Romans 1
Author: The Apostle Paul introduces himself as the writer in the first line of the Epistle to the Romans.
Audience: This letter was written to the gentile and Jewish Saints in Rome.
Historical Background: Paul wrote this letter about A.D. 57 while he was in Corinth, just before his last journey to Jerusalem. He sent it to prepare the Saints for his upcoming visit to Rome.
Unique Features: Romans is the most systematically written of Paul’s Epistles and perhaps the most doctrinal book in the New Testament. It points to Jesus Christ as the source of salvation by teaching how we can put off sins and replace them with a newness of life. Romans also emphasizes the importance of walking after the Spirit over legal formalism.
Theme: Paul wrote to the Saints in Rome to prepare them for his visit, but more importantly to present his apostolic explanation of God’s universal plan of salvation. We all sin, Paul taught. But through faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, we can all be saved through His power and grace. In developing this theme Paul addressed doctrines such as sin and righteousness, faith in Christ and works of righteousness, justification, and election. Paul summarized the theme of this letter when he wrote:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed through faith on his name; as it is written, The just shall live by faith”. (JST, Romans 1:16–17)
Romans 1–3 emphasizes that Jesus Christ, not the law of Moses, is the source of righteousness, and that all people may become righteous through faith in Him.
Name a mission to which one of your family members or friends has been called.
• What is the name of the mission that our ward is part of?
Each mission includes many different locations and missionaries might serve in several different wards, branches, towns, cities, or even countries during their missions.
Look at Bible map 13:
• What locations was he “transferred” to?
• Why do you think it would have been challenging for him?
Why are the books from Romans through Hebrews are called the Pauline Epistles?
Which Epistles were written before Romans?
Paul’s epistles may be divided into four groups:
1 and 2 Thes. A.D. 50, 51
1 and 2 Cor., Gal., Rom. A.D. 55, 57
Philip., Col., Eph., Philem., Heb. A.D. 60, 62
Titus, 1 and 2 Tim. A.D. 64, 65
Bible Dictionary, “Pauline Epistles,” p. 743
What Are Some of the Significant Contributions of Romans?
"Romans defines the gospel and summarizes the laws by obedience to which full salvation comes. It speaks plainly of Adam's fall, which brought death, and Christ's atoning sacrifice, which brought life. It tells how the law of justification works, how men are justified by faith and works, through the blood of Christ. In it are some of the most explicit Biblical teachings on the election of grace, the status of the chosen race, on why salvation cannot come by the law of Moses alone, on why circumcision was done away in Christ, and on how and why salvation was taken to the Gentiles. And it is a chief source of the glorious doctrine of joint-heirship with Christ, that marvelous principle under which men, through celestial marriage and the continuation of the family unit in eternity, can gain exaltation in the highest celestial heaven ....
"In its very nature Romans is an epistle capable of differing interpretations. Those without prior and full knowledge of the doctrines involved find it exceedingly difficult to place Paul's comments about these doctrines into their true perspective. For instance, it is on a misunderstanding of the Apostle's statement about justification by faith alone that the whole sectarian world is led to believe that men are not required to work out their own salvation; and it was this very passage that enabled Martin Luther to justify in his own mind his break with Catholicism, an eventuality of vital importance to the furtherance of the Lord's work on earth."
Commentary for Romans 1:7–8:
"To whom was the Epistle to the Romans written? To the Gentiles in Rome? To the world in general? To sectarian Christians today? Not by any means. If there is any truth the world can gain from this Epistle, such is all to the good. But Paul wrote it to the saints, to members of the Church, to those who already had the gift of the Holy Ghost, to those who had been born again, to those who held the priesthood and enjoyed the gifts of the Spirit. Hence he was writing to the people who already knew the doctrines of salvation, and his teachings can only be understood by people who have the same background, the same knowledge, and the same experience as the original recipients of the message. Romans is a sealed book to the sectarian world; it is an open volume of inspiring gospel truth to the saints of God."
We’re going on a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We’ve been invited to spend four days with an archaeological team that is investigating the ruins of what may be an ancient Book of Mormon city.
To prepare for the trip, rank the following items from most useful to least useful:
flashlight, insect repellent, shovel, sturdy boots,
water purifier, life raft, pocketknife, first aid kit.
“Oh, I failed to mention that we’ll be traveling by boat and that our ship will sink in the Gulf of Mexico?”
• Does that information make you want to change your ranking of the most useful items? How?
• Why didn’t you think the life raft was so important before?
Scripture Mastery:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16
Jake asked: Why don’t we have people running around raising the dead, healing the sick and performing miracles like in Bible times?
Who wrote the Bible?
How much time does the Bible cover?
A little like a newspaper or newscast.
New Testament Video presentation 13: “The Doctrine of Grace”
Romans 2-3
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, then a member of the Seventy, wrote:
“The atonement of Jesus Christ is the foreordained but voluntary act of the Only Begotten Son of God. He offered his life, including his innocent body, blood, and spiritual anguish as a redeeming ransom for the effect of the Fall of Adam upon all mankind and for the personal sins of all who repent, from Adam to the end of the world. Latter-day Saints believe this is the central fact, the crucial foundation, the chief doctrine, and the greatest expression of divine love in the plan of salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that all ‘things which pertain to our religion are only appendages’ to the atonement of Christ.
In Romans 4–6 Paul declared that justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ by His atoning power. Paul cited the example of Abraham and recounted the doctrine of the Fall to help illustrate this principle.
Paul also discussed the ordinance of baptism. By studying this ordinance and its symbolism we can come to understand the steps we must take to enjoy the full blessings of the Atonement.
Romans 4
Which of the following will save your life:
Your confidence that the water will save you?
Your effort to crawl up the hill to get the water?
Drinking the water in the glass?
This situation can be compared to our need for spiritual salvation.
• What could the water represent?
(The Atonement, the grace and love of Jesus Christ; see John 7:37.)
• What could the effort to crawl up the hill represent?
(Repenting, keeping the commandments.)
• What could confidence in the saving power of the water represent?
(Faith, trust.)
• What would it take to save your life?…
It is the water that has power to save our lives.
But we must have confidence that the water will save us so that we will make the effort to climb the hill.
We must climb the hill to get the water.
And we must drink the water for it to save us.
The same conditions are necessary in the gospel.
It is Jesus Christ’s Atonement that gives us salvation.
But for His Atonement to be of full effect in our lives,
we must have faith in the Lord and do what He requires.
Just as we need water when we are dying of thirst,
so we need a Savior to overcome the effects of sin and death.
Romans 5:12–14
• Why is a Savior needed for all mankind?
• In what ways did Adam’s Fall affect each of us?
• How many people sin? (see Romans 3:23).
Just as having confidence that the water will save us leads us to seek it,
so we must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
True faith will motivate us to keep God’s commandments so we can partake of the Atonement.
From Romans 4:1–3:
• Why do you think Paul chose Abraham as a model of faith?
• What actions can you recall from Abraham’s life that show his faith led him to do works of righteousness?
By Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“Poorly defined, faith not only produces little conviction but also is difficult to nurture and increase. “Faith has several specific dimensions. Each facet is important. President Brigham Young illustratively taught that we must have ‘faith in [Jesus’] name, character, and atonement . . . faith in his Father and in the plan of salvation.’ Only such faith, said Brigham, will produce steady and enduring ‘obedience to the requirements of the Gospel.’” (Lord, Increase Our Faith [1994], 2).
Faith itself is a gift from Christ.
So is the strength to be able to perform good works.
In other words, we could not even have the confidence needed to desire the water, nor could we walk up the hill toward the water, if it were not for Jesus Christ.
The water represents the divine help given by God through the Atonement.
This gift provides us with the power needed to repent, to keep the commandments, and to become like God.
It is not just our faith or good works that save us. Faith and works are the keys that unlock the door to salvation, but salvation comes only in and through Jesus Christ.
Romans Chapter 5: 3:03
From Romans 5:1–11
• Which of Paul’s phrases most impressed you?
• How does a deeper understanding of the Atonement help us love the Savior?
Although Jesus agreed in the premortal life to be our Savior, He did not owe it to us to die for us. It was an act of love.
Think about the hymn “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193).
Romans 6
A talk by Elder Henry B. Eyring, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“All of us can remember times in our lives when we felt a pull to be better than we were, to rise higher. The feeling may have come at about the same time we had the thought ‘There must be something better in life than this.’ Sadly, there are also times when we felt like giving up. And then the thought was something like ‘Maybe this feeling of being miserable is what life is really like. Maybe I need to learn to live with it. It looks as if that’s how everyone else feels.’ . . .
“But everyone who I have come to know well, even the most discouraged and the most miserable, will tell you that some time in their lives, maybe just once that they can remember, they felt that upward pull, that thought that there just had to be something better and higher”.
(Covenants [CES fireside for college-age young adults, 6 Sept. 1996], 1)
When did you experienced feelings of discouragement or despair as Elder Eyring described?
What did you do to find hope?
Isaiah 40:30–31 Mosiah 4:6–7 Moroni 10:32–33
By whose power are we able to become perfected and receive salvation?
Many people Paul was writing to were still committed to the law of Moses and did not understand that the Atonement had fulfilled it. They needed someone to teach them that they could overcome sin through Jesus Christ, not through the law.
Elder Eyring continued:
“Heavenly Father does more than allow you to feel that upward pull. He has provided a way to rise higher—almost beyond our limits of imagination—not by our own powers alone, which would not be nearly enough, but through the power of the Atonement of his Son, Jesus Christ. . . .
“Our Heavenly Father not only provided a Savior and a gospel of Jesus Christ, which teaches us the purpose of life and gives us commandments, but he also provided covenants we could make with him. And with those covenants he provided ordinances where he could signify what he promised or covenanted to do and we could signify what we promised or covenanted to do”.
We receive the power of the Atonement in our lives as we make and keep sacred covenants.
Romans 6:1–2 teaches us to turn away from our sins.
Read verses 3–7
Baptism is a time when we covenant to “bury” our sins and our sinful
nature and that we gain access to the power to have our sins “covered”
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
• What does baptism symbolize?
(Death, burial, and resurrection; see D&C 128:12–13.)
• If baptism is a time when we covenant to “bury” or give up our sins, why is it important that we be baptized by immersion?
• What events from Christ’s life does baptism also symbolize?
(His death, burial, and Resurrection.)
• How are our lives better if we choose to put off our sinful selves and be baptized?
• What are some of the promises we make at baptism?
Doctrine and Covenants 20:68–69
Mosiah 18:8–10
While the covenant of baptism symbolizes that we can become clean from sin, baptism does not actually wash our sins away. Baptism is a time when we commit to become clean and walk in a newness of life, a time when we prepare to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is through the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost that we are actually cleansed from sin.
A statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, may be helpful:
“Sins are remitted not in the waters of baptism, as we say in speaking figuratively, but when we receive the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Spirit of God that erases carnality and brings us into a state of righteousness. We become clean when we actually receive the fellowship and companionship of the Holy Ghost. It is then that sin and dross and evil are burned out of our souls as though by fire”.
(A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 290; see also 2 Nephi 31:17; Moroni 6:4; 8:25–26)
When Jesus Christ fulfilled the law of Moses, the old covenant was replaced with the law of the gospel. Paul tried to persuade those still clinging to Mosaic rituals and practices to abandon those laws and fully accept the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the new covenant.
Romans 7–8 contains an analogy of a woman who is no longer bound by law to her husband after he dies. It represents the fact that the Saints were no longer bound to the law of Moses after it was fulfilled by Christ. Paul then testifies that those who embrace the gospel and accept its covenants become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ and inherit all that Heavenly Father has.
Romans 7
Name some family rules you are expected to keep.
Examples: In by ________ pm. Do chores.
• Who made up these rules?
• Why do you feel a responsibility to obey them?
• What rules might apply to little children but not young adults?
• How are rules a blessing in our lives?
Just as there will come a time when you will not have to keep the rules your parents have established for their home, so there came a time when Israel was no longer expected to live the law of Moses.
In the book of Romans, Paul was speaking to people who were still holding onto the traditions and regulations of the law of Moses.
A statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
“Paul was an absolute genius at devising illustrations to drive home his gospel teachings. Here [in Romans 7:1–6] he compares Israel’s allegiance to the law of Moses with that of a wife to her husband. As long as her husband lives, a wife is bound to him, must obey his laws, and if she be with another, she is an adulteress. But when the husband dies, he can no longer direct her actions, and she is free to marry another; she can no longer be subject to him that is dead.
“So with Israel and the law. As long as the law lived, and was therefore in force, Israel was married to it and required to obey its provisions. If she went after other gods, or followed other religions, it was as adultery. But now the law is fulfilled; it no longer lives; it has become dead in Christ; and Israel is married to another, even to Christ, whose gospel law must now be obeyed”.
(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:253–54)
Mosiah 13:27–30
Alma 34:9–13
• Why did God give Israel the law of Moses?
• Why do you think some of the Jews in Paul’s day may have continued to cling to the law?
• What event fulfilled the law of Moses?
In Romans 7:7–25 Paul answered these questions and emphasized the important truth that the law of the gospel replaced many aspects of the law of Moses.
There are extensive changes to Romans 7 in the Joseph Smith Translation that clarify this principle.
READ IT!
Romans 7:5–27
5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were not according to the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6 But now we are delivered from the law wherein we were held, being dead to the law, that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9 For once I was alive without transgression of the law, but when the commandment of Christ came, sin revived, and I died.
10 And when I believed not the commandment of Christ which came, which was ordained to life, I found it condemned me unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion, denied the commandment, and deceived me; and by it I was slain.
12 Nevertheless, I found the law to be holy, and the commandment to be holy, and just, and good.
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin by that which is good working death in me; that sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful.
14 For we know that the commandment is spiritual; but when I was under the law, I was yet carnal, sold under sin.
15 But now I am spiritual; for that which I am commanded to do, I do; and that which I am commanded not to allow, I allow not.
16 For what I know is not right I would not do; for that which is sin, I hate.
17 If then I do not that which I would not allow, I consent unto the law, that it is good; and I am not condemned.
18 Now then, it is no more I that do sin; but I seek to subdue that sin which dwelleth in me.
19 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me, but to perform that which is good I find not, only in Christ.
20 For the good that I would have done when under the law, I find not to be good; therefore, I do it not.
21 But the evil which I would not do under the law, I find to be good; that, I do.
22 Now if I do that, through the assistance of Christ, I would not do under the law, I am not under the law; and it is no more that I seek to do wrong, but to subdue sin that dwelleth in me.
23 I find then that under the law, that when I would do good evil was present with me; for I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
24 And now I see another law, even the commandment of Christ, and it is imprinted in my mind.
25 But my members are warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
26 And if I subdue not the sin which is in me, but with the flesh serve the law of sin; O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
27 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, then, that so with the mind I myself serve the law of God.
Romans 8
What does “inheritance” mean?
How can we inherit material objects, character traits, and spiritual gifts.
“La Chancla”
What objects, traits, or gifts has Bro-B inherited from his ancestors?
(Tables, Tea Service, Tools, Lace, Construction abilities & Creativity.
Stubbornness, Kindness, Humor, Mischievousness, etc.)
• Whose will would you most like to be included in?
• What one item would you most like to inherit? Why?
• What qualities or characteristics of your ancestors do you hope to attain?
“Latter-day Saints regard Jesus Christ as the firstborn spirit child of God the Father and the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. Because of this priority, he is the natural heir of the Father. Through strict obedience to the Father’s will, progressing from grace to grace by obeying the gospel and its ordinances and making the infinite Atonement, Jesus became the Savior of all mankind and also heir to all that the Father has. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their redeemer, repent of their sins, obey the ordinances of the gospel, and live in willing obedience with the Holy Spirit as their guide, can also become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. In the eternities, they can inherit the same truth, power, wisdom, glory, and exaltation possessed by God the Father and by the Son.
(see D&C 84:38)” (“Heirs,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 2:583)
Doctrine and Covenants 84:33–40
Romans 8:15–19
• What did Paul teach about our potential for inheritance in Heavenly Father’s kingdom?
• What does Abba mean?
(“Father.” This title was used by Christ and early members of the Church as a
sacred and intimate name for Heavenly Father; see Bible Dictionary, p. 600.)
• What does the meaning of Abba teach you about Heavenly Father’s love for us?
• What does verse 17 teach we must do to become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ?
• From verse 18, how do you think the blessings of being heirs of God compare with the requirements?
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the following definition of joint-heirship:
“To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a God, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before”. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 347)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:
“A joint-heir is one who inherits equally with all other heirs including the Chief Heir who is the Son. Each joint-heir has an equal and an undivided portion of the whole of everything. If one knows all things, so do all others. If one has all power, so do all those who inherit jointly with him. If the universe belongs to one, so it does equally to the total of all upon whom the joint inheritances are bestowed”.
(Mormon Doctrine, 395)
Heavenly Father’s promises are sure and our potential is truly to obtain all He possesses.
Imagine yourself receiving all that Heavenly Father possesses.
• What do you think that would be like?
• What would you be willing to do to qualify for that kind of inheritance?
• How do you think we should use that inheritance?
• What did the Savior do to be worthy of being the Father’s Chief Heir?
“I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, no. 301)
We are literally the spirit children of Heavenly Father.
We can return to live with Him someday and receive all that He has.
In Romans 9 to 11:
We are God’s children, and we lived with Him before we came to earth. He created us in His image and endowed each one of us with the power and ability to become like Him. To become like God is eternal life.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, taught:
“Before the world was created, we all lived as the spirit children of our Heavenly Father. Through a natural process of inheritance we received in embryo the traits and attributes of our Heavenly Father. We are His spirit children. Some of what our Eternal Father is, we have inherited. What he has become we may become.”
(Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [1993], 70).
(For spiritual enlightenment on this important concept, please see Acts 17:29 and Romans 8:16.)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained:
“The greatest and most important talent or capacity that any of the spirit children of the Father could gain is the talent of spirituality. Most of those who gained this talent were chosen, before they were born, to come to earth as members of the house of Israel. They were foreordained to receive the blessings that the Lord promised to Abraham and to his seed in all their generations. This foreordination is an election. . . . Though all mankind may be saved by obedience, some find it easier to believe and obey than others. Hence the concept, taught by Jesus, that his sheep know his voice and will not follow the dissident voices of the world”.
(A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 512–13)
In Romans 9–11 Paul taught the doctrine of election, or foreordination.
Paul’s audience already understood the doctrine of the premortal existence and knew why Israel was God’s covenant people.
Paul pointed out that the doctrine of foreordination in no way limited the Gentiles’ opportunity to be grafted into the house of Israel and partake fully of the blessings and promises of the gospel.
Romans 9
Romans 10
One of you will be chosen to receive a special reward.
Decision methods: a random drawing, a vote, based on the best performance
Which method would you like me to use and why?
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
Abraham 3:23
• What was Abraham was foreordained to become? (A ruler.)
• Do you think Abraham was chosen randomly, by vote, or because of his faithfulness? Why?
Alma 13:3–4
God’s selections are based on faithfulness.
In Romans 9–11 Paul continued to teach the doctrine of foreordination that he had begun to discuss in chapter 8.
These chapters contain three important points:
1. In the premortal life certain people were foreordained to be born into the house of Israel and receive special blessings and responsibilities in this life.
2. To receive foreordained blessings we must accept and follow Jesus Christ.
3. Gentiles (those not of Israel’s lineage) can inherit all of Israel’s blessings through their acceptance of Jesus Christ and obedience to the gospel.
1
In the premortal life certain people were foreordained to be born into the house of Israel and receive special blessings and responsibilities in this life.
Romans 9:1–5
• According to verse 4, who is promised these blessings? (adoption, glory, covenants, and promises)
(The Israelites.)
• Why do you think they were chosen?
Israel, like his grandfather Abraham, was foreordained to receive the covenants and promises of the gospel.
Romans 9:9–14
• What was Jacob’s name changed to? (Israel; see v. 6; see also Genesis 32:28.)
• How is Jacob an example of someone who received a greater blessing because of premortal faithfulness?
• Do you think the scriptures teach that this was fair or unfair?
• How did Paul answer the question about God’s fairness? (see v. 14)
A statement by President Harold B. Lee:
“Those born to the lineage of Jacob, who was later to be called Israel, and his posterity, who were known as the children of Israel, were born into the most illustrious lineage of any of those who came upon the earth as mortal beings.
“All these rewards were seemingly promised, or foreordained, before the world was. Surely these matters must have been determined by the kind of lives we had lived in that premortal spirit world. Some may question these assumptions, but at the same time they will accept without any question the belief that each one of us will be judged when we leave this earth according to his or her deeds during our lives here in mortality. Isn’t it just as reasonable to believe that what we have received here in this earth [life] was given to each of us according to the merits of our conduct before we came here?”. (in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 7–8; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 5)
2
To receive foreordained blessings we must accept and follow Jesus Christ.
Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Romans 9:7
Neither, because they are all children of Abraham, are they the seed; but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Joseph Smith Translation Romans 9:7
• Why weren’t some of Abraham’s descendants true to their covenants?
• What do you believe Paul meant in verse 6?
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. (Romans 9:6)
• Why does being a member of the house of Israel not guarantee a person celestial blessings?
D&C 64:35–36
• What happens to those who are rebellious?
Premortal faithfulness, foreordained promises, or being born into a certain lineage do not guarantee salvation.
God did not grant certain blessings so that some would feel arrogant or superior to others.
POINTS TO PONDER
YOU ARE FAVORED BECAUSE OF YOUR CONDUCT IN PREMORTAL LIFE
You belong to the family of Israel. By inheritance or adoption you may lay claim to every blessing reserved for Israel. Not all the reasons for your blessings are because of your conduct in this world; some go back into the beginning with God. Review the following scriptures and carefully study the dialogue between David and John.
Romans 9:11,12 – Did God bestow the same favors on Jacob and Esau? Was mortal performance the basis for God's favoring Jacob over Esau-had there been opportunity for either child to do either good or evil at the time of the indication of favor?
Romans 9:14 – Does the fact that God favored Jacob over Esau even at the time of birth mean that God arbitrarily selects those upon whom his favors will be bestowed without reference to their worthiness or obedience?
Romans 9:18-20 – When we look at God's dealings with men from a purely mortal perspective, it is difficult to see why he gives to one blessings that he may withhold from another. The questions in verse 19 are the questions asked by those who have no understanding of a premortal life. Is it appropriate to challenge God, or to suggest that he is not fair in placing us in the stations we occupy in this world? If two souls are born into this world in seemingly unequal circumstances, and God is just, what had to occur to justify God's placing them in unequal circumstances?
David: If some of the circumstances in which I find myself are based upon my conduct before, where did I begin? When did I start?
John: Well, first of all, there is an eternity of spirit matter. "Our spirit matter was eternal and co-existent with God, but it was organized into spirit bodies by our Heavenly Father." (Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 5. "All men were first born in pre-existence as the literal spirit offspring of God our Heavenly Father. This birth constituted the beginning of the human ego as a conscious identity. By the ordained procreative process our exalted and immortal Father begat his spirit progeny in pre-existence. All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity."
David: If I was born in the premortal world, what experiences did I go through there that provided God with a basis to favor or restrict me in this world?
John: We lived there in the home of our Father in heaven.
"He is a resurrected and holy and perfected man, and we are his offspring. We are his spirit children. He lives in the family unit. We are members of his family. We lived in this premortal life with him for an infinite period of time. We were on probation; we were being schooled and tested and examined; we were given the laws and the circumstances so that we could progress and advance....
"This system was given to us, and for an infinite period of time, we advanced and progressed and did things that enabled us to go along the course leading to exaltation and dominion and godhood ....
"In this prior life, this premortal existence, this preexistence, we developed various capacities and talents. Some developed them in one field and some in another. The most important of all fields was the field of spirituality, the ability, the talent, the capacity to recognize truth.
"Our spirit bodies went through a long period of growth and development and training and, having passed the test successfully, were finally admitted to this earth and to mortality."
"Preexistence is not some remote and mysterious place. All of us are but a few years removed from the Eternal Presence, from him whose children we are and in whose house we dwelt. ...
“ … We know we had friends and associates there. We know we were schooled and trained and taught ill the most perfect educational system ever devised, and that by obedience to his eternal laws we developed infinite varieties and degrees of talents....
" ... When we come into mortality, we bring the talents, capacities, and abilities acquired by obedience to law in our prior existence."
David: I am to understand, then, that I was born as the spirit son of God in heaven, that I lived there with my Father and mother in heaven and with my spirit brothers and sisters, and that I had opportunities to learn, to be tested, and to develop talents and abilities?
John: That is right. Some accounts that we have of the premortal life teach that we "were on the same standing" and that we were "innocent" in the beginning. We were given laws and agency, and commandments to have faith and repent from the wrongs that we could do there. " ... Man could and did in many instances, sin before he was born ...."
"God gave his children their agency even in the spirit world, by which the individual spirits had the privilege, just as men have here, of choosing the good and rejecting the evil, or partaking of the evil to suffer the consequences of their sins. ... some even there were more faithful than others in keeping the commandments of the Lord ....
"The spirits of men ... had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it."
Many responded to the spirit of God there. They were favored and foreordained to receive privileges.
" ... And it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish; therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb."
"Now this is the doctrine of foreordination; this is the doctrine of election. This is the reason why the Lord has a chosen and favored and peculiar people on earth; and this is why he said: 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.'"
David: But what of those in premortality who rejected the Spirit of God and did not exercise exceeding great faith and repentance and righteousness before God?
John: They were not able to enjoy the great privileges that others were foreordained to receive. They "did not show the loyalty to their Redeemer that they should."
David: But weren't they allowed to come into the world innocent, too?
John: Yes. They were innocent at the time of their mortal birth. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said this:
"Their sin was not one that merited the extreme punishment which was inflicted on the devil and his angels. They were not denied the privilege of receiving the second estate, but were permitted to come to the earth-life with some restrictions placed upon them.... Yet, like all other spirits who come into this world, they come innocent before God so far as mortal existence is concerned, and here, under certain restrictions, they may work out their second estate."
Hence, some in this world receive great privileges and opportunities to receive the gospel because they chose to do good in preexistence. Others are limited here because they were not as "noble and great" there.
David: And how does the concept of Israel enter into this?
John: The family of Jacob is somehow involved in preexistence.
"Israel is an eternal people. Members of that chosen race first gained their inheritance with the faithful in the premortal life. Israel was a distinct people in pre-existence. Many of the valiant and noble spirits in that first estate were chosen, elected, and foreordained to be born into the family of Jacob, so as to be natural heirs of all of the blessings of the gospel. It was to their pre-existent status that Moses alluded when, in speaking to mortal Israel, he said: 'Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. ' Those of mortal Israel who walk uprightly in this second estate shall have eternal inheritance with Israel in the world to come."
David: So the fact that I am here now and receiving the blessings and opportunities that I now receive means that I have already passed the test, under different circumstances and conditions?
John: Yes. And if you succeed here in this second estate, you shall not only be entitled to advantages in the world to come (D&C 130: 19), but you "shall have glory added upon [your head] for ever and ever. "(Abraham 3:26.)
YOU MUST BE FAITHFUL HERE TO RETAIN YOUR BIRTHRIGHT
AND MERIT THE BLESSINGS YOU WERE ELECTED TO RECEIVE
Does birthright by itself secure your eternal destiny?
Will Israel be saved just because they are of Israel?
Read Romans 10: 11-13.
Of course, the gentiles in Paul's day had not had the same opportunities to receive the gospel as had members of the house of Israel. But did members of the house of Israel receive the rewards of the gospel just because they had the advantage of hearing about the gospel before the gentiles?
"The house of Israel was a distinct people in pre-existence; that is, by obedience and devotion, certain of the spirit children of the Father earned the right to be born in the lineage of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and of being natural heirs to the blessings of the gospel. But some of them, after such a favored birth, after being numbered with the chosen seed, turn from the course of righteousness and become children of the flesh; that is, they walk after the manner of the world, rejecting the spiritual blessings held in store for Israel. They are disinherited; they shall not continue as children in the family of the prophets when the chosen race continues as a distinct people in the eternal worlds. Thus they are descendants of the prophets in this life but shall not inherit with the sons of God in the life to come."
" ... there are many among us who because of their faithfulness in the spirit world were 'called' to do a great work here, but like reckless spendthrifts they are exercising their free agency in riotous living and are losing their birthright and the blessings that were theirs had they proved faithful to their calling."
Now what of you? For all that has been said of Israel applies to you. You were vitally interested and personally involved there.
What shall you do, and what shall you be, here? You came from God, and you have been given great privileges and blessings here because of your faithfulness. But you will go back one day, and you will answer for all these blessings, for as Paul wrote, "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles (pp. 335–37)
Paul taught this doctrine so that Israel “might be saved” (Romans 10:1).
You (That’s right, you Abby, Brittany, Jake, Jason, John & Kimmy), are of the house of Israel and a covenant people. Because of this the Lord expects you to do a great work and requires that they keep His commandments.
D&C 82:10
Romans 10:1–3
Romans 10:9–18
• What responsibilities do you have and how can you develop faith?
“Israel, Israel, God Is Calling” (Hymns, no. 7)
• What message do you learn from the words of this hymn?
• How can you apply its message to your life?
• How can an understanding of the doctrines found in Romans 9–10 be a blessing in your life?
• What will you do differently as a result of what you have learned today?
Romans 11
Remember:
In Romans 9–11 Paul continued to teach the doctrine of foreordination that he had begun to discuss in chapter 8.
These chapters contain three important points:
1. In the premortal life certain people were foreordained to be born into the house of Israel and receive special blessings and responsibilities in this life.
2. To receive foreordained blessings we must accept and follow Jesus Christ.
3. Gentiles (those not of Israel’s lineage) can inherit all of Israel’s blessings through their acceptance of Jesus Christ and obedience to the gospel.
Think about patriarchal blessings and specifically your own blessing.
• What do you think is the most important word in a patriarchal blessing?
if
Why is this such an important word in a patriarchal blessing?
(Blessings are dependent on our faithfulness; they do not come automatically.)
There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21
• What might keep a person or a group of people from qualifying for the Lord’s
blessings, even though they were foreordained to receive them?
• How does Paul’s phrase “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6)
support this doctrine?
• How do some people forfeit their blessings?
• What are common temptations that could lead to the loss of gospel blessings?
A statement by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“Keeping the covenants is not hard when you do it willingly with a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ When obeyed, those covenants bring happiness and joy. They give purpose to life. Difficulty comes when agency is used to make choices that are inconsistent with those covenants. Study the things you do in your discretionary time, that time you are free to control. Do you find that it is centered in those things that are of highest priority and of greatest importance? Or do you unconsciously, consistently fill it with trivia and activities that are not of enduring value nor help you accomplish the purpose for which you came to earth? Think of the long view of life, not just what’s going to happen today or tomorrow. Don’t give up what you most want in life for something you think you want now”. (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 78–79; or Ensign, May 1997, 54)
Continued worthiness is important in order to receive the blessings promised to the house of Israel.
Paul taught that many Israelites who were foreordained had forfeited their blessings through disobedience. The Gentiles would now begin to receive the gospel and its blessings.
Read Romans 11:25–31 and look for why it was time for the Gentiles to begin to receive the gospel. Read the following
A statement by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, who was then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“In this manner was the gospel taught in the meridian dispensation. It was first offered to the Jews and after they rejected it, then it was carried to the Gentiles and from among them branches of the Church were organized. In the dispensation in which we live, the second part of this prophecy by our Lord is being fulfilled. When the gospel was restored through the agency of Joseph Smith, it came first to the Gentiles and during the past one hundred and twenty years it has been proclaimed among the Gentile nations. It has not been carried to any extent to the Jews, and only a few have accepted it. In speaking to the saints at Rome, Paul said that ‘blindness in part had happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles is come in.’—Rom. 11:25”. (The Restoration of All Things [1945], 163–64)
The Gentiles (those not of Israel’s lineage) can inherit the same blessings as Israel. Through their acceptance of Jesus Christ and obedience to the gospel, they can be grafted into the house of Israel and become full heirs.
Grafting is the process by which branches from one plant are inserted into the branches of another. A tree branch is grafted by cutting and splicing the two branches and wrapping them with a piece of cloth as illustrated:
• Will the grafted branch ever become part of the tree just as the original branches are? (Yes.)
• If an original branch gets its nourishment from the roots, where does the grafted branch gets its nourishment? (Also from the roots.)
• When and why might a gardener use grafting?
• What benefits come to a tree through grafting? (It increases in size and may produce more or better fruit.)
• What benefits come to a branch that has been grafted? (It becomes part of the tree.)
Romans 11:14–24
• What spiritual process does Paul compare to grafting? (The adoption of Gentiles into the house of Israel.)
• From what you have learned about grafting, how will the Gentiles who are adopted into the house of Israel benefit?
• Do you see any difference between the blessings of those who are adopted and the blessings of literal descendants of Israel? (Have them explain their answers.)
• How does this grafting process show the great love that the Lord has for all of His children?
Jesus Christ is the root of the tree we are grafted into (see Revelation 22:16).
The most important part of the doctrine of adoption is that any person, whether born into the house of Israel or not, can receive nourishment and strength from the Lord. If they will accept and follow Jesus Christ, they will be grafted into His family, and all of the choicest blessings of the Lord will come to them as part of the covenant.
For Romans 12-16:
• What does it mean to be saved?
• How many of you feel that you have been saved?
The word saved is often used in religious discussions.
Romans 10:9–10
Many good Christians cite these verses as proof that they have been “saved” because they have sincerely confessed or declared that Jesus Christ is their Savior.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, pointed out that the question “Have you been saved?” can be puzzling to members of the Church because people from other churches attach different meanings to the word saved:
“As Latter-day Saints use the words saved and salvation, there are at least six different meanings. According to some of these, our salvation is assured—we are already saved. In others, salvation must be spoken of as a future event (e.g., 1 Corinthians 5:5) or as conditioned upon a future event (e.g., Mark 13:13). But in all of these meanings, or kinds of salvation, salvation is in and through Jesus Christ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 76; or Ensign, May 1998, 55).
The six meanings spoken of by Elder Oaks are listed below.
1. We are all saved from physical death (see Alma 11:43–44).
“First, all mortals have been saved from the permanence of death through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. ‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive’ (see 1 Corinthians 15:22).”
2. We can be saved from sin through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel if we endure to the end (see James 2:14–17; D&C 14:7; Articles of Faith 1:3).
“As to salvation from sin and the consequences of sin, our answer to the question of whether or not we have been saved is ‘yes, but with conditions.’ Our third article of faith declares our belief:
“‘We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.’ . . .
“. . . We testify that being cleansed from sin through Christ’s Atonement is conditioned upon the individual sinner’s faith, which must be manifested by obedience to the Lord’s command to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost (see Acts 2:37–38). . . . But [believers] will not be saved finally until they have completed their mortal probation with the required continuing repentance, faithfulness, service, and enduring to the end.”
3. We can be saved by being “born again” (see John 3:3–5; Mosiah 27:24–26).
“We were born again when we entered into a covenant relationship with our Savior by being born of water and of the Spirit and by taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We can renew that rebirth each Sabbath when we partake of the sacrament.
“Latter-day Saints affirm that those who have been born again in this way are spiritually begotten sons and daughters of Jesus Christ . . . with new spiritual parentage and the prospects of a glorious inheritance [see Mosiah 5:7; 15:9–13; 27:25].”
4. We can be saved from ignorance through the light of the gospel (see John 8:12).
“A fourth meaning of being saved is to be saved from the darkness of ignorance of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and of the purpose of life, and of the destiny of men and women. The gospel made known to us by the teachings of Jesus Christ has given us this salvation. ‘I am the light of the world,’ Jesus taught; ‘he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’ (John 8:12; see also John 12:46).”
5. We can be saved from the second death (see 1 Corinthians 15:40–42; Revelation 2:11).
“For Latter-day Saints, being saved can also mean being saved or delivered from the second death (meaning the final spiritual death) by assurance of a kingdom of glory in the world to come (see
1 Corinthians 15:40–42). Just as the Resurrection is universal, we affirm that every person who ever lived upon the face of the earth—except for a very few [see D&C 76:40–43]—is assured of salvation in this sense.”
6. We can be saved by receiving exaltation (see D&C 76:52–60).
“The words saved and salvation are also used to denote exaltation or eternal life (see Abraham 2:11). This is sometimes referred to as the ‘fulness of salvation’ (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. [1979–81], 1:242). This salvation requires more than repentance and baptism by appropriate priesthood authority. It also requires the making of sacred covenants, including eternal marriage, in the temples of God and faithfulness to those covenants by enduring to the end. If we use the word salvation to mean ‘exaltation,’ it is premature for any of us to say that we have been ‘saved’ in mortality. That glorious status can only follow the final judgment” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 76–78; or Ensign, May 1998, 55–57).
Consider whether you have been saved according to each meaning.
In the final chapters of Romans, Paul speaks of conditions that are required in order to qualify for
salvation. There are commandments we must follow, ordinances we must receive, and ways we must pattern our lives in order to be saved in the kingdom of God.
Romans 12-16