Moses 6:48–68

 

What must we know and do to be redeemed?

"48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.

49 Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.

50 But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.

51 And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.

52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.

53 And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.

54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

55 And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.

56 And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment.

57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

61 Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.

62 And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.

63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.

65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.

66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;

67 And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity.

68 Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen." (Moses 6:48–68)

And here's the commentary entitled: "The gospel of Jesus Christ was taught from the beginning." :

"Because we have the book of Moses, we know that God has been teaching His children how to find redemption ever since Adam and Eve. As you study Moses 6:48–68, search for what we must know and do to be redeemed. Notice Adam’s question in verse 53. Have you ever wondered that? What do you learn from the Lord’s answer in verses 53–65? You might think of these verses as the Lord’s message at Adam’s baptismal service. What do you learn about baptism from His message? Why do you think He compared baptism to being “born again”? (verse 59). What can you do to continue to be “born again” throughout your life?"

Things we must know and do to be redeemed

• Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.
• Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; 

• Men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.

• God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.

• He called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.

• Turn unto the Lord, hearken unto His voice, and believe.
• Repent of all our transgressions.
• Be baptized, even in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men
• Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
• Ask all things in His name, and whatsoever we shall ask, it shall be given us.

The Lord compared baptism to "being born again" because by entering into a covenant with God as we enter and come out of the waters of baptism, and through receiving the baptism of fire or the gift of the Holy Ghost, our souls become pure again, just as we were pure when we were born on this earth as infants. Going down in the water is symbolic of dying of our old version, and coming out of the water is symbolic of being born again into the newness of life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

I can continue to be “born again” throughout my life by striving to keep myself pure as much as I possibly can, and by acknowledging that I still have the tendency to make mistakes and to sin because I'm still a work in progress and will be until my last day here on this earth, and by having a broken heart and a contrite spirit always or by being repentant. 

Doctrine and Covenants 29: 31-35; 2 Nephi 9: 39

How does understanding that “all things … are spiritual” shape the way you view God’s commandments?

"31 For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal—

32 First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work—

33 Speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto myself my works have no end, neither beginning; but it is given unto you that ye may understand, because ye have asked it of me and are agreed.

34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.

35 Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual." (Doctrine and Covenants 29: 31-35)

"39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal." (2 Nephi 9: 39)

"You make better choices when you can see things clearly. That’s why light is so important: light makes it easier to see the right path. Heavenly Father has given you access to heavenly light—the gift of the Holy Ghost—to help you see clearly what is good and bad, right and wrong.

Eternal truths

baptism you enter a joyful covenant relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. In the temple, you will make additional covenants that can strengthen that relationship. Each week during the sacrament, you renew your covenants. You express your willingness to keep the commandments, and the Lord blesses you with the opportunity to have the Holy Spirit as your constant companion. It is one of His greatest gifts to you.

Making good choices improves your ability to feel the Spirit. There are many good and wholesome things in this world. Just as your body is affected by what you eat and drink, your mind and spirit are profoundly affected by what you read, watch, and listen to.

Invitations

Make time for the Lord every day. Learn of Him. Always remember Him. Pray to your Heavenly Father. Study the holy scriptures and the words of living prophets. 

Then strive to live by what you learn.

Seek that which uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit. As you make choices about what to watch, read, listen to, or participate in, think about how it makes you feel. Does it invite good thoughts? Stay away from anything that mocks sacred things or that is immoral. Don’t participate in anything that dulls your judgment or sensitivity to the Spirit, such as violence, alcohol, and harmful drugs. Have the courage to turn off a video or game, walk out of a movie or a dance, change your music, or turn away from anything that is not consistent with the Spirit.

Use social media to uplift. Social media can be a powerful communication tool. If you use it, focus on light, faith, and truth. Don’t compare your life to what other people seem to be experiencing. Remember that your worth comes from being a child of heavenly parents, not from social media.

Seek wholesome experiences and real and lasting relationships. Be careful that your use of technology and media does not replace spending in-person time with family and friends. Social media and other technology can take much of your time without giving a lot of value in return. Take a break from the virtual world, and connect with people in real life." (Walk in God’s light Galatians 5:25, For the Strength of Youth)

And here's the commentary entitled: “All things unto me are spiritual.” : 

"As you study Doctrine and Covenants 29:31–35, ask yourself, “In what sense are all commandments spiritual?” You might list a few commandments and consider the spiritual truths related to each one. A review of For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices could be helpful—it teaches some of the eternal truths behind several of God’s commandments.

How does knowing that “all things … are spiritual” affect the way you look at God’s commandments? Consider looking for spiritual meaning or purpose in other aspects of your life as well.

See also 2 Nephi 9:39.

All commandments of God are spiritual in the sense that when we strive to obey them all, our spirit reaps the blessings God has promised us. On the other hand, if we ignore or disobey even only one of those commandments, our spirit suffers and our spiritual growth gets hindered. For instance, when we obey the Word of Wisdom, we're not only blessed with a healthier and stronger physical body, we're also blessed spiritually because our spirit thrives continually. And when we choose not to obey the Lord's Law of Health by taking in harmful stuff in our body like alcohol or drugs, it's not only our physical body that gets sick, our spirituality also goes spiraling downward. 

Everything has a purpose and it's so important to do what we can to strike the balance of everything in our lives. The Lord gave us commandments so we could maintain this balance because indeed as He said, "All things unto me are spiritual."

As I strive to look to the Lord in every thought, I am able to find spiritual meaning even in the tiny details of the different aspects of my life. And I know that I can do all things through Christ as I keep relying on His power.