Lessons 7 and 8; February 15th and 22nd

The lessons from this week and last built on each other, so I'll outline them together.

Introduction:

As a missionary I attended a meeting where I listened to a recorded BYU Devotional talk by a man who was then president of BYU-Idaho, David A. Bednar. The talk is entitled "In the Strength of the Lord," and it very literally changed my life.

Brother Bednar outlined the doctrine of grace, and explained that grace is the enabling and strengthening power of God in our lives, and is possible only because of Christ's Atonement. He then went on to explain further how Christ's grace is active in our lives, and did so by quoting President David O. McKay and King Benjamin.

President McKay taught that the purpose of the gospel is to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature. King Benjamin said:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord ..." (Mosiah 3:19, emphasis added).

There are two ways in which Christ's grace is active in our lives:

1. Enabling us to repent of our sins and be clean
2. Enabling us to do more good "in the strength of the Lord" than we could with our own power, talents, and abilities

In other words, God's grace enables and strengthens us in putting off the natural man (repenting of our sins), and in becoming a saint (doing more good).

Lesson 7 was about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. These are outlined in the Articles of Faith, specifically in the fourth article of faith.

(For the background on the origin of the Articles of Faith, see this Ensign article.)

Question: If the FIRST principles and ordinances of the gospel are found in the fourth article of faith, what comes before them? What comes before the "first"?

Articles of Faith 1, 2, and 3 establish critical doctrines, and without them the first principles and ordinances would be meaningless. These critical doctrines are:

1. God lives (He created us; He created the world and the laws that govern us)
2. We will be punished for our sins (though not responsible for Adam and Eve's choice, yet we each fall any time we break one of God's laws)
3. Through Jesus' Atonement, we can be saved from the punishment of sin

These three doctrines have been called the three pillars of eternity: The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement.

The central and most important of these doctrines is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To discuss the first principles and ordinances of the gospel without discussing the Atonement is to look beyond the mark (see Jacob 4:14). It is only through Christ and His Atonement (that is, it is only through Jesus' grace, His enabling and strengthening power) that we can exercise faith, repent of our sins, be baptized for the remission of sins, and receive the Holy Ghost.

Question: In what way has the grace of Christ enabled/strengthened your faith?

Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith (see Moroni 6:4); He can help the unbelieving parts of us (see Mark 9:23-24); without Him we could have no faith unto salvation.

Question: In what way does the grace of Christ enable/strengthen us in repentance?

Only through Jesus' grace can we truly confess and really forsake our sins (see D&C 58:42-43).

I know that Jesus' atonement makes bad people good and good people better. I know of the power of the atonement to heal and to strengthen.

Lesson 8 covers the restoration of the Priesthood.

D&C 13 is the ordination prayer that John the Baptist offered when ordaining Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood. Note the keys of this priesthood:

• keys of the ministering of angels
• keys of the gospel of repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins

It is through the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood that we can access Jesus' grace to put off the natural man (repent of our sins).

D&C 84:19-22 describes some of the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood:

• key of the mysteries of the kingdom
• key of the knowledge of God

It is through the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood that we can access Jesus' grace to become saints (sanctified, holy)

Question: How do the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood (specifically the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost) enable us to know the mysteries of the kingdom and ultimately to know God Himself?

I know that Christ's atonement blesses, strengthens, and enables us in every aspect of our lives. I know that through the ordinances of the priesthood we can access the powers of heaven to put off the natural man and truly become saints, enabled to do more and be better than we could with our own limited capacities.