What are the Laws? (Discussion)

[Guest tomk]

My Stake President, in a recent fireside to the YSA, mentioned that with each Law we master here on Earth, the more power we'll have. We don't know quite how that works, but there's power in those laws.

So what are they?

I can think of a list, but I'm sure it's not complete.

Law of Obedience (First Law of Heaven)

Law of the Sabbath

Law of Tithing

Law of Chastity

Law of Consecration

Law of Moses (The 10 Commandments)

Law of the Fast

Law of Sacrifice (We new "circumcise our hearts" and don't use blood sacrifice)

Law of Health (includes the Word of Wisdom)

Law of the Everlasting Covenant

Can you think of more?

I can't think of any more laws, but I know that ONE Law encompasses all the others:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Do this, and all the other Laws will fall into place in your life!!

It is impossible to keep the law perfectly. God purposefully designed it this way. We break ourselves upon the law. We cannot keep it fully, no matter how hard we try!! Again, this is on purpose.

Obedience to the law comes through Christ. A broken heart and a contrite spirit allows His grace to power us and transform us so that we can keep the law.

Read this book if ever you get the chance:

Amazon.com: The Holy Secret: James L. Ferrell: Books

[Guest tomk]

More on this.

Watch carefully what is happening here -- what is being described as "acceptable" before God.

Alma 42: 23-24

23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.

24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

Sometimes when we read the scriptures, we get "spiritual dyslexia." We read the words, but our brains play a trick on us. We read them wrong. We interpret them wrong because of our "false traditions."

The verse does not read:

and thus, none but the perfectly obedient are saved.

It says PENITENT not PERFECT.

and thus, none but the truly PENITENT are saved.

That penitence flows from a relationship with Christ. It is describing a state of grace obtained only by coming unto Christ "with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy before Him." The surrender must be total. THEN comes the power to obey. It is only THEN that our obedience teaches us what was intended to be taught, and has the intended effects upon us.

[skalenfehl]

Great post, Vision. Man cannot be saved in ignorance, and while the two great commandments are essential to obeying all laws, we still need the laws given to us and to understand them so that we know exactly what we need to obey.

[Guest tomk]

Alma 29: 10

10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

[skalenfehl]

I can only think of one more: The Law of the Harvest. We reap what we sow. Living the Lord's laws guarantees and abundant life. I definitely agree that by living these important laws and overcoming the flesh and mastering our appetites and desires gives us the advantage in the next life.

[THIRDpersonviewer]

Sorry, this probably isn't what you are looking for but, I feel it is highly revelant.

God ordained Laws whereby man may advance and progress to become like Him. So all the Laws that we obey, we receive blessings from. D&C 132:5. Laws are essential to progression. So all the small, little things that we do consist of a form of progression and thus a law of obedience of some kind. Plan of Salvation is a Law. Inherently the creation, Fall, and Atonement are also Laws of themselves.

The ultimate Law we try to master in this life is Celestial Law. The Law we abide in this life will be the one we abide in the next. Especially with the more truth and knowledge that we have. The Celestial Law includes the New and Everlasting Covenant. The primary principle is a glorification of God. We strive to glorify the name of God. It doesn't matter where we end up, but where our service to God is. Read the King Follet Discourse and D&C 132, 84, 76, 107, 42, and 138. Don't read for the details, just the principles involved.

The big message is sacrificing what we want to glorify God. Law of Atonement is such. Mosiah 15:7. Submission of the will of the Son swallowed up in the will of the Father. We too are sons and daughters of God, and must, to the best of our abilities, sacrifice what we want for what the Father wants. This was how Christ glorified God. We too must abide a Law of sacrifice in similitude of the Savior's. This is how we gain Celestial Life, by becoming humble and submitting our will to the Father's. His will is that we believe in Christ and repent and be baptized in His name. 3 Nephi 11.

D&C 19:25? Learn of me and walk in the meekness of my spirit, and you shall have peace in me.

Becoming humble is the key to everything. Living a Law of humility. Our heart becomes like the heart of our Heavenly Father, and we love all things. This is the Law of the Resurrection of the Dead. Men are judged according to their hearts, to see if they receive the blessings of the Atonement. If their hearts accept the Atonement then they will at the very least go to a terrestial kingdom.

All things in the Gospel are ultimately some Law of some sort. Because everything in it helps become more like Christ and helps us to submit to the will of God.

It goes along the lines of what tom was talking about.

[skalenfehl]

Very good, THIRD!

Three more laws:

The Law of Christ or Celestial Law

The Terrestrial Law

The Telestial Law

Doctrine and Covenants 88

Aslo

Doctrine and Covenants 76

[VisionOfLehi]

I'd prefer only to include Laws in my list that prophets, seers, and/or revelators have mentioned, in Church materials, or are in the Scriptures themselves.

So, we have 4 more. I'll edit them into my first post.

[VisionOfLehi]

Wow! After looking into couple of those laws mentioned, I found several more on top of it!

Can you think of more?

And I can clearly see how all of these Laws extend from the two Great Commandments:

Love thy God

Love thy Neighbor

[THIRDpersonviewer]

Elder McConkie(sustained by members of the church as prophet seer and revelator) used to talk about:

Law of the Church "Celestal Marriage"

Law of the Resurrection of the Dead "Celestial Marriage"

Law of the Priesthood D&C 84

Law of Truth Every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord is Law

Law of Sanctification "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified"

There is also(taken from Mormon Doctrine)

Law of forgiveness

Law of witnesses "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."

Law of the Mourner

They are referenced in the scriptures. He also did some devotionals where he talks about these things.

[VisionOfLehi]

Thank you! I will add them and try to get references when I have the time.

[lilered]

Could someone give a definition of what constitues one of Gods Laws and the difference between that and a commandment? Thx. I am a little cornfused.

I am under the impression that every Law of God has a punishmant and a blessing attached to it. The punishment results in misery & obediance results in happiness/joy. So it would seem to me if one was compiling a list of laws, one ought to include the punishment and blessing associated with that Law.

[Traveler]

Could someone give a definition of what constitues one of Gods Laws and the difference between that and a commandment? Thx. I am a little cornfused.

I am under the impression that every Law of God has a punishmant and a blessing attached to it. The punishment results in misery & obediance results in happiness/joy. So it would seem to me if one was compiling a list of laws, one ought to include the punishment and blessing associated with that Law.

Many people are confused with a great number of ancient things that pertain to “Kingdoms”. In our modern society we struggle with the concepts of a Kingdom.

We need to tie all things together. This is done by a understanding of a kingdom and the covenants and laws associated with the citizens. The center is the covenant. With each covenant there are one or more laws. With each law there is one or more commandments. For example the law of tithing and the law of the Sabbath are both associated with the covenant of Baptism. A commandment to attend church on the Sabbath is part of the Law of the Sabbath. With each covenant there is also an ordinance, the laws of the covenant, the commandments of the law, the promise (The blessings that are given by obedience to the law or laws of the covenant) and a warning (that will occur if the laws and commandments are not obeyed).

Some important lessons to be learned by history and by the ancient scriptures that have come to us as the Bible and the Book of Mormon:

• To covenant there must be a proctor that stands as proxy for the Suzerain of the Kingdom – for the kingdom the Suzerain is G-d (Jesus Christ) and the Proctor is a Priesthood holder authorized by the Suzerain within the structure of the Kingdom.
• A covenant is considered broken if the laws of the covenant are broken or if the covenant is made through an unauthorized proxy. Both are acts of sedition and treason against both the kingdom and the Suzerain.
• The general understood punishment for breaking the covenant of membership to a kingdom was both loss of sight and hearing. Anciently eyes would be burned out (as was Sampson) and/or the ears cut off and hearing destroyed. The statement “he who has eyes to see and ears to hear” is a direct reference to those loyal to covenant laws.
• Only by covenant and obedience to the covenants of G-d can fallen man have spiritual eyes to see and understand the things of the Kingdom. Though we debate scripture it is not necessary. Only those that by covenant seek the kingdom will be given power to understand. It is the obligation of the proxy servant of G-d to speak with his name and those that are the “sheep” of G-d will respond. The charge of a proxy is not to convince or settle arguments – only to act as a source of light for those seeking such light.

The Traveler

[VisionOfLehi]

Could someone give a definition of what constitues one of Gods Laws and the difference between that and a commandment? Thx. I am a little cornfused.

I am under the impression that every Law of God has a punishmant and a blessing attached to it. The punishment results in misery & obediance results in happiness/joy. So it would seem to me if one was compiling a list of laws, one ought to include the punishment and blessing associated with that Law.

I'm just going by what Scriptures or General Authorities have called "laws."

Some of them seem very much like commandments, but some don't (Celestial Law, Law of the Lord, Law of Witnesses).

I also believe that the laws encompass multiple commandments. The Law of Moses is the most obvious, but another law (I think Mercy, I can't remember which I had looked up) includes all of the Beatitudes.

And others are less obvious, like the Traveler demonstrated (Law of the Sabbath)

[lilered]

Thx. Traveler, that helps.

[HiJolly]

How about the Noachide law?

Comments concerning the Noachide Law, the Mosaic Law, Judaism and Christianity

• You shall practice equity, establish and promote justice
• You shall not commit Idolatry
• You shall not commit Blasphemy
• You shall not commit Sexual Immorality
• You shall not commit Murder
• You shall not commit Theft
• You shall not eat the limb torn from a live animal. Flesh with the life of it, the blood of it, you shall not eat.

HiJolly

[THIRDpersonviewer]

I'm just going by what Scriptures or General Authorities have called "laws."

Some of them seem very much like commandments, but some don't (Celestial Law, Law of the Lord, Law of Witnesses).

I also believe that the laws encompass multiple commandments. The Law of Moses is the most obvious, but another law (I think Mercy, I can't remember which I had looked up) includes all of the Beatitudes.

And others are less obvious, like the Traveler demonstrated (Law of the Sabbath)

Law of Witnesses is more of a command to the Church. Missionaries teach two by two. There are two witnesses. When one is baptized there are two witnesses. Law of witnesses also includes the witness of the Holy Ghost and the witness of Jesus Christ. Two comforters. We are commanded to have two witnesses. We have the witness of the Holy Spirit of Promise that seals us up unto Eternal Life, and the Second Comforter that comes also as a second witness to seal. We are to have witnesses in the affairs of the Church. When one is excommunicated, there are witnesses to the trial. My acts needed to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise or there is no efficacy or validity in the world to come D&C 132:7. That is one witness, which with enough righteous living, we may receive the gift of the Second Comforter, or the Second witness, if it is the Lord's will.

Celestial Law is very important. We are commanded to abide a Celestial Law if we want a Celestial glory in the next. We have the choice on that one. But all these laws are our choice. We can choose to abide them or not, but we will receive a reward according to the Laws that we chose to live in this life.

[Traveler]

Thx. Traveler, that helps.

It would appear from the post that follow that it is still not understood how covenants, laws, commandments and ordinances are linked. I am convinced that covenants are not well understood – even among LDS.

I would point out that a law is worthless without covenant.

The Traveler

[jadams_4040]

I can't think of any more laws, but I know that ONE Law encompasses all the others:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Do this, and all the other Laws will fall into place in your life!!

It is impossible to keep the law perfectly. God purposefully designed it this way. We break ourselves upon the law. We cannot keep it fully, no matter how hard we try!! Again, this is on purpose.

Obedience to the law comes through Christ. A broken heart and a contrite spirit allows His grace to power us and transform us so that we can keep the law.

Read this book if ever you get the chance:

Amazon.com: The Holy Secret: James L. Ferrell: Books

You are most correct in what you say, yet i would add to it by sayibg that his grace and mercy that comes from beleiving in him with all our heart e.t.c.... does not give us everything he offers without actually "proveing" to him by following his commandments and doing all we can and should do that he has commanded. thru covenants, complete worthyness, regular worthy temple service,woirthy sacreament partaking,scripture reading,daily family and personal prayer, making all our meetings and living our daily lives to the order of having the spiritual companionship of the spirit. in other words "works", not only his grace.:)

[Traveler]

One common mistake in the debates of works and grace is the understanding of covenants. I will try to assist

1. There are no works acceptable to G-d that is outside of the covenants one has made with G-d.

2. It is by the grace of G-d that covenants are offered to man from G-d.

It is true that all things come through the grace of G-d but it is also very important to note that the scriptures have always upheld the necessity of remaining loyal to G-d through obedience to sacred covenants. It is only by covenant that one loves G-d with all their heart, might, mind and strength. Those that break their covenants by lending their heart, might, mind and strength to deeds contrary to covenants have broken the covenant bond that G-d established through his grace – thereby denying both G-d and his grace.

May I state the concept in another way – It is not enough to claim belief in G-d and be passive to his covenants. To be a believer one must covenant with G-d and become free by loyally submitting to G-d’s direction and doing as he has commanded (John 8:31-32

The Traveler

[VisionOfLehi]

I updated a couple, and added Law of Agency and Law of Service.

If any of you can find "better" links or references to these, please post them! I will add them to the first post.

I need to reorganize some of this. Some of these laws are rather tied-in together and I want to put them into groups.

[VisionOfLehi]

My post in the other thread was too long for 1 post, and moving posts around didn't work (because the posts go in chronological order.) So, I made this a separate thread.

[lilered]

My post in the other thread was too long for 1 post, and moving posts around didn't work (because the posts go in chronological order.) So, I made this a separate thread.

Great information, I would suggest that once the list is finalized, consideration be given to also include the Promises for Obediance, and the penalty for Disobdiance. Thx.

for your efforts.:)

[Guest HEthePrimate]

Talking about specific laws and commandments can certainly be helpful, but I generally like to simplify things and focus on the two greatest commandments, as stated by Jesus--that is, love God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength, and love thy neighbor as thyself. One reason I do this is because it's easier to remember two commandments than, say, 613 commandments! Also, it helps me keep in mind the spirit of the law, love. I've found that if I lose sight of that while focusing on various of the other commandments, it's very easy of me to get judgmental, whether of others or of myself. For example, if I see a person drinking coffee and I focus exclusively on the Word of Wisdom, I might judge the person for that, whereas if I look at it through the lens of love for my neighbor, I will be more likely to be charitable. God gave us the Word of Wisdom for a reason, for our health and well-being, and I can talk to the person about that, but if they continue drinking coffee, there's no reason to judge them, but I might worry about their health.

BTW, if you're interested in a complete list of the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments), here's a link: Judaism 101: A List of the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments). Unfortunately, some of them, though biblical, are diametrically opposed to Jesus' teachings, such as the ones advocating genocide.

Peace, love, and butterflies!

DH

[VisionOfLehi]

Yes. Those are the 2 greatest commandments, but there's certainly Laws which I think are necessary to know and "master."

Although we're supposed to follow those 2 commandments to an incredible degree, take a look at this scripture:

John 14:15 ¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Emphasis added.

In order to obey the 1st greatest commandment, to love God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, we must obey the other commandments!

On this, and the "love thy neighbor" commandment hang "all the law and prophets."

They're interconnected. And, as far as I can tell, this:

Matt. 22:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment

Is the same as the Law of Obedience.