Live as Saints should live

Choice 1, Romans 12-16. Live as Saints should live.

In Romans 13:11 Paul states that our salvation is nearer. There are things that we need to continue doing to work on our salvation. In Ezekiel 3:20 we learn that we must warn others and not turn from our righteousness. D&C 14:7 teaches us that must keep the commandments and endure to the end.

In Romans 12-13 Paul teaches the things that we need to do that will lead us to salvation.

• Romans 12:1, Self sacrifice. We must deny ourselves of all ungodliness and render all that we have and are to God.
• Romans 12:12, Self mastery. We must not be conformed to the world or worldly things. Put off the natural man.
• Romans 12:9. We must love sincerely (charity), abhor evil, and cleave to good.
• Romans 12:13. We must take care of others (service) and be kind.
• Romans 12:16. We must not be prideful. We need to be meek and humble, and not lift ourselves above another.
• Romans 12:21. Paul counsels us to not be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good.
• Romans 13:1. We must be submissive and obedient to God.
• Romans 13:3. We mus do good.
• Romans 13:8. We must owe no man anything, and love one another.
• Romans 13:9. Thou shalt not steal, bear false witness, or covet. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

In Romans 14:1-13 and Romans 15:1-3, Paul gives us some counsel in regards to judging others. He cautions that we should not judge others. We are all on different levels, and none of us are perfect. Only God can judge. Judging others can be a stumbling block to others.

People may have different opinions and practices and we may not always see eye to eye, but it is important to remember that Christ is the judge. We should all strive to edify one another. Christ suffered and died for us, it is through his atoning sacrifice that we can be forgiven. He is the only one that can judge us and we will stand before Him and God and give an account of ourselves. It is important for us to focus on ourselves and not waste time judging others. We can gain additional insight into this principle in D&C 38:25. We learn that we must treat everyone fairly. God loves all of his children the same and he will judge fairly. When we judge others, we may not know all the circumstances that surround their ideas and choices, which leads us to judge unfairly. God wants us to be united and not caught up in disputations that may arise from judging unfairly.

Paul refers to the members of the church in his day as Saints. I found this interesting as we are referred to Saints in our day as well. His counsel was just as relevant for the members of the church in their day as it is to us in our day.

I completed this assignment by reading the required verses, cross referencing scriptures to gain additional insight, and pondering my response to the questions.

I chose this assignment, because I felt that it would be a great resource for me to create a list of things that I need to work on for my own salvation.

The best thing about my assignment was the insight I gained into what things we should be doing for our own salvation. I really enjoyed making this list and pondering on these things.

I struggled a little bit with understanding all of Pauls words regarding judging of others. I did my best to understand, and if I had had more time, I could have spent more time pondering each verse. to gain a deeper understanding of Pauls counsel.

The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation

Choice 1: Romans 1. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation,

Jesus Christ is the Son of David in the flesh through his lineage. He is the son of God in flesh and in spirit. Because of his royal lineage through David, he could reign on earth, but through his royal lineage, being the only begotten of the Father, he is the heir to all that the Father has. He has the authority to reign in heaven and on earth through that lineage. He has the authority to act in God’s name and to do his will.

It was essential for the Savior to be mortal in that he needed to gain a body and have to ability to die. He needed a mortal body to atone for our sins and to lay down his life for us. However, he needed to be immortal to have the power to lay down his life and take it up again. Being immortal would allow him to fulfill God’s plan.

In Roman’s 1:15-20 Paul gives us some insight into his feelings about the gospel. In verse 16, Paul states that he is not ashamed of the gospel. He was not afraid to share the gospel with others. Not only was he not afraid, but he had a great desire to share the gospel with others. He had a testimony that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation. In verse 18 he testifies that the gospel is truth.

I can show that I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ through my obedience to the commandments. It isn’t always popular by the world’s standards to live in accordance with the gospel, and another way that I can show that I am not ashamed, is by standing up for what I believe. I can share the gospel with others, use my right to vote to vote for things that are in accordance with my morals and principles, I can serve faithfully in my calling and I can keep myself unspotted from the world.

In Romans 1:21-32, Paul lists some of the sins of the people

• Knew God, but did not glorify Him
• Ingratitude
• Vain (corrupt in reasoning)
• Hearts were darkened
• Professing themselves to be wise (Pride)
• Worshipping idols
• Unclean through the lusts of their hearts
• Changed truth of God to a lie
• Worshipped and served the creature more than the creator
• Homosexuality
• Did not like to retain God in their knowledge
• Filled with unrighteousness
• Fornication
• Wickedness
• Covetousness
• Maliciousness
• Full of envy
• Murder
• Debate (strife/discord)
• Deceit
• Malignity
• Whispers
• Back biters
• Haters of God
• Despiteful
• Proud
• Boasters
• Inventors of evil things
• Disobedient to parents
• Covenant breakers
• Without natural affections
• Implacable
• Unmerciful
• Knew the judgments of God, but transgressed anyway, or sympathized with others who did

My assignment was then to put a checkmark next to the sins that are still a problem today and I marked every one. The problems that Paul saw in his day are still happening today. Paul gives some reasons why people commit these sins
• They knew God, but would not glorify him as God (vs. 21)
• Follow the lusts of their hearts (vs. 24)
• They don’t retain God in their knowledge (vs. 28)
• They pull away from God through sin. They withdraw from the spirit so that it cannot work in them for good. (vs. 24,28)

In Romans 1:25, Paul states that the people “worshipped and served the creature more than the creator”. In Romans 8:19 the footnote gives some additional insight into what is meant by the creature, it says creation or material universe, so I believe that this means that they worshipped the things of the world more than God who created all things. I believe that they failed to recognize God’s hand in their lives and failed to glorify Him.

To complete this assignment, I read and pondered the required reading, I also discussed some of the principles with my husband.

I chose this assignment, because I believe that when we study the scriptures about Jesus Christ, it helps our testimonies to grow. I knew this would be a good opportunity to study the Savior and his gospel.

I really like the list of sins that Paul mentioned were evident in his day and realizing that those are still continuing. It helps me to see what areas I can improve in. This assignment could have been improved by studying other prophets who were not ashamed of the gospel and how they manifested that.