This question has been asked a few times in classes that I have taught over the years and I thought it would be good to share Joseph Fielding Smith’s thoughts on this question. The following is from Answers to Gospel Questions, volume 2, p. 132: The Authority of Jesus Question:Continue Reading

The god Zedek in the Ancient Near East The West Semitic deity Zedek, ‘Righteousness’, is found in the Old and New Testament in the personal names Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 5:6; 6:20-7:17) and Adonizedek (Joshua 10:1), both Canaanite kings of pre-Israelite Jerusalem. The term “zedek” is found throughout the variousContinue Reading

Χριστός – Christ, “anointed” – this is the term whereby Christians today identify Jesus. He is the Christ, the one anointed by God to rule, to be king. The word was applied to kings anciently, and in the New Testament it became the term used to describe Jesus’ mission: toContinue Reading

We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changedContinue Reading

Evidentiary Equilibrium I am amazed at how the Book of Mormon is set up for us. The modern issues that mankind is struggling with (see my happiness post from earlier), concerning pride, racism, and monetary inequality, are all addressed in the text of the Book of Mormon. We also liveContinue Reading

Monolatry is all over the text of the Old Testament. This has to do with the idea of God in the Old Testament, an idea that there are many gods in the world of the Ancient Near East, but only one god is worth your time to worship! The OldContinue Reading

What Christ desires from each of us is surrender, complete and total—a voluntary gift of trust, faith, and love. C. S. Lewis captured the spirit of this surrender: “Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so muchContinue Reading

“Thou Hast Sought My Will” Elder Dean L. Larsen writes of a Sabbath observing farmer who was troubled and dismayed to see his Sabbath-breaking neighbor bring in far better crops with a much higher, more profitable yield. But in such times of seeming injustice, we must remember that God’s accountsContinue Reading