from https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng
Have 3 groups and each looks up
the scriptures for his role
Lesson 3: The Role of the Learner
I. The roles of the Holy Ghost, the
teacher, and the learner in gospel learning
A young woman is inspired and edified as she
attends seminary. She feels the influence of the Holy Ghost there and is
grateful for the things she learns. Another young woman is in the same seminary
class. However, she is often bored and feels that she doesn’t get much out of
the class.
---What are some possible reasons why these
two young women have such different experiences while attending the same
seminary class? (participation levels, more previous spiritual learning
experiences on which her present learning can build; distracted by other
concerns.)
Look for
doctrines and principles in today’s lesson that can help you fulfill your role
in seminary and strengthen your testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
---Three
individuals have essential roles in gospel learning in a setting like seminary:
the Holy Ghost, the teacher, and the student.
Have 3 groups and each looks up
the scriptures for his role
---What truths can we learn from these verses
about the roles of the Holy Ghost? (Students may give a variety of answers, but
be sure they identify the following doctrine: The Holy
Ghost teaches truth.)
---How can we know when the Holy Ghost is
teaching us truth? (You may want to refer students to Doctrine and Covenants
8:2–3.)
These verses
were given to early Church members who had been ordained to teach the gospel. D
& C 50:13–14 looking for the role of a teacher of the
gospel.
2 Nephi
33:1 looking for
what the Holy Ghost does for us when the truth is taught by His power.
---According to this verse, what does the
Holy Ghost do for us?
---To help
students understand how to invite the Holy Ghost to carry truth into their
hearts,
D
& C 88:118 looking for
how we are to seek learning.
---How are we to seek learning? (By study and
by faith.)
---Invite a
student to read aloud the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
---Listen
for what we enable to happen when we seek to learn by faith:
“A teacher can explain,
demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great spiritual power and
effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of
the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to
enter. Learning by faith opens the pathway into the heart” (“Seek
Learning by Faith,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 61).
---From this statement, what principle can we
learn about what can happen if we seek to learn by faith? If we seek to learn by faith, then we invite
the Holy Ghost into our hearts to teach and testify of truth.
---Faith is
more than passive belief. We express our faith through action.
---What do you think it means to learn by
faith?
SOCCER DEMO
---_____
will teach you how to play soccer well enough to play on a soccer team.
---Do you have faith in _____’s ability to
teach and in your ability to learn?
---Dribbling,
passing, throwing a ball inbounds.
---How prepared do you feel to try out for a
soccer team? Why?
---Although learning about and watching
others play soccer can help, if you want to develop the needed skills to
succeed in soccer, what must you do?
---How might this relate to learning by
faith? (Only believing and trusting that the Spirit can teach us is not enough.
To obtain knowledge of God’s truths, we must also put forth effort to learn and
apply what we learn.)
---Elder
Bednar. Listen for what he teaches about learning by faith (you might consider
making copies of this statement for students and inviting them to mark what
they find):
“A learner exercising agency by
acting in accordance with correct principles opens his or her heart to the Holy
Ghost and invites His teaching, testifying power, and confirming witness.
Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not
just passive reception. It is in the sincerity and consistency of our
faith-inspired action that we indicate to our Heavenly Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, our willingness to learn and receive instruction from the Holy Ghost. …
“… Learning by faith cannot
be transferred from an instructor to a student through a lecture, a
demonstration, or an experiential exercise; rather, a student must exercise
faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself” (“Seek
Learning by Faith,” 64).
---What are some spiritual, mental, or
physical efforts we can make to invite the Spirit to teach and testify to us of
truth?
---Read Matthew
16:13–17
---What did the Savior explain about how
Peter received his knowledge?
---How is Peter’s experience an illustration
of the truths we have identified in this lesson?
---MY
CONVERSION STORY—evidence that this works. John 7:17
---Think of
one or two things you will do to learn by faith and to invite the Holy Ghost
into your hearts to teach and testify of truth. Write down what you will do.
Goals students can set to learn
by faith
Study the scriptures daily.
Develop scripture study skills, such as
marking, cross-referencing, and using the scripture study aids.
Actively participate in the devotional.
Reverently and attentively engage in learning
activities and avoid distractions.
Ask questions and seek for answers that help
them better understand the gospel and how it applies in their lives.
Record impressions, thoughts, and notes in a
scripture study journal or notebook.
Identify and express doctrines and principles
taught in the scriptures.
Explain gospel doctrines and principles to
others, share insights and experiences related to gospel doctrines and
principles, and testify of the truthfulness of gospel doctrines and principles.
Apply gospel doctrines and principles in
their lives.
---Conclude
by sharing the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson:
“Young people, I ask you to participate
in seminary. Study your scriptures daily. Listen to your teachers carefully.
Apply what you learn prayerfully” (“Participate
in Seminary,” Aug. 12, 2011, seminary.lds.org).
QUOTES:
Elder
Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following
about participating in a gospel learning experience:
“[Students’]
decision to participate is an exercise in agency that permits the Holy Ghost to communicate a personalized message suited
to their individual needs. Creating an atmosphere of participation enhances the
probability that the Spirit will teach more important lessons than [the
teacher] can communicate.
“That
participation will bring into their lives the direction of the Spirit. When you
encourage students to raise their hand to respond to a question, while they may
not realize it, they signify to the Holy Ghost their willingness to learn. That
use of moral agency will allow that Spirit to motivate them and give them more
powerful guidance during your time together. Participation allows individuals
to experience being led by the Spirit. They learn to recognize and feel what
spiritual guidance is” (“To Learn and Teach More Effectively” [Brigham Young
University Campus Education Week devotional, Aug. 21, 2007], 4–5, speeches.byu.edu).
“A teacher can explain,
demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great spiritual power and
effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of
the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to
enter. Learning by faith opens the pathway into the heart.”
“A learner exercising agency by
acting in accordance with correct principles opens his or her heart to the Holy
Ghost and invites His teaching, testifying power, and confirming witness.
Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not
just passive reception. It is in the sincerity and consistency of our
faith-inspired action that we indicate to our Heavenly Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, our willingness to learn and receive instruction from the Holy Ghost. …
“… Learning by faith cannot
be transferred from an instructor to a student through a lecture, a
demonstration, or an experiential exercise; rather, a student must exercise
faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself”
“Young people, I ask you to participate
in seminary. Study your scriptures daily. Listen to your teachers carefully.
Apply what you learn prayerfully”
Lesson 4: Studying the Scriptures
Goal: to help
students understand the importance of studying the scriptures daily and reading
the entire New Testament as part of this course of study.
I. The need
for effective daily scripture study
---Give
each student a copy of the following survey. Invite students to consider the
statements and mark their responses on the continuum. Assure students that you
will not ask them to report their responses.
---During
the lesson think about how you might improve your scripture study.
---Elder
David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“The scriptures contain the
words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready
access and from which we can drink deeply and long. …
“Through normal activity
each day, you and I lose a substantial amount of the water that constitutes so
much of our physical bodies. Thirst is a demand by the cells of the body for
water, and the water in our bodies must be replenished daily. It frankly does
not make sense to occasionally ‘fill up’ with water, with long periods of
dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is
a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to
sporadic sipping” (“A Reservoir of
Living Water” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 4, 2007], 1, 7,
broadcast.lds.org).
---What principle can we learn from Elder Bednar
about what we can receive from daily scripture study?
(As
we study the scriptures daily, we receive the “living water” we need. on the board.)
II. The value of the holy scriptures in our
day
Show the video “The Blessings of
Scripture”
(3:04. If you show the video, consider pausing after Elder Christofferson asks,
“What did they understand that we should also understand?” (time code 1:56) to ask students how they would
answer his question. Then continue showing the video. At the conclusion of the
video, continue the lesson at the paragraph that begins, “After the
video …”
---If
you do not show the video, invite four students to come to the front of the
class and read the following portions of a talk given by Elder Christofferson.
1. “On October 6, in the
year 1536, a pitiful figure was led from a dungeon in Vilvorde Castle near
Brussels, Belgium. For nearly a year and a half, the man had suffered isolation
in a dark, damp cell. Now outside the castle wall, the prisoner was fastened to
a post. He had time to utter aloud his final prayer, ‘Lord! open the king of
England’s eyes,’ and then he was strangled. Immediately, his body was burned at
the stake. Who was this man, and what was the offense … ?” (“The Blessing of Scripture,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 32).
2. “His name was William
Tyndale, and his crime was to have translated and published the Bible in
English.
“… In a heated exchange
with a cleric who argued against putting scripture in the hands of the common
man, Tyndale vowed, ‘If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy
that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost!’ …
“William Tyndale was not the
first, nor the last, of those who in many countries and languages have
sacrificed, even to the point of death, to bring the word of God out of
obscurity. … What did they know about the importance of scriptures that we also
need to know? What did people in 16th-century England, who paid enormous sums
and ran grave personal risks for access to a Bible, understand that we should
also understand?” (“The Blessing of
Scripture,” 32).
---Why do you think people made such great
sacrifices to have access to the scriptures?
----Ask
the third reader to continue reading Elder Christofferson’s statement.
3.
“In Tyndale’s day, scriptural ignorance
abounded because people lacked access to the Bible, especially in a language
they could understand. Today the Bible and other scripture are readily at hand,
yet there is a growing scriptural illiteracy because people will not open the
books. Consequently they have forgotten things their grandparents knew” (“The Blessing of
Scripture,” 33).
---Why do you think some people in our day are not
reading the scriptures as they should?
---Ask
the fourth reader to continue reading Elder Christofferson’s statement.
4.
“Consider the magnitude of our blessing
to have the Holy Bible and some 900 additional pages of scripture, including
the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and
Covenants, and the Pearl of Great
Price. … Surely with this blessing the Lord is telling us that our need for
constant recourse to the scriptures is greater than in any previous time” (“The Blessing of
Scripture,” 35).
---What do you believe Elder Christofferson is
saying about our need to study the scriptures?
---After
students have responded, write the following truth on the board:
Our need for the scriptures is
greater today than in any previous time.
---Why do you think that our need for the scriptures
is greater today than in any previous time?
---The
Apostle Paul wrote a letter in which he described some conditions of the world
in the last days.
2 Timothy
3:1–5, 13
looking for some of the sins and attitudes that would be common in our day. (see
footnotes for help in defining difficult words and phrases in these verses.)
---What are some of the sins and attitudes listed in
these verses that you have witnessed in our society today?
2 Timothy
3:14–17
look for how we can find safety in these perilous times.
---How can we find safety in these perilous times?
---Write
the following incomplete statement on the board:
As we study the scriptures, we
can receive …
---According to 2 Timothy
3:15–17,
what blessings are available to us as we study the scriptures and live their
teachings?
(As we study the scriptures, we can receive wisdom,
correction, and instruction that will lead us to salvation.)
---The statement on the board is an example of
a principle. Principles and doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ are fundamental, unchanging
truths that provide guidance for our lives. One of the central purposes of the
scriptures is to teach doctrines and principles of the gospel. We can make our
personal scripture study more meaningful by searching for doctrines and
principles, pondering their meaning, and applying them in our lives.
---What do you think it means that we can receive
wisdom, correction, and instruction as we study the scriptures?
---When have you felt that you received wisdom,
correction, or instruction as a result of studying the scriptures?
WHAT SCRITPURES
MEAN TO ME VIDEO CLIP
III. Reading the New Testament daily
---One
of the expectations for this seminary course of study is that students read the
entire New Testament. This is a requirement to receive a seminary diploma. Reading
the entire New Testament will take consistent determination but is worth the
effort.
DEMO:
Give one student a straw. Give the other
student seven straws taped together in a bundle. (The student using one straw
should be able to steadily drink the water and finish first; the other student
should struggle to get all of the water up the straws.)
---How would you relate this activity to our goal of
reading the entire New Testament during this course of study? (The student with
seven straws is like someone who tries to read large portions of the scriptures
all at once. The student with one straw is like someone who reads a smaller
amount daily.)
---To
help students see how they can read the entire New Testament by reading small
portions consistently, invite them to divide the number of pages in the New
Testament (404 pages in 268 days/ 260 chapters)
---Testify
of the blessings that can come to students as they diligently study the New
Testament. Students will receive wisdom, correction, and instruction from the
scriptures and be blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
---Refer
again to the principles on the board, and testify that by studying the
scriptures daily, students will experience the blessings described by Paul in 2 Timothy
3:15–17.
---SET
GOALS: Encourage students to make goals to set aside time every day for
personal scripture study and to read the entire New Testament. Invite students
to write their goals in their scripture study journals.
Commentary and Background
Information
Blessings come as
we study the scriptures daily
Elder
D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:
“God
uses scripture to unmask erroneous thinking, false traditions, and sin with its
devastating effects. He is a tender parent who would spare us needless
suffering and grief and at the same time help us realize our divine
potential. …
“In
the end, the central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith
in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ” (“The Blessing of
Scripture,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 33–34).
Sister
Julie B. Beck, former Relief Society general president, taught:
“If
you have not already developed the habit of daily scripture study, start now
and keep studying in order to be prepared for your responsibilities in this
life and in the eternities. …
“… The
key to unlocking important knowledge is to keep studying. … The scriptures
testify of Christ (see John 5:39). They tell us all things
we should do (see 2 Nephi 32:3). They ‘make [us] wise unto
salvation’ (2 Timothy
3:15).
“… Through
your habit of daily scripture study, you will be ‘led to believe the holy
scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written’ (Helaman 15:7). You will be the mothers
[and fathers] and leaders who will help prepare the next generation with gospel
understanding and testimony” (“My Soul
Delighteth in the Scriptures,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 108–9).
---What are some of the tools we can use to help us
as we study the scriptures?
---Turn to the
appendix in the LDS edition of the King James Bible and look for the names of
some of the tools we can use to study the scriptures. Ask students to report
what they find.
--These
resources, as well as the footnotes and chapter summaries in the LDS editions of the scriptures, are valuable
tools that can help us understand the context and content of the scriptures. (context
includes the background or historical setting and the information in the verses
surrounding the scripture passage being studied.)
“The scriptures contain the
words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready
access and from which we can drink deeply and long. …
“Through normal activity
each day, you and I lose a substantial amount of the water that constitutes so
much of our physical bodies. Thirst is a demand by the cells of the body for
water, and the water in our bodies must be replenished daily. It frankly does
not make sense to occasionally ‘fill up’ with water, with long periods of
dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is
a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to
sporadic sipping.”
The statement on the board
is an example of a principle. Principles and doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ are fundamental, unchanging
truths that provide guidance for our lives. One of the central purposes of the
scriptures is to teach doctrines and principles of the gospel. We can make our
personal scripture study more meaningful by searching for doctrines and
principles, pondering their meaning, and applying them in our lives.
Lesson 5:
Context and Overview of the New Testament
Introduction
In this lesson, students
will learn about the historical and cultural context of the New Testament,
including factors that contributed to many Jews rejecting Jesus as the Messiah
and Savior. Students will also learn about the structure of the New Testament.
I. The context of the New Testament
---Describe
what you think might be happening in this picture. Why do you think the man is
on the ground and stretching forth his hand?
---After students respond,
reveal the rest of the picture.
---How
does seeing the full picture help you understand what is happening?
---Read the chapter heading for Acts 7 to understand that this picture shows Stephen, a
disciple of Jesus Christ, being stoned to
death and seeing Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
---How
can we liken uncovering this picture to understanding the scriptures?
---This activity
illustrates the importance of understanding the context of the scriptures. The
word context refers to the circumstances that surround or give
background to a scriptural passage, event, or story. As you become familiar
with the historical and cultural context of the New Testament, you can better
understand and apply its teachings.
II. Jewish religious leaders during the Savior’s ministry
---Read 2 Nephi
10:3–5 aloud looking for words
or phrases the prophet Jacob used to describe the spiritual condition among
some of the Jews during the Savior’s ministry.
---What
words or phrases did Jacob use to describe the spiritual condition among some
of the Jews?
---The word priestcrafts in verse 5 refers to preaching
that seeks “gain and praise of the world” rather than the welfare of God’s
people [2 Nephi 26:29]. Those who were guilty of priestcrafts were
primarily wicked religious leaders among the Jews who were leading people
astray.
---Read
Matthew
23:16, 24 aloud looking
for how the Savior described these Jewish religious leaders during His
ministry.
---How
did the Savior describe these Jewish religious leaders?
---What
did the Savior teach about these leaders by calling them “blind guides”?
---To help students
understand further how religious leaders led people astray, draw a circle on the board and write Law of Moses in its
center.
---Draw another
circle around the first circle and label it Oral
Law.
---In the absence of
prophets, Jewish teachers and leaders added their own rules and interpretations
to the law. Known variously as the oral law, oral tradition, or the traditions
of the elders, these added rules and interpretations were intended to prevent
violation of God’s law.
---KNOT DEMO: To
demonstrate one of these rules, invite two students to come to the front of the
class. Give them each a rope with a knot in it. Ask one student to untie the
knot using only one hand, and ask the other student to untie the knot using
both hands. After they attempt this, invite them to return to their seats.
---According to the oral
law, it was forbidden to untie a knot with both hands on the Sabbath. Doing so
was considered work and thus a violation of the Sabbath day. However, untying a
knot with only one hand was permitted.
---What
could be the danger of adding man-made rules to God’s commandments?
VIDEO CLIP ON PHARISEES,
SADDUCEES, and SCRIBES
---Ask a student to read
aloud the following statement concerning certain Jewish religious leaders by
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“They took the plain and simple things of pure
religion and added to them a host of their own interpretations; they
embellished them with added rites and performances; and they took a happy,
joyous way of worship and turned it into a restrictive, curtailing, depressive
system of rituals and performances. The living spirit of the Lord’s law became
in their hands the dead letter of Jewish ritualism” (The Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. [1979–81], 1:238).
---According
to Elder McConkie, what had the Jewish religious leaders done to God’s law with
their added interpretations?
---Notice that the Jews in
Jesus’s day were in a state of apostasy. Although the authority and ordinances
of the Aaronic Priesthood continued among them, many of the Jews had fallen
away from the true practice of their religion as revealed by God to Moses. The
tradition of the elders had gained priority over pure religion and the written
word of God.
---Read
Matthew 12:14 aloud looking for what the Pharisees desired to do to
Jesus because He disregarded their authority and some of their oral traditions.
---What
did these religious leaders conspire to do to Jesus?
---In addition to apostate
Jewish traditions, other false philosophies influenced people’s rejection of
Jesus Christ after His Resurrection. For example, the spread of Greek culture led many
people to reject the reality of a physical resurrection. Thus, as the Apostles
testified of the resurrected Savior after His Crucifixion, many rejected their
testimonies.
IV. Foreign rule and the expectation of a Messiah to deliver Israel
---Write the following
words on the board:
Babylon, Persia, Macedonia
(Greece), and Rome.
---Regarding
the Jews, what did these ancient empires have in common? (They had conquered
and ruled over the Jews.)
VIDEO CLIP NEWS BROADCAST
---Why
were the Jews so anxious for the coming of the Messiah?
---What
did many Jews think the Messiah would deliver them from?
---Because many Jews
looked for a Messiah who would deliver them from foreign rule, they rejected
Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Other Jews were humble and
spiritually sensitive recognized Him as the Messiah and Savior.
---Read Luke 2:25–33 looking for what a righteous man named Simeon did and
said when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple as an infant.
(Jesus
Christ was sent to bring salvation to all people.)
---What
did Jesus Christ do to allow all people to be saved?
V. A brief preview of the New Testament
---Show students Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda (Gospel Art Book, no. 42; see also LDS.org). After 10 seconds, put the picture away and invite
students to write their descriptions.
---After sufficient time,
ask a few students to read their descriptions to the class.
---Although
you all saw the same picture, why did your descriptions differ?
---Why
is it helpful to have more than one witness of an event?
---Write the names of the
writers of the four Gospels on the board:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
---Each of these disciples
of Jesus Christ recorded events and teachings from the Savior’s life. Their
records are called the Gospels. The word gospel means “good news.” The Joseph Smith Translation changes the title of each Gospel to
testimony, as in “The Testimony of St. Matthew.”
---Why
is it helpful to have more than one gospel or testimony of the life and
teachings of Jesus Christ?
---Although the four
Gospels vary in some details and perspective, they all recount the events of
the Savior’s life and earthly ministry among the Jews. All four Gospels testify
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world (see Bible Dictionary, “Gospels”).
---Hand out the abbreviated
version of the chart “The Mortal Life of Jesus Christ at a Glance” at the end
of this lesson.
---Use the chart to
identify a few major events in the Savior’s mortal ministry.
---According
to the chart, how long was the Savior’s mortal ministry?
---Where
was the Savior during most of His ministry?
---Use this chart to
better understand the context of the four Gospels as we study the New
Testament.
---Open to the table of
contents of the Bible. While the Gospels give an account of the Savior’s
ministry, the books from Acts through Revelation record the ministry of
Christ’s ancient Apostles after His Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.
These Apostles traveled throughout the land of Israel and the Roman Empire
preaching the gospel and establishing branches of the Church. By studying these
Apostles’ acts and writings, we can strengthen our faith in the Savior and
learn how to receive the blessings of His Atonement. We can also see how
closely The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parallels the ancient
church of Jesus Christ.
---Testify of truths you
have discovered from studying the New Testament.
---Look for truths that
will bless you as we study the New Testament this year.
Commentary and Background Information
The period between the Old
and New Testaments
For additional information
about the historical and cultural setting of the New Testament, see
S. Kent Brown and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, “The Lost 500 Years: From Malachi to John
the Baptist,” Ensign, Dec. 2014,
56–60; Robert L. Millet, “Looking beyond the Mark: Why Many Did Not
Accept the Messiah,” Ensign, July
1987, 60–64; and Richard D. Draper, “The Reality of the Resurrection,” Ensign, Apr. 1994, 32–40.
The four Gospels
Elder Bruce R. McConkie
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how the Gospels were written for
different audiences but served the same purpose of teaching about the divinity of
Jesus Christ:
“It is true that the four
New Testament gospels do present different aspects of our Lord’s personality
and teachings. It appears that Matthew was directing his gospel to the Jews. He
presents Christ as the promised Messiah and Christianity as the fulfillment of
Judaism. Mark apparently wrote with the aim of appealing to the Roman or
Gentile mind. Luke’s gospel presents the Master to the Greeks, to those of
culture and refinement. And the gospel of John is the account for the saints;
it is pre-eminently the gospel for the Church, for those who understand the
scriptures and their symbolisms and who are concerned with spiritual and
eternal things. Obviously such varying approaches have the great advantage of
presenting the truths of salvation to people of different cultures,
backgrounds, and experiences. But the simple fact is that all of the gospel
authors wrote by inspiration, and all had the same purposes: 1. To testify
of the divine Sonship of our Lord; and 2. To teach the truths of the plan
of salvation” (Mormon
Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 336).
The books of Acts through
Revelation
The book of Acts records
some of the major missionary activities of the Apostles. The books from Romans
to Jude are epistles, or letters, written by Paul and other Church leaders to
instruct and edify the Saints. The Pauline epistles are arranged “by length, in
descending order from the longest (Romans) to the shortest (Philemon). This is
the case except with the epistle to the Hebrews, which was placed last because
some have questioned whether or not it was written by Paul” (Bible Dictionary, “Pauline Epistles”). The epistles of James through Jude are referred to
as the General Epistles “because they are not directed to any one person or
specific branch of the Church” (Bible Dictionary, “General Epistles”). The book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse,
contains John the Beloved’s specific counsel to seven branches of the Church in
Asia as well as a revelation to John consisting basically of the history of the
world, especially the last days.
What are the four Gospels?
The four Gospels are the
first four books of the New Testament. Written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, they contain four testimonies of Jesus’s mortal life and the events
pertaining to His ministry. In many ways, the book of 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon is
similar to the Gospels and is sometimes referred to as “the Fifth Gospel.”
“The books of the New
Testament were originally written in Greek. The Greek word for gospel means
‘good news.’ The good news is that Jesus Christ has made an atonement that will
redeem all mankind from death and reward each individual according to his [or
her] works” (Guide
to the Scriptures, “Gospels,” scriptures.lds.org).
Where can I find a harmony
of the accounts in the four Gospels?
A harmony of the four gospel accounts, with a table comparing the teachings of Jesus Christ
as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and latter-day revelation, can be
found in the Bible appendix.
“They took the plain and simple things of pure
religion and added to them a host of their own interpretations; they
embellished them with added rites and performances; and they took a happy,
joyous way of worship and turned it into a restrictive, curtailing, depressive
system of rituals and performances. The living spirit of the Lord’s law became
in their hands the dead letter of Jewish ritualism”
Except for one period of
independence, by New Testament times the Jews had lived as a conquered people
for over 500 years. A revolt led by the Maccabees, a family of Jewish patriots, led to independence about 160
years before Christ’s birth. However, by the time of Christ’s birth, Rome had
conquered Israel. King Herod (also known as Herod the Great), who had married
into the Maccabee family, was appointed by Rome to rule over Israel. The Jews
resented Roman rule and eagerly looked forward to a promised Messiah who they
believed would deliver them from the Romans. Because many Jews expected a
Messiah who would deliver them from foreign rule, they rejected Jesus Christ as
their Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment