Gospel Essentials Unabridged Class Notes

January 6, 2002

Click Here to Listen to this class:  Part 1 of 1 (33 minutes)

Are You Saved?

Is there a promise of eternal life?  Did our forefathers (in the faith) live within a hope, or rather an assurance, of eternal life? Then, Is it ‘O.K.’ to have a Hope of Eternal Life?  Are we commanded to have a hope of eternal life?

 Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 Titus 1:2 …In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Alma 10:29 Having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day, and enter into his rest;

Helaman 2:70 And now, my sons, behold, I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.

Alma 14:77 And thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.

Alma 21:77 But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ, are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.

Moroni 7:47 Behold I say unto you, that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal; and this because of your faith in him according to the promise;

Moroni 9:27 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written, grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death, but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the shewing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of his glory, and of eternal life, rest in your mind for ever.

Did Inspired men of old Hope for  Salvation?

Psalms 119:81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation; but I hope in thy word.

Psalms 119:166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.

Jeremiah 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.

Lamentations 3:26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Hope to Be with God

Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as believed were ordained unto eternal life.

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

I John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may continue to believe on the name of the Son of God.

2 Nephi 1:123 And be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit,

2 Nephi 7:40 Therefore cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves; to choose the way of everlasting death, or the way of eternal life.

Alma makes a bold claim that his (their) forefathers were saved.  How did he make this claim?

Alma 3:16 And again I ask, Were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? 17 I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. 18 And I say unto you that they are saved.

On what grounds came his assurance?  What guidelines does he offer for salvation’s ‘guarantee?’

Alma 3:19 And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? 20 What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death? Yea, and also, the chains of hell? 21 Behold, I can tell you….25  a mighty change was (also) wrought in their hearts; and they humbled themselves, and put their trust in the true and living God. 26 And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.

Now, look in the mirror spiritually…

Alma 3:27 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, Have ye spiritually been born of God?

Alma 3:28 Have ye received his image in your countenances?

Alma 3:29 Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Alma 3:30 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?

Does your hope come just because you’ve been baptized?  By your making a covenant, it shows your willingness to change.  This is the criteria by which we will be judged.

What is the ‘Covenant’ that we make??

2 Nephi 13:30 Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Mosiah 11:127 Thou art my servant: and I covenant with thee, that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me, and go forth in my name, and shall gather together my sheep.

Alma 8:96 And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else;

Endure to the end

3 Nephi 7:10 Behold, I am the law, and the light; look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live, for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.

DC 3:11b and thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel, in this land, might have eternal life;

DC 5:4b and that you be firm in keeping the commandments wherewith I have commanded you, and if you do this, behold, I grant unto you eternal life, even if you should be slain.

DC 17:3b and those who receive it in faith and work righteousness, shall receive a crown of eternal life;

DC 51:5b And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward, shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.

DC 59:5c Behold, this is according to the law and the prophets: wherefore trouble me no more concerning this matter, but learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness, shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.

DC 85:2a This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom; which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ, his Son;

DC 108:11d And this according to the mind and will of the Lord, who ruleth over all flesh; and unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord, shall be given eternal life.

Boldness in the Day of Judgment!

Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

I John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world.

Can fall if…

Hebrews 6:4 For he hath made it impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to be renewed again unto repentance; seeing they crucify unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

II Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

II Peter 2:20 For if after they (Believers) have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

II Peter 3:11 If then all these things shall be destroyed, what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 Looking unto, and preparing for the day of the coming of the Lord wherein the corruptible things of the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the mountains shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless, if we shall endure, we shall be kept according to his promise. And we look for a new heavens, and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Comforter is the Promise

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

Moroni 8:29 And the first--fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith, unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins; and the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart, cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.

DC 85:1c Wherefore I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you, my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise, which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.

DC 85:2a This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom; which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ, his Son;

Covenant