Lesson 20 - Strengthening Our Faith and Testimony

[marineland]

I'm into lesson 20 of the Religion 275 class manual.  

Page 98 - Ask a student to read 2 Nephi 25:28–29 aloud, and explain that these verses 
summarize a powerful sermon Nephi gave to his people about how to be saved. Ask class 
members to look for what Nephi taught is the most important decision we will make in 
our lives.

• What did Nephi teach is the most important decision we will make in our lives? (Help 
students identify the following principle: If we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and 
worship Him with all our might, mind, and strength, then we will remain spiritually 
strong and not be cast out.)

2 Nephi 25:29 says "And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in 
Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow 
down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your 
whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out".

Are those "cast out" people a picture of those in Mosiah 16:5 who remained in their 
fallen state and were "as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God"?

Does the part about worshipping Christ "with all your might, mind, and strength, and 
your whole soul" apply only to the mortal probation period or does it also extend to 
the spirit world where the wicked are?

[Pyreaux]

5 hours ago, marineland said:

I'm into lesson 20 of the Religion 275 class manual.  

Page 98 - Ask a student to read 2 Nephi 25:28–29 aloud, and explain that these verses 
summarize a powerful sermon Nephi gave to his people about how to be saved. Ask class 
members to look for what Nephi taught is the most important decision we will make in 
our lives.

• What did Nephi teach is the most important decision we will make in our lives? (Help 
students identify the following principle: If we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and 
worship Him with all our might, mind, and strength, then we will remain spiritually 
strong and not be cast out.)

2 Nephi 25:29 says "And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in 
Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow 
down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your 
whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out".

Are those "cast out" people a picture of those in Mosiah 16:5 who remained in their 
fallen state and were "as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God"?

Does the part about worshipping Christ "with all your might, mind, and strength, and 
your whole soul" apply only to the mortal probation period or does it also extend to 
the spirit world where the wicked are?

If you are doing all that you can, grace will make up the rest. Intent and willingness to obey goes a long way. Eternal progression is the idea that with some humility and absent of rebellion, perfection may only be a matter of time, though for some maybe a long time. The laws of heaven are unknown, but the laws for earth are thought to be analogous in difficulty, and your obedience to those laws determines your tolerance to be in God's presence, and vice versa. For the Spirit World, we are admonished not to procrastinate the day of your repentance, because you remain the same person, so repentance it's thought to be no easier, maybe even harder due to lacking a body. It may inhibit any development in self-mastery.

[CV75]

21 hours ago, marineland said:

I'm into lesson 20 of the Religion 275 class manual.  

Page 98 - Ask a student to read 2 Nephi 25:28–29 aloud, and explain that these verses 
summarize a powerful sermon Nephi gave to his people about how to be saved. Ask class 
members to look for what Nephi taught is the most important decision we will make in 
our lives.

• What did Nephi teach is the most important decision we will make in our lives? (Help 
students identify the following principle: If we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and 
worship Him with all our might, mind, and strength, then we will remain spiritually 
strong and not be cast out.)

2 Nephi 25:29 says "And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in 
Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow 
down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your 
whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out".

Are those "cast out" people a picture of those in Mosiah 16:5 who remained in their 
fallen state and were "as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God"?

Does the part about worshipping Christ "with all your might, mind, and strength, and 
your whole soul" apply only to the mortal probation period or does it also extend to 
the spirit world where the wicked are?

My understanding:

Q1: Yes, but they can repent, at which point they no longer "remain"... but they can also get worse and still "remain".

Q2: Given that the gospel is preached in the spirit world, the effects of the mortal probation -- including those exalting effects experienced by Jesus -- extend into the spirit world where He and His servants continue His work as we continue ours. This allows those who chose poorly and worked badly during their mortal probation for whatever reason to choose better, adopt His work and worship Him. Only Christ can judge the outcome of this continued phase. Only Christ could have made this phase possible by overcoming both physical and spiritual death: He draws the spirits of the physically deceased unto the hope that they can be saved from the consequences and effects of a failed mortal probation as well as physical death.

Some refer to this phase as inclusive or an extension of mortality / the mortal probation, but I conceptualize it to be a self-evaluation of one's mortal probation prior to the Lord's judgement of the cumulative effect of both.