Aug 12-18

Summary of Chapters

As per usual, what did you learn this week? This is the forum to share. I do want these lessons and discussions to be more than just my musings and some of my personal revelations. I'd love to know what you learned.

My approach to these lessons will be to prepare as much as possible, but I will always feel under prepared, and if Rachel & I have a bad week, I might only get a few hours to put a lesson together. For me, that's not enough. I tell you this, because I need you to know that I need you to help me. I need you to have learned something this week and I need you to be willing to add to the lesson. I need you to be prepared to be active participants in the class. In fact, It's more than just me that needs this from you. It's you. You need you to have learned something this week.

On a personal level, not every week is a good week. Some weeks the amount of study and preparation I've put in is embarrassing, but I try to keep those weeks to a minimum.


The manual points out that the suggestions contained in it are only a small suggestion of the many different directions you cold have taken your study this week. We do not need to be constrained by the content of the come follow me manual.

Let the holy ghost guide you in you journey.

I think there was a lot of good content in this weeks reading. One reason would be because there was actually a lot of chapters available to study.

Some topics mentioned in this weeks reading

The Love of God.
Natural man and vulnerability.
Foreordination.
Judging others.

Romans 7-16

Romans 7

The law of Moses is dead. You are free from that law. The new law and commitment is to the law of Christ. v6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. Stop living by the letter of the law, there is no spirit in it.

v8. What do you think it means when it says For without the law sin was dead? Did anybody go to the footnotes with this one or was it obvious? Alma 42:17. How could he sin if there was no law? I would also add v21. if there was no law given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature.

Similar to where I work. One of my responsibilities is to check the drawings of others. Sometimes there are disagreements between the draughtsman and the checker. Many of these disagreements come from personal preference because there are no rules written down about how to represent some information. Due to a lack of rules the draughtsman is neither right or wrong and the checker is neither right or wrong. One of my ongoing tasks is writing a handbook, a set of guidelines for the draughtsman to follow. This then clarifies who's personal preference is correct.

One of the messages I got from this weeks chapters was the idea that you cannot sin if there is no law. But you cannot do any good either.

I wonder if this was what life was like for Adam and Eve. They had two commandments. Anything else they did was neither a form or righteous living or riotous living. How could it be. There were only two rules for them to live by. Do not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and to multiply and replenish the earth. No laws about etiquette, manners, greed or jealousy.

v18-19. Reminds me of Mosiah 3:18. This natural man make me do things I don't really want to do.

Maybe we feel like Paul at times who in v25 says In my mind I serve God. But with the flesh I sin.

Romans 8

v16-17 We are the children of God.

Parents. What do you want for your children? What do you want them to have? Everything you have and more? Can you give it to them? What do you want them to be? Can you give it to them? We can give good gifts, like God can. But we and he cannot make us good, that is something we need to learn how to do ourselves.

Refer to Elder Oaks parable from the teachers manual.

Looking for hope? Try these verses on for size. v38-39. Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God.

From the manual, Sister Linda S Reeves words.

How did reading or hearing those words make you feel? Did you believe them? Do they change you in any way?

Romans 9

v15-16 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. He's not saying It doesn't matter if you are good or bad, God randomly picks and chooses who gets in and who does not. Keep reading.

Paul calls himself the apostle of the gentiles. Following the chapters which give insight into the idea of foreordination Paul mention the birthright the descendants of Israel have. Though this birthright does not automatically qualify anyone for entry into Gods kingdom. Imagine if it did. The Israelites would get lazy and complacent, even wicked, if they thought there is nothing they cold do that would prohibit them from glory. In fact, this is what they started doing. Likewise, the Gentiles are not permanently excluded from the glory of God. Both parties need to have faith and obey the commandments.

Romans 10

v12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Romans 11

This is where verses about faith and works appear.

v21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. In other words, if God can condemn his chosen people, how much more can he condemn other groups.

v24 how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? Implying that God is merciful, repentance is possible and almost easier for those that previously had. If you leave, and then learn you made a mistake and desire to return, do not despair, you are not beyond his reach.

Romans 12

v1 contains an unusual phrase. present your bodies a living sacrifice. What do you think this means?
Mosiah 2:34 render to him all that you have and are
Moroni 10:32 32 ...come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; ...and love God with all your might, mind and strength...
D&C 93:1 ...forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments...

Does v5 change you opinion of v1. V5 refers to the body as a body of saints rather than as an individual.

v2 ...be not conformed to this world... Sounds like be in the world but not of it.

Chapter 12 continues on with lots of good stuff that reminds me of the sermon on the mount.

v17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Don't insult someone just because they insulted you. Don't seek revenge.

v21 The title of the lesson. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

What does be not overcome with evil mean?

What does overcome evil with good mean?

The law of Moses was an eye for an eye. What did Jesus teach? If a man takes your cloak, give him your

Romans 13

v8-10  ...love is the fulfilling of the law.

v14 What do you think it means to put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ? And what do you think it means to make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof? Like wearing like a garment? The word provision implies planning. Do not plan to sin. Do not put things in place to facilitate sin. What might this look like?

Romans 14

Chapter heading & v3. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. (Living with Others & Living With Differences, Elder Dallin H Oaks, Oct 2014, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/loving-others-and-living-with-differences?lang=eng)

Are we making Judgements when we don't have all the facts? President Monson. Most likely, the answer is yes. So what did Elder Uchtdorf say to do? Stop it.

Going back to the Heirs of God idea, The teachers manual reminds us that Latter-day Saints see all people as children of God in a full and complete sense; they consider every person divine in origin, nature, and potential. If we remembered to do this, would it make it easier to Judge less, or even at all?

Romans 15

v14 Paul is persuaded that all recipients of his message are 'full of goodness...'. This message is even for you. If you think you are bad, you are not. You are able to be good.

Romans 16



Dancing without music. Have you ever heard a piece of music that compelled some part of your body to move with the rhythm or even get up and dance? Have you tried doing the same dance without the music? The idea the manual might be teaching is that it is hard to live the gospel without feeling the music of the gospel or the spirit vibrate within our soul. If you feel it, your dance would be amazing. Even if you cannot dance, even if your dance is a little clunky, it would be amazing because it will be full of emotion and reason.