To accompany your Come Follow Me study for August 14-20
In addition to reading the indicated chapters, you may wish to:
Read the applicable portions of the New Testament Institute Student Manual at:
See the following videos:
- Overview: Romans 5-16 at Overview: Romans 5-16 – YouTube
If you would like a Kahoot game related to this material which you could use for personal study or use with your family or your class, click here: https://create.kahoot.it/share/romans-7-16/405d1aa3-c095-45c3-b842-d962f80e1e02. (To use it with a group, after clicking on this link, you will need to log into Kahoot, creating a free account if you have not done so previously, then click on the blue “Start” button.)
Points to Ponder in Romans 7-16
For each of the following statements, be prepared to indicate whether you essentially agree or disagree. If you disagree, what do you think that passage is really saying? Relevant passages (or maybe irrelevant ones!) are listed for each statement.
1. 7:1: We only have to keep God’s commandments in this life. In the next, we can do whatever we want.
2. 7:15‑19‑‑Paul didn’t enjoy being an apostle or a missionary‑‑in fact, he hated what he was doing, and had a very low self‑esteem.
3. 7:24‑‑Joseph Smith may have borrowed from this passage in translating 2 Nephi 4:17, where Nephi expresses similar sentiments.
4. 8:8‑‑It is impossible for any mortal being to please the Lord, since He is perfect and we are all imperfect.
5. 8:13‑‑There is spiritual value in punishing our bodies so that we can demonstrate that we are not controlled by our physical desires.
6. 8:16-17—As children of God, we stand, along with Jesus Christ, to inherit all that He has.
7. 8:28—If we really love God, everything will turn out okay for us.
8. 8:29—Paul evidently believed in predestination.
9. 9:6—Paul is neither confused nor engaging in double talk here but is explaining that though one may be an Israelite by blood, he will not necessarily be so considered in eternity.
10. 9:11‑12‑‑It is apparent that Paul was unaware of a premortal life, as he clearly specifies that before their birth Jacob and Esau had done neither good nor evil.
11. 10:9‑‑If one confesses with his mouth and believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, he will be saved.
12. 10:17—Faith comes by hearing the word of God preached by His authorized servants.
13. 11:26‑‑All Israelites will be saved.
14. 11:17-24—It is quite possible that Paul’s analogy of the olive tree was the source for Zenos’ allegory as quoted in Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon.
15. 11:33—Paul would likely have agreed with Alexander Pope, who wrote, “Know then thyself; presume not God to scan. The proper study for mankind is man.”
16. 12:18‑‑Martyrdom can often be avoided, and should be, everything else being equal.
17. 12:20‑‑Those who really want to get even with an enemy should be kind to him and thus heap coals of fire on his head.
18. 13:1‑2‑‑Resistance to governmental authorities is tantamount to rebellion against God, since “the powers that be are ordained of God.” (See D&C 58:21‑22.)
19. 13:9–It was Paul, not Jesus, who said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
20. 14:3‑‑Since God receives those who eat as readily as those who do not, fasting on Fast Day should be considered entirely voluntary.
21. 14:5‑‑The correctness of a belief is less important than the sincerity with which one holds it.
22. 14:11‑‑Eventually everyone on the earth will be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
23. 14:14, 20‑‑Since “there is nothing unclean of itself,” anti‑obscenity legislation is merely an attempt by one segment of society to impose its particular tastes on another.
24. 14:17‑‑Here is good evidence that the Latter-day Saint Word of Wisdom is not consistent with the Bible, for Paul tells us “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ….”
25. 14:13-15—These verses could suggest that Latter-day Saints avoid cola drinks.
26. 15:3‑‑The idea of having “healthy self-image” is an unscriptural notion of modern psychology. As this verse points out, not even Christ, the one perfect being to walk the earth, was pleased with himself. How much less should we be pleased with ourselves.
27. 15:20‑21‑‑Just as Paul declined to build upon another man’s foundation and avoided preaching where Christianity was already known, so also should Latter‑day Saints concentrate their proselyting efforts on non‑Christians rather than on Christians.
28. 16:19‑‑It is not necessary for Latter‑day Saints to go to “R” and “X” rated movies and thus be more aware of the evils in the world in order to more effectively combat such evils.
Possible Answers to Points to Ponder in Romans 7-16
For each of the following statements, be prepared to indicate whether you essentially agree or disagree. If you disagree, what do you think that passage is really saying? Relevant passages (or maybe irrelevant ones!) are listed for each statement. My own opinions are shown in red. You are, of course, entitled to have a completely different opinion!
1. 7:1: We only have to keep God’s commandments in this life. In the next, we can do whatever we want.
False, on two counts. First, that’s not close to what Paul is saying. He is making an analogy to marriage. If one’s spouse dies, he or she is free, of course, to remarry. Similarly, Paul says, if we become “dead” to the law of Moses, we can be “married” symbolically to Jesus Christ. Secondly, the idea that here we “have” to keep God’s commandments but in the next life “can” do whatever we want implies that God’s commandments are burdensome. To the contrary, they are a loving Father’s recipes for our happiness. We will want to follow them as much in the life to come as in this life.
2. 7:15‑19‑‑Paul didn’t enjoy being an apostle or a missionary‑‑in fact, he hated what he was doing, and had a very low self‑esteem.
False. I’m sure Paul loved his work. What he is talking about here is the fact that the “natural man” within us, without the inspiration and strength which the Spirit of the Lord brings, is unable to help us live the way we would like. The JST of 7:19 concludes with, “For to will is present with me, but to perform that which is good I find not, only in Christ.”
3. 7:24‑‑Joseph Smith may have borrowed from this passage in translating 2 Nephi 4:17, where Nephi expresses similar sentiments.
Possibly true. It’s expressive language, and I’m quite sure neither Nephi nor Paul was the first to have emotions that could be described in those terms. The Lord evidently allowed Joseph Smith to come up with the language with which to clothe the divinely inspired concepts he encountered in the Book of Mormon (D&C 9:8), and there is certainly nothing wrong with Joseph’s remembering that Paul had felt the same way in Romans 7 and borrowing his language to express Nephi’s lament.
4. 8:8‑‑It is impossible for any mortal being to please the Lord, since He is perfect, and we are all imperfect.
False. The phrase “in the flesh” here means “having a carnal orientation.” It clearly does not in this case mean “mortal,” as Paul in the next verse tells his readers, “Ye are not in the flesh,” even though they were very much alive.
5. 8:13‑‑There is spiritual value in punishing our bodies so that we can demonstrate that we are not controlled by our physical desires.
False. There is value, however, in training and disciplining our physical appetites so that our spirits are in control. That’s different from intentionally inflicting pain on our bodies, as some in medieval times thought was helpful.
6. 8:16-17—As children of God, we stand, along with Jesus Christ, to inherit all that He has.
True! That doesn’t mean that our Father is going out of business, of course, or that he’ll have less, but that we can have the same opportunities and experiences He has, becoming like Him. Latter-day Saints are often ridiculed for believing such a thing, but Paul plainly taught it.
7. 8:28—If we really love God, everything will turn out okay for us.
True. Isn’t that a marvelous promise? That doesn’t mean, of course, that all our misguided prayers will be answered in the affirmative, but if we truly love God and keep His commandments, all that is best for us eternally will come to us, in God’s own time. That’s essentially what Paul repeats in Romans 8:31, 35-39.
8. 8:29—Paul evidently believed in predestination.
True or false, depending on what one means by “predestination.” Paul didn’t teach nor do Latter-day Saints believe today in a predestination by which one is consigned at birth to heaven or hell, regardless of what he may do in this life. Paul did believe in what Latter-day Saints call “foreordination,” which has been rendered “predestination” by the King James’ translators. He simply means that in the pre-mortal life, God knowing of their goodness and preparation, certain spirits were chosen for specific missions and opportunities in mortality and in eternity. But they always retain their agency, and one so chosen may disqualify himself for blessings he was selected to receive.
9. 9:6—Paul is neither confused nor engaging in double talk here but is explaining that though one may be an Israelite by blood, he will not necessarily be so considered in eternity.
True. Literal Israelites who do not eventually accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, will not be enjoy the blessings promised to Israel in eternity, while those Gentiles who do accept Him will be adopted into the House of Israel and become full heirs to those blessings.
10. 9:11‑12‑‑It is apparent that Paul was unaware of a premortal life, as he clearly specifies that before their birth Jacob and Esau had done neither good nor evil.
False. Paul means they had done neither good nor evil in mortality. But Paul’s teaching would make no sense without the understanding that there were differences in worthiness and achievement in the premortal life which would make divine foreordinations such as this appropriate rather than capricious.
11. 10:9‑‑If one confesses with his mouth and believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, he will be saved.
True, if and only if such belief is active rather than passive. In other words, if one really believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, he will do the things that Christ taught he should do. Romans 10:13, which says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” needs to be understood the same way, of course.
12. 10:17—Faith comes by hearing the word of God preached by His authorized servants.
True. Joseph Smith elaborated on this passage from Romans by saying: “Faith comes by hearing the word of God through the testimony of the servants of God. That testimony is always attended by the spirit of prophecy and revelation.”
13. 11:26‑‑All Israelites will be saved.
True, in the sense that Paul means it. See question #9 above. All the righteous who accept the gospel will be counted as Israelites, and all biological Israelites who don’t accept it will be disinherited and no longer be considered Israelites.
14. 11:17-24—It is quite possible that Paul’s analogy of the olive tree was the source for Zenos’ allegory as quoted in Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon.
It is actually quite impossible, since Zenos wrote sometime before 600 B.C. and Paul wrote centuries later. What is possible, of course, is that Paul somehow had access to Zenos’ allegory, since it was on the brass plates and was considered scripture at the time Lehi left Jerusalem, or that both he and Zenos had access to another ancient record which used the same illustration.
15. 11:33—Paul would likely have agreed with Alexander Pope, who wrote, “Know then thyself; presume not God to scan. The proper study for mankind is man.”
False. Joseph Smith taught that it is the first principle of revealed religion to know for a certainty the character of God. But such knowledge comes by revelation, not by human investigation and reasoning alone, which is essentially what Paul is saying.
16. 12:18‑‑Martyrdom can often be avoided, and should be, everything else being equal.
True. While Paul is not talking only about martyrdom, certainly his exhortation here is consistent with the idea of avoiding stirring up opposition unnecessarily.
17. 12:20‑‑Those who really want to get even with an enemy should be kind to him and thus heap coals of fire on his head.
False. Those wanting to “get even” are missing the major point of Paul’s teaching in verses 19‑20. There seem to me to be two possible meanings to Paul’s comments about the coals of fire. One is that by returning kindness for evil we will in fact cause more guilt to accrue to the enemy, though we shouldn’t necessarily be glad of that fact. The other is that we by this action we may actually lead the offender to remorse and repentance. Eerdmans’ Handbook to the Bible, for example, says “In Egypt people went through the ritual of carrying a pan of burning charcoal on their heads as a token of their penitence.”
18. 13:1‑2‑‑Resistance to governmental authorities is tantamount to rebellion against God, since “the powers that be are ordained of God.” (See D&C 58:21‑22.)
True, within limits. D&C 58:21‑22 seems to say as much. However, Church leaders have in some cases indicated that this counsel pertains to righteous leaders and/or constitutional laws. Joseph Smith in his JST suggests that the passage in Romans may really be referring only to ecclesiastical leaders.
19. 13:9–It was Paul, not Jesus, who said in so many words, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
False. They both said it, though Jesus said it first, as quoted in Matthew 19:19, 22:39, and elsewhere. He also said it, as the pre-mortal Jehovah, to Moses in Leviticus 19:18.
20. 14:3‑‑Since God receives those who eat as readily as those who do not, fasting on Fast Day should be considered entirely voluntary.
False. The subject here is not Fast Day but whether or not one should eat things prohibited by the Law of Moses but which are now permissible, since Christ had fulfilled and in a sense abrogated that law. Of course, keeping any commandment is entirely voluntary, but one cannot violate a commandment and expect the same blessings enjoyed by those who obey it.
21. 14:5‑‑The correctness of a belief is less important than the sincerity with which one holds it.
True, in my opinion, if we are speaking of the morality of a belief. If we are speaking of the effects of mistaken beliefs concerning more mundane matters, however, I would answer false. For example, I would prefer a sincere and energetic Methodist to a wishy‑washy Latter-day Saint. But one’s sincere belief that a gun wasn’t loaded will not bring back one’s unintended victim.
22. 14:11‑‑Eventually everyone on the earth will be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
True, in the sense that the earth will eventually be the home only of celestial beings. False if one means that all current inhabitants of the earth will someday be converted. All, as Paul teaches, will eventually bow the knee and confess that Jesus is the Christ, but that doesn’t mean they will be willing to commit to living His laws or be rewarded for their dead belief.
23. 14:14, 20‑‑Since “there is nothing unclean of itself,” anti‑obscenity legislation is merely an arrogant attempt by one segment of society to impose its particular tastes on another.
False. Paul is speaking here only of the ritual cleanness of foods once prohibited under the Mosaic law but now permitted for all who understood the gospel.
24. 14:17‑‑Here is good evidence that the Latter-day Saint Word of Wisdom is not consistent with the Bible, for Paul tells us “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ….”
False. Again, we are talking in this verse only about the question of ritually clean or unclean meats. The Word of Wisdom as we know it today was not in force during Jesus’ or Paul’s time. But it is certainly consistent with the principle of continuing revelation, as they taught it. However, there may be a sense in which this statement can be seen as partially true if by it we mean that there is much more to the gospel than just the prohibitions of D&C 89.
25. 14:13-15—These verses could suggest that Latter-day Saints avoid cola drinks.
True. We live in a time when half the Church thinks cola drinks are against the Word of Wisdom and half does not. It is true that if one who drinks cola tells his bishop in a temple recommend interview that he is keeping the Word of Wisdom, the bishop will likely still give him the recommend. But if that member is teaching a class of young people (or even adults), who think their teacher is weak in the faith because he drinks something they think is contrary to the spirit of the Word of Wisdom, he may not be fully in compliance with Paul’s injunction in Romans 14:15, which could be paraphrased as, “If thy brother be grieved with thy [cola], now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy [cola], for whom Christ died.”
26. 15:3‑‑The idea of having “healthy self-image” is an unscriptural notion of modern psychology. As this verse points out, not even Christ, the one perfect being to walk the earth, was pleased with himself. How much less should we be pleased with ourselves.
False. When Paul says, “Christ pleased not himself,” he simply means that Christ didn’t spend his time seeking after his own pleasure.
27. 15:20‑21‑‑Just as Paul declined to build upon another man’s foundation and avoided preaching where Christianity was already known, so should Latter‑day Saints concentrate their proselyting efforts on non‑Christians rather than on other Christians.
False. In Paul’s day, all Christian churches were part of the one true Church. In our day, that is not true. Our Catholic and Protestant friends need the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as much as anyone else.
28. 16:19‑‑It is not necessary for Latter‑day Saints to go to “R” and “X” rated movies and thus be more aware of the evils in the world in order to more effectively combat such evils.
True, thank goodness!