New Testament Lesson 5: Born Again

This weeks lesson discusses an interesting contrast of stories from John 3-4.
John 3
v.1 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jewish people. That is to say he knew the law and he knew the prophets. He had all the possible help at hand to be able to understand the scriptures and recognize the Messiah like Simeon or Anna or anyone else we have thus far met in our New Testament study.

v.2 It's not stated clearly here but Nicodemus' seems to be asking who Jesus is and what is his purpose. He asks the question by essentially saying, "Listen Jesus, we know you are a good man because of the way you teach and the miracles you do but who are you, what are you trying to accomplish here?". This does not seem to be a sincere attempt to establish who Christ is but whether he will be a threat to the Pharisee's teachings and establishment.
Note also the setting. Nicodemus comes to Christ at night. We are not sure if he comes of his own volition or if he was sent by his fellow ruling Pharisees who do not want to be seen approaching Christ during the day. Either way, Christ takes this as an opportunity to teach Nicodemus personally.
v.3 His response to the unasked but implied question is "you will never really understand who I am until you are born again." I like the way the dark night adds to the feeling that although Nicodemus can literally see Jesus, he can't see him for who he really is. His spiritual sight is still unable to perceive the Messiah standing in front of him. Nicodemus here foreshadows the entire Jewish people rejecting the Saviour, unable to realize or see him as anything beyond the son of Joseph.
v.4 Nicodemus is obviously confused, taking Jesus literally he wonders how someone can be born twice.
v.5-8 Christ, possibly recognizing some sincerity in Nicodemus does try to explain that being born twice involves a physical birth AND a spiritual birth. He tries to teach him that not everything is literal or physical. This is a big deal and quite apt for a Pharisee as everything they do is literal and physical. They took the old law and made it a ritualistic hollow series of actions, stripping it of all spirituality. Christ tries to tell Nicodemus that the Spirit is not a physical thing you can see but something that you feel and see the effects of.
v.9 Nicodemus does not understand Jesus though.
v.10-13 At this stage of the conversation Christ now points out the obvious: "how can you have studied the scriptures all your life and miss the actual meaning. This is just the basics of the gospel. I can't even start to discuss deep doctrine with you." How many of us have neglected to study the scriptures with spiritual eyes? How many read it daily and do good actions but miss the whole point and fail to understand the "why" of what we do? How many people today have the scriptures by our bedside or in our bookcase but have not invited Christ into our lives? That is the question Nicodemus is asked.

 v.14-15 Christ continues to try and help Nicodemus understand that he is the Saviour by relating back to a story Nicodemus must have known very well. He compares the brass serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness to himself and tries to point out the symbolism to Nicodemus, prophesying of his own crucifixion. Of course the irony here is that even as then people refused to look at what was right in front of them, even so Nicodemus refuses or is unable to see the Christ who is mighty to save, right in front of him.
v.16 And then with the simplest doctrine of all, Christ further explains the great plan to Nicodemus. And all we have to do is believe and see.
v.19-21 And then his summary "But Nicodemus, this is the problem. Standing in front of you is the Messiah, the Christ, the light of world - but you choose to come to me in darkness and sneak around afraid to be seen with me. Until you accept me and choose to be seen with me in the light you will remain condemned to darkness spiritually."

It is a powerful visit with a man who should have known better and a powerful lesson to all those who profess to be religious.

Then comes act two of this fascinating contrast that John purposely sets up for us.

John 4
v.5-6 Note the setting here. Despite no longer being the seat of the Jewish people or their laws, there is deep spiritual resonance in this setting. It is here that Jacob settled after returning to the Holy Land. And what was the time? It is the sixth hour. What time is that? The Jews used to measure time by the rising of the sun. So the 6th hour was the 6th hour after sunrise. This was considered high noon! So compared to the visit of Nicodemus at the dead of night this story is happening at the height of the sun. There is more than enough light here.
v.7 Note also here the contrast to the previous story: Nicodemus of the chosen people, a teacher of the scriptures and the ruling class compared to a woman of no importance and of a people who were considered unworthy of the covenant blessings. Sometimes we think we know who is righteous by outward appearances. I think John is clearly showing that Christ's judgement is not based on outward appearances at all but on the heart. Being Mormon doesn't save us anymore than being a Pharisee Jew saved Nicodemus. Those that will be saved are those of sincere heart who are born again and accept Jesus as the Christ in thought and in deed.
And Jesus, possibly recognizing the woman's heart and sincerity asks her for some water from the well.

v.9-11 I love how this very human of conversations unfolds. The woman is shocked that a Jew would even speak to her. And Jesus immediately dismisses the enmity between Samaritans and Jews by saying "If you knew who I was and what I offer you would have asked me for water, living water!" v.12 She politely responds, questioning how he can give her living water when the well is deep and he doesn't have a pot to collect the water! And then she dares to ask the question that Nicodemus didnt dare ask. "Art thou greater than our father Jacob?" This openness and this sincerity without guile also sets her apart from Nicodemus' more sly and confused approach.
v.13-14 Christ then explains that the water he gives is not from the well but it is water that if drunk will mean she will not thirst again. Christ is obviously, as with Nicodemus, speaking spiritually.
v.15 Again another contrast to Nicodemus. I am not sure the woman understands fully what Christ is saying but rather than saying "What? That doesn't make any sense!" Her reaction is more innocent and curious. "Give me this water. So I don't have to come here to this well every day and draw water every day and drink every day." Or in other words, "Please make my life easier!".
v.16-19 Christ perceiving her openness to his message and yet discerning she is not quite getting it yet, proceeds to prove his prophetic spiritual abilities by explaining her personal situation. There is something about this conversation where you get the feeling that the woman is maybe flirting with this stranger. Here is a woman who has had five husbands. We do not know the circumstances of those marriages or their end but she is now instead living with a man but not married. To hear from a stranger that he will take away her work and provide for her living water may have been just what she wanted to hear and so she tells truthfully she has no husband but maybe purposely leaves out the fact that she is living with someone. "This strange but sincere man is offering to look after me forever!" But when Christ shows her that he knows more of her life, she starts to realize that this is not another suitor but the Saviour. She is cautious but again more direct than Nicodemus. "I perceive that thou art a prophet".
v.20-24 Now Jesus can see that she is ready to be taught of spiritual things and tells her that salvation must come of the Jews but the location of where you worship God is far less important. God just wants people that will worship him in actions and in the desires of their heart. They are those who will be saved.
v.25 Now the woman is clearly interested but still cautious, she utters her last statement. One presumes she must have by now, based on the progression of the conversation, had some idea, some hope, that this man was Christ. And she pushes it to that point by declaring she believes in a Messiah and when he arrives he will tell her. In essence she is forcing the Saviour to reveal himself to her.
Notice the gradual progression of her realisation that this man at the well is indeed the Saviour as illustrated by the pointed questions she asks. Unlike Nicodemus who came in darkness and left in darkness, this woman already had a light within and left with more light.
"Art thou greater than our father Jacob?"
"Give me this water."
"I perceive that thou art a prophet."
"I know the Messiah cometh...he will tell us all things"
The Saviour cannot leave now without clearly revealing who he is. If he does she will look elsewhere for a Messiah. And so her faith, despite being a lowly woman of Samaria is still stronger than the most learned of the Jews and she is rewarded for her faith.
v.26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
That ranks among the many other scriptural moments I would love to have been present at. This is a powerful declaration and testimony of himself and his divine mission.
Her reaction is a clear foreshadowing of the gospel mission Christ himself preaches - to declare the good news to all and so she goes back to town to tell the men that the Messiah has arrived.
v.39-40 Many believe on her words and he is invited to stay and teach them. He stays 2 days and as a result many more believed declaring "this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world".

In essence there are two groups of people, those that sincerely are looking for the truth and those that are not. Sometimes those we think are sincerely searching for truth are not and sometimes those we might ordinarily dismiss are in fact the ones that are ready for the gospel. John clearly shows that the gospel will only save those who are sincere in their search for the Christ.

Additionally if you are sitting at home, lonely, forgotten, worn out, bowed down by life or even heartache doing your best to make ends meet as a single parent, take note. Christ has time for you. He is not a respecter of position or wealth. He is seeking for those who seek the truth. He can provide living water. He can save. Just come to him, be born again.

New Testament Lesson 1: That Ye Might Believe That Jesus is The Christ

The expression "out with the old and in with the new" rarely has more significance than when we start the new year saying good bye to our Old Testament studies and hello to our New Testament studies.

This lesson helps introduce our New Testament course by exploring why some of the New Testament authors wrote what they wrote. We will touch on 3 testimonies today. Each testimony declares Jesus to be the anointed one, the promised Messiah.

1. The testimony of John
2. The testimony of Matthew
3. The testimony of Jesus

THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN
In John 20:30-31, the beloved apostle of the beloved Son of God wrote,

"30 ¶And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

Very clearly John had 3 stated intents in writing his testimony or gospel.

1. That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ
2. That ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God
3. That in believing ye might have life through his name.

His gospel was written to those who were already familiar with the basic teachings of Jesus and seemed to be directed more at members of the early church, urging them to recognize Jesus as more than just a great rabbi to follow. He was more than just a prophet. He was the one of whom all the prophets had testified would come into the world. He was the anointed one, The Messiah, The Christ. And he was also the Son of God. John frames his testimony around 7 miracles that Jesus performs building a clear picture for the Saints of a divine being with a divine purpose.

John begins his testimony with a fascinating discourse on who Jesus really is. Latter-Day Saints will be interested to study the first 14 verses of John Chapter 1 with Joseph Smith's translation, Doctrine and Covenants section 93 and Genesis 1. In John 1:1-2, John declares,

 "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

  2 The same was in the beginning with God."

John starts his testimony boldly stating that Jesus was there from the beginning(the very beginning), was with God from the beginning and was not only part of the godhead but was Jehovah, the God of the Old Covenant. It's hard to see how John could be any more direct with his audience. He clearly feels these were facts that even the Saints needed reminding of. I have always found it fascinating that John took us back to the same literary structure as the opening of Genesis. It is almost like he wants us to go all the way back and realign how it all began. "In the beginning" but instead of a fairly impersonal and general story of creation, John is pleading with us to place Jesus firmly in the centre of that narrative. The beginning of our faith was not the creation nor Adam nor Abraham but rather "In the beginning was the Word"! What an introduction and what a testimony.

THE TESTIMONY OF MATTHEW
Matthew also wrote a record of his testimony. But instead of writing to the Saints of the church, Matthew wrote his testimony mostly to the Jews, the very people that had just rejected Jesus.
The first 17 verses of Matthew Chapter 1 are probably skipped by a lot of people. It contains a lot of "begats" and a lot of names that are either unfamiliar or hard to pronounce (sometimes both!). It is a genealogy from Abraham to Joseph and quite honestly, at first glance, it can come across as boring. But a closer look will reveal a fascinating opening to Matthew's testimony.
In verse 1 Matthew declares,

  "1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

It seems like a very typical introductory verse but it is already sending a clear message to the Jewish people. Matthew declares Christ as the son of David and the son of Abraham. To understand the impact of this declaration we must understand a little of the Jewish culture and expectation. Historically the children of Israel had struggled to do as Jehovah had told them. As a result they lost their divine protection and were taken captive by the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Persians. However in their captivity the Lord often had his prophets foretell of a time when the people would be saved by an anointed one, of the seed of David. After the many military captures and their servitude under many empires and regimes the Jews believed this "anointed one" (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek) would be a king (of the royal lineage, a descendant of their King David) who would free them from the various military captors.

At the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were under the military rule of the Roman Empire and the Jewish people were looking for a military leader to save them. So when Jesus declared himself the "anointed one" (Messiah/Christ) they could not see how he fit the bill! He wasn't a military leader, he didn't fight the Romans. And eventually they killed him for claiming to be the "anointed one". But Matthew is determined to show them that in fact Jesus was and is the promised Messiah, that Jesus was and is in fact, the Christ. And so Matthew's opening statement of his testimony in verse one makes three claims:

1. Jesus is the Christ (the anointed one)
2. Jesus is the son of David (rightful heir to the royal throne)
3. Jesus is the son of Abraham (hold the spiritual/priesthood keys of authority)

These apostles keep it pretty simple and direct.
Now the Jewish people loved their genealogy, they took pride in being sons of Abraham and being related to David. In fact they had started getting the attitude that their genealogy saved them, that just merely being a Jew (the chosen people) gave them salvation. And now Matthew does something that gets their attention using their genealogy. In the middle of Jesus genealogy (which is also the genealogy of David and Abraham - two of the most revered people in Jewish tradition) Matthew decides to break with tradition and introduce women, but not only women but Gentile women and not only Gentile women but Gentile women that all needed reclaiming.

• Tamar
• Rachab
• Ruth
• Her

Tamar was the Canaanite daughter in law of Judah, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. When her husband died leaving her without child, she eventually fooled her father in law into laying with her and giving her child.
Rachab was also a Canaanite living in Jericho. She was the prostitute who protected the spies of Israel and as a result was the sole survivor with her family from the destruction of Jericho.
Ruth was a Moabite whose husband also died and needed Boaz to reclaim her.
Her was Bathsheba wife of Uriah the Hittite. It was she whom David committed adultery and murder for.

Of course the obvious question is why would Matthew put these Gentile women in the most royal of Jewish lineages? I believe he wanted the Jewish people to see that their genealogy alone would not save them. Their genealogy was filled with sinning Jews and saved Gentiles! Matthew's message seems clear. Jesus is that promised Christ, the son of David and of Abraham and the Jews missed him. For all the prophecies and writings of old they, the Chosen people, had rejected their Saviour. And like the Gentiles in their genealogy, the Jewish people also need reclaiming as much as if not more than any Gentile does. Its a bold and stirring testimony and declaration, calling the Jewish people to repentance and asking them to look one more time upon the man they crucified.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS
The third and final testimony in this week's lesson comes from Jesus himself.
In Luke 4:14-32 we find an interesting story. Jesus has just returned from his fasting in the wilderness where Satan approached him and tried to dissuade him from his coming ministry. We believe that Jesus was about 30 years old at this time. We do not know much about his teenage or young adult life but we can presume a few things based on a couple of scriptures.

The last time we really heard of Jesus he was 12 yrs old at the temple, his parents had lost him and eventually he was found teaching the learned men the scriptures. I imagine that reputation continued beyond that one event. If he was teaching in the temple at 12, there is little reason he would have stopped teaching the scriptures after. And Luke chapter 4 finds Jesus doing what we last saw him doing when he was 12, teaching,

"14 ¶And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

 16 ¶And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias..."

Everybody loved his teaching and in returning to his home congregation he is welcomed and given the scrolls of Isaiah to read. But Jesus is not there to just teach basic scriptures and gentle principles. He is now starting his mission and he wants to declare that mission. Instead of expounding on lessons from the lives of the prophets he decides to read what we now know as Isaiah 61:1-2. As Luke describes this is how it happened after receiving the scrolls of Isaiah,

"...And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

Wow! Could you imagine the scene? Oh how I would love to have been there that day! Now all of the Jews knew this scripture was a prophecy of the Messiah to come. They had been taught this scripture since they first entered the synagogues. What they did not understand was how it was to be fulfilled. So when this great teacher reads this scripture their eyes are all fastened on him in the hope that he may be about to give some clue as to when this Messiah will appear. That they could accept. But when this Jesus, who in their minds was the son of Joseph (not of David nor of Abraham and therefore no-one special by their reckoning), declared his testimony that He was the promised Messiah, his neighbours and friends and maybe even some of his family just could not accept it. That was too much for them and they took him out of the city and tried to kill him for blasphemy. This is an incredible moment in the bible. It is the first time the Lord publicly declares his mission to the world and testifies as to his true identity, as opposed to his adopted identity. It stands, as do the opening verses of John and Matthew, as a powerful opening testimony to his mission and ministry, declaring that he is indeed the promised Messiah.

I hope this is exciting to you. I hope the testimony of John and Matthew and Jesus himself inspire you to read and study more of the New Testament. There is great power in this record. This year we will study the mortal life and ministry of Jesus, adopted son of Joseph, son of David and Abraham, beloved and only begotten Son of God. I encourage to join me as we learn of the great mission he fulfilled and the life of love he led.

Old Testament Lesson 37: Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things

Much of Isaiah is treasured for it's allusion to Christ and his life.
Today's study of Isaiah, instead of taking us through each chapter, focuses on several specific Messianic passages in Isaiah highlighting the wonderful things Christ will do and has done.

Isaiah 22:22 From one perspective Isaiah is discussing a man named El-iakim (which means "one whom God will raise"). In this verse it suggests he will take over the role of treasurer/finance minister from Shebna and have the keys to the city of David and will be a very powerful man. But on another level he is alluding to the Christ. Christ will take on the keys to the spiritual House of David, the priesthood keys and the keys of sealing. What else does Christ have the power to open and shut? (Hell, Spirit World) See also Rev 3:7-8,20 and John 14:6
Christ is the key to getting back to our Father in Heaven.

Isaiah 24:21-22 Having told the people that there is no escape for the wicked v.17-18. Isaiah repeats this notion but with one extra little detail. What is the other detail he adds. Who are the prisoners Isaiah refers to here? What hope can they cling to? Who will visit them?
v.23 What kind of light can confound the moons light and shame the suns light? As a prisoner left alone in darkness for an extended period of time, what would it be like to suddenly feel this light?


Isaiah 25:1-4; 32:1-2 How does Isaiah describe Christ in these passages:

• a strength to the poor and needy in his distress
• a refuge from the storm
• a shadow from the heat
• a hiding place from the wind
• a covert from the tempest
• as rivers of water in a dry place
• shadow of a great rock in a dry land

What do these passages teach us about times when we are struggling?

Isaiah 25:6-8 "in this mountain" could refer to the geographical area Isaiah was preaching from but it also alludes to the Lord's kingdom and to the our modern temples. It is here where the chosen and elect will receive the benefits of salvation
a feast of fat things
a feast of wines on the lees
the veil of spiritual darkness and unbelief will be lifted
death will be overcome
all of our tears will be wiped away
rebuke of his people taken from off the earth
The last 3 items definitely have pertinence to the atonement and resurrection.

How can temple attendance help us receive these blessings? Who does it say will provide these blessings? Revelations 21:3-4 gives us more insight into what causes our tears that the Lord will wipe away. Notice he doesn't just stop us crying - he wipes the tears from our face. This is not just a public and infinite atonement - it is a personal and intimate atonement as well.

Isaiah 28:16 How is Christ our tried stone and our sure foundation? cf. Heleman 5:12, Doctrine and Covenants 50:44
Why will "he that believeth NOT make haste"? Compare to Isaiah 24:17-19.

Isaiah 29:4, 10-11,14,18 Bringing forth of the gospel in the latter-days through the restoration and the Book of Mormon is a marvelous work and a wonder that will heal the spiritually deaf and blind.

Isaiah 30:19-21 such beautiful comforting words of promise to the righteous and to the repentant. Is life meant to be easy?

From these few passages we see Jesus Christ as the key to returning to our Father in Heaven. It is  only through him. He is our light in the darkness, our hope, our protector and our saviour. He loves us. He is our tried and tested and sure foundation and he has restored his gospel in these latter days to bring to pass the purposes of the great plan. If we put our trust in his teachings, following his way and accepting his atonement in our lives we will not only feel the effects in our lives, we will see him.

Old Testament Lesson 34: I Will Betroth Thee Unto Me in Righteousness

How does God love us? And how do we know God loves us? How do you know God loves you?
John 3:16 He loves us so much he gave his only begotten son
Ezekiel 16:1-14 He loves us so much he has saved us, washed us, cleaned us, dressed and clothed us, adorned us with fine jewellry, entered into a covenant with us, protected us, gave us the very best, fed us the very best, crowned us.

The scriptures are clear in showing us that God loves us. But I sometimes wonder if we maybe miss the overwhelming depth of that love.
One of the ways that God has tried to explain his love for us is by using marriage as an allegory for his relationship with us. Why would he use marriage to illustrate his love for us?

What other examples in the scriptures do we have where this allegory is used? (Genesis 2-3, Matthew 25:1-13, Ephesians 5:25-33, Ruth, Revelations )

What is a betrothal? Unlike a modern day engagement, a betrothal was as holy and sacred as the final marriage vows. It was a commitment to one another. Do we as latter-day saints enter into betrothal agreements?
Have a look at the sacrament prayers:
and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son.
We take the bread as a reminder to us and a witness to others of the covenants we made at baptism to be willing to take upon us the name of Christ. Taking the bread (symbolic of his body) represents he and us becoming one spiritually.
When we take the water it represents his blood and is symbolic of us remembering and accepting his dowry that pays for us - the Atonement.


Every Sunday we are renewing our betrothal covenant with the Lord. We promised to become one with Him and our weekly sacrament is our reminder of that covenant and promise. How grateful he must be when he sees us renew that covenant each week.

It is obvious that the Lord takes marriage and betrothal and these covenants very seriously, that they have great depth of meaning to Him. It is clear he considers this a topic of great sanctity and sacredness. Which makes this next scripture all the more shocking in comparison.

Read Hosea 1:2, 3-4, 6, 8-9 WOW! I didn't see that one coming. What could possibly have happened that makes God want to order his prophet to marry a harlot and to curse the children of that marriage and to declare "for ye are not my people and I will not be yours"?

Several Old Testament prophets lives were used as similitudes or "object lessons" for the children of Israel and indeed, for us also. For example, Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac. Moses delivered his people. Jonah's experience in the belly of the great fish reflected the Lord's period of time in the Spirit World. The period of growth of Isaiah's son was used as a direct illustration of the time period Israel had left before Assyria would attack Damascus (Isa. 8). One of the most dramatic examples of such an object lesson was Ezekiel.

 

Ezekiel was asked to create a model of the city of Jerusalem being besieged by an invading army complete with a little miniature battering ram to represent the prophesied invasion to come! He was then told to lay down (with bare arms) by this model in public on his left side for 390 days, representing the number of years that the Northern Kingdom had been wicked. Next, he was to lay down (with bare arms) by the model on his right side for 40 days, representing the number of years that the Southern Kingdom of Judah had been wicked. He was also given specific things to eat and very specific cooking instructions. He was supposed to make bread from a mixture of grains and beans and lentils, but he was to bake it on a fire made of dried human excrement. For some reason, Ezekiel didn't like that idea too well and protested to the Lord. The Lord was merciful and allowed Ezekiel to cook his bread with dried cow chips instead of human ones! 

 

What was the Lord's point? The Israelites must have been horrified to see a prophet eating bread cooked over cow chips! The Lord needed to shock them just to get their attention because they had ceased to listen through the normal channels. The point was to show the people exactly how disgusting and gross their behaviour was to the Lord and how unclean they had become - the whole reason they would soon be invaded and over-run. What an object lesson!

 

Similarly, Hosea's marriage was to serve as an object lesson. So what was that object lesson with Hosea?

Hosea's marriage to the unfaithful Gomer symbolized God's covenants with Israel. The children - Jezreel (God scatters), Lo-ruhama (Not having obtained mercy) and Lo-ammi (Not my people) were the fruits of that unfaithful union. Clearly he's telling the people they have been unfaithful and the fruits of their infidelity to him would be that they would be scattered without mercy and would no longer be His people. 

What infidelity were the children of Israel guilty of? How can we avoid these temptations today? When the Lord likens this to marriage what is he suggesting is the key to avoiding temptation? (What is the first and great commandment?) LOVE the Lord they God with all thy heart, might mind and strength. How do you think the Husband feels? 

Now compare Hosea 2:1-13 with Hosea 2:14-23. Even though the wife had been unfaithful, the husband still loved her and wanted her back. In today's society that is often seen as weakness. Why would the husband take the unfaithful wife back? What does the Lord promise if his unfaithful wife returns? see also Hosea 2:19-20, 23.
v.14-15  The Valley of Achor is a valley north of the Jezreel Valley.  It is the route out of the wilderness into the heart of the land.  The word Achor means "trouble."  So the husband will use the route of trouble to bring Israel back to him, as the Lord often uses trials as a means of encouraging us to return to or to strengthen our relationship with him.

V. 23 is very reminiscent of a renewed marriage vow.

Why is this promise important and what does it teach us about God's love?

“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.” 
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

In Hosea 3 the husband is instructed to purchase his wife. Her value at this time is the lowest of all values - that of a slave. This might not seem very romantic, it may appear in this time and age to objectify the woman and treat her as nothing more than a piece of property. However this was the law and the culture. And more importantly this man was willing to pay the price literally. Is there any doubt his love for her? When we understand how this purchase symbolizes our own ransom paid by the Saviour, can you see the depth of mercy and love exhibited? Can you feel the redeeming love? 

1 Peter 1:18-19

Elder Henry B Eyring says of Hosea's story,

"This was a love story. This was a story of a marriage covenant bound by love, by steadfast love...The Lord, with whom I am blessed to have made covenants, loves me and you...with a steadfastness about which I continually marvel and which I want, with all my heart, to emulate"

Covenants and Sacrifice (CES Symposium 15 Aug 1995)

I know that God loves us. I know that his arms of mercy extend far beyond my faults and my understanding. Like Elder Eyring I wish to and I strive to emulate the love He shows us. It simply stuns me and humbles me and fills my heart with gratitude that despite all of my weaknesses and all of my mistakes he still loves me and still wants me back. 

O to grace how great a debtorDaily I'm constrained to be!Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,Bind my wandering heart to Thee:Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,Prone to leave the God I love;Here's my heart, O take and seal it;Seal it for Thy courts above.Come Thou Fount, v.4

For those that feel this love does not extend to them please know that it does.

Old Testament Lesson 4: Because of My Transgression My Eyes are Opened

Michelangelo's "God and Adam"

A serious study of the fall of Adam and Eve must include the question of why it was even necessary in the first place.
I decided this week to frame the doctrine of the fall of Adam and Eve in terms of another doctrine that seems completely opposite to where the fall appears to take us - Perfection. In doing so I hope to answer the question of why the fall was necessary, in a way that might be new to you and may enable you to ponder this great event in more detail.

The seedling
In Genesis 1:26-27 we learn that Adam and Eve were created in God's image, after his likeness. Do you notice the similarity in language between the other creations created "...yielding seed...after his kind" and Adam and Eve that are created in God's image, after God's likeness. Of course, this is not just a species commonality but the very likeness and image of gods, it's far more personal but nevertheless the point is obvious - we are of the same seed as God! As we explore further we discover that within us we have two specific ingredients that are God's and that make us His children and He our Father:

• Our Spirit
• Light 

Our Spirit: We each were born spiritually of heavenly parents - a heavenly mother and a heavenly father, inheriting from our heavenly parents divine spiritual qualities (for more scriptural evidences of this feel free to follow this link). Some may have received heavenly father's and heavenly mother's ability to discern and understand, or their ability to care and be compassionate, or maybe to forgive and love. 
Light: We also each received a portion of his light when we were born to our surrogate mortal parents. (cf Moroni 7:16-18). This light is in our very DNA. Like any seed, for us to grow to our full potential we must let that light nourish us and we must yearn and strive towards more light if we are to reach our full potential as a divine seedling. It is this portion of light within us that actually guides us towards the greater light; and it is this very journey that enables our growth. (For those wishing to go deeper into a study of spirits and light, read Doctrine and Covenants 93:29-38).

With these two divine ingredients we are created like God and have the potential to be as God.

Does this make us Gods? No. But it does make us Gods-in-embryo. Do we have the potential to grow and develop or evolve into Gods eventually, at some point in the eternities? Absolutely. For people caught up in the depths of darkness in this world that is a powerful and enabling doctrine. If you take nothing more from this lesson, take this: every person, every one, has that potential. Whether it is you sat on the internet right now in your warm house and eating a snack, or someone else sat on a hot barren plain in Africa with no food, or another person lying cold in the early morning hours behind a dumpster with an empty bottle of alcohol - every single one of us is a God-in-embryo.
When I ponder that I feel so many emotions: immense gratitude, self-respect, determination, sorrow, forgiveness, frustration and I start to feel just a little how Alma felt as he wished he were an angel, that he might declare these tidings more clearly to all mankind at once. This knowledge can be life-changing.
So this is the seedling. Us, mankind. We are the seedling.
                                                                                                                                        
 
Adam, Eve, and perfection
Now do you remember how at the beginning I said that I would like to discuss the fall within the context of perfection. Well, to do so we must first clarify and distinguish the two different aspects or definitions of perfection:

1. without sin or blemish
2. complete, whole

As we study the fall, differentiating between these two aspects of perfection will be vital in understanding why the fall was necessary. Ask yourself these questions:                Were Adam and Eve perfect when they were created and placed in the garden of Eden? To answer this question you may need to answer the following two questions.
In what ways were Adam and Eve like God, immediately after their creation?
They were spirit, intelligences, given a body in a paradisaical state, with both the likeness and image (form and shape) of God, without blemish or sin.
In what ways were Adam and Eve NOT like God, immediately after their creation? 
They had no knowledge of good and evil (that is they did not understand the difference for themselves), they had no posterity, and their body was of a substance or matter that was not resurrected immortal material but merely eternal. They were not yet complete as to their eternal purpose.

In short, they were LIKE God but not yet AS God. 

Now read the Saviour's admonition as he taught what has become known as the sermon on the mount:

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect" Matthew 5:48

Is there any doubt what is intended for us in the long run? Heavenly Father intends for us to ultimately be without blemish or sin AND to reach our fullest potential - that is perfection.
Thus He does not intend for us to be LIKE him but rather he intends for us to be AS him.

Eden, the philosopher, the fall
It seems clear that Adam and Eve, though perfect creations and being without sin and without blemish, were not complete in regards to their ultimate purpose. God knew this and set up a classroom in which Adam and Eve could learn this.

Read Moses 3:8-9
What kind of classroom is the Lord setting up, what do you think the focal point of the classroom will be?  

God also issued some basic class rules:

"be fruitful and multiply" Moses 2:28

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Moses 3:16-17

Notice that Eve elaborates further on this commandment, telling Satan that God had told them that  "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die." Moses 4:9
What do you think would have happened if Eve just touched it and then put it back?
Why did the Lord forbid them from even touching the fruit?
How can we relate this to our lives?

There is an interesting insight with the second commandment. God starts by pointing out all of the other trees in the garden which, he tells Adam, they may "freely eat". The key word is "freely" or in other words without consequences.
The same cannot be said of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam may choose for himself to eat of it but there will be consequences and God has forbidden it.

Joseph Fielding Smith once put this conversation between God and Adam into his own words. He said, "The Lord said to Adam, here is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you want to stay here then you cannot eat of that fruit. If you want to stay here then I forbid you to eat it. But you may act for yourself and you may eat of it if you want to. And if you eat it you will die."

So with that setting, the Lord God then allows the guest speaker into the classroom. 

Now notice how Satan tempts Eve in Genesis 3:1-5. He tempts her by telling her a lie and a truth to confuse and muddy her determination. He lies by telling her that "ye shall not surely die".
Well, actually she will.
As things stood in the garden, Adam and Eve could go on eternally in their current state not tasting death. God had clearly stated that if they eat the fruit of that tree it would introduce them to death. So telling Eve that if she eats the fruit she wont die, is a big fat lie from the father of all lies (about as big and fat as lies come). But then he emphasizes the truth of what will happen "your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be AS gods, knowing good and evil."
This clearly indicates that even Satan knew there was potential for mankind not just to be LIKE God but to become AS God. How has this doctrine been lost to the world?
But teaching Eve the doctrine of her potential, backfired on Satan. It's an astonishing lack of cautiousness from Satan that seems to imply that he really thought he had a good chance of destroying God's plan right there at that moment in the garden of Eden. Moses tells us as much when he comments that at that point, Satan "knew not the mind of God" (Moses 4:6).

Genesis 3:6 How did Eve reason herself into taking the fruit?

• it was edible 
• it was desirable
• it would make her wise. 

Without a distinction between good and bad she can only use the facts in front of her. The fruit was edible, it was pleasant (as God had made it), and now Satan had also informed her that it would take her one step closer to becoming as God. Is it any surprise she partook of the fruit?

Likewise, we can only presume that Adam chose to eat the fruit for the same reasons...except we have one other fascinating clue to his reasoning and for all you romantics out there this is as good as it gets!
When explaining to God why he ate the fruit, Adam says something often missed even by Latter-Day Saints. Genesis barely hints at it, but in the translation of Genesis that we call the Book of Moses we read this:

"And the man said: The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat" Moses 4:18

Clearly in Adam's mind the higher priority was staying with Eve. Seeing she had eaten and would "die", he chose to die with her rather than remain in the garden alone. Maybe he knew death would not be instantaneous and that this was also a way for them to be fulfill the other commandment to be fruitful and multiply, but clearly in his mind his priority was to stay with Eve. What a beautiful example of pure love from our first parents.

Be clear. No sin was involved here. Any notion of "original" sin or any sin is blatantly false and does not do justice to the great honour we should hold both Adam and Eve in.
Not having a knowledge of good and evil they could only obey or disobey, as a little child obeys or disobeys the command to leave the cookies alone. Sure it was wrong and it had consequences but it was not sin.

James E. Talmage said "Here let me say that therein consisted the fall -- the eating of things unfit, the taking into the body of the things that made of that body a thing of earth: and I take this occasion to raise my voice against the false interpretation of scripture, which has been adopted by certain people, and is current in their minds, and is referred to in a hushed and half-secret way, that the fall of man consisted in some offense against the laws of chastity and virtue. Such a doctrine is an abomination. What right have we to turn the scriptures from their proper sense and meaning? What right have we to declare that God meant not what He said? The fall was a natural process, resulting through the incorporation into the bodies of our first parents of the things that came from food unfit, through the violation of the command of God regarding what they should eat." (Jesus The Christ, p30)

Dallin H Oaks added to that the following:

“It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. …

“… We celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall. … Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: ‘I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. … This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin.’ …

Consequences of the fall
But this transgression has left them in a bit of a state on the perfection front. Now, not only are they not complete but they are now as some would see it dirtied and sullied with mortality. Perfection seems further away than ever...except that wondrously, within the Great Plan, they are actually closer to perfection than in Eden.

Consider what happened as a consequence overall:

• Mankind is now introduced to the world and mortality with its physical trials and hardships and temptations and death.
• Having, now, the ability to distinguish between good and evil and choose either, sin (or spiritual death) is also introduced. 
• No longer able to endure the presence of God in their mortal state, mankind are separated from Him. 

Specifically Eve is told that her pain and sorrow will greatly multiply as she bears children and Adam too is told that he will feel great pain and sweat as he has to labour to provide for him and his family. Interestingly, neither Adam or Eve are cursed or punished here.
Of Eve we are told that the serpent is cursed so that her seed will be able to crush it (thus prophecying of Christ's victory of Satan).
Of Adam, we are told that the ground is cursed  "for thy sake"(I'm not sure why the ground was cursed). It is an interesting turn of phrase. Whatever it means, it does seem to imply that the consequence of the ground being cursed and Adam now struggling for his existence was actually a good thing.

Metaphor of the seed
Consider a seed: Even a seedling today follows the same process that Adam and Eve did. The seed is formed in the plant or on the tree. When the time is right the plant or tree dispels that seed whereupon said seed, through one process or another, falls to the ground. As part of this process it goes into the earth and there finds the perfect setting of nutrients, external darkness and internal light to help it develop and intuitively know to stretch, to extend itself, to reach towards the greater light above. Thus imbued with the characteristics of the plant or tree it came from, it is perfectly capable of becoming a tree or plant as strong and as beautiful as the tree or plant it came from. And thus capable of producing seed as did the tree or plant it came from.

Similarly in our lives as divine seedlings we come to earth -  we are plunged into a world of darkness (or temptation) but there are also many things around us that can help nurture and nourish us. We too are imbued with characteristics from that source which gave us life and we have been given a portion of his light that we might know from whence we came and recognize and feel the need to push toward the greater portion of light above the surface of the earth. It is in this very struggle that we can eventually become that which we were born from. There is no other way. Eternal laws of nature decree it. Thus it was as necessary that the fall happen, as it is that a seed fall from a tree or a plant if it wishes to grow and become a tree or plant itself.

Perfection: pipedream or possible?
Are we perfect? Can we be fully perfected in this life? It seems hard to fathom. And yet we have a commandment suggesting we be perfect?

It seems altogether clear that to become as God (not just "like" God) we must learn and evolve and grow and then after all we can do, we must rely upon the saving merits and grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. We only grow by pushing beyond our current limitations - hence "because of my transgression my eyes are opened".
Even Christ, the Great Redeemer in this plan, had to study and learn in this classroom we call mortality. (Doctrine and Covenants 93:11-14). He was without sin - that much we do know or else he could not have been the Saviour of the world. But scripture seems to tell us even the Saviour had to go through mortality (condescend/fall) before being considered "perfect" or before becoming AS God (not just "like" God). The verse "...and the third day I shall be perfected" in Luke 13:32 seems to suggest the Saviour himself felt he was waiting to be perfected.
Even more telling is the sermon Christ preaches to the Nephite people AFTER his atonement and resurrection. It is pretty much the very same sermon he gave on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5-6 except for one very interesting, small detail. When he gives the command to be perfect to the Nephites he uses himself as an example of perfection

"Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." 3 Nephi 12:48

Adam and Eve fell so that mankind might exist and so that they might have a chance not only of being LIKE God but experiencing the joy of being AS God and Jesus Christ. 2 Nephi 2:25