What does our Father expect from us?

[Tacenda]

4 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

Doesn't answer the question.

God made many promises.  So did Christ.  If we truly fulfill the requirements they are either bound to provide the blessing or they lied.

Which is it?

Where else besides the D&C does it say that? I'd have to say, nowhere else. I believe it's an LDS scripture only. Emphasis on God is bound to provide blessings...

Edited October 31, 2019 by Tacenda

[JLHPROF]

5 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Where else besides the D&C does it say that? I'd have to say, nowhere else. I believe it's an LDS scripture only. Emphasis on God is bound to provide blessings...

Still dodging the question.  Ignore the word bound and that D&C scripture.

Christ makes a promise to us.  We meet the conditions.  Is he obligated to keep his word or can he lie?

[Calm]

Maybe you should start first by asking Tacenda if she believes Christ has made us any promises and if he has, what are those promises and how would they be fulfilled. 

She may believe that God gives out blessings without first promising anything. 

There are promises God makes in the Bible...and they wouldn’t be promises if God wasn’t bound by them imo. 

Since Tacenda prefers nonLDS sources at times, here’s a couple of listings some promises they believe Christ has made to us:

https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog-and-stories/follow-jesus-promises.html

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/gods-promises-verses-in-the-bible/

https://activechristianity.org/bible-verses-about-god-s-promises-for-those-who-are-faithful-to-him

Saints are not the only Christians who believe and trust in God’s promises.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Calm

[Calm]

Biblical teaching that God is bound to fulfill his promises:

Hebrew 6, NIV

“13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

——Some versions use the term bound if you prefer...

NLT:  “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.”

Then there is Numbers 23 that says the same thing:

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

PS:  it is not man who has bound God if that is what is bothering you, Tacenda nor is it man who forced God to offer the blessings in the first place...he offered the covenant to men.  And it is God’s personal integrity that binds him just as we speak or used to that “a man’s word is his bond” meaning with a man of integrity, contracts or legal threats were unnecessary. If he said he would do it, he would do it. Not because he was forced, but because he chose to do so.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Calm

[Tacenda]

3 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

Still dodging the question.  Ignore the word bound and that D&C scripture.

Christ makes a promise to us.  We meet the conditions.  Is he obligated to keep his word or can he lie?

Not dodging, you don't understand what I'm saying I guess.

IMO, we don't work for blessings. God has given the gift of His son. So why the need for Him to keep His word, when He already provided His son?

JL, please provide the blessings predicated on the commandments followed, that you have in mind. That will clear up tons, IMO. 

[Ahab]

16 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Not dodging, you don't understand what I'm saying I guess.

IMO, we don't work for blessings. God has given the gift of His son. So why the need for Him to keep His word, when He already provided His son?

What would the gift of His son mean to us if there were no promise attached to that gift?  What promises are attached to His coming?  Are we promised anything from that?  If so what are we promised that is relative to the gift of His son?

The point is that when our Lord makes a promise, he keeps it.  And if he promises something that is conditional upon us doing something, then we must do our part to receive any benefit from his promise

16 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

JL, please provide the blessings predicated on the commandments followed, that you have in mind. That will clear up tons, IMO. 

That statement JL made was backed up by D&C 82:10, which reads: I, the Lord, am ^abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no ^bpromise.

I promise you that if you study the scriptures and use our Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary, you will learn a lot more about all of these things you seem to be interested in learning about.

[california boy]

The Father expects us to be as much like the example Christ set as we can.  The most important sermon Christ gave to teach us how we should govern our lives, IMO is the very last sermon Christ ever gave to his followers.  Christ knew He would be dying soon.  These are his last words He left with his followers.  They are found in Matthew 25.

The very last words He gave Church leadership are what make up the majority of the Book of John.  If you want to know what the Father expects of us, these two sermons/lessons is a very good place to start.

[Ahab]

28 minutes ago, california boy said:

The Father expects us to be as much like the example Christ set as we can.  The most important sermon Christ gave to teach us how we should govern our lives, IMO is the very last sermon Christ ever gave to his followers.  Christ knew He would be dying soon.  These are his last words He left with his followers.  They are found in Matthew 25.

I take it you mean before he came back to them after his resurrection and continued to teach them some more.  I think D&C 88 is also pretty good and related to what he told them then, before he was killed. I'm still looking for more from our Father, though, about what he expects from us before he will give us even more blessings than we already have.

28 minutes ago, california boy said:

The very last words He gave Church leadership are what make up the majority of the Book of John.  If you want to know what the Father expects of us, these two sermons/lessons is a very good place to start.

You talk as if he hasn't said much since the day he was killed by crucifixion.  D&C 20 is a more modern source of his instructions to his Church leaders.  And we have received a whole lot since then too, all the way up to today.  I'm still looking for more, though.  Do you know of any more ?

[JLHPROF]

6 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Not dodging, you don't understand what I'm saying I guess.

IMO, we don't work for blessings. God has given the gift of His son. So why the need for Him to keep His word, when He already provided His son?

JL, please provide the blessings predicated on the commandments followed, that you have in mind. That will clear up tons, IMO. 

Take your pick - https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/gods-promises-verses-in-the-bible/

Maybe purchase a "promise bible" and look at all the promised blessings subject to obedience to conditions.

[katherine the great]

4 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

Take your pick - https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/gods-promises-verses-in-the-bible/

Maybe purchase a "promise bible" and look at all the promised blessings subject to obedience to conditions.

I have serious doubts about the Proverbs quote on your list. Well raised children often depart from their parents' teachings. (Starting with Cain)

[The Nehor]

47 minutes ago, katherine the great said:

I have serious doubts about the Proverbs quote on your list. Well raised children often depart from their parents' teachings. (Starting with Cain)

I would throw out the Proverbs promises and some of the Psalms ones out. The Proverbs are collected homely wisdom. They have value but it is not God speaking directly. The Psalms promises are also more likely to be poetic than accurate as well. When it is prophets or Jesus speaking I will take it more seriously.

I had someone who once told me every word in the Bible would come true. I quoted a king that was threatening Israel and promising to defeat it and failed and asked how that could be so if every word in the Bible had to come true.  

[The Nehor]

12 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Not dodging, you don't understand what I'm saying I guess.

IMO, we don't work for blessings. God has given the gift of His son. So why the need for Him to keep His word, when He already provided His son?

JL, please provide the blessings predicated on the commandments followed, that you have in mind. That will clear up tons, IMO. 

So the promises Jesus gave the apostles were not conditional? They would have happened even if they decided to go fishing.

Here is a very conditional promise from Jesus in the Bible if that is what you need. It even brings up that icky “worthiness” word you dislike:

“Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

[Tacenda]

10 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

So the promises Jesus gave the apostles were not conditional? They would have happened even if they decided to go fishing.

Here is a very conditional promise from Jesus in the Bible if that is what you need. It even brings up that icky “worthiness” word you dislike:

“Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

I wish you and others would give me examples...of what things people do to obey in order to get the promised blessings. And then pair with God's being bound to them. Especially if those blessings never come, will those individuals then think God lied? Because I don't think God will lie. There aren't any specifics in my back and forth with people here. Is it as simple as following the commandments? Or is it the the whole level above and that of doing things in order to become exalted? How are we to know if God granted blessings or if what we do happens naturally, or the happiness from it. I'm dense about this I guess.

[Ahab]

12 hours ago, Tacenda said:

I wish you and others would give me examples...of what things people do to obey in order to get the promised blessings. And then pair with God's being bound to them. Especially if those blessings never come, will those individuals then think God lied? Because I don't think God will lie. There aren't any specifics in my back and forth with people here. Is it as simple as following the commandments? Or is it the the whole level above and that of doing things in order to become exalted? How are we to know if God granted blessings or if what we do happens naturally, or the happiness from it. I'm dense about this I guess.

One of my favorites is called the "oath and covenant of the priesthood".  God promises something, conditional on us doing it, while saying himself that he is bound to do his part if we do our part.  It's in D&C 84, and I'll start with verse 33:

 

33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.

41 But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.

42 And wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by mine own voice out of the heavens; and even I have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you.

 

 

There are also the basic examples our Lord gave us, such as:

Ask. and ye shall receive.

Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.

Seek, and ye shall find.

And James 1:5 which got the whole ball of wax rolling for Joseph Smith.

etc.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Ahab