Scriptures

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THE SCRIPTURES

The scriptures are surely the lamps that coast the way leading to the celestial Kingdom.

We have seen that the Prayer is the key to find the Truth, but once the man has It the Lord gave to mankind a very good manual to follow It. This manual of Instructions are the Scriptures. Further He gave to mankind a Conforter : The Holy Ghost. Prayer, scriptures and Holy Ghost go togheter. If you miss one of these ingredients, probably your cake will have a different taste. Probably you will like the same, but the point is not what we decide to like but what cake God was trying to make. Revelation will come only by praying with wish and faith, studying or better searching the scriptures with the same two ingredients and at that point the Holy Ghost will fill the rest.

Turning back to the scriptures or our manual we have to learn how to make it to work. The first thing to do is to study it, like Paul explains in 2 Timothy 3:14-16

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned [them];

2 Timothy 3:15
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16
16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

There are many promises included in studying the scriptures, but they will be fulfilled only if we will keep our promises and follow the instructions, not just because we want them. This is valid even for the "Holy Ghost". I will not go deep on this, I will just mention that many of these instructions are named commandments.

Having said that the scriptures are a great manual of instructions, as such they contain basic suggestions for the ordinary life, but like every rule has it exception, even this manual has not all the answers for many different reasons. King Benjamin explained this concept very well in Mosiah 4:29-30

And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

Mosiah 4:30
30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
It is clear from the Parables of the Lord that our trip on earth is not without danger, otherwise we shouldn't need to have a Comforter. The Lord is aware that beyond the unexpected of the life, that they are natural, like it is quoted in the parable of the seeds. There is another traveler, even though undesirable, but even him, he has an important function in the divine plan : test mankind in obedience and love toward His divine Parent. In a perfect plan all the characters have their proper function and Satan, even though unconsciously, is an important player on the field. He is training mankind for the future eternity. If the offspring of God will learn to listen to the sweet voice of the Spirit, to follow His promptings and to nurture himself of every word which is coming from the mouth of God, in the scriptures or by direct revelation, lo the miracle of redemption is perfect and mankind non only participate to the resurrection, which is the gift of Christ to all people, but also participate, like divine offspring of God to the celestial exaltation, but this can't happen without obedience to the law of sacrifice that it was foreseen from the beginning and that Christ said again in Matthew 16:24-27

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:25
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 16:26
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:27
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

And here Jesus is not speaking about resurrection, but regarding the Judgment of the last day, which is based on the works that each one of us would have done.

This is my work and my Glory ! sentenced God to Moses " " to bring to pass the immortality (resurrection) and eternal life of man. Moses 1:39
Surely Satan, even though is our enemy, in this particular case, he is a very good coach, there is no doubt about it.
Are the scriptures enough? The other confessions are maintaining for a sure yes!, but is it true? If what is the case, what is the need of the Holy Ghost? I don't want to spend a lot time in repeating myself on this topic you could go at "Holy Ghost" and take a look there.
We have told that the scriptures are a great manual or great written law.
Like every other law there are many different opinions and interpretations of it. The many churches with different viewpoints are the best proof of that. The most important reason why we have the Holy Ghost is because John 16:12-14
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

John 16:13
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

John 16:14
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
Practically Jesus said that they should receive more revelations ( but ye cannot bear them now.) (he will guide you into all truth) They had already the scriptures but they needed to have the Holy Ghost to be GUIDED INTO ALL TRUTH.
(and he will shew you things to come.)(for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.) Jesus practically was teaching them the way to receive more knowledge, he wasn't speaking about scriptures He was just saying that this kind of help would have been by the Holy Ghost. This Conforter is like an Urim and Thummim, He can give us Light and Knowledge. This is the only way to be sure to have the right guidance while we are studying the scriptures, without Him no true knowledge will come. The scriptures have no need to be interpreted but only just to be understood. Do you know why we have so many lawyers in every country? Simple every law can be understood in many different ways. Christ our Great Lawyer knows perfectly His law or scriptures, he knows perfectly every single meaning of every point of the Law. The great debate between Him and the scribes of His time was just a different viewpoint of the scriptures. The Rabbis quoted many times verses and Jesus gave them a different meaning that they always misunderstood. Always Jesus was speaking about "the spirit of the Law", while the scribes where talking about the letter of the Law. Paul himself explained in 2 Corinthians 3:6
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
and again in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

1 Corinthians 2:7
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1 Corinthians 2:8
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1 Corinthians 2:10
10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:12
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

1 Corinthians 2:13
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:15
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

1 Corinthians 2:16
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

I suggest you to read "Should I pray?", because being the scriptures the basic manual it is clear from these words that the Conforter is the Key to understand the scriptures and above all to do the right thing in the right moment. It is written "don't kill" or don't do this or don't do that, but we have seen, for example that in many different occasions God approved even the contrary, not because the man with arbitrariness did it, but just because He commanded to men like He did with Abraham. Abraham didn't said :"It is written!" He did what he was asked to do, because a direct revelation from God nullify all the scriptures. God gives and God take off and who could say something?
Who could exert a law that it is not completely understood? Nobody! God gave us the Holy Ghost just for this reason, by Him it is impossible to be confused. We have the promise by Jesus tha we have readed in John. We should search the scriptures diligently with the help of the Holy Ghost otherwise it is useless. The triangle of the salvation, after the Atonement is based on the prayer, the study of the scriptures and the revelations of the Holy Ghost. When you have a testimony of the Holy Ghost it is ALMOST impossible don't do the works because they will be consequential with the power of a testimony. This is also the way in which God will judge the believers: from his works according to the light and knowledge received. "
Matthew 25:29-30
The way is narrow, but following the scriptures and the Holy Ghost we can go to the distance.