

Here is discussed the importance of grains. We were all taught as children about the food pyramid. We were all taught that out of everything we ate what we should partake most frequently of included breads and grains. In this verse the Lord has admonished the same thing of his Saints. To make grains a staple part of their diet.

And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.

About forty years ago or, before everyone learned how bad it was for you, every one smoked except for a minority, that minority consisted in large part of Latter Day Saints. Joseph Smith had received this revelation from the Lord long before things like lung cancer and other problems were known to be caused by partaking of tobacco containing substances. The Lord is all knowing and He desires to protect all of His children, including the Saints, from the harmful things of this world, but spiritual and temporal. This admonishment is evidence of His desire. Science has proved that this suggestion is not unfounded, why should we not heed the words of God? (Verse 8)

That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father… And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies… And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.”(Verse 5,7,9)

Definitely the most controversial aspect of the latter Day Saint health code, is the admonishment not to drink coffee, tea, or wine. We could spend hours debating back and forth about the positive and negatives aspects of these difference beverages but for Latter Day Saints it really all comes down to the fact that they believe the Lord has commanded it, so they do it.

So let’s discuss that concept, the idea that the Lord has commanded so we do it. A lot of us as individuals like to know why we have to do something. I know I do. But that is not the way of our Father. As I have previously mentioned we are here to be tested. Let us recall the Saviors reminder, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). No one ever said the crosses we would have to carry would be easy. The path that Christ walked was not one of ease and comfort why should it be for us? For a great reward requires a great sacrifice. Now if you will look in your Pearl of Great Price (another book in the scriptural canon of Latter Day Saints) to the Book of Abraham. In this the book the Lord further explains the purpose of such commandments like the Word of Wisdom. “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:26). The Lord wants to see how we will react when He interacts with us in our lives.

Recall for a moment the story of the ten lepers. Ten lepers came to Christ and desired that He should heal them. In compassion he commanded them, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” Luke records “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). When the ten formerly leprous men realized what had occurred then went off rejoicing. Only one returned to thank the Master for what He had done. Yet Christ, being all knowing and in tune with His Father would have known that this would occur. Yet he commanded all of them to do such a thing when He, I’m sure, very well knew that only the one would return to express His gratitude. He even asks the one “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17) I submit to you that the Lord performed this miracle and then blessed the individuals according to the way they reacted. I do not think we can surprise God but I believe we can affirm to kind of people he knows we are. Why would we not want to prove that we are willing to pick up our crosses and follow after Him? Why would not want to called his sheep?

The second reason, the one that is not as common as the first is the idea that God wishes to make His people holy. The word holy in Hebrew is kodesh, the root “kadash” also means to be separated or divided. In making His holy God wishes to separate them. Consider for a moment the laws of Old Testament Judaism. One of the defining characteristic was the fact that they didn’t eat pork, or anything that God revealed to be defiled or unholy. I ask you: does this commandment have any eternal significance? Other than being a commandment of God was the eating of pork going to kill a Jew or damn them to hell? Not at all, the Lord commandment it because he wanted His chosen people to be different. He wanted them to be Holy. The same explanation can be offered for the word of wisdom. The Lord has commandment Latter Day Saints to not drink not because He will damn them to hell if they do or that a glass every once in a while will cause detrimental problems to their health but because he wants to separate his people and make them holy. In the New Testament the Lord commanded “Therefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17). The Lord has used the Word of Wisdom to separate His Saints just as he used a kosher diet to separate the Jews. Question not the Lord for His ways are just and they will guide you to Eternal life.

It is possible that I have helped some of you understand further this concept. Before ending I would like to share one last thing with you, that is, the blessings of doing what the Lord asks. If you will return to section 89 the Lord outlines blessings for sticking to this health code of sorts. He says that if one follows these guidelines they “shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” (verses 18-21). I testify that even though we cannot understand the ways of God we can be blessed by following all the things that He commands us to do. Our Savior said “f ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Be not of the world my dear readers, glorify him in all that you do. May He bless you until you read again. 

“For By Grace Are Ye Saved Through Faith” (Ephesians 2:8)

Perhaps one of the most controversial religious issues since the mode for baptism could be the question of whether one is saved by grace or by works. It has been the debate among many denominations for as long as anyone can remember. I have touched on this topic numerous times in posts past but only recently did I decide to dedicate en entire post to this particular issue. First, let me place a disclaimer. Anything and everything I post here is my own opinion and thoughts from the research that I do. I in no way reflect the beliefs of the Church as a whole. The only real way to get answers and understand our doctrines is to study it for yourself by reading the Book of Mormon and talking with missionaries. Now that I’ve made that clear what is my position, as a Latter Day Saint, on the concept of grace and works in regards to the salvation of man?

There are two words in Hebrew that mean grace. The first “khanan” which implies grace or favor granted with the expectation of something in return later. Essentially “I’ll do this for you now but later I expect something in return.” It is give and take. The second and the one that will fit nicely into this discussion is the word “Khesed” which means an eternal gift. Really something that is given without strings attached. However, “khesed” also implies a contractile relationship. Everyone knows that in the signing of a contract there must be giving and taking on both sides. “khesed”, the freely given grace with the underlying tone of a contract is the grace that Paul talks about in his letters to the Ephesians. Yes it is freely given, it is a gift, but it is also given under the pretenses that there is to be give and take on both ends.

Yet there is another evidence of the concept of grace meaning a contractile relationship. When reading the New Testament in Greek you come across the word “pistis” which means “faith” but it also means “a relationship through a contract” Once again the idea is presented that faith is an action word; a word of giving as well as receiving.

But what of works?

For the sake of being on the same page we shall define works for this post as something that you do; an action and something that God cannot do for you. Based off of this concept is it safe to say that merely having faith in Jesus Christ is a work? It is something that we must choose to do; God cannot do it for us.

Critics of the need for works in being saved will say that it is through faith alone that ye are saved. Yet the only time the Bible mentions “faith alone” is in James 2:24 which says “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

So what does it mean to have faith?

Is faith nothing more than believing and trusting? Searching the scriptures, we see faith also involves assent to God's truth (1 Thessalonians 2:13), obedience to Him (Romans 1:5, 16:26), and it must be working in love (Galatians 5:6).  From these scriptures I think it is safe to assume that having faith is a thing of action. In fact Paul teaches that faith in Christ is a lifelong process; not a one-time experience. In his letter to the Philippians he says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). I do not think this means that we are completely on our own, that salvation depends solely on what we do. Rather, I interpret this verse to refer to the idea that even after we have accepted Christ and developed a faith in Him we must work to strengthen that faith in Him that has redeemed us from a lost and fallen state.

So our faith is constantly growing. It is subject to change. Recall the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23). If one looks at the seeds as faith then it is evident that, in some instances, the seeds are sown but do not take root, are choked by tears, or baked in the sun. Faith is something that must be cultivated and nourished and that, my dear readers, takes action. It takes work.

Christ himself emphasized the need for works in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). He separates the sheep and the goats according to what they have done. He tells his faithful “For I was in hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in. Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me” (25:35-36). Such things require action.   We cannot merely accept Christ and then do nothing. We must live for Him as surely as He died for us.

Many critics of the Church will accuse Latter Day Saints of believing that we can earn our salvation. We do not believe that. As mentioned in a previous post we believe that all are saved through the resurrection. Thus God is a merciful God for everybody will take on immortally. Yet many use the scripture in 2 Nephi 25:23 which states “it is by grace we are saved after all we can do.” Yet what is “all we can do” A wonderful example is found in Alma 24:11 which says “It was all that we could do to repent.” Latter Day Saints believe that you must have faith in Jesus Christ, and then you must repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ with the proper authority, receive the Holy Ghost and continue in righteousness all the rest of your days.

We believe that it is through Christ that you are saved. For without the atonement and the shedding of His blood we could not return to the presence of God. Yet why do Latter Day Saints believe you need works? It was explained briefly in a post on baptism but another great reason in the concept of two deaths. First is a physical death; the separation of the body and the spirit; second, the separation of our spirits from the presence of God which is known as a spiritual death. Physical death is overcome through the resurrection of Christ for as surely as He was resurrected so will we be resurrected to dwell in perfection and immortality forever. 2 Nephi 9 says “And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from the first death into life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy of Israel; and then cometh the judgment and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God” (2 Nephi 9:15). Here is where our works come in. We will be judged according to how we have lived out lives and from there will reside in one of the three degrees that has also been previously mentioned; this assignment to a degree of glory will either separate us from the Father or allow us to dwell in His presence for all eternity.

We stand by what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” Through Christ we can live lives of righteousness, faith and joy. Through Him we can repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Because of our faithfulness to our Redeemer we can prove our love and our gratitude for the gift of His grace by serving others, developing our talents, accepting callings, and growing into men and women of God. It is through faith that we are saved but it is by works that our salvation is justified before God. Now my dear reader, my question to you is this:

How has faith, in conjunction with works brought you closer to your Father in Heaven and your Savior?

God bless you my dear readers, until you read again.

"Except A Man Be Born of Water and of the Spirit He Cannot Enter into the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5)

There is much debate over what the above passage means. Lately I have heard the popular explanation that Christ is referring to our physical birth as the “baptism of water” and we are baptized by fire when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. No disrespect to those individuals. I wholeheartedly vouch for people practicing and worshiping God however they see fit but allow me the opportunity to shed some light on the LDS view of this section and our opinion on baptism in general.

As always, I like to start at the very beginning. In this case I would like to draw your attention to the meaning of the word “baptism” in the original Greek. The word “baptism” comes from the Greek verb “baptidzo” which means “to immerse.” The process of baptism consists of immersion, submersion and emergence. In the world of the Latter Day Saint baptism symbolizes birth, burial and resurrection of the body which gives added meaning to Christ’s words when he says “except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”(John 3:3). Yet there are many interpretations of this scripture (as previously mentioned) based on the claim that baptism is not needed for salvation. Let me teach you a concept that I intend to expound upon later, I am going to give you your first taste (for the LDS among you consider this a great review), of the Plan of Salvation.

In the Pearl of Great Price (a book that Latter Day Saints also revere as scripture) the Lord says to Moses “For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). As Latter Day Saints we do not believe anyone is going to hell, unless you deny the Christ after the heavens have been opened to you. However, that is another post and will not be discussed in depth at this time. We believe in the resurrection of all mankind. God is no respecter of persons. He loves all of His children. In Jeremiah 1:5 He says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” Just as a child is created to look like its parents we too are created to look like our Father in Heaven (see Genesis 1:26-27). God does not love in the way we humans comprehend the word. In 1 John 4:8-10 John explains that love “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herin is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” I personally interpret this verse to point to God’s eternal love for each of us as His children, whether we have accepted His son or not, we are His for He is our Father and He created us. 

Latter Day Saints believe that we will all be resurrected; no matter what we have done. This goes back to the idea of an all-encompassing atonement. This concept is spelled out beautifully in Alma 42:23 when the prophet Alma is talking to his son about justice and mercy. He teaches “But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice” (Alma 43:23). So mercy comes in the fact that all men will be resurrected but justice comes through the judgment of all men based on whether they have accepted Christ and other contributing factors that I feel impressed not to bring up at this time.

If you will recall when Paul writes his letter to the Corinthians he write of “Celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial” (1 Corinthians 15:40) essentially, Latter Day Saints believe that these “bodies” are, to put it simply, heavens of sorts. “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, for one star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41). When the time comes we will stand before God and be judged according to the way we have lived our lives. Thus the demands of justice can be met.

To summarize you have the highest degree, which is the Celestial Kingdom or Degree. God the Father rules over this Kingdom, here those who have been baptized with the proper authority and have had all other appropriate ordinances performed will dwell with God. The next degree is the Terrestrial Kingdom, where Christ where rule and those who were good, accepted Christ, etc… will go here. Finally in the Telestial Kingdom, where the Holy Spirit reigns, those who may not have lived the way they should will dwell for eternity (I do intend to do a post outlining the Plan of Salvation at  some point but for now email me with your questions and I will do my best to answer them). 

So back to baptism; Latter Day Saints believe it is essential to get to the Celestial Kingdom. That view is based on scriptural teachings such as Matthew 28:19 which commands “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” If baptism were not necessary why would Christ command His disciples to go out and do it?

Latter Day Saints believe like other denominations that you first must have faith in Christ and then be baptized. We believe without the atonement even if you were baptized it would be null and void because there would be no cleansing blood of the Savior to provide a way for us to repent. However, after you have that faith and repented of your sins, we believe the next step is baptism. It is a symbolist act that represents the cleansing that accepting Christ does for your sins and your spirit. In the Book of Mormon the prophet Nephi writes of the importance of baptism “And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. And also, the voice of the Son came unto me saying: He that is baptized in my, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost; wherefore follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do” (2 Nephi 31:11-12).

Baptism by immersion is necessary to receive “all that the Father hath.” It is not necessary to be saved in the sense that many Christians view the word but it is necessary if we wish to receive the highest reward that God longs to give us. I can testify, as a witness for Him, that he is a God mercy, a God of justice and a God of love. His plan, even the Plan of Salvation, is perfect. No one will be left feeling cheated or unhappy for the atonement of Christ satisfied the law of justice and allows mercy to have its affect. I testify that each and every one of us will cry out as Nephi did “Oh how great [is] the goodness of our God” (2 Nephi 9:10). God bless you my dear readers, until you read again. 

And The Visions of All Is Become Unto You As The Words of a Book..." (Isaiah 29:11)

The comment was made to a family member of mine that The Book of Mormon reads a lot like the King James Version of the Bible (which Latter Day Saints accept as the most correct translation of the original Hebrew). Being a Hebrew student myself I must admit that it is a decent translation, I use it at times to help me with my translating homework. The Book of Mormon is very much like the Bible in every way, it stands as a clarification for doctrines that are often uncertain when just looking at the text of the Old and New Testaments. Like the Bible it also contains many Semitic complexities. The following post shall demonstrate the parallels between the two texts and serve as proof that the Book of Mormon is of an ancient origin and was not, as many claim, written by Joseph Smith.

The first similarity I would like to draw your attention to is a literary device that is completely Hebraic. Formally known as the “cognitive style” it is essentially using the same word as a verb to describe the action of the noun in the sentence. Some Biblical examples include:

“Joseph dreamed a dream” (Genesis 37:5)

“Wrote upon it a writing” (Exodus 39:30)

Some Book of Mormon examples include:

“I will curse them even with a sore curse” (1 Nephi 2:23)

“This was the desire which I desired” (Enos 1:13

“Work all manner of fine work” (Mosiah 11:10)

The next is an excessive use of ands. In a Semitic language this is a very correct way to create a list. Not to mention that the character that acts as “and” can also be translated as: “but”, “nor”, “or”, etc… essentially any conjunction you can think of this character can be. But when a Hebrew text is translated into English a native English speaker is most likely going to translate the character as “and” Evidence of this can be found in the Bible in the following verse:

“And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his son, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them into the valley of Achor” (Joshua 7:24)

There also many instances of this in The Book of Mormon:

“And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God” (Mosiah 24:22)

“But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and their contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plunderings, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work. (Helaman 3:14)

The next similarity which shows that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are of an ancient origin comes in the form of idioms and word usages. There are so many instances in both the Bible and The Book of Mormon where words are used in a way which implies a definition that we would not give them in every day conversation or when writing popular literature. A good example in the Bible is:

“And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand” (Hosea 2:10)

I'm pretty sure if most of you translated that into on-the-street English you would say some thing like “Now I will expose” or “Now I will parade” still a little on the formal side but you get the point. We would not use the word “discover” in this context in every day English.

There are numerous examples in the Book of Mormon of this word usage and idiomatic phrasing. One example:

“But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance” (Alma 49:4)

In every day English we might say “cast stones” but I can almost guarantee you that you would never hear “cast your arrows” to us English speakers you “shoot arrows” right? Phrases like this are incredibly Semitic and appear an innumerable amount of times in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

One of my favorite evidences is the chiasmus. It’s a Hebrew poetic form, essentially a parallelism the topic goes some thing like this ABCCBA where the author starts  at one point and builds until he reaches his climactic or key principle then mirrors what he said previously to the end of the chiasmus. The best way to understand is to simply look at examples. Great examples in the Bible come from Isaiah and Psalms

A-Our soul is escaped as bird

B-out of the snare of the fowlers

B- the snare of the fowlers is broken

A- And we are escaped

(Psalms 124:7)

A-Make the heart of this people fat

B-and make their ears heavy,

C-and shut their eyes;

C-Lest they see with their eyes,

B-And hear with their ears,

A- And understand with their heart

(Isaiah 6:10)

Evidences of the Hebraic chiasmus in the Book of Mormon are just as prominent. Two examples are as follows:

A-Now the land south

B- was called Lehi

C-and the land north

D-was called Mulek

E- which was after the son of Zedekiah;

D-for the Lord did bring Mulek

C-into the land north

B-and Lehi

A-into the land South

(Helaman 6:10)

Who could forget the rather famous Chiasmus (for the LDS among us) of Alma 36

A- My son give ear to my words (v 1)

B- Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper in the land (v 1)

C- Do as I have done (v 2)

D- Remember the captivity of our fathers (v 2)

E- They were in bondage (v 2)

F- He surely did deliver them (v 2)

G- Trust in God (v 3)

H- Supported in trials, troubles and afflictions (v 3)

I- I know this not of myself but of God (v 4)

J- Born of God (v 5)

K- I sought to destroy the church (v 6-9)

L- My limbs were paralyzed (v 10)

M- Fear of the presence of God (v 14-15)

N- Pains of a damned soul (v 16)

O- Harrowed up by memory of sins (v 17)

P- I remembered Jesus Christ, a son of God (v 17)

P- I cried, Jesus, son of God (v 18)

O- Harrowed up by memory of sins no more (v 19)

N- Joy as exceeding as was the pain (v 20)

M- Long to be in the presence of God (v 22)

L- My limbs received strength again (v 23)

K- I labored to bring souls to repentance (v 24)

J- Born of God (v 26)

I- Therefore my knowledge is of God (26)

H- Supported under trials and troubles and afflictions (v 27)

G- Trust in him (v 27)

F- He will deliver me (v 27)

E- As God brought our fathers out of bondage and captivity (v 28-29)

D- Retain in remembrance their captivity (v 28-29)

C- Know as I do know (v 30)

B- Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper in the land (v 30)

A- This according to his word (v 30)

(Alma 36:1-30)

I have saved, in my opinion, the best for last. It is the beautiful literary device of climactic poetry (also referred to as climactic parallelism). It is essentially a building in the text, as if the idea developed as the reader went a long. A great place to find this example in the Bible is in the poetic book of Psalms:

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

(Psalms 121:5-8)

And of course to end this thought,  two examples from the Book of Mormon:

Behold, he created Adam,

and by Adam came the fall of man.

And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son;

and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.

And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ,

they are brought back into the presence of the Lord;

yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed,

because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection

which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep,

from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God

when the trump shall sound;

and they shall come forth, both small and great,

and all shall stand before his bar,

being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death,

which death is a temporal death.

When I discussed this concept with my roommate the other day she pointed this beautiful verse out as well. 

And if ye say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. 

If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also sy there is no righteousness. 

And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness.

And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery.

And if these things are not there is no God.

And if there is no God we are not,

Neither the EArth; for there could have been no creation of things

Neither to act nor to be acted upon;

wherefore; all things must have vanished away

(2 Nephi 2:13)

So after all you have read I submit to you the idea that the Book of Mormon is in fact of ancient origin. That it is exactly what Joseph Smith said it was, that is, the Word of God written by inspired men of ancient times. I invite all to read it by clicking on the link above and ordering a free copy. If you have already read it, read it again with a desire to know God and His word. If you are interested in learning more about the Semitic complexities of the Book of Mormon click here, it is a great page that I found which touches on even more points then I chose to talk about. May God bless you my dear readers, until you read again. 

"Ye Are A Chosen Generation, A Royal Priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9)

I think the best place to start in a discussion of the priesthood is at the beginning. That is, the Old Testament. The word for priesthood in Hebrew is “cahona” and comes from the root “cahan” which means “is divine’ (Brown-Driver-Briggs English-Hebrew Lexicon). With the realization that the origin of the very word is connected with divinity let us dive into a closer analysis of the priesthood of the Old and New Testaments in order to more fully understand the nature and roll of the priesthood in the LDS Church.

As mentioned in a previous post the functions of priests in this time was to act as mediators between the people and God. By virtue of their office they were able to draw closer to God, while the people, as a result of their sins, could not pass beyond a certain point. The priests of the Old Testament mainly exercised their office at the altar by offering sacrifices and incense. In Numbers 18:5 the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons “And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.” Yet their other duties included; teaching the people of the law by communicating to them the will of God and blessing them in the name of the Lord.

It is important to note that the priests did not (nor does they today by LDS standards) take their office upon themselves. Rather they were and are chosen of God.  Earlier in the book of Numbers a man by the name of Korah along with 250 rebels try to seek priestly offices for themselves. In section 16 Aaron declares: “the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him” (Numbers 16:5). In a sense the priest belonged to God and was Holy to him. If you would like to learn more about the priests of the Old Testament please let me know and I will gladly dedicate a post completely to that.

An important aspect of the priests and priesthood in the Old Testament is the practice of the laying on of hands from the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the laying on of hands was used in ceremonies which carried with it a specific meaning. An illustration is found in Genesis 48. After telling Joseph about the promise of blessing God had given him (Genesis 48:4), Jacob said that Joseph's sons would become his sons, just as Reuben and Simeon were his sons (Genesis 48:5). As far as Jacob was concerned, together with God' s approval these two sons of Joseph  were now legal  sons of Jacob and heirs of the blessings God had promised him. All this would   become more specific with the ceremony of the laying on of hands on these two individuals - Manasseh and Ephraim (Gen. 48:13-16) Notice that Jacob deliberately crossed his hands during the ceremony  so that Ephraim,  the younger brother received the  greater blessing, and Manasseh the older brother, received a lesser blessing.  The laying on of hands here illustrates a special ceremony within the context of a divine purpose.

So we’ve discussed the function of priests, priesthood and the practice of laying on of hands in the Old Testament. What about the New Testament?  With the advent of Christ, the priesthood of the Old Testament was elevated to the height it had never before possessed. It also became the cornerstone of the Christian religion so much so that we might almost define true Christianity as the religion of a divinely revealed priesthood. Christianity is indeed priestly and the priesthood is of its essence:. So when Christ died on the cross and atoned for all of us, thus opening the way for men to find their way back to God, the Old Priesthood (not the Priesthood itself but the Priesthood in its Old Testament form was done away with).

If we’ll remember the purpose of a priest in Old Testament times was to act as a mediator between man and God. Christ was the ultimate mediator through the shedding of his blood. Indeed Christ proclaimed “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Yes Christ became our ultimate mediator, our advocate with the Father, yet that was not the end of the priesthood. In John 20:21 Christ admonishes His disciples “as my Father hath sent me even so send I you” Previous to His death Christ had ordained the priesthood upon his apostles when he said “ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name he may give it you” (John 15:16). This verse brings back two familiar ideas of the priesthood and priests. First, that they must be chosen by God, and second that they act as mediators of sorts with the ability to act in Christ’s stead, essentially they were to do what Christ would have done if He were upon the Earth.

There are numerous branches of Christianity that believe the priesthood ended with the death of Christ and the tearing of the veil. However, after Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven many of the Apostles (Paul, Timothy, etc..) laid their hands upon the heads of new believers and conferred the Holy Ghost upon them. This is the priesthood. In Acts 8 the Apostles go to Samaria when they hear that the people have received the word of God but have not yet received the Holy Ghost. Verse 17 says “then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” Just as Christ acted as a mediator to confer the Holy Ghost on his Apostles from the Father, the Apostles act as a mediator of sorts for the new members of the Church to receive the Holy Ghost as well. Another example of the exercising of the priesthood used as mediation between man and God is seen in Acts 19 when Paul passes through Ephesus and runs into a group of people that have only been baptized with “John’s baptism” (Acts 19:3) and Paul asks them “Unto what end were ye baptized?” (Acts 19:2) and the record goes on “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”(Acts 19:6). The bottom line is to show that the laying on hands and the priesthood was continued from Old Testament times to New Testament times and continues beyond that into modern times.

Much like the apostles going forth, baptizing and conferring the Holy Spirit upon new members with the laying on of hands, the practice also exists in the pages of the Book of Mormon and in the LDS Church today. In the Book of Alma, the prophet Alma while preaching to the people (much as the apostles of Christ did after his ascension into heaven) Alma came upon the city of Zarahemla and “ordained priests and elders by laying on his hand according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the Church” (Alam 6:1). Another example takes us to 3 Nephi where Christ makes his visit to the American continent after He is crucified and resurrected. The scriptures record “And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen (chosen by God), one by one, even until he had touched all, and spoke unto them as he touched them” (3 Nephi 18:36) The chapter goes on to say “the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 18:37).

So the priesthood and the practice of laying on of hands was present in the Old Testament, New Testament and the Book of Mormon. But perhaps the white elephant in the room is the functions of priests and the priesthood in the LDS church today. First of all, within the Church there are two kinds or levels of Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood, it is the “lesser” of the two priesthood and contains the offices of deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. It is known by other names as the Levitical Priesthood, the Preparatory Priesthood, the Lesser Priesthood, the Second Priesthood, and the Priesthood of Aaron. The other branch of the Priesthood is the Melchizedeck Priesthood it is the “higher” of the two priesthood and contains the offices of Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle, and Prophet. The greatest reference for the duty of priesthood holders (remember they must be called of God, ordained to the office by one who is in authority [or who has also been called of God through the laying on of hands], and live worthy of their office.) can be found in D&C 20, often nicknamed the foundation of the Church because it outlines its structure and the function of all the difference offices. The duties of priesthood holders are as follows:

Apostles (an elder)-verse38 

• To baptize (38)
• To ordain other elders priests, teachers, and deacons (39)
• To administer bread and wine (we use water)- the emblems of the flesh and blood of Christ-
• Confirm those who are baptized into the Church, by the laying on hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost (41)
• To teach, to expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the Church
• To take the lead of all meetings

Elders

• Conduct the meetings as they are led by the Holy Ghost, according to the commandments and revelations of God (45)

Priests 

• To preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize, and administer the sacrament (46)
• Visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties (47)

•  May also ordain other priests, teachers and deacons (48)
•  Take the lead of meetings when there is no elder present (49)
• In these duties assist the Elder if the occasion requires (52)

Teachers and Deacons 

• To watch over the Church always and be with and strengthen them (53)
• See that there is no iniquity in the Church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, back biting, nor evil speaking. (54)
• See that the Church meet together often, and all that all the members do their duty (55)
•  Take the lead of meetings in the absence of the elder or priest (56)
• And is to be assisted always in all his duties in the church, by the deacons if occasion requires (57)
• DO NOT have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands (58)
• Both Teachers and Deacons are to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.

So there you have, a list of duties (roughly) that each office of the priesthood performs. If you are interested in a post on the complete organization of the Church just let me know and I will gladly get one up for you. It has been a pleasure my dear readers sharing this information with you. Latter Day Saints take very seriously the reminder from Peter “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). To wield the power of God, to act in His name, to use such a responsibility to bless others and edify the Church, that is true meaning of being a Priesthood holder of God. May God bless you all, man and women alike, until you read again.

(I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to search "the priesthood" on lds.org or ask any question you would like in a comment, I promise to do my best to answer it). 

“The Veil of the Temple was Rent in Twain” (Matthew 27:51)

Right after Jesus Christ “yielded up the ghost” (Matthew 27:50) upon the cross the scriptures record that the “veil of the temple was rent in twain”. There is much controversy on what this symbolized in the tumultuous religious world of doctrine and opinion. Having this questions recently posed to me, as an intellectual myself I was interested to see what it implied from not only an LDS perspective but from the perspective of many Christian denominations, how they differ, and how they are similar.

First I think it is incredibly important that we establish (for the sake of understanding between reader and writer) what exactly the purpose of the veil in the temple was both in Old Testament times, New Testament times, and (for the LDS among the audience) modern times as well. Exodus 26:33 in the King James publication of the Bible reads that the vail (as spelled in this verse) “shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.” Within the same chapter, the verses go on to explain that the veil was designed to cover the ark, the mercy seats, and the symbol of divine presence. The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. So what was the veil hiding exactly? Essentially its main purpose was to obscure the view of the individual from the divine. To many it stood, and still stands, as a figurative and literal obstacle between mankind and God.

The book: Temples of the Ancient World edited by Dr. Donald W. Parry explained that “throughout the ancient world, the veil of the temple is the barrier between ourselves and both the hidden and mysteries of the temple and the boundless expanses of cosmic space beyond” (Parry 572). The book goes on to explain that a veil was used rather than a door to show that the barrier between the spiritual and the secular is not completely impenetrable and that messengers could pass through it. This idea is also set forth by a passage well known by Latter Day Saints: “The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:1). In this verse it is not a physical veil like the woven tapestry of the tabernacle and the temple but rather a figurative spiritual veil that kept the Saints of this dispensation from understanding the things of God.

Religions and secular scholars alike acknowledge the fact that in Old Testament times anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement. In order to cross the barrier between man and God this high priest had to make special preparations.  He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins. In his letter to the Hebrews Paul explains: “But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people” (Hebrews 9:7). To put it simply, the high priest was a mediator between the people and God who made sacrifices within the realm of the holy of holies

So what exactly did the tearing of this sacred veil mean? Well in light of what has previously been discussed the tearing of the veil was essentially the rending of the barrier between man and God. With Christ’s death, suddenly man could again return to God despite being a sinner, through the atonement and blood of Jesus Christ. Many Christian faiths, for some reason, uphold the notion that Latter Day Saints under appreciate this important fact by claiming that because they claim to have a prophet, who acts as a mediator for the entire Church before God, they do not believe that they need Christ to approach the Father. However in Doctrine and Covenant (a compilation of modern revelations from receive by the modern day Prophet Joseph Smith from Jesus the Christ)  in Section 45 there is a beautiful verse about this belief in the words of Christ himself which reads “Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him- saying: Father, behold the suffering and death of him who did no sin, in who thou was well pleased, behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.” (D&C 45:3-5). So thus far the beliefs are the same. To both denominations the renting of the veil represented the dissolution of the barrier between God and man.

Referencing once again Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he relates to them “Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). I’m no expert on the Bible, however let me propose that this scripture is essentially saying that Christ established a “new and living way” for us to return to God, that is that through him and his atonement we can return to the presence of God by means of repentance. During his Earthly ministry Christ taught “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). With the rending of the veil this was reaffirmed. To go along with what the Bible teaches about the need for atonement the Book of Mormon confirms “Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement- save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, the flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth to rise no more.” (2 Nephi 9:7)  This means that without the atonement of Christ we would have no hope of getting back to God. The splitting of the shroud as Christ’s death symbolized that opportunity. Abinadi, a prophet of the Book of Mormon admonishes the wicked of his time “And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sin, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved?” (Mosiah 16:13)

Yet another question remains from all this; It seems that all Christians (yes even Latter Day Saints) believe that with the death of Christ and the rending of the veil our journey back to God was no longer hindered by our sins because of the blood of the Lamb of God. So why the need for a priesthood? Why the need for modern revelation and a prophet? If Christ acts as our mediator and advocate before the Father why do we need revelation today if we can receive it ourselves? Though there are many answers (which I wholeheartedly invite you to learn about by studying the Book of Mormon and asking me if you so desire) it essentially comes down to the need for ordinances such as baptism. When Christ was baptized he taught “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)  Thus the Son of God puts forth the need for baptism. If we are not baptized we cannot return to the presence of God. Another witness of the importance of baptism comes in the Book of Matthew. When Christ comes forward to be baptized by John, the Elias refuses, claiming he [John] , if anything, has need to be baptized by Christ. The Lord responds “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) So baptism is meant to fulfill all righteousness. What in the world does it mean to fulfill all righteousness? Again humor me and refer to your Book of Mormon. Nephi (another prophet of the Book of Mormon) provides a great clarification when he says “Know ye not that he (Christ) was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that , according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments... And again it showeth unto men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them” (2 Nephi 31:6,9).  Well there you have it my friends. Christ was setting the example for us (He is the ultimate example after all) and in being baptized He demonstrated His will to submit to the Father and showed us that “For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14); so must we demonstrate our willingness to submit to His will and be baptized.

Now, let me clarify something very important. Latter Day Saints do not believe that it is ONLY through baptism that we are saved (though we will always uphold that baptism is a stepping stone towards salvation). A literal article of our faith declares “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, repentance, third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and fourth, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Article of Faith #4). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints if often accused of believing that it is through works, not faith, that we are saved. However in the Book of Mormon Christ teaches us “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me: for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27). We believe that. We believe that Christ’s grace is sufficient to save us. We believe in the importance of works as a demonstration of our love before God. Many opposers of the Church will use the scripture 2 Nephi 25:34 which says “it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do.” Yet what gets me is no one ever asks us “what exactly is all that you can do?” The answers can once again be found in the book which we uphold as doctrine from God, the Book of Mormon. Alma 24:11 reads “And now behold my brethren since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take our sins.” Faith, repentance, baptism, keeping the commandments, obedience, diligence, continuing in humility and enduring in faithfulness to the end: those are examples of our works. Those are things that we can do for ourselves. Then comes God’s grace. He forgives us because we cannot forgive ourselves only after we repent. Asking a Latter Day Saint if we believe we are saved by grace or by works is like asking if we prefer to cut with one blade of the scissors or the other. In our minds you need both because you cannot receive grace without accepting Christ ( a work) and you cannot accept Christ without his mercy being extended towards you (grace).

So certain ordinances are necessary for our salvation (though these ordinances have no bearing without the atonement and grace found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ). These ordinances, such as baptism, cannot be performed without the priesthood. Since I do not want to stretch your synapses any further than I already have with all that I’ve shared with you up to this point I will leave you with a leading verse of sorts to prepare you for my next post. In the first epistle of Peter, Christ’s senior apostle writes to the Christians of old and to the Saints of today “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:9).  The prophets of the Book of Mormon only second the need for the priesthood when Alma explains “Now they were ordained after this manner- being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end-“(Alma 13:8). It has been a pleasure my friends. I hope you have been enlightened and edified by what you have taken the time to read. May the Lord bless you until you read again.