Teshuvah

Baptism as a Part of Rebirth

“Therefore, come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” -Alma 5:25 RAV, 7:14b RAV When Nicodemus came to Jesus to learn about salvation, he was told he would need to be born again (John 3:1-8). Baptism is a Sacrament required by the Savior for admission…

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Ego vs Altruism

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” -Galatians 5:14 In Mormon Kabbalah there is a theme of change. We grow in Grace, and as we do we grow from Egoism to becoming Godlike – altruistic. This is because as we grow to love God more, we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves to greater degrees. What is this Egoism we’re trying to shake off? 

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Vav Hei Vav

“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” -Psalms 3:3 This first Name of God can be used as a teshuvah meditation. It is used in this manner to look into and correct the past. Vav Hei Vav is a mantra for meditation that can protect us from shame as Christ’s Grace erases our embarrassment, confusion, and instability brought by sin. It emphasizes on the correction of past errors and helps assist us…

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The Internal Struggle

“Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.” -3 Nephi 4:11 RAV, 4:28 OPV I’ve seen a number of posts on social media basically stating that God murders children. The idea is that when Jesus was crucified, the cities in the New World that were destroyed meant that innocent children were killed as well. At one point another gentleman, a faithful Latter-day Saint, pointed out that the same thing happened with the destruction of…

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Avoiding the Appearance of Evil

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Paul told the Thessalonians to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). This is a very hard task indeed. Even Jesus Christ couldn’t avoid the appearance of evil. Sure, his accusers could find no fault with him, but they still saw him as evil (See John 5:8-12, 6:41-42, 7:12, & 9:16).

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