NT Lesson 119-120 Gal 5-6 and Eph 1

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Lesson 119: Galatians 5–6

Introduction

Paul encouraged the Galatian Saints to restore their faith in Jesus Christ and to trust that salvation is attainable only through Him rather than through obedience to the law of Moses. Paul concluded his letter by inviting members of the Church to become new creatures through Christ and to help others do the same.

I. Galatians 5 Paul encourages the Galatian Saints to restore their faith in Jesus Christ

---Draw an image of a tug-of-war on the board.

• What is a tug-of-war? How do you win one?
• In what ways are our lives similar to a tug-of-war?

---If students did not mention it, point out that one aspect of our lives that is similar to a tug-of-war is our struggle against temptation. Invite students to look for truths as they study Galatians 5 that can help them know how to win the struggle against temptation.

---Remind students that some Jewish Christians had misled the Saints in Galatia by teaching them that they needed to live the law of Moses and be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul described these false teachings about the law of Moses as a “yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

---Invite a student to read Galatians 5:1 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for who Paul said brings freedom from this yoke of bondage.

• Who brings freedom from this yoke of bondage?

---In  Galatians 5:2–15 Paul chastened the Galatian Saints for being so easily swayed away from the liberty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and returning instead to the bondage of the law of Moses. He then clarified that even though followers of Christ had been freed from the bondage of the law of Moses, that did not mean they had the freedom to indulge freely in sin.

---Invite a student to read Galatians 5:16–17 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for two competing forces Paul described.

• What are the two competing forces Paul described?

---Create a chart on the board by drawing a vertical line down the center of the image of the tug-of-war. Write Walk in the Spirit above one side of the tug-of-war, and write Fulfill the lust of the flesh above the other side.

• What does it mean to “walk in the Spirit”? (verse 16). (To live worthy of and follow the Holy Ghost.)
• What does “the lust of the flesh” (verse 16) refer to? (Temptations to sin.)
• How are these considered competing forces?
• What principle can we learn from verse 16 about how we can overcome the temptations of the flesh? (Students may use different words but should identify a principle similar to the following: As we walk in the Spirit, we will overcome the temptations of the flesh. Write this principle on the board.)

---Ask students to ponder which side they are on in this tug-of-war and which force is winning in their lives.

---Divide the class into groups of two or three. Assign half of the groups to read Galatians 5:19–21 aloud together, looking for the results of “[fulfilling] the lust of the flesh.” Invite the other half to read Galatians 5:22–23 aloud together, looking for the results of walking in the Spirit. When they finish reading, invite one member from each group to list in the appropriate column on the board one of the answers they found. Invite them to continue listing their answers until the chart reflects what Paul listed. You may want to bring a dictionary to class and invite a student to look up any words that are difficult to understand.

Galatians 5:22–23 is a scripture mastery passage. Studying scripture mastery passages will help students increase their understanding of basic doctrines and be prepared to teach them to others. You may want to suggest that students mark scripture mastery passages in a distinctive way so they will be able to locate them easily. Refer to the teaching idea at the end of the lesson to help students with their mastery of this passage.

• According to verse 21, what did Paul teach will happen to people who give in to the “works of the flesh”?
• According to verses 22–23, what fruits, or results, indicate that someone is walking in the Spirit? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. You may want to suggest that students mark this truth in their scriptures.)

---Refer to the side of the chart where the fruits of the Spirit are listed.

• Why are these blessings worth having?

---Below the chart draw a large arrow pointing toward the side where the lusts of the flesh are listed. Ask students to imagine that in this figurative tug-of-war we allow ourselves to move toward the lusts of the flesh.

• What happens to the fruits of the Spirit when we give in to the lusts of the flesh? (We begin losing the fruits of the Spirit.)

---Erase the arrow and draw another arrow pointing toward the fruits of the Spirit. Ask students to imagine that we now allow ourselves to move toward this side.

• What happens to the works of the flesh when we walk in the Spirit? (They cease to be a part of our lives.)

---Invite students to write in their class notebooks or scripture study journals about a time when they felt or experienced one of these fruits of the Spirit. Ask them to include what they were doing to walk in the Spirit at that time. When they finish, invite a few students to share what they wrote.

---Invite a student to read Galatians 5:24–25 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what disciples of Jesus Christ try to do with the lusts of the flesh.

• What do disciples of Jesus Christ try to do with the lusts of the flesh? (Crucify them, or eliminate them from their lives.)

---Invite students to consider what they will do to walk more fully in the Spirit. Encourage them to follow the promptings they receive so they can enjoy the fruits of the Spirit.

II. Galatians 6  Paul invites the Galatian Saints to be changed through Jesus Christ

---Invite students to think of someone they know who is currently not receiving the blessings of the gospel, even if that person is a member of the Church. Ask the class to look for a principle as they study Galatians 6 that can guide them in their efforts to help the person they thought of to receive the blessings of the gospel.

---Invite a student to read Galatians 6:1–2 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul taught about how members of the Church should respond to someone who has sinned. (You may need to explain that to be “overtaken in a fault” [verse 1] means to sin.)

• According to Paul, how should members of the Church respond to someone who has sinned? (“Restore” the person, or help him or her return to the gospel path.)
• Why is it important to have “the spirit of meekness” (verse 1) as we help someone return to the gospel path?
• What are some ways we can “bear … one another’s burdens”? (verse 2).

---Summarize Galatians 6:3–5 by explaining that Paul taught that we should not be arrogant and self-righteous and that every person will “bear his [or her] own burden” (verse 4), or be accountable for his or her choices.

---Display a few seeds of a fruit or vegetable that students will easily recognize. Ask them to identify what kind of seeds they are.

• What can you expect if you plant these seeds?

---Invite a student to read Galatians 6:7–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul taught about what we can expect when we plant seeds.

• What did Paul teach about what happens when seeds are planted? (What you sow, or plant, is what you reap, or harvest. This is called the law of the harvest.)
• How does the law of the harvest relate to the decisions we make?

---Invite students to read Galatians 6:9–10 silently. Ask them to look for why Paul taught the law of the harvest.

• Why do you think Paul taught the law of the harvest after he invited the Galatians to help each other stay on or return to the gospel path?
• What principle can we learn from these verses about helping others who are not enjoying the blessings of the gospel? (Students may use different words but should identify a principle similar to the following: If we are diligent in well doing, we will reap the blessings of our actions.)
• How can the promise that we will reap “in due season” help us to not “faint” (verse 9), or give up, in our efforts to serve others and live the gospel in our own lives?
• When have you or someone you know been diligent in well doing even though the blessings did not come immediately? (You might also consider sharing an experience.)

---In  Galatians 6:11–18  Paul concluded his epistle to the Galatian Saints by reiterating that the peace and mercy of Jesus Christ are upon all those who become new creatures through faith on His name.

---Encourage students to “not be weary in well doing” (verse 9) and to prayerfully consider who they can help return to the Lord’s path. Invite them to diligently follow the impressions they receive from the Holy Ghost.

Scripture Mastery—Galatians 5:22–23

To help students memorize Galatians 5:22–23, invite the class to recite it one word per student at a time. For example, the first student would say “but,” the second student would say “the,” the third student would say “fruit,” and so forth until both verses are completed. Time the class, and give them multiple tries to achieve a target time. As you repeat this activity, consider shifting the order of students so that they say different words. You could also suggest that students practice at the beginning of class several days in a row so they can improve their time. After students have heard the scripture repeated several times, invite them to try reciting it from memory to someone sitting near them.

Commentary and Background Information

Galatians 5:24. “Crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”

Paul’s teaching that “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” does not mean that those who follow Christ will cease to experience temptation. Rather, it means that they will learn how to overcome their temptations.

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lesson 120: Ephesians 1

Introduction

Paul wrote a letter to the Saints at Ephesus regarding their foreordination to receive the gospel. He wrote about the final dispensation, or the dispensation in which we now live. Paul taught that we can come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through revelation.

I. Ephesians 1:1–8  Paul teaches the Saints that they were foreordained to receive the gospel

---Invite students to consider a time when they agreed to take on an important responsibility and were promised they would be rewarded for fulfilling this task.

• When the task grew challenging, how were you sustained by the knowledge that you had agreed to this assignment and that someone trusted you to fulfill it?
• How were you blessed or rewarded for fulfilling your responsibility?

---In his epistle recorded in Ephesians 1–6, the Apostle Paul addressed the Saints who were in Ephesus and surrounding areas. His aim was to strengthen those who were already members of the Church and to help recent converts grow in their spiritual knowledge and remain faithful to their covenants.

---Invite several students to take turns reading Ephesians 1:3–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for truths Paul taught the Saints to help them remain faithful to their covenants.

• What truths did Paul teach the Saints to help them remain faithful? (As students respond, you may want to invite them to explain how understanding the truths they mention could have helped the Saints remain faithful.)
• What do you think it means in verse 4 that God had chosen some “before the foundation of the world”?

---This phrase, in conjunction with the word predestinated and the phrase “the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself” in verse 5, refers to those who were chosen or foreordained in the premortal existence to receive the gospel. Write the following truth on the board: God’s children were foreordained to receive the blessings of the gospel. The receipt of these blessings is conditioned upon our faithfulness in this life.

---To help students understand this truth, invite a student to read aloud the following statement:

“In the premortal spirit world, God appointed certain spirits to fulfill specific missions during their mortal lives. This is called foreordination.

“Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency, just as foreordination came as a result of righteousness in the premortal existence. …

“The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties. Although you do not remember that time, you surely agreed to fulfill significant tasks in the service of your Father. As you prove yourself worthy, you will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments you then received” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 69–70).

• How can understanding that we were foreordained to receive the gospel and its many blessings help us remain faithful to our covenants?

II. Ephesians 1:9–12  Paul speaks of the dispensation of the fulness of times

---Draw a simple picture of several different rivers emptying into a large body of water. Ask students to imagine that each river represents a gospel dispensation.

• What is a gospel dispensation?

---You may want to review the definition of a gospel dispensation by inviting a student to read aloud the following statement from the Bible Dictionary:

“A dispensation of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. When this occurs, the gospel is revealed anew, so that people of that dispensation do not have to depend basically on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation. There have been many gospel dispensations since the beginning. The Bible suggests at least one dispensation identified with Adam, another with Enoch, another with Noah, and so on with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus with His Apostles in the meridian of time” (Bible Dictionary, “Dispensations”).

---Invite a student to read Ephesians 1:9–10 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what dispensation Paul referred to. Explain that the phrase “mystery of his will” in verse 9 refers to God’s plans and purposes.

• What dispensation did Paul refer to in Ephesians 1:10?

---Point out that the dispensation of the fulness of times is the dispensation in which we now live.

• How might the dispensation of the fulness of times be likened to a body of water with rivers flowing into it?
• What did Paul prophesy would happen during the dispensation of the fulness of times? (Explain that when Paul wrote that “all things in Christ,” both heavenly and earthly, might be gathered “together in one” [verse 10], he referred to the restoration and bringing together of all the keys, powers, and promises God has revealed to His children since the world began, as well as other knowledge that has never before been revealed [see D&C 128:18]. Write the following doctrine on the board: During ---the dispensation of the fulness of times, all things from former dispensations will be restored.)

Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder B. H. Roberts of the Seventy:

“This is the dispensation of the fullness of times, and we see running into it, as mighty streams rush into the ocean, all the former dispensations, putting us in touch with them, putting them in touch with us; and we see that God has had but one great purpose in view from the beginning, and that has been the salvation of His children. And now has come the final day, the final dispensation, when truth and light and righteousness must flood the earth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1904, 73).

---Invite students to come to the board and label the drawings of rivers with truths, scriptures, covenants, and powers from previous dispensations that have been restored or brought forth in the dispensation of the fulness of times. (Labels might include the sealing power, saving ordinances, the Book of Mormon, and so forth; students can draw additional rivers as needed.)

• How is living in the dispensation of the fulness of times a blessing for you?
• According to the statement by Elder Roberts, what must happen during this dispensation? (Truth, light, and righteousness must flood the earth.)
• What resources in our dispensation enable us to flood the earth with the truth and light of the gospel?

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, what has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. … I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood” (“To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood” [Brigham Young University Campus Education Week devotional, Aug. 19, 2014], LDS.org).

---Invite students to share what they are doing to help flood the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth.

---In Ephesians 1:11–12  Paul taught that through Jesus Christ the Saints had obtained an “inheritance” (verse 11) in God’s kingdom.

III. Ephesians 1:13–23 Paul teaches about the Holy Spirit of Promise

---Invite a student to read Ephesians 1:13–14 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a blessing the Saints had received because of their faithfulness and their trust and belief in Jesus Christ.

• According to verse 13, what blessing had the Saints received? (They were “sealed with [the] holy Spirit of promise.”)

---Being “sealed [by the] holy Spirit of promise” means that the Holy Ghost “witnesses to the Father that the saving ordinances have been performed properly and that the covenants associated with them have been kept” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Holy Spirit of Promise,” scriptures.lds.org). The Spirit is “the earnest of our inheritance” (verse 14). This means that the presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives is a token, reminder, and indication from God that if we continue faithful we will receive eternal life.

---In Ephesians 1:15–16  Paul told the Saints that he continually gave thanks to God for their faithfulness.

---Invite a student to read Ephesians 1:17–18 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul prayed God would give the Saints.

• What did Paul pray that God would give the Saints?
• What do these verses teach us about how we can come to know Heavenly Father? (Using their own words, students should identify the following truth: We can come to know Heavenly Father through the spirit of revelation.)

---To help students understand the spirit of revelation, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar. Ask students to listen for what the spirit of revelation is.

“Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, ‘The Holy Ghost is a revelator,’ and ‘no man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations’ (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 132).

“The spirit of revelation is available to every person who receives by proper priesthood authority the saving ordinances of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost—and who is acting in faith to fulfill the priesthood injunction to ‘receive the Holy Ghost’” (“The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 87).

• What is the spirit of revelation?
• How can revelation through the Holy Ghost help us come to know Heavenly Father?

---You may want to invite students to share how revelation through the Holy Ghost has helped them come to know Heavenly Father better. Consider sharing an experience of your own. Encourage students to strive to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost so they can continue to come to know Heavenly Father better.

---In Ephesians 1:19–23  Paul continued to teach about the Saints’ promised inheritance and Jesus Christ’s position as the head of His Church.

Commentary and Background Information

Ephesians 1:13. The “holy Spirit of promise”

The Holy Spirit of Promise is another name for the Holy Ghost. It is used in reference to the sealing and ratifying power of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 76:53; 132:7).

“The Holy Spirit of Promise … confirms as acceptable to God the righteous acts, ordinances, and covenants of men. The Holy Spirit of Promise witnesses to the Father that the saving ordinances have been performed properly and that the covenants associated with them have been kept.

“They who are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise receive all that the Father has [see Eph. 1:13–14; D&C 76:51–60]. All covenants and performances must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise to have force after this life [see D&C 132:7, 18–19, 26]” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Holy Spirit of Promise,” scriptures.lds.org).

When Paul wrote that the Saints had been “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), he was referring to the promise of eternal life given to faithful Saints in mortality. When people are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, the Holy Ghost ratifies them as celestial inheritors even though they are mortal. This doctrine is sometimes referred to as having one’s calling and election made sure (see 2 Peter 1:4–19; D&C 131:5–6; D&C 132:6–7; Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:493–95; History of the Church, 3:379–80).

In reference to the Holy Spirit of Promise, President Joseph Fielding Smith stated:

“The Holy Spirit of Promise is the Holy Ghost who places the stamp of approval upon every ordinance: baptism, confirmation, ordination, marriage. The promise is that the blessings will be received through faithfulness.

“If a person violates a covenant, whether it be of baptism, ordination, marriage or anything else, the Spirit withdraws the stamp of approval, and the blessings will not be received.

“Every ordinance is sealed with a promise of a reward based upon faithfulness. The Holy Spirit withdraws the stamp of approval where covenants are broken [see D&C 76:52–53; 132:7]” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:45).

Ephesians 1:13–14. “The earnest of our inheritance”

The phrase “the earnest of our inheritance” in Ephesians 1:14 indicates that when faithful Saints are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, they will receive a personal assurance that they will inherit the celestial kingdom. The word earnest here means “a token of what is to come” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. [2003], “earnest”). “The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of our Heavenly Father’s most precious gifts. … This gift is a foretaste of eternal joy and a promise of eternal life” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service [2004], 65).

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Help students understand the Basic Doctrines

Students will learn the Basic Doctrines as they study and discuss the scriptures and as they master key scripture passages. You should not divert from sequential scripture study to focus on the Basic Doctrines. Rather, you should give attention to those doctrines as they arise in their scriptural context. For instance, in this lesson you could emphasize the doctrine of gospel dispensations as it relates to what is taught in Ephesians 1.