Choice 3: James 3–4. Living Our Religion

1.    Read James 1:19; 3:1–13; 4:11; and the institute student manual commentary for James 3:8, “The Importance of Taming the Tongue” (p. 410). Using these resources, make two lists:

Things We Say That Are Offensive to God	Things We Say That Are Pleasing to God
"The tongue boasteth, and is like fire" - words can hurt more than sticks and stones sometimes. The mouth can spit out lies and curses.  "He that speaketh evil of his brother, judgeth his brother." - It is only God's place to judge us individually.	When we are slow to speak, slow to rate, and swift at hearing.  Though the mouth can curse, it can also bless, and praise God.  "let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." - (v.13)

2. Referring to the following chart, read James 4:1–4 and identify four symptoms of people who are friends of the world. Read James 4:7–12 and write a prescription that would help people overcome the “world.” Write your responses in the appropriate column:

Symptoms of Being in the World (James 4:1-4)

Prescription for Being out of the World (James 4:7-12

"Ye kill, and desire to have" -You kill each other, and still wish to be satisfied with your lusts.  "Ye ask, and receive not because ye ask amiss" - You ask of God, but with the wrong attitude and for the wrong reasons.  "Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not" - You fight each other, but do not ask of God for help or peace.  "[Ye] desire to have, yet do not obtain" - You desire of things, but do not obtain because you do not work for them.

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - We will not be tempted if we consistently resist Satan.  "Draw night to God, and He will draw nigh to you." - Come closer to God, and he will run to you.  "Speak not evil of one another, brethren" - Love one another.  "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." - Do not become selfish and prideful; be aware of your insignificance to God.

Hebrews 13. Works of Righteousness

Paul concluded his epistle to the Hebrews with some brief teachings and statements of counsel. Read Hebrews 13 and find statements about the following questions:

• How should we treat strangers and those “in bonds”? We should "treat our neighbors as ourselves." If were to also be in bonds, how would we treat ourselves? We should ask ourselves these questions. 

• How is marriage looked upon? Marriage is to be honored and respected, and judged only by God when it comes to adultery and disloyalty.

• What warnings are given about covetousness? It is never good to be "obsessed" or "addicted" to something that can affect our moral choices. Coveting gets in the way of us wanting to be more like Christ. 

• What is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”? Jesus is considered the "same yesterday, and today, and forever."

• How are we sanctified? We are sanctified through the empowering Atonement of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. 

• How do we respond to those who rule over us? We should always respond respectfully to those who rule over us, even if we disagree or dislike something they say. They have are entitled to receive respect, and it is our duty to give it. 

• Who did Paul ask the people to pray for? Paul asked the people to pray for the church leaders and for Him. This is something we should include in our daily prayers. 

Hebrews 3-4. Entering into the Lord's Rest

Read Hebrews 3:8–4:16 and the institute student manual commentary for Hebrews 3:11, “What Does It Mean to Enter into the ‘Rest’ of the Lord?” (p. 383). Write answers to the following questions:

• What group of people was refused entrance into the Lord’s rest? Hebrews 3 refers to the people Moses led out of Egypt. 

• What sins caused them to forfeit this privilege? They had evil and hatred in their hearts and did not believe. 

• How does Doctrine and Covenants 84:23–24 help define what is the Lord’s rest? D&C says how it is "the fullness of His glory" that those who are obedient will receive the final, eternal gift.

• What sins did Paul repeatedly warn against so as not to incur the same punishment? Paul encouraged us to not harden our hearts so we would not make the same mistakes and experience the same grief and consequences every time. 

• How do you think the warnings in Hebrews 3:12–15 apply to us? Each day we need to constantly teach one another to not harden our hearts so that we do not fall into the deception of sin. 

• List the counsel found in Hebrews 4 that will help a person enter into the rest of the Lord. This chapter teaches how "rest" means to return to the presence of God and receive his "fulness" which He has for us; exaltation. It also means to have peace  of conscience and strength in this life. 

• How do Matthew 7:21–23; John 7:17; James 1:22 help in understanding how the word needs to be “mixed with faith”? (Hebrews 4:2–3). We need to truly have faith in the things that are taught to us, and act upon them. It would be hypocritical to preach a certain principle, but not live by the principle ourselves. 

Philippians 1–4. Find Solutions in the Scriptures to Life’s Challenges

For each of the following common challenges, write the counsel from Philippians that you would use to resolve it:

• People sometimes argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week (see Philippians 2:1–8, 14–15). Be united in thought. Be concerned for others and not selfish. 

• Many youth feel that their parents’ testimony is sufficient for them. Since they have good parents, they rely on them for all their spiritual strength (see Philippians 2:12–15 and institute student manual commentary for Philippians 2:12, “Work out Your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling” [pp. 361–62]). It is important to have this great influence from our parents, but it is also important to gain our own testimony and strength to do the right thing with humble and faithful hearts. 

• An investigator is considering joining the Church, but his family will no longer associate with him if he does (see Philippians 3:7–16; 4:13). We may lose some very important things in this life because of our loyalty to Christ, but we will receive the greatest eternal prize if we remain loyal to Him. 

• How is this writing assignment an example of the principle taught in 2 Nephi 32:3? 2 Nephi 32:3 says to feast upon the words of Christ because He will tell us what we need to do. If we do this, we will not argue with each other over petty matters, and we will gain a personal testimony through Him, and will have the strong and loving desire to always follow Him. 

Romans 12-16. Live as Saints Should Live

1.    Review Romans 13:11 and look for what is “nearer.” Read Ezekiel 3:20; Doctrine and Covenants 14:7; and explain in writing what we must continue doing to work out our salvation.

We need to prepared for the Second Coming, because it will come sooner than we think. Ezekiel 3:20 explains how we will die in our sin because we were not prepared and had no warning. This is why we must be prepared because we will not know when. 

2.    In Romans 12-13 Paul gave much counsel that leads to salvation. Read each of the following verses and list what Paul taught would help lead to salvation:

o       Romans 12:1 "We are a living sacrafice; holy and acceptable to God"

o       Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed by the world; be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

o       Romans 12:9 "Let love be without dissimulation. Cleave onto that which is good."

o       Romans 12:13 "Be hospitable to others."

o       Romans 12:16 "Don't be conceited."

o       Romans 12:21 "Don't be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."

o       Romans 13:1 "The only worthy power is the power of God, and we are subject to it."

o       Romans 13:3 "Do that which is good, and we will be praised."

o       Romans 13:8 "Don't constantly owe one another. Instead, love."

o       Romans 13:9 "Do not cheat on your spouse, do not kill, do not steal, bear false witness, covet. One of the most important commandments is to love thy neighbor."

3.    Review Romans 14:1-13; 15:1-3. Then write answers to the following questions:

o       What cautions did Paul give about judging? Paul is basically telling us to stop judging one another because we are all trying to get to Heavenly Father one way or another. So, rather than racing each other to get there, why not help each other along the way?

o       People may have different opinions and practices, but what is most important to remember? It is most important to remember that we are all children of God, no matter how different we are, and God accepts us all even though we have different ways of doing things. We all have our own paths as to how we come to Heavenly Father. 

o       What additional insight comes from reading Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27? We are told to be one, for if we are not united as one, we are not of God. I feel like this is why it is important to have stakes and wards, so we can all come together as a community to become closer to God. 

4.    Review Romans 15:25-26, 31; 16:2, 15. Write the term Paul frequently used to refer to members of the Church in his day. Paul is referring to the members of the Church as the "saints." This is why we are called Latter-day "Saints" today. We are faithful, virtuous, holy people. 

Romans 6. Baptism

1.    Review Romans 6:1–13 and answer the following questions in writing: 

o       What must be done with sin before baptism can occur? Sin must be "destroyed" before baptism occurs. Verse 6 says that our old lifestyles are crucified with Christ; as we are lowered into the pure water, our sins are "washed" away, off our mortal bodies. The JST for Romans 6:7 says, " For he that is dead to sin is freed from sin." 

o       What events from Christ’s life are symbolized in baptism? Christ's crucifixion as well as his Resurrection are symbolized. Our sins are crucified with Christ as we are baptized, and we "are risen again" as we come out of the water; born again. 

o       Considering this symbolism, why couldn’t someone be baptized by sprinkling? If we only sprinkled the water, we wouldn't be fully representing the "full cleansing of our sins."

o       What do these verses teach us about how we can maintain the “newness of life”? As we all have weaknesses, it is important for us to not give into the sins that involve our weaknesses. Rather, give in to God's Commandments. It is important to stay faithful to our covenants after we are baptized. 

o       According to Mosiah 3:19, what part of us would ideally die at baptism? The "natural man" in us dies at baptism. We have a new state of mind of knowing the difference between what is right and wrong, and acting upon it. 

2.    Study Romans 6:14–23. Write a paragraph that describes how we know whose servant we are. Then write a statement identifying the true source of freedom.

Do we have license to sin and not worry about "works" anymore because of "grace"? Absolutely not!If we yield to sin, we are sin's servants, but if we yield to God, we are His servants. We must thank God that we are not servants of sin, but that we have the blessing to be a servant of Him. Because we accept to become baptized, our next step is to remain faithful and grow towards exaltation. 

Be Separate From The World ~ 2 Corinthians 6:11-18

"Be ye not equally yoked together with unbelievers." Do not get tied up with dealings and commitments with nonmembers that cause you to bring your faith down. Sometimes this includes dating or marrying outside the church. It is important that the gospel be a top priority in our life, and that others know this so they can be influenced in the best way possible by one's faith.

"Come out from among them, and be ye separate." Stay away from associations that will lead you away from Christ. I attended General Conference this year and was amazed at how many anti-LDS protestors there are around Temple Square. It just seems so silly to me that they think they can convince a large group of faithful members think otherwise of their religion. However, it is a nice feeling to enter Temple Square away from evil like this and feel the peaceful atmosphere (and of course feeling the peace INSIDE the temple itself). Evil is not going to go away no matter how faithful we are, but we can still resist it.

"Touch not the unclean thing." Do not fall into temptation; sometimes this can cause a bad habit and even an addiction! Pornography is a huge temptation and addiction today with both members and nonmembers and it is sad how much evil and sin is caused by simply viewing the pornography. It twists our morals and puts us in a different state of mind, and can change our lives for the worse. Sometimes I see one awful image on Facebook or social media, and I have to immediately remove it from my news feed or delete it somehow, so I do not have to see it again.