An LDS Perspective on Why God's Identification as Male is the Key to Understanding Life's Meaning

  

This article is in response to an article regarding the nature of God, the question of masculinity and femininity, and specific gender roles as established within the context of the Bible. A careful and thoughtful review of the article has required an adequate response to some assertions that may be misleading, irrelevant, and potentially harmful concerning such ideology and perceptive interpretation of scripture.

Introduction

The first part of this article will provide the context and foundation of the assertion being made, the question that is being addressed and answered, and whether or not the writer has given due diligence in providing an accurate, scriptural response and answer to the question postulated. The second part of this article will briefly introduce some of the main assertions that are cause for questioning and examination and how they falter in meeting true scriptural teaching on the nature of God, masculinity, femininity, and gender roles. The third part of this article will explore a more in-depth analysis of the presenting issues derived from the main points of the article itself and how a more appropriate answer is given to the misinformation of the article under review. 

The presenting dilemma and postulation of God, masculinity, femininity, and gender roles

What if I were to tell you that God’s Identification as male in the Bible is not because of the “misogynist” and “patriarchal” times the Bible was written in nor is it a mystery we must just accept. What if I were to tell you that understanding why God identifies as male can actually answer the greatest question any man or woman could ask and that is “Why am I here?”

This premise appears to be based on the following perception of the writer:

Is the only reason God is identified in the Bible by masculine titles such as Father, Husband, Son and King and not also as Mother, Wife, Daughter and Queen because of the “misogynist” and “patriarchal” times the Bible was written in? Many non-Christians and sadly even professing Christians today would have us belief this.

On the other hand, we have Bible believing conservative Christians who tell us that “Everything created in woman that sets her off from man comes from God and reflects something of him… God is not male and God is not female… And yet God’s self-chosen titles matter”. So, these Bible believing Christians are basically saying God is not masculine or feminine and they don’t understand why he chooses masculine titles or even why he established male headship, just that he did and we must accept it. It is a mystery to them as to why God consistently reveals himself in the masculine sense.

 And the reason the writer has chosen to focus on this issue is due to a reported email from one of his readers asking about some of the passages of scripture where people seemed to have identified a dyadic nature with God (meaning, dual qualities of being both male and female). He further reports that the concern centers on the split ... attributes of his [God's] nature into male and female human beings so only together do man and woman represent the nature of God. He reports that his research into the subject matter led him to an article by Tony Reinke at DesiringGod.org titled Our Mother Who Art in Heaven. The writer acknowledges that Reinke's article is a review of the movie "The Shack" that came out in 2017. A movie that is also based on the book with the same title. 

Now, prior to mentioning of the article, the writer states that they will: 

While writing a response to her concerns I decided to look into a few other conservative Christian sites to see their response to this issue in comparison to my own.

After responding to, what he refers to as biblical errors, Reinke's review, the writer turns to John Piper's article titled - Creation, Culture, and Corinthian Prophetesses. The writer appears to dismantle Pipers understanding of 1 Corinthians Chapter 11. In his refutation of Piper's understanding, the writer makes this assertion: 

Is there anything in this passage that states “Man is God’s glory in that he came from God through Christ without coming through woman”? Absolutely not. These verses do not just “imply” that “she is not the image and glory of God”, they EXPLICILTY state it!

This is why I always chuckle when people act like John Piper is this big traditional gender roles guy. He is NOT. Yes, he teaches male headship, but like most complementarians today he does not teach the REASON for male headship.

God did not just flip a coin and put men in charge of women. He put men in charge of women because the male human being “is the image and glory of God”. And because Piper and most Christian teachers refuse to acknowledge this truth that is staring them in the face – they cannot fully understand the purpose in why God placed men over women.

What is complementarianism? The website gotquestions.org has this answer (and may be the best answer to the question):

Complementarianism is the teaching that masculinity and femininity are ordained by God and that men and women are created to complement, or complete, each other. Complementarians believe that the gender roles found in the Bible are purposeful and meaningful distinctions that, when applied in the home and church, promote the spiritual health of both men and women. Embracing the divinely ordained roles of men and women furthers the ministry of God’s people and allows men and women to reach their God-given potential.

This is opposite of the doctrinal position of egalitarianism, where the idea is that there are no specific gender roles within the body of Christ. From the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) perspective of the Restored Gospel, there is a sense of a complementary component through the ordination of priesthood authority given to worthy men and women being subordinate to the proper and healthy authority of a righteous and worthy priesthood holder within the home. 

The writer concludes with this thought (in response to Reinke's quote of Piper): 

This is FALSE. There is not one scripture passage that says everything that sets a woman apart from man reflects something of God's nature. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:9 we are told this truth: Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man." That means that everything that "sets her off from man" was created in her FOR MAN, not to further reveal the nature of God. 

The writer is calling the attention to the assertion of this statement (from Reinke's article):

Everything created in woman that sets her off from man comes from God and reflects something of him. 

The writer makes this additional response to Piper's statement of - Women was not modeled after some other god. There is no other god. She was modeled after God. 

This is what is called a strawman argument. Who said woman was modeled after some other god? The false argument Piper is pushing is woman must be modeled after a god, and therefore since we know there is only one God then woman must be equally modeled after God in the same way man is. The fact is that woman is NOT modeled after God or man while she does share common attributes with man whom she was taken from and therefore God as well because man was made in the image of God. 

The writer, further, postulates the idea that the Bible never states that woman is the image of God, nor does it state she is the image of man. She shares a common human nature with man, but she is not his image as her nature is still very different. He justifies his statement with this: 

Woman was given her core human traits like self-awareness, creativity, the ability to feel emotions, the ability to appreciate beauty and the ability to learn to make her a "help meet" (Genesis 2:18) for man. Man was given these same core human traits and then addition traits of increased strength, competitiveness, aggressiveness and many other traits we understand as masculine for a different purpose.

He contrasts the nature of woman to that of man by saying this:

Man was given his masculine human nature to image God and thereby bring him glory. Woman was given her feminine nature not to be God's image bearer, but instead to be a HELP to his image bearer. This is the truth of the Word of God. 

The reader continues to push the issue that MAN alone is the image bearer of God and woman is not made in the image and likeness of God. His conclusion asserts that because MAN is the sole proprietor of God's image, then we are able to conclude that God is masculine. He also makes the conclusion (based on John 4:24) that all Evangelical's make, and that God is spirit with no ontological or anthropomorphic nature. He further concludes with this: 

We are told that if we embrace the truth of God's Word that woman was not made in God's image then we are saying women are less human than men, and less valuable to God. This is false. God loves men and women equally and men and women are equally saved by Christ and can both become part of the body of Christ as the scripture tells us.

He continues with another point on the nature of marriage being only for this time and time alone (which the Bible itself is actually silent on and the only scripture reference Evangelical's use to prove that marriage is for this time is Christ's response to the religious leader's question of the woman who died after marrying seven men).  The writer also makes a soft polemic against transgenderism in his concluding remarks. 
It is not until we get to the final paragraph of the article that he revisits the question of Why am I here? By claiming to have answered the question: 

And what I have just described answers the most important question that we as human beings can ever ask and that is Why am I here? If we not only accept that God identifies as male but accept why he identifies as male then we as men and woman, can know the meaning of life. But if we do as so much of the world today does and reject that fact that God identifies as male and why he identifies a male then we reject our very purpose for being here. 

To which one may ask, scratching their head to make sense of this last paragraph, in what way have you actually answered the question? Sadly, the article never fully addressed the question, and provided a scriptural perspective regarding the nature of God and why the scriptures refer to God in the masculine, while also making reference to a feminine connotation.  

Briefly addressing the main observations and false teachings 

The second observation we will discuss is the heart of a heretical teaching that has perpetuated within the theological landscape of modern Christendom - namely a heretical doctrine and teaching on the idea of God's incomprehensible and ontological nature. This begins with understanding the proper interpretation of John 4:24 and how the Bible (both Old and New Testament's) speak to an anthropomorphic construct of God's nature. 

The third main observation is the linguistic dynamics of how the masculinity and femininity represent God's nature, man's nature, and specific gender roles of man and woman. This is important to understand because all languages have 2 or more gender fluid attributes. This is true within the Biblical context in how one comes to understand the nature of God in relation to the nature of man and woman and their specific gender roles. 

For the fourth main observation has to do with a more symbolic understanding of certain scripture passages that do not appear to be linguistically feminine and more prone to reveal a hidden truth that appeared to have been suppressed by modern Christian teachings. This pertains to the nature of the final aspect of our observation concerning marriage. 

A fifth, and final, observation is the nature of marriage from a Biblical construct and understanding. While the Bible itself appears to silent on the actual doctrine of marriage, there are some scant verses that bring to light the purpose and relationship between man and woman, their gender roles, and the importance of marriage. 

This article will conclude with the appropriate answer concerning the question - Why am I here? and how this question never received the appropriate and honest treatment Biblical Gender Roles attempted to answer.

The Nature of God, Creation of Humanity, and Gender Roles defined

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 
~ First Article of Faith ~

... all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator
.~ Alma 30:44 ~

The Existence of God

The foundation of Judeo-Christian belief constitutes the knowledge of the attributes and character of a Divine, Sovereign, and Supreme Being. This is central to an intelligent exercise in faith.

James E. Talmage remarked, "There is a filial passion within human nature that flames toward heaven." (Articles of Faith - Chapter 2). Talmage also observes that humanity has a natural propensity toward worshiping:

...his soul is unsatisfied until he finds a deity. When men through transgression fell into darkness concerning the true and living God, they established for themselves other deities, and so arose the abominations of idolatry. And yet, even the most revolting of these practices testify to the existence of a God by demonstrating man's hereditary passion for worship. 

Talmage refers to this as an inborn attribute of mankind that needs demonstration of proof or a question of reasonable logic. The existence of God is proven as evidenced by history and tradition, human reason and intellect, and conclusive evidence through direct revelation (whether ancient or modern).

In Hyrum L. Andrus works - God, Man and the Universe - he remarks on the following observation: "The Father is the ultimate source of all attributes and powers of life, and He is the Supreme Intelligence over all other beings known to man."

The Supreme, Sovereign, and Divine Council

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long held the belief that the Godhead is comprised of three separate and distinct personages. The Father and Son possess resurrected, glorified bodies of flesh and bone. The Holy Spirit is a personage of spirit.

Through Jesus Christ, the only begotten of God in the flesh, we worship the Father as the absolute sovereign and supreme being. We accept Jesus Christ as not only the Savior and redeemer of fallen humanity, but we also recognize him as mediator and the only means by which salvation is given. It is through the power and gift of the Holy Spirit are we able to find comfort, guidance, inspiration, and personal revelation.

The doctrine of a divine council is nothing new. It is a restored revelation based on ancient origins and theophanies recorded throughout ancient cultures of the Hebraic, Sumerian, and Canaanite peoples. Much scholarly work continues to enlighten us on the nature of this divine and supreme council.

Fatherhood of God

When Mary came to the Tomb, she found it to be empty. Afraid, she turned and spoke to whom she thought was the gardener. Instead, the Savior revealed himself to her. Naturally, she wanted to reach out and touch him. The Savior forbade this, saying: "Touch me not: for I am not yet ascended to my father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God. (See John 20:17, KJV).

This is the only place in scripture where we read how Christ referred to God as not only His father, but the father of the disciples who followed him. What did he mean by my father and your father, and my God and your God? 

Through modern revelation, we are taught:

“Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).

Joseph Fielding Smith also taught:

God is our Father; he is the being in whose image man is created. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s (D&C 130:22), and he is the literal and personal father of the spirits of all men. He is omnipotent and omniscient; he has all power and all wisdom; and his perfections consist in the possession of all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, all truth, and the fullness of all godly attributes. … If we are to have that perfect faith by which we can lay hold upon eternal life, we must believe in God as the possessor of the fullness of all these characteristics and attributes. I say also that he is an infinite and eternal being, and as an unchangeable being, he possesses these perfected powers and attributes from everlasting to everlasting, which means from eternity to eternity (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith (2013), 35–47)

Through these teachings, we see God as a loving Father who cares for our needs and blesses us accordingly.  This is quite important for us to understand.

Importance of Knowing God

We are only able to know who God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. In John 17, Christ offers up a priestly prayer. In this prayer, Christ proclaims that our eternal life is based on knowing whom God is and Knowing Jesus Christ (see, John 17:3). In Moses 1:39, we understand that God's purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life" of humanity.

This requires our obedience to the commandments God has established. Through our obedience, we come into perfect harmony with Jesus Christ, who is in perfect harmony with the Father. In our reverential awe toward the supreme sovereignty of God, we see Him as merciful, kind, compassionate, and forgiving. We walk with him as our ancient fathers have walked with God. This comes out of our love toward God, and His love toward us.

What do we know about God?

• He is supreme, sovereign, full of wisdom, power, and glory

• He is a distinct being who is glorified and exalted, omniscient and omnipotent

• He is our Eternal Father who desires us to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life

• He provides comfort and direction through the gift and power of the Holy Spirit.

Creation of Humanity

The first passage we want to address is that of Genesis 1:26-27. I also want to include the passage of Genesis 2:7, 18-24. There is a difference between Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:7, 18-24. This is because the accounts seem to be from two different sources. 
According to the Jewish Study Bible, the following comments are observed regarding Genesis 1:26-27: 

The plural construction (Let Us...) most likely reflects a setting in the divine council (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-22; Isa. 6; Job chs 1-2): God the King announces the proposed course of action to His cabinet of subordinate deities, though He alone retains the power of decision. The midrash manifests considerable uneasiness with God's proposal to create something so capable of evil as human beings are. Playing on Ps. 1:6, one midrash reports that God told his ministering angels only of "the way of the righteous" and hid them "the way of the wicked" (Gen. Rab. 8:4). Another one reports that while the angels were debating the proposal among themselves, God took the matter in hand. "Why are you debating?" He asked them. "Man has already been created!" (Gen. Rab. 8:5). 

The commentary continues with this observation: 

...humankind has a different origin and a different character. In the ancient Near East, the king was often said to be the "image" of the god and thus to act with divine authority. So here, the creation of humanity in God's image and likeness carries with it a commission to rule over the animal kingdom (1.26b, 28b; cf. PS. 8:4-9). 

The Jewish commentary of Genesis 1:26-27 appears to show that God created both, male and female, after his own image and likeness. This is something that we find disagreeable with the article at Biblical Gender Roles. However, let us continue the consideration of what aspect image and likeness humanity was created after.

In an extant, and modern discovery of one of the missing texts of the Old Testament, we have a more condensed version of the Genesis account. Taken from R. H. Charles interpretation of the Ethiopic language of Ge'ez, the Book of Jubiless has this to say: And after all this He created MAN, a man and a woman created He them. This passage does not specify image and likeness as that of Genesis 1:26. However, it does reflect that man and woman were created in a collective sense.

It is not until we get to Jubilees 3 that we gain some interesting insights on the nature of man and woman's creation:

And the Lord said unto us: "It is not good that the man should be alone: let us make a helpmeet for him:" And the Lord our God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and he slept, and He took for the woman one rib from amongst his ribs, and this rib was the origin of woman from amongst his ribs, and he built up the flesh in its stead, and built the woman. And He awaked Adam out of his sleep and on awaking he rose on the sixth day, and He brought her to him, and he knew her, and said unto her: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; and she will be called my wife [Hebrew ishah] because she was taken from her husband [Hebrew: ish]

Modern Christians may excuse the nature of the Book of Jubilees as not being part of the canonicity of scripture, however, it was well known among first century Christians and very well may have been part of some ancient canon of scripture. It became lost and was only discovered when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Regardless of one's view on the Book of Jubiless, it does provide some insight that the Book of Genesis does not provide. Namely that it refers to a marriage ceremony by God himself between man and woman. It also provides insight in that woman was created in the same manner as Adam was from the dust of the ground. With one exception, God took a rib from Adam and created woman around that rib.

The creation of man and woman is solely not a Biblical account. Prior to the creation (as rendered in Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:4-25), we have a more ancient Sumarian creation story that describes the God Enki and the Goddess Ninhursag-ki dwelt in paradise:

‘Enki and Ninhursag’ is perhaps one of the most difficult Mesopotamian myth for Judeo-Christian Westerners to understand, because it stands as the opposite of the myth of Adam and Eve in Paradise found in the Old Testament Bible. Indeed, ‘ the literature created by the Sumerians left its deep imprint on the Hebrews, and one of the thrilling aspects of reconstructing and translating Sumerian belles-lettres consists in tracing resemblances and parallels between Sumerian and Biblical motifs. To be sure, Sumerians could not have influenced the Hebrews directly, for they had ceased to exist long before the Hebrew people came into existence. But there is little doubt that the Sumerians deeply influenced the Canaanites, who preceded the Hebrews in the land later known as Palestine’ (Kramer, 1981:142). Some comparisons with the Bible paradise story: 1) the idea of a divine paradise, the garden of gods, is of Sumerian origin, and it was Dilmun, the land of immortals situated in southwestern Persia. It is the same Dilmun that, later, the Babylonians, the Semitic people who conquered the Sumerians, located their home of the immortals. There is a good indication that the Biblical paradise, which is described as a garden planted eastward in Eden, from whose waters flow the four world rivers including the Tigris and the Euphrates, may have been originally identical with Dilmun; 2) the watering of Dilmun by Enki and the Sun god Utu with fresh water brought up from the earth is suggestive of the Biblical ‘ But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground’ (Genesis 2:6); 3) the birth of goddesses without pain or travail illuminates the background of the curse against Eve that it shall be her lot to conceive and bear children in sorrow; 4) Enki’s greed to eat the eight sacred plants which gave birth to the Vegetal World resonates the eating of the Forbidden Fruit by Adam and Eve, and 6) most remarkably, this myth provides na explanation for one of the most puzzling motifs in the Biblical paradise story - the famous passage describing the fashioning of Eve, the mother of all living, from the rib of Adam. Why a rib instead of another organ to fashion the woman whose name Eve means according to the Bible, ‘she who makes live’? If we look at the Sumerian myth, we see that when Enki gets ill, cursed by Ninhursag, one of his body parts that start dying is the rib. The Sumerian word for rib is ‘ti’ . To heal each o Enki’s dying body parts, Ninhursag gives birth to eight goddesses. The goddess created for the healing of Enki’s rib is called ‘Nin-ti’, ‘the lady of the rib’. But the Sumerian word ‘ti’ also means ‘to make live’. The name ‘Nin-ti’ may therefore mean ‘the lady who makes live’ as well as ‘the lady of the rib’. Thus, a very ancient literary pun was carried over and perpetuated in the Bible, but without its original meaning, because the Hebrew word for ‘rib’ and that for ‘who makes live’ have nothing in common. Moreover, it is Ninhursag who gives her life essence to heal Enki, who is then reborn from her (Kramer, 1981:143-144).

There is scholarship regarding the commonalities and parallels between the Ancient Near Eastern creation stories and that contained with the Bible. All of these creation stories have variant understandings. Despite the variants of the stories, the point is that all creation stories match up with the understanding that God (or Gods) created man from the dust of the ground in His image and likeness, and then realized Man is not meant to be alone and therefore fashioned woman from man and in the image and likeness. 

The question is, what do we mean by image and likeness? The Bible Study Tools has an excellent article that presents varying degrees of thought concerning the understanding of Image and Likeness regarding man's creation. None of which substantiates the Biblical Gender Roles main assumption concerning the creation of woman.

In another lost book - the Book of Jasher, we read the same type of account that we find in Genesis 2:4-25, with some slight variations within the text.

And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and God created man in his own image. And God formed man from the ground, and blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul endowed with speech. And the Lord said, it is not good for man to be alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet. And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took away one of his ribs, and he built flesh upon it, and formed it and brought it to Adam, and Adam awoke from his sleep, and behold a woman was standing before him. And he said, This is bone of my bones and it shall be called woman, for this has been taken from man; and Adam called her name Eve, for she was the mother of all living. And God blessed them and call their names Adam and Eve in the day that he created them. 

Again, while the text of Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:4 - 25, and the book of Jubilees and Jasher share the same understanding, both conclude that God created both man and woman. The Hebrew for create is Bara and it means to create, shape, form. This is consistent in reviewing the different variants of the Creation accounts and how men and women were created. In addition, we understand that humanity was fashioned after the image and likeness of God. This is direct correlation to God's physical, spiritual, and characteristic attributes.

Not only were men and women fashioned after God's own divine likeness and image. They were brought together under the divine marriage of God (which we will explore in the other main point). Suffice it to say, the Bible does clarify that man and woman were created after God's divine image and likeness.

This brings us to the next point of observation within the article at Biblical Gender Roles. Namely, the understanding of God's ontological nature as revealed in scripture.

However, it will be remiss if we did not move forward into the New Testament to Paul's epistle to the Colossae Church. In there, Paul describes the nature of Creation as being completed by Christ himself. We know Christ existed with the Father as the Gospel of John mentions the term Logos and how this Logos became flesh (cf, John Chapter 1). In that passage, it complements the doctrinal truth that Christ (Logos) made all things through the Power and authority of God the Father. 

The Apostle Paul writes: 

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell...(Colossians 1:15-19). 

While there is much pertaining to our next observation, what we learn in this passage (and that of the Gospel of Joh) is this:

1) Christ pre-existed and was with the Father before the Creation of the Earth and the creation of Humanity. 

And, 

2) Christ is the active person that has created all things - under the direction and will of the Father.

In fact, what we will see in our next point is that Christ will hand over all that he has to the Father. The most significant point is the use of image of the invisible God. We know that Paul encountered the resurrected Christ. We also know that upon Christ's resurrection, he showed himself unto his disciples. He possessed a body that is resurrected and glorified. This is important to follow because it will set the foundation going into our next main observation regarding the ontological nature of God, the Father.

Since Christ was resurrected with a body of flesh and bones, and that he ascended into heaven with flesh and bones, we conclude that Paul is referring to the nature of Christ's physical image being in that same image and likeness of the Father.

Elsewhere, we see this in relation to our own resurrected bodies: 

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (cf 1 John 3:2) 

In our resurrection (which the Biblical text distinguishes two different resurrections) we will come to see Christ in His Image and Glory and that our own resurrected bodies will be in like manner - when Christ appears, we will see him and be like him - resurrected with a body of flesh and bone. This is not including just men. It is including women for they will also possess a resurrected body of flesh and bone as that of Christ has.

Where this is going is that the pre-incarnate Christ, through the direction of the Father, created all things including humanity - men and women by fashioning them after the image and likeness of - God. Christ was only a spiritual being without a body as tangible as man. So, he had to fashion humanities body after the image and likeness of the Father.

Understanding the deeper significance and meaning brings us closer to answering the question of Why am I here? While addressing the false understanding of the article at Biblical Gender Roles on God's nature and masculinity. 

Within the creation of humanity, there were specific gender roles defined between man and woman. These roles were first defined in the Garden of Eden under the marriage ceremony God anointed. The other gender role involved human sexuality: Go therefore and be fruitful and multiply the earth. This included the authority of humanity (both man and woman) to work together in having dominion over all of God's creation. This may also be an allegory toward the doctrine of theosis and human potential toward progression into divinity (which will be explored under the main observation point of the wedding ceremony itself).

One thing is clear, the roles became more defined when Adam and Eve transgressed the law of partaking of the forbidden fruit. No, they did not transgress the law by thinking they shall become like God. In fact, when you read the account in Genesis Chapter 3, God does say, Behold man has become LIKE ONE OF US to know good and evil. Humanity (Adam and Eve) were banished from the Garden of Eden so as to not partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life and live forever.

Once out of the Garden of Eden, God declared that Man will be the patriarch, and the woman will be under his protection and authority, yet both were to still have dominion over the Earth and were still required to multiply and replenish the earth. Through them, humanity sprung up. In this context, we see the gender roles defined in the marriage relationship.

 The Ontological Nature of God and Biblical Anthropomorphic Descriptors

One of the most common passages modern Christians utilize to prove that God does not have a physical resurrected body of flesh and bones is based on a grossly misinterpretation of John 4:24. Biblical Gender Roles writes this in their article on God's nature:

If the male human being is “the image and glory of God” then we can we rightly say God IS male in the sense that the Trinity is imaged in the masculine human nature. Now does that mean God is biologically male? Yes and No. Christ is the God man, but God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are spirit as the Bible tells us: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 (KJV)

Like many modern Christians and Evangelical Apologists, they make a false interpretation on this one passage. 

There are two main reasons such an interpretation is wrong. The first one is that it is contextually in error; and the second, it is contradictory toward the many passages relating to Christ's ontological and anthropomorphic descriptors in comparison to that of the Father.

Let us address the first main issue with how John 4:24 is contextually misinterpreted. We will do this by appealing to the immediate context of the passage where Christ is at the well and a Samaritan woman comes to draw out water. They engage in a conversation regarding the nature of worship and the idea of salvation being from the Jews. In fact, Christ informs the Samaritan woman:

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the TRUE worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His true worshipers. (Cf. John 4:22-23, NASB). 

Since the context around John 4:24 refers to the nature of Worship as a Spiritual discipline, there is no means to interpret the understanding from an act of spiritual discipline into an ontological argument. To do so will render the context to refer that those who are "TRUE WORSHIPERS" that the Father (GOD) seeks must also have the same ontological nature as that of God - both being of Spirit. 

Since the context of John 4:22-25 does not refer to the ontological nature of the worshipers, we cannot conclude that verse 24 suddenly refers to God's ontological nature of being Spirit only. The actual rendering that is contextually applicable is that because God seeks true worshipers that will engage in a spiritual discipline renders us to conclude that God is a Spiritual Being. 

Many Bible Commentaries reflect the present mindset that John 4:24 is an ontological descriptor of God being A Spirit and not a Spiritual Being. Take for example Ellicott's commentary for English Readers:

God is Spirit - better, God is spirit. His will has been expressed in the seeking. But his very nature and essence is spirit, and it follows from this that all true worship must be spiritual. 

Benson Commentary says this: 

As a further answer to the woman's question, our Lord delivered a doctrine which may justly be called his own, as it exhibits an idea of God, and of the worship which is due to him, far more sublime than the best things said by the philosophers on that subject. Christ came to declare God to us, and this he has declared concerning him, that hi is a Spirit. and he declared it to this poor Samaritan woman

Benson goes further and says this: God is a spirit, for he is an infinite and eternal mind; an intelligent being, yea, the supreme intelligence, who by one act sees the thoughts of all other intelligence whatever, and so may be worshiped in every place; he is incorporeal, immaterial, invisible, and incorruptible: for it is easier to say what he is not than what he is. If God were not a spirit, he could not be perfect, nor infinite, nor eternal, nor independent, nor the Father of spirits. 

Keep the above statement in mind because what will be revealed is that this idea of God being spirit, and therefore being incomprehensible, incorporeal, immaterial, and invisible is a Gnostic heretical teaching from the Second Century. This heretical Gnostic teaching stems from the Valentinius school of thought on the nature of God: 

Valentinians believed that God is incomprehensible and cannot be known directly. Therefore he defies accurate description. He is infinite, without beginning or end and is the ultimate origin of all things. He encompasses all things without being encompassed. Everything including the world lies within the deity and continues to be part of it. The Godhead manifests itself through a process of self-unfolding in the subsequent multiplicity of being while maintaining its unity.

Notice how this follows the same vein of thought Benson's commentary provides. Yet, this is recited as Biblical doctrine within the construct of the Trinity. The problem here is that if the present understanding of God's nature as being a spirit stems from the second Century heretical teaching of Valentinus, then what is the actual Biblical ontological descriptors concerning the nature and being of God?

Part of that is provided in the previous segment on the nature of humanity and our creation from God's image and likeness. Briefly spoke on the ontological descriptors of Jesus Christ himself. Here, we will explore the relationship between those ontological descriptors as it serves to understand and define Christ's nature (a Physical being who now possesses a Physical and resurrected body).

We first turn ourselves over to the first statement Christ made in relation to himself and the Father: The Apostle (yet still a disciple of Christ) asked the Savior to show unto them (the disciples) the Father. Christ responds that if they have been with Christ so long, how do they not understand that if he (referring to Philip) has seen Christ, then he certainly has seen the Father (cf. John 14:8-9). 

A careful read through the New Testament (specifically the gospels) reveal that Christ always differentiates himself from the Father. He does this when relating to the disciples, and he does this when relating to the religious leaders.

Peter's very own confession reveals that there is a very distinct nature between Christ and the Father: 

Thou art the Son of the LIVING GOD

More specific, one unique passage stands out and that is in the resurrection account of the Gospel of John. Here, Christ meets a woman who mistakes him for the gardener. Christ reveals himself to her and admonishes her not to touch him. His reason for her to not touch him. 
Jesus saith unto her, touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God. (cf John 20:17, KJV)

This is further understood when we look at Christ coming to the upper room where the disciples were present. When the disciple Thomas came in, he wanted to see for himself. On both accounts, Christ refers to the fact that He is not a spirit. That he possesses a body of flesh and bone that was resurrected.

Not only does the New Testament show that Christ had a bodily and physical resurrection, it also relates that he ascended into Heaven and that the Disciples were informed that Christ will return with his resurrected glorified body.

Paul describes in detail the nature of our own resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Revelation describes the resurrection of the Righteous and the Resurrection of those whose names were not written in the Book of Life.

Going back to Colossians, Paul writes that Christ is the First born of the Resurrection.

What we conclude here is that Christ possesses a body of flesh and bone. The Bible explicitly states that Christ rose from the dead with a resurrected body of flesh and bone, and that Christ will appear, and we will see him as we are - with a glorified and resurrected body of flesh and bone.

Christ consistently differentiated himself from the Father yet expressed in ways and terminologies that he also is in the express image of his father (if ye seen me, ye have seen the Father). The New Testament also places Christ in position of authority at the right hand of God's throne.

We also understand and know that when he was challenged, the religious leaders decried blasphemy because Christ either said that he was "I AM" (YHWH) or that he was placing himself Equal to God. When in reality, Biblical teachings and understandings is that Christ is YHWH in the Old Testament and the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac.

What modern day scholarship has revealed is that YHWH was a subordinate God to the Most High God and part of the Divine Counsel. This is evident in passages like Deuteronomy 32: 8 - 9, Psalm 82, Job 1 and 2. 

Therefore, the rendering of God being spirit traces its origins back to the heretical teaching of Gnosticism of St. Valentinius where God is incomprehensible, incorporeal, and a Spirit (or essence).

These leaves us with the last three main points of observation. The third relies on the linguistic style of Hebrew and Greek (which I will not further discuss here to any length or extent as I have the last two main points). And the fourth and fifth observation coincide with one another where the fourth focuses on the feminine descriptors within the Old Testament and the symbolism of Wisdom as it pertains to the nature and idea of a Goddess consort. The final thought further extends from the symbolism of a female consort within the divine council and into the realm of Adam and Eve's marriage, the Temple, and priestly authority.

Those three observations will be treated in a follow up article to Biblical Gender Roles article. However, where does this leave us in answering the question postulated by the article? How are we going to understand the reason we are here and in what context does our purpose have? That will be in the third installment to follow up these two articles.

Facing Your Personal Gethsemane: Embracing Spiritual Transformation and Surrendering to New Beginnings

Our “Gethsemanes” are those places where our will wrestles to find its way to God’s will. As God patiently wrestled with Jacob and his will, He also wrestled with Jesus the Son of Man, His will and His request in the Garden of Gethsemane. As Adam represented mankind by wrestling his way out of the will of God through disobedience, so Jesus represented us by wrestling His way into God’s will by obedience.

~ Robert Crosby, D.MIV 2013 ~

Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death
~ Matthew 26:38, ESV ~

Have you ever felt so weighted down by the overwhelming stress where you experienced great sorrow - even unto death? Getting to the lowest point in your life and all things pressing down onto you where you are emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. Those around you have appeared to abandon you. People demanding for justice and punishment. Feeling betrayed and sold out. And all you desire in that very moment is to cry out for mercy, grace, peace, and love. Not wanting to have to walk through this time of darkness. Welcome to your own personal Garden of Gethsemane. For some of us, we may refer it to our own personal hell. However, having our own personal Gethsemane experience means we are moving toward spiritual transformation and a new way of living life.

Stunning Symbolism of the Garden of Gethsemane

We come to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke regarding the last weeks of Jesus Christ's life. More specifically, we read the account of the Last Supper which is symbolic within the Jewish Passover celebration. In this encounter, we become intimately aware of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine:

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:26-28, ESV

It is after this Passover meal that Christ, and his disciples, when they completed their feast, these men went out to the Mount of Olives and Christ entered into a small Garden called Gethsemane.

This Garden is between what was the Temple of Jerusalem to the summit of Mount of Olives. It is about 1200 square meters. The name Gethsemane means Oil Press. It is here where the Olives were brought to be pressed down by large milestones in order to produce oils for different purposes. The more pressure applied to the crushing of olives, the better quality the oil becomes. It is in this setting that Christ came with his disciples. And this is where the symbolism of the Garden of Gethsemane intrigues us.

 

Of All the Gardens in All of Jerusalem - Why Gethsemane?

Dr. Taylor Haverson has a wonderful article on the significant and symbolic meaning behind the Garden of Gethsemane. Dr. Haverson remarks the following reasons for Christ coming into the Garden:

• It is the lowest point in Jerusalem because of its geographical locale between the City of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives

• The Kidron Brook helped wash away the blood from the sacrificial animals.

• Gethsemane (as previously mentioned) means Oil Press

In this article, Halverson shares his own personal observations of how the oil from the olives were pressed out:

The day of pressing the olives to extract the oil, I walked to the pressing station. The olives were being put under tremendous pressure between a pressure screw and the beautiful white Jerusalem limestone. As I drew near, my breath was taken away. I thought I saw blood pouring over the white limestone rock, as if a sacrificial victim was giving its life away. I was so surprised. I had no idea that olive oil initially emerges from the olive blood red before it turns the beautiful golden green, we are so familiar with.

Luke is the only Gospel that records, what is now referred to as a rare medical condition - Hematidrosis - Christ sweating great drops of blood.

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground

Luke 22:44, ESV

This is the lowest point of Christ's life. He was pressed down with the weight of human transgression since the fall of Adam. Christ knew his mission and purpose. He taught and prepared his disciples for what was about to take place. Yet, at the dawn of the most significant event in human history, Christ experienced severe anguish and agony. In his sermon, Charles H. Spurgeon remarks:

I do not think that this great conflict arose through our dear Master’s fear of death, nor through His fear of the physical pain and all the disgrace and shame that He was so soon to endure. But, surely, the agony in Gethsemane was part of the great burden that was already resting upon Him as His people’s substitute—it was this that pressed His spirit down even into the dust of death.

From a devotional on Jesus in Gethsemane at Ligonier's website - we read the following:

Note our use of the word struggle. Jesus’ submission to the will of His Father was no stoic resignation to fate; rather, our Savior wrestled with the choice before Him. He begged for the cup to pass from Him, and He was so distressed emotionally that He sweated blood (Mark 14:35–36; see Luke 22:39–46). Such facts show us that the trial Jesus faced was not merely physical in nature, as horrible as that aspect was. Many others throughout history have faced a horrible physical end with more composure, but Jesus was in turmoil because He was going to death as the Sin-Bearer, as the Lamb of God who would bear divine wrath to atone for the sin of His people. We can scarcely imagine the horror of this prospect. The God-man, pure and unstained by any sin of His own, was going to become sin so that in Him His people would become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). The Savior was going to suffer the full weight of all the sins of His people. He was going to experience the separation from God’s blessing that impenitent sinners endure in hell. Little wonder, then, that He asked for another way to bring about the salvation of His people.

The agony, the choice before Jesus Christ, the prayer of respite from the bitter cup that he was to drink from. All of this pressed down upon him. The weight of the world upon his very shoulders. And his very question Let this cup pass before me, not my will, but thine be done center's our focus on the very heart of surrender and obedience. Was there any other way that such a sacrifice be accomplished? Maybe you have asked yourself - Is there no other way to get through this? I know I have asked myself this question many times. It is the core purpose of this message for people in recovery today.

We have only one choice and that is to experience our own Garden of Gethsemane in order to be spiritually transformed with newness of life.

Getting through your own personal Gethsemane

In various recovery rooms (e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, et el.) the common belief is the idea of hitting rock bottom before any significant change is able to occur. In essence, before an addict, or alcoholic, is able to reach out for help and change; it is believed that they must come to the lowest point in their life. A place where they have lost everything, damaged everything, and there is no further way to go. Another way of saying this is that a person seems to need a Gethsemane Experience before real spiritual transformation is able to occur.

An article was published on June 11, 2013, by contributor Robert C. Crosby, M.Div. at Huffington Post's website. This article is titled: Getting Through Your Gethsemanes. Crosby explores, quite succinctly, reasons we face our own Gethsemanes and the purpose behind those experiences. While we are not burdened with become Sin-Bearers like Jesus Christ had become; our own personal experiences are bearing our own sins and transgressions when we come face-to-face with God's divine will and good pleasure. It is a place we come to for total surrender and submission over to Him. Here is what Crosby says:

For you and for me, Gethsemane is a place of coming to terms with the will of God. It is a place where we face God’s will, head-on. At Gethsemane, we look honestly and clearly at what God has called us to do. We consider the call and we count the cost. And at Gethsemane we discover that any uncertainty about God’s will is not in His mind. Rather it is in ours. Though we may try to change Him and His will in order to remove the stress, we soon find that His will is fixed and His purpose set.

This is where we find a more enriching meaning to the nature of realizing our sense of powerlessness over those things that have brought ruin and destruction into our lives. A place where we come to realize we have no power to manage our lives in its present state and condition. It is where we come to realize our need and dependence upon God and our own personal willingness to count the cost and surrender over to His will. The first three steps of any twelve-step program brings us to our own Garden of Gethsemane before we are able to begin any spiritual transformation.

In his April 2014 Washington Post Article, Rev. James Martin writes this:

The invitation to surrender, to accept our cup, to acknowledge the inevitability of suffering and to step onto the path of sacrifice, comes in the context of a relationship with God. We trust that God will be with us in all that we do and all that we suffer. We do not simply grit our teeth, clench our fists and push on, alone and unaided. Someone is with us, helping us. To use another image from the Gospels, there is someone else in the boat with us, and pulling on the oars — even if we do not feel it.

None of us want to suffer. Yet, in our lives we will experience all manner of suffering. Much of this suffering has to do with losses we experience. Some of the losses weigh us down and trouble our very own souls to the point of suffocation. Despite our own suffering, we find peace and strength to move forward through our own Gethsemane experience.

Rev. Martin expresses these simple truths:

• Christ did not avoid the hard truth of his situation

• Christ did not ignore his pain, nor the pain of those around him

• Christ set aside his own desire to be in control and submitted to God's will

• Christ submitted himself to God's divine will and plan and found peace

These simple truths echo into our own hearts and minds today. When we find ourselves being pressed down and weighted by all of our past mistakes, transgressions, fears, anxieties, and being in a place of ruin; it is there we wrestle with God. Like Christ, we do not avoid the hard truth of our present situation and circumstances. Nor do we ignore our pain and the pain of those around us. In fact, it is through acknowledging and embracing our pain and anguish that we come to God through prayer and meditation.

Through humility, we come to wrestle with God. Christ prayed three times. The Gospel accounts provide us with simple phrases, yet we may adequately assume he prayed with great intensity to the point that he suffered agony during those prayers. Once we are humble, we are in a place to set aside our own desire to be in control.

What amazes me, personally, is that Christ had all the power in the world to prevent this from happening. He very well had the power to not go through with the subsequent torture and crucifixion. Christ created all things. Yet, with all of this power he possessed, Christ humbled himself and realized there is no other way for him but to go through with the purpose and plan of God's divine providential will.

For us, we live in delusions when we possess the belief, we have the power to control people, situations, events, and all things that we may experience in life. Our personal Garden of Gethsemane experience brings us to the reality that we no longer possess control over ourselves and our lives. Like Christ, we set aside our own personal desires for control and surrender to God's will, submitting ourselves over to Him.

And let us carefully consider that Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane was not a mere moment in time. Bruce R. McConkie relates this in his sermon of April 1985:

As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours.

Our own personal suffering may appear without any end in sight. However, we learn that through our own suffering, we are lifted up and transformed with new faith and hope. This is the heart of the message today - to find hope, purpose, meaning in our own personal sufferings. When we come into our own Garden of Gethsemane, there is a purpose for us being there. It is to spiritually transform us into a whole new person.

Toward our personal Spiritual Transformation

As we follow the account of Christ, he comes to an end of his suffering. By facing the reality of the situation, accepting and embracing the emotional distress, and coming to terms to follow through with God's divine plan and purpose: Christ walked out of Gethsemane and was betrayed by his disciple Judas. Following this betrayal. Christ was placed on trial and the people demanded justice and punishment. He was arrested and given over to the Roman Soldiers for punishment.

Under Roman authority, Christ was scourged. A form of Roman torture given to those condemned as criminals. David McClister writes about this in his article, The Scourging of Jesus Christ.

Scourging, called verberatio by the Romans, was possibly the worst kind of flogging administered by ancient courts. While the Jews administered whippings in the synagogues for certain offenses, these were mild in comparison to scourging. Scourging was not normally a form of execution, but it certainly was brutal enough to be fatal in many cases. A person certainly could be beaten to death by the scourge if that was desired. Its purpose was not only to cause great pain, but to humiliate as well. To scourge a man was to beat him worse than one would beat a stupid animal. It was belittling, debasing, and demeaning. It was considered such a degrading form of punishment that, according to the Porcian (248 B.C.) and Sempronian (123 B.C.) laws, Roman citizens were exempt from it. It was, therefore, the punishment appropriate only for slaves and non-Romans, those who were viewed as the lesser elements in Roman society. To make it as humiliating as possible, scourging was carried out in public.

The instrument of torture for this scourging was a small whip, containing metal objects, balls, or the like. The purpose of this were to break open the skin. A gruesome sight and a painful and agonizing experience.

For us, we are scourged where we are vulnerable and raw. Our innermost being is exposed and we experience the humiliation, ridicule, and shame of what has happened. In a proverbial manner we scourge ourselves because of how debased we have become. Left emotionally raw, physically weak, and vulnerable. In order for spiritual transformation to have any significant impact on our lives: we face those consequences of our own actions.

Once Christ was scourged, and condemned to death, he had to make the walk up toward the place where he will be crucified. Here, we read the account of the Savior being nailed to the Cross. Our minds picture Him hanging there, struggling to breathe, and suffering even more. Through this account, we read he cried out Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me?

It is at the point of us coming to a place of our own cross where we perceive others have forsaken us. We feel abandoned, alone, miserable, broken, beaten, and give ourselves over. Again, the application with the scene of Christ on the Cross is one of ultimate surrender. He willfully gave himself up so that God's purpose and plan be fully realized.

We must sacrifice our old way of living life in order to embrace and live a new way of living

Crucified through Christ in order to be raised with newness of life

The Apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Galatia the following:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20, ESV

Paul understood the nature of humanity's condition. Paul also understood the powerful nature of Christ's atonement. He also understood the meaning of submission and surrender into God's divine will and plan. No other verse seems to capture this than what Paul wrote to Galatia.

Though crucifixion was the Roman form of capital punishment - the idea of crucifying ourselves is symbolic and powerful in our spiritual transformation. A. W. Tozer makes this observation in his work The Crucified Life:

What I mean by the crucified life is a life wholly given over to the Lord in absolute humility and obedience: a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Here, we see that the symbolism of crucifying ourselves means that we come to a place where we put to death the old self in order to no longer be enslaved to our old desires, habits, thoughts, and way of living life. Again, the Apostle Paul teaches us this:

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:6, ESV

Spiritual transformation occurs at the moment we carry ourselves toward a place where we are able to ourselves to death. And this may be quite agonizing and painful. it is the putting off our old way of living life that brings us to a place of peace and new way of living life. Paul taught the Christians in Ephesus this principle:

... to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:20-24, ESV

Paul Carter writes this observation at Life, Hope, and Truth:

The words put off in this verse essentially mean “putting away” or “renouncing.” Paul was instructing the members to put away their old man—the selfish, sinful way we naturally think and act in this evil world. Our old man is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), even convincing us that we don’t need to change or that God’s way is too hard. It is naturally opposed to God and His laws (Romans 8:7).

Putting to Death the Old Man: What does it mean?

Living, what A. W. Tozer refers to as, a crucified life essentially brings us to mean we move out of our old world and embrace a whole new way of living. By embracing a whole new outlook, a new way of thinking, and a new way of understanding, we are empowered to move toward spiritual perfection through Jesus Christ. Tozer observes:

The whole Bible supports the idea of progressing toward spiritual perfection in our Christian Lives.

Tozer also observes:

The crucified life is absolutely committed to following after Jesus Christ. To be more like Him. To think like Him. To act like Him. To love like Him. The whole essence of spiritual perfection has everything to do with Jesus Christ.

Therefore, in our recovery journey, when we make Christ center to whom we align ourselves with, we come through our own personal garden of Gethsemane, face our own scourging and crucifixion, in order to experience the full impact of spiritual transformation. Because the story of the Gospels does not end with the Cross. The Gospels provide the most single important truth of all of scripture. A truth that had been prophesied down through the ages. It was at that time, the most significant event in human history. Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Pastor John MacArthur provides this gem of truth. His sermon focused on Romans 6:1-14. It is the first part of a sermon series. In his sermon The Spiritual Significance of the Resurrection, MacArthur teaches:

At salvation there's a regeneration, there's a new birth, there's a conversion, there's a transformation, there's a new creation, and this new person walks in a different way — “walk” meaning daily conduct, daily life.  We die a real death. And that death is a significant thing, a significant event, with significant results. We have a new life.  Psalm 40, verse 3 says we sing a new song.  ... Ezekiel 18 says we have a new spirit inside.  Ezekiel 36 says we have a new heart.  Second Corinthians 5:17, we're a new creation.  Galatians 6:15, we're a new being. Ephesians 4:24, we're a new man.  Revelations 2:17, we have a new name, a new identity.  Now all of a sudden we're released back into this world but we're alien to it, we're strangers to it, we're pilgrims in it.  We don't belong anymore because there has been such a severe transformation.  A real death has occurred, and a real resurrection has occurred and we engage ourselves in a new kind of life with all new perceptions of the world around us.  We walk, to put it in the words of 1 John, in the light instead of in the darkness.

Authentic spiritual transformation moves us toward a life where we have a new identity, a new way of thinking, a new way of believing, and a new way of relating to other people around us. This, I personally believe, means we have had a real true spiritual awakening in order to come into a place of living differently. A place where we find peace amidst our storms. A place where we are able to find strength and encouragement; as well as provide strength and encouragement toward others.

Through our own personal Garden of Gethsemane, we are placed on trial. We are scourged because of shame, guilt, humiliation, and face our dissenters and enemies. We carry our anxieties, our worries, our burdens to a place where we symbolically put to death our old ways of living. So that, we arise as a new person. And it all began when we faced and endured our own Gethsemane.

Endure and Persevere through your own Gethsemane experience

The spiritual application here is this: we will face those times where we are in our own Garden of Gethsemane. How we choose to experience this encounter is entirely up to each one of us. However, consider these spiritual applications from this message today:

• The reality of our own personal suffering and brokenness will not be fully healed and restored if we do not endure our own Gethsemane

• The reality of how others suffered because of us can in no way ever be ignored and we need to face this reality

• Accepting the painful experience and surrendering to God is the ultimate means by which we are able to secure peace in our hearts and our minds

• Our old way of living life is placed on trial and scourged in order to expose our raw true sense of being

• It requires we commit ourselves over to putting off who we thought we are, old ways of thinking, old beliefs and values that no longer serve any purpose in our lives, and realize our need to forsake our own sense of self

• We are brought into a new way of life where our true self is able to embrace new values, new beliefs, and we walk because Christ walks with us

There is no other way to a real spiritual transformative way of living life. Whether we are in recovery from substance use disorders, healing from family dysfunctions, childhood trauma and other experiences.

So, if you have ever felt so weighted down by the overwhelming stress where you experienced great sorrow - even unto death? Getting to the lowest point in your life and all things pressing down onto you where you are emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. Those around you have appeared to abandon you. People demanding for justice and punishment. Feeling betrayed and sold out. And all you desire in that very moment is to cry out for mercy, grace, peace, and love. Not wanting to have to walk through this time of darkness. Welcome to your own personal Garden of Gethsemane. For some of us, we may refer it to our own personal hell. However, having our own personal Gethsemane experience means we are moving toward spiritual transformation and a new way of living life.

The Need to Love God - Our Greatest Commandment

 

To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - to love of the Lord.

What is the greatest commandment? When the Sadducee's challenged Christ on the doctrine of resurrection, and he responded to their inquiry, the pharisee's were present and discussed among themselves how to engage in challenging Jesus. The Pharisee's maintained that one must fulfill all the Mosaic and Levitical laws of the Jewish heritage and religion. A lawyer approaches and posits this question: Of all the commandments God has given, which of them is the greatest commandment? 

BECOME A PATREON SPONSOR AND READ FULL ARTICLE

3 Key Elements of Spiritual Growth for Authentic Christian Living

 

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

In the whirlwind of modern life, many Christians yearn for a deeper, more authentic relationship with God. But how do we nurture that spiritual growth that is so crucial for genuine Christian living? Understanding the key elements of spiritual growth is essential for developing a strong, unwavering faith that can withstand life's trials and tribulations.

By focusing on pivotal aspects such as deepening our love for others, cultivating a hatred for sin, and nurturing a hunger for truth, we can transform our spiritual journey. These elements not only bring us closer to God but also help us live out our faith in tangible, impactful ways. This post will explore these three key elements, providing insights and practical tips to help you grow spiritually and live authentically as a Christian.

BECOME A PATREON SPONSOR TO ACCESS FULL ARTICLE

Adversity Strengthens Authentic Latter-day Saint Christian Life [2 Nephi 2:11]

For it must needs be, there is an opposition in all things ~ 2 Nephi 2:11

... it is as necessary that we should have difficulties to contend with, in order to make intelligent provision for our spiritual concerns, as it is that we should have the winter frosts and stormy weather to enable us to make discreet provision for our temporal necessities.

(Benefits of Opposition: Richards, Franklin D. Provo, Utah April 4, 1886).

We live in a fragile and vulnerable world where tragedy can strike without warning, leaving us grappling with overwhelming loss and deep mourning. Many among us struggle with vices that have spiraled out of control, while others feel a crushing sense of isolation, wondering if anyone truly cares. Each person fights their own battles, wrestling with inner demons that leave us questioning, angry, and burdened by seemingly insurmountable challenges. It's easy to feel like we're struggling in silence, with no one to share our pain. As Latter-day Saint Christians, we understand that life's trials are inevitable, yet these very challenges are the crucible through which our faith is strengthened. Though it may seem as if we're alone in our struggles, we can find solace in the belief that each test of our endurance and faith ultimately brings us closer to spiritual growth and understanding. In the darkest moments, our faith can transform our pain into resilience, and our despair into a deeper trust in divine guidance. This perspective doesn't just offer comfort; it empowers us to face life's hardships with renewed courage and conviction, knowing that our trials serve a greater purpose in the divine plan.

Opposition benefits us in profound ways by strengthening our faith and deepening our reliance on Christ. In a fallen world teeming with sin, trials, and temptations, many have unfortunately turned away from the path of righteousness. Yet, for Christians, there remains a peace and hope that others might not fully grasp or appreciate. We should not misconstrue this peace as a promise of an easy life devoid of struggles. On the contrary, opposition and hardships are inevitable. However, the key difference lies in our anchor—our unwavering faith in Christ. When the storms of life hit, even the smallest amount of faith can propel us forward. By turning to Him, we tap into a source of peace and sustaining support that isn't available elsewhere. Jesus' presence provides a fortress, offering strength and guidance through every challenge. It's this profound, sustaining relationship with our Savior that turns opposition into an opportunity for growth and deeper faith. Thus, our struggles become a testament to His enduring love and our unwavering commitment to walking in His grace.

Why does facing adversity seem to play such a crucial role in living an authentic Christian life? According to 2 Nephi 2:11, opposition is essential for growth and understanding. Without challenges, we wouldn't truly appreciate our blessings or develop the spiritual depth needed to follow Christ's teachings more faithfully.

Adversity isn't just an obstacle; it's a divine tool that shapes our character, tests our faith, and draws us closer to God's eternal truths. By examining the trials we face, we can uncover how each hardship has the potential to fortify our spiritual resilience and deepen our commitment to living a Christ-centered life.

Stay with us as we explore how understanding and embracing adversity can transform your spiritual journey, helping you lead a more authentic and fulfilling Latter-day Saint Christian life.

Understanding Adversity in a Christian Context

Adversity is an unavoidable part of life. For Christians, it is not just a random occurrence but a purposeful aspect of spiritual growth. Let's dive into how 2 Nephi 2:11 helps us understand this concept better.

Biblical Foundation: 2 Nephi 2:11

The scripture 2 Nephi 2:11 from the Book of Mormon states, "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." This verse highlights the necessity of opposition in our lives. The context is that Lehi, a prophet, is teaching his son about the need for balance and opposition. Lehi explains that without opposition, there would be no purpose or meaning to life.

This verse serves as a bedrock for understanding adversity because it tells us that trials are not random punishments but essential components of a bigger divine plan. Adversity allows us to experience joy because, without suffering, we wouldn't understand what joy truly is. It's this constant balance that drives our spiritual growth and keeps us grounded in faith.

The Role of Opposition and Trials

Considering 2 Nephi 2:11, the role of opposition becomes clearer. Opposition and trials are essential for several reasons:

• Spiritual Growth: Overcoming challenges helps us grow spiritually. When we're pushed to our limits, we discover strengths and abilities we didn't know we had. This strengthens our relationship with God.

• Strengthening Faith: Trials test our faith, but they also fortify it. When we face adversity, we're often driven to rely more on our faith, which can result in a deeper relationship with God.

• Appreciating Blessings: Without hardship, we wouldn't appreciate the good times. It's through adversity that we learn to value and cherish our blessings.

• Developing Compassion: Personal trials make us empathetic toward others who are suffering. This compassion drives us to act in ways that align with Christian teachings.

So, how do we see these roles playing out in everyday life? Think of adversity as a refining fire. Just as gold is purified through intense heat, our souls are purified through trials. Each hardship we face can burn away the impurities of doubt, fear, and selfishness, leaving us with a stronger, purer faith.

Adversity is not just something to endure; it's a divine tool that shapes us into who we are meant to be. By embracing these trials with faith and understanding, we can navigate life's challenges with a grace that reflects our commitment to living a Christ-centered life.

How Adversity Shapes Our Authentic Christian Life

Adversity plays a pivotal role in shaping an authentic Christian life. It stretches us, molds us, and pushes us closer to God. Understanding how adversity can be a divine tool helps us embrace life's challenges with grace and faith.

Deepening Faith and Trust in God

Adversity often forces Christians to rely more deeply on their faith and trust in God. When life throws curveballs, it's natural to seek solace and answers from a higher power. This quest strengthens our spiritual foundation.

Imagine facing a storm. The winds howl, and the rain pours down, but you stand firm, clutching an umbrella of faith. The storm may shake you, but it also strengthens your grip. In moments of hardship, we pray more fervently, read scriptures more deeply, and feel God's presence more keenly. It's like a spiritual boot camp that builds our endurance and trust.

Adversity becomes the training ground where our faith muscles grow stronger. We learn to trust that God has a plan, even when we can't see it. This unwavering faith is the bedrock of an authentic Christian life.

Building Resilience and Character

Facing and overcoming hardships builds resilience and shapes a stronger, more Christ-like character. Just as muscles grow through resistance, our spiritual and emotional strength grows through adversity.

Think of adversity as life’s gym. Each challenge is a weight we must lift. At first, it feels heavy, maybe even impossible. But over time, with each repetition, we build resilience. We become stronger, more patient, and more compassionate, embodying the qualities Christ exemplified.

• Perseverance: Overcoming obstacles teaches us to persevere. Just as Jesus endured suffering, we learn to keep going, even when it's tough.

• Empathy: Experiencing our own struggles makes us more empathetic towards others. We are better able to offer support and understanding to those in need.

• Humility: Adversity reminds us of our limitations and the need for God's strength and guidance.

Resilience isn't just about bouncing back; it's about bouncing forward with new strength and character, more closely aligned with Christ's teachings.

Promoting Humility and Dependence on God

Adversity has a unique way of humbling us. When we face trials that we can't handle on our own, it becomes clear how much we need God. This recognition drives us to depend more fully on His guidance and support.

Humility is like a rare gem that shines brightest under pressure. When life's pressures mount, we're often brought to our knees, literally and figuratively. It's in these moments of humility that we surrender our illusions of control and lean into God's infinite wisdom and strength.

Adversity promotes humility by stripping away our pride and self-reliance. It teaches us to pray with sincerity, recognizing our need for divine intervention. This dependence is not a sign of weakness but of profound spiritual maturity.

• Acknowledging Limitations: Accepting that we can't do it all on our own fosters a deeper reliance on God.

• Seeking God's Will: Adversity often clarifies our priorities, aligning them more closely with God's will for our lives.

• Gratitude: Recognizing our dependence on God enhances our gratitude for His guidance and blessings.

In essence, adversity can be a powerful catalyst that deepens our faith, builds our character, and humbles us, drawing us closer to God. By embracing these trials and allowing them to shape us, we live a more authentic and fulfilling Christian life.

Practical Applications of Adversity in Christian Life

Adversity isn't just an abstract concept; it's something we face daily and must learn to navigate as Christians. By applying specific practices to our lives, we can transform adversity into a source of strength and spiritual growth.

Prayer and Meditation

Prayer and meditation are vital tools for seeking God's strength and wisdom during tough times. When adversity strikes, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and lost. However, consistent prayer helps realign our focus and rejuvenates our spirit.

• Daily Prayer Time: Setting aside dedicated time each day for prayer can anchor your day and give you the spiritual ammunition to face challenges. Think of it as your "soul workout" — just as your body benefits from regular exercise, your spirit thrives on regular communion with God.

• Meditative Prayer: This isn't just about asking for help but about listening and reflecting. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and simply be present with God. Let His peace wash over you. This practice helps you gain clarity and find a sense of calm amid chaos.

• Scripted Prayers: Sometimes, words fail us, especially during intense adversities. Using scripted prayers or Psalms can provide the language to articulate your struggles and seek God's intervention.

By incorporating these prayer techniques, you'll find it easier to navigate life's storms with a heart full of faith and a mind focused on His promises.

Community Support and Fellowship

Adversity often feels isolating, but it's essential to remember we're not alone. God created us for community, and seeking support from fellow Christians can make a world of difference.

• Join a Small Group: Small groups or Bible study classes provide a safe space to share your struggles and gain perspective from others who may have faced similar challenges. It's like having a spiritual support network.

• Church Involvement: Regular participation in church services and events can be incredibly uplifting. Worshiping together, sharing testimonies, and participating in communal prayer strengthens your spiritual resolve.

• Accountability Partners: An accountability partner or prayer buddy can keep you grounded. They can offer guidance, pray for you, and provide a listening ear when you need it most.

Fellowship isn't just social interaction; it's about building a support system imbued with God’s love, making it easier to face and overcome trials.

Scripture Study and Reflection

God's word is a treasure trove of wisdom and encouragement, especially during times of adversity. Regular scripture study can provide the spiritual fuel you need to stay strong.

• Daily Devotionals: Start your day with a devotional. It doesn’t have to be long; even a few verses can offer profound insights and serve as a spiritual compass for your day.

• Thematic Studies: Focus on scriptures that deal specifically with overcoming adversity, such as Psalms, the book of Job, or Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels. These passages often hold key lessons on resilience and faith.

• Journaling: Write down the verses that resonate with you and reflect on how they apply to your current struggles. Journaling helps internalize God’s word and see its practical applications in your life.

• Scripture Memorization: Memorize verses that offer strength and comfort. Having these scriptures at your fingertips can be incredibly reassuring when you face unexpected challenges.

By making scripture study a regular practice, you'll equip yourself with God's wisdom and find it easier to navigate the turbulent waters of adversity.

Embracing these practical applications can help transform the trials you face into steppingstones of spiritual growth and deeper faith. Adversity, when approached with prayer, community support, and scripture study, becomes a powerful catalyst for living an authentic Christian life.

Testimonies of Overcoming Adversity

Throughout history, both biblical and modern, countless stories exist of individuals who have faced significant adversity and emerged with a stronger, more authentic faith. These testimonies serve as powerful reminders that hardship can indeed draw us closer to God and fortify our spiritual resilience.

Biblical Examples

The Bible is filled with accounts of individuals who confronted immense challenges yet demonstrated unwavering faith. Here are some noteworthy examples:

Job

• Adversity: Job faced unimaginable suffering. He lost his wealth, his children, and his health.

• Faith Response: Despite his anguish, Job famously declared, “Though He slays me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). Job’s faith did not falter, and in the end, he was blessed with even more than he had before.

• Lessons: Job’s story teaches us the value of steadfast faith and the belief that God can restore what has been lost.

Joseph

• Adversity: Betrayed by his brothers, Joseph was sold into slavery and later wrongfully imprisoned.

• Faith Response: Despite being abandoned and unjustly accused, Joseph never lost his faith. He rose to become the prime minister of Egypt and used his position to save many, including his own family, from famine.

• Lessons: Joseph’s life shows how God can transform our trials into opportunities for redemption and purpose.

Paul

• Adversity: Paul faced persecution, imprisonment, and numerous hardships for his faith.

• Faith Response: Paul wrote many of his epistles while imprisoned, constantly encouraging others to remain faithful. He declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

• Lessons: Paul exemplifies perseverance and the power of faith in spreading God’s message even in dire circumstances.

These biblical testimonies illustrate that faith in God remains a powerful force, even when life’s challenges seem insurmountable.

Modern-Day Testimonies

In our contemporary world, countless Christians continue to face adversity and come out with stronger faith. Here are a few modern-day testimonies that inspire and uplift.

Corrie ten Boom

• Adversity: Corrie and her family were arrested for helping Jews escape the Holocaust. She endured severe suffering in concentration camps.

• Faith Response: After surviving the horrors of the concentration camps, Corrie preached forgiveness and hope through Christ. She famously forgave one of her former guards, demonstrating extraordinary grace.

• Lessons: Corrie’s story underscores the power of forgiveness and the indomitable strength that faith can provide during unimaginable trials.

Joni Eareckson Tada

• Adversity: Joni became a quadriplegic following a diving accident at the age of 17.

• Faith Response: Instead of succumbing to despair, Joni turned to God. She founded Joni and Friends, an organization dedicated to advocating for people with disabilities. She’s also a renowned speaker and author who inspires others to find hope in Christ.

• Lessons: Joni’s life exemplifies how adversity can be a catalyst for profound personal ministry and advocacy, demonstrating that God can use our greatest struggles for His glory.

Jeremy Camp

• Adversity: Jeremy’s first wife, Melissa, died of cancer shortly after they were married.

• Faith Response: In his grief, Jeremy turned to music to express his faith and pain. His song “I Still Believe” has touched millions, inspiring many to hold onto their faith amidst life’s darkest moments.

• Lessons: Jeremy’s journey shows how God can use our deepest pain to spread messages of hope and faith, touching lives worldwide.

These modern testimonies remind us that adversity is not the end. Instead, it can be a profound beginning to a deeper, more authentic relationship with God. Through these stories, we see how facing trials with faith can not only sustain us but also inspire and uplift others.

Conclusion

Adversity transforms us in profound ways, grounding our faith and fortifying our resolve to live a Christ-centered life. 2 Nephi 2:11 teaches us that opposition is essential, not merely as a test but as a divine catalyst for spiritual growth.

The trials we face deepen our faith, build our resilience, and humble us, drawing us closer to God's eternal truths. Adversity is not just an obstacle but an opportunity to develop a more authentic and fulfilling Christian life.

Let each challenge you encounter be a steppingstone towards spiritual maturity and a deeper relationship with God. Embrace adversity, knowing that it is shaping you into who you are meant to be in Christ.

Let Us Nourish and Fortify Our Faith in these Last Days

 To strengthen our testimonies and protect ourselves from error, we must constantly nourish and fortify our faith We are in a unique time period of human mortality. The days seem to be growing shorter and shorter. Hearts of men are beginning to fail. News reports are full of human tragedies and events that leave us questioning human nature and human compassion. Some are even proclaiming that we are now in the end of days where scoffers are becoming more prominent in the marketplace. Any form of religious conviction, or a symbol of religious identity is being tarnished and condemned.

The ideas of men, the philosophy of the world, and the wisdom of self-identity is becoming more and more prominent in the thoughts and hearts of each person. Selfish desires and attainment are more popular than selfless acts of service and love. To say the least, we are at war with the wisdom and philosophy of men. In this war, sides are being chosen. Where one decides to stand is where one’s allegiance and devotion will prevail and direct their paths.

BECOME A PATREON MEMBER AND READ THE FULL ARTICLE

A Life of Passion, Meaning, and Purpose: A Sacred Perspective

 

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

How does one create a life full of passion, meaning, and purpose? Countless books, articles, and studies claim to provide answers, yet many seekers come away unsatisfied. Why? Despite humanity’s relentless search for truth, authentic joy and purpose often seem elusive. Layered with competing ideologies, religious debates, and political divisions, the quest for authenticity and conscious living becomes even more complex.

As a society, we hunger for deeper connections and purpose, but we often look in the wrong places—political affiliations, social movements, or material success. These distractions pull us away from the eternal truths that truly satisfy. The result? We grasp but never achieve the fulfillment our souls crave. Authentic living cannot be achieved by skimming the surface of life but requires delving into its sacred depths.

The Scriptural Foundation of Authentic Living

In 365 Daily Inspirations for Creating a Life of Passion and Purpose, Gay Hendricks offers ten principles for conscious living. While these ideas may inspire personal growth, we must anchor them in a higher spiritual framework. True authenticity is found not just in self-awareness but in aligning our lives with eternal truths and divine purpose.

From a Latter-day Saint perspective, this alignment begins with understanding God’s plan of happiness (2 Nephi 2:25) and living according to His commandments (John 14:15). As we examine each of Hendricks’s premises, we can explore their spiritual significance, ultimately leading to a more meaningful, Christ-centered life.

---

Guided Premise One: Authenticity is Essential

Hendricks emphasizes that a truthful life is both the means and the end of the journey. The Savior Himself taught this principle: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Authenticity requires us to live in harmony with God’s will, which leads to true freedom and joy.

Reflection:

• How authentic am I in my relationship with God and others?
• In what ways can I align my daily actions more fully with gospel principles?

Personal Takeaway:

Authenticity begins with knowing our divine identity as children of God (Romans 8:16) and living with integrity to that knowledge.

---

Guided Premise Two: Prioritize Unity Over Division

Hendricks argues for focusing on what unites us rather than divides us. The Savior’s prayer, “That they all may be one” (John 17:21), teaches us that unity is not just a noble goal but a divine mandate. Contention, whether political or ideological, is contrary to the Spirit (3 Nephi 11:29).

Reflection:

• How can I promote unity in my family, church, and community?
• Are my personal beliefs contributing to contention or peace?

Personal Takeaway:

Unity does not mean uniformity. It means recognizing the divine worth in others and seeking common ground through Christ.

---

Guided Premise Three: Set Spiritually Meaningful Goals

Conscious living involves pursuing goals that bring vitality and meaning. The Apostle Paul declared, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Setting spiritually focused goals aligns our actions with God’s purposes.

Reflection:

• Are my goals leading me closer to Christ?
• Do I allow space for the Spirit to guide my ambitions?

Personal Takeaway:

When we align our goals with eternal truths, we experience deeper joy and fulfillment.

---

Guided Premise Four: Take Responsibility

Hendricks calls for full accountability, echoing the Lord’s words, “I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free” (D&C 98:8). Avoiding responsibility limits spiritual growth and delays our progression.

Reflection:

• What aspects of my life require greater accountability?
• How does taking responsibility strengthen my relationship with God?

Personal Takeaway:

True freedom comes from taking responsibility for our actions, repenting when needed, and trusting in Christ’s enabling power.

---

Guided Premise Five: Let Go of Control

Hendricks reminds us of the futility of controlling others or the uncontrollable. The Savior taught, “Take no thought for the morrow… Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). Trusting God’s will allow us to release unnecessary burdens.

Reflection:

• What am I holding onto that I need to release to the Lord?
• How can I increase my trust in God’s plan for me?

Personal Takeaway:

Peace comes when we let go of what we cannot control and place our trust in God’s hands.

---

Guided Premise Six: Embrace Reality

Spiritual growth requires us to confront, not avoid, reality. The Savior’s Atonement is evidence that God does not shy away from pain but transforms it into redemption. As we face life’s challenges, we can echo Paul’s words, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Reflection:

• Am I avoiding difficult truths in my life?
• How can I embrace challenges as opportunities for growth?

Personal Takeaway:

Acknowledging reality allows us to grow in faith, humility, and reliance on God.

---

The Sacred Questions

As we consider Hendricks’s premises through a spiritual lens, three guiding questions emerge:

1. Who am I? (I am a child of God, with divine potential.)
2. What is my purpose? (To follow Christ, serve others, and build His kingdom.)
3. How may I be of service? (By seeking to love as Christ loves and ministering to those in need.)

These questions invite us to explore our divine identity and mission. Pondering them prayerfully can lead to profound spiritual insights.

---

A Call to Sacred Living

True authenticity and conscious living are not merely about personal growth but about anchoring ourselves in Christ, the ultimate source of truth and light. The scriptures remind us: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). As we align our lives with Him, we find the passion, meaning, and purpose that elude the world.

Final Reflection:

• How does my life reflect my faith in Christ?
• What steps can I take to live more authentically as a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Call to Action:

Take time this week to meditate on the three guiding questions. Record your thoughts, and seek the Spirit’s guidance in making meaningful changes in your life. Through Christ, you can build a life filled with passion, meaning, and divine purpose.

Stand a little taller in recovery

 Growing up as a Latter-day Saint Christian, one of my favorite hymns was Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. It wasn’t a typical hymn of worship, but it resonated with me deeply, shaping my understanding of perseverance and purpose in life. This hymn was written during the migration of the Mormon pioneers and reflects the determination of those early saints as they pushed their heavy, wheeled carts along difficult trails. The imagery of their physical labor became a metaphor for spiritual and personal resilience.

In recovery, we often encounter similar struggles. Each individual has their own work to do—work that cannot be avoided or delegated. The hymn's third stanza captures this principle perfectly:

Then don’t stand idly looking on;

The fight with sin is real.

It will be long but must go on;

Put your shoulder to the wheel.

The word sin here is worth unpacking. In Hebrew, one of the words translated as sin is chata (khaw-taw), which means "to miss the mark" or "to go astray." In recovery, the fight against "missing the mark" is very real. Substance use disorder presents countless opportunities to stray, and the road to sobriety often feels long and exhausting. But serenity and healing can only be achieved by continuing the journey, step by step, with determination. This is where the principle of “putting your shoulder to the wheel” becomes not just a hymn lyric but a personal mantra.

This idea is further illustrated in Aesop’s fable, Hercules and the Wagoner. The story tells of a wagoner whose cart became stuck in the mud. Frustrated and defeated, he threw down his whip, knelt in the mire, and prayed to Hercules for help. Hercules, however, appeared and admonished him:

"Tut, man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel."

The moral of the fable is clear: while divine strength may be available to us, we are also called to exert our own efforts. The wagoner had to use his own strength to lift his cart out of the mud—a lesson in the value of action and personal responsibility.

In recovery, this principle is invaluable. Recovery demands effort. It asks us to roll up our sleeves, dig deep, and commit to the hard work of change. It means pushing forward even when the weight of our past, our shame, or our struggles feels overwhelming. When we “put our shoulder to the wheel,” we engage not just with the process of recovery but with the transformative work of rebuilding our lives.

Now is the time to rise. The time to lift our eyes from the past and resist the temptation to dwell on what is unknown or uncontrollable in the future. This is the season to commit—to squarely place your shoulder to the wheel of your own life and push with purpose toward freedom and sobriety.

The Time is Now to Do What is Right in Recovery

As the new year begins, let this be the season where you make a radical commitment to your recovery. Stand a little taller, focus on the present, and take one courageous step at a time. Leave behind the fear of what has or hasn’t happened and instead embrace the now. Recovery is about doing what is right, regardless of the challenges or consequences, and trusting that your efforts will bear fruit.

When you submit your life and your will to a Higher Power—as you understand it—you’ll find the strength to push forward. In those moments of surrender, remember these words:

Then work and watch and fight and pray

With all your might and zeal.

Push ev’ry worthy work along;

Put your shoulder to the wheel.

(Chorus)

Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along,

Do your duty with a heart full of song.

We all have work; let no one shirk.

Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Today’s Thoughtful Meditation:
Recovery takes work, courage, and commitment. It requires strength and effort. Today, I resolve to put my shoulder to the wheel of my recovery, to stand a little taller, and to move forward—one determined step at a time.