"The Power of God Unto Salvation"
Aug 7-13
FAIR Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2023 Aug 7-13. Romans 1–6“The Power of God unto Salvation.” Find answers to difficult questions to help you in your learning and teaching. Here is a collection of reliable resources to supplement your study of Romans 1–6. FAIR Resources link to relevant questions which have been answered on the FAIR website. Under Church Resources you’ll find links to the different Come, Follow Me manuals, as well as other helpful links as applicable. Other Resources link to resources outside of FAIR that are trustworthy and helpful.
Main points to ponder
The lesson invites us to a deeper understanding of grace. As you seek through the Spirit to understand this principle, ponder the following:
- Grace is “divine … help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.”
- Through grace, all people will be resurrected and receive immortality.
- “Grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.”
- We do not earn grace through our efforts.
- It is grace that gives us “strength and assistance to do good works that [we] otherwise would not be able to maintain.”
In addition to Paul’s teachings about grace found in this week’s readings, the following sources may prove useful:
- Bible Dictionary, “Grace”
- 2 Nephi 25:23
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace”
- Brad Wilcox, “His Grace Is Sufficient”
Faithful Resources on the FAIR website:
- “Have You Been Saved By Grace?” How Do We Respond?
- Do Latter-day Saints ignore the doctrine of grace at the expense of “works”?
- Salvation by Works or Salvation by Grace – Who Really Believes What?
- Evangelical Questions: How Do ‘Works’ Work?
- Salvation by Grace Alone?
- Salvation for the Dead: A Response to Luke Wilson
- Agency vs. Predestination
- Reevaluating the Great Apostasy
- Mormonism in the Early Jewish Christian Milieu
Resources on the Church website:
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families
Faithful Resources from other reliable websites:
- Scripture Central, Lynn Hilton Wilson: Romans 1-6: New Testament with Lynne Wilson
- Scripture Central, Taylor and Tyler: Romans 1–6 | Aug 7 – Aug 13 | Come Follow Me Insights
- The Scriptures are Real, Kerry Muhlestein: Overview of Romans (week of August 7, first to watch), Roundtable on loving and learning from Paul’s epistles (week of August 7, second to watch)
- Follow Him, John Bytheway and Hank Smith:Romans 1-6 Part 1 • Dr. Adam Miller, Romans 1-6 Part 2 • Dr. Adam Miller
- Unshaken, Jared Halverson: Romans 1-6 (part 1 of 3): Law vs. Grace, Romans 1-6 (part 2 of 3): Saved by Grace, Romans 1-6 (part 3 of 3): Against Hope Believed in Hope
- Talking Scriptures, Bryce Dunford and Mike Day: Ep 214 | Romans 1-6
- Don’t Miss This, David Butler and Grace Freeman: Romans 1-6 (Aug. 7-13) Don’t Miss This
- BYU Scripture Roundtable Discussions: Only by His Grace: Gal. 3 & Rom. 1-3, Justified of Faith and Works: Rom. 4-7
- Come, Follow Me Study and Teaching Helps — Lesson 33: August 7–13, Jonn Claybaugh
- The New Testament in Context: Come, Follow Me Lesson 33
- Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me New Testament Lesson 31
- An Early Resurrection — A Conversation with Adam Miller
- The Bible Project: Book of Romans Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1)
- Book of Romans Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2)
- Abraham as Father of All the Faithful, Hales Swift
- Scripture Roundtable: New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 36, “Beloved of God, Called to Be Saints”
- William Tyndale and the Language of At-one-ment, Kent P. Jackson
- “We Have Now Received the Atonement”, Ray L. Huntington
- Grace: The Enabling Power and Gift of God’s Love, Book of Mormon Central
- Come Follow Me – Romans 1-6, Book of Mormon Central Archive
- The Acts to Revelation, Discussions on the New Testament: Gal. 3 & Rom. 1-3
- The Acts to Revelation, Discussions on the New Testament: Rom. 4-7
- Come Follow Me 2019: Romans 1–6, Book of Mormon Central
- Come Follow Me Romans 1-6 (August 5-11), Don’t Miss This
- Come Follow Me Podcast #31 “The Power of God Unto Salvation” Romans 1-6, Meridian Magazine
- Come, Follow Me for Families and Individuals: “The Power of God unto Salvation” Romans 1-6, Meridian Magazine
- Come, Follow Me for Sunday School: “The Power of God unto Salvation” Romans 1-6, Meridian Magazine
- Romans 1—6, BYU Studies
- “Come, Follow Me” August 5–11: “The Power of God unto Salvation”, LDS Living
- “Come, Follow Me” FHE: Faith and Works, LDS Living
Dig Deeper
Be sure to listen to Jennifer Roach’s presentation for this week!
- General Conference Talks
- Sister Ann M. Dibb: I Know It. I Live It. I Love It.
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson: Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony
- Sister Sharon Eubank: Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness
- Elder Steven W. Owen: Repentance Is Always Positive
- Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: The Gift of Grace
- BYU Devotionals
Lesson Devotional
Miriam Foulke is a Senior Editorial Assistant for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. She recently graduated from Brigham Young University–Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Technical Writing. She loves learning about the small and simple actions people make that lead to large changes in the culture of the world.
Lesson devotionals are provided by the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. Its mission is to digitally preserve and publish Wilford Woodruff’s eyewitness account of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ from 1833 to 1898. It seeks to make Wilford Woodruff’s records universally accessible to inspire all people, especially the rising generation, to study and to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. See wilfordwoodruffpapers.org.
“He Will Always be There for Us”
By Miriam Foulke
It can be easy to feel “ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” but the Apostle Paul refused to, despite all the persecution he encountered. He knew and testified of the truth, encouraging others to believe in the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).
Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has over 17 million members. Compared with nearly 7.9 billion people in the world, this is still a relatively small number. If you’re surrounded by people who might not believe what you do, it can be easy to feel embarrassed by your relationship with God, especially when you make choices other people don’t understand or agree with.
In 1890, Wilford Woodruff gave a discourse encouraging the youth of the Church to stay strong and cling to God, because God is the one who helps us through the trials and tribulations in life. But he also reminded them, “Those who have obeyed and served God have always been unpopular with the world, in every age, from the time of Christ Himself.”1 Every day presents a new trial to overcome, new challenges to face. Sometimes we trip and fall and get beaten up by those challenges for a while. But while we may feel alone, we never are, because God is always with us. Wilford continued, “Do not be discouraged or fear that the Lord will fail any of you. This kingdom will increase in power and glory, the kingdom of God will increase until all those gathered together are prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.”2 God is never the one to let us down; when we believe in God and cling to Him, He will always be there for us.
1 Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, June 1, 1890, p. 2, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/discourse/1890-06-01.
2 Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, June 1, 1890, p. 3, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/discourse/1890-06-01.
Chapter Summaries
Romans 1
1-7: Paul’s greeting to the Romans, expressing his love for Jesus Christ and testimony of His mission.
8-15: Paul’s shares his appreciation of the faith of the Roman saints, and his desire to be with them again, so that they may grow together in their faith.
16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
17: “The just shall live by faith.”
18-32: Unfortunately, throughout history people have ignored the grace, glory and goodness of God and have often chosen sin and wickedness. Many of the sins which distance people from God are detailed.
1-11: It is easy to judge others. Often we do not recognize that we are guilty of the same sins/flaws/weaknesses. Regardless of whether we are Jew or Gentile, the day will come when we will be judged. Those who love God, repent and obey His commandments will receive glory, honor and peace (verse 10).
12-16: Whether you know the law or not, if you obey it – if you have the law written on your heart – then you are moving in the direction of righteousness.
17-29: It is easy to preach truth (the law) and be unable to fully comply personally with what we preach. This negates our message. For example, he who is circumcised, can be made metaphorically uncircumcised by his actions or words. The best circumcision (law compliance) for anyone is that of the heart.
1-18: Is there then a benefit to being a Jew? While there is a benefit to making covenants with God, as the Jews have throughout their history, it is not the Mosaic law that saves them. Paul quotes Psalms 13:1-3, confirming the sinful nature of man.
19- 26: No one, Jew or Gentile, has lived free from sin. The law helps us to clearly see that. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (verse 23). It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved. “ . . .all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (verse 24-31: And so none can boast of righteousness because of obedience to the law. God offers justification to both Jew and Gentile. So what then, was the benefit of the law?
1-12: Paul answers this question by harkening back to Abraham. It is easy to believe that the blessings given to Abraham are due to his obedience to God. But the scriptures say, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (verse 2). Abraham received his covenant promises prior to being circumcised.
13-25: Abraham believed the promise that he would have a posterity, even though both he and Sarah were old, convinced that God will fulfill His promises. This was what was counted as righteousness for Abraham, and will be counted as righteousness for us as well as we exercise similar faith in God and Jesus Christ.
1-2: Joy, peace, hope and glory are results of our faith in Jesus Christ.
3-5: We should also glory in our tribulation, which will produce patience, experience and hope.
6-11: It is unusual for a good person to die in the stead of another good person, even more unusual for a good person to die for a wicked person. Yet, Jesus died for us, which reconciles us to God. “by whom we have now received the atonement.” (verse 11)
12-20: Just as through one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world; similarly through one man, Jesus Christ, righteousness, grace and eternal life are now available to all.
1-11: Just as Christ died and was resurrected, baptism gives us the opportunity to die to sin and to be resurrected, and alive in Him.
12-13: And, being newly alive in Christ, we should leave behind the sins of our old selves, and becomes instruments of righteousness
14-23: We used to be slaves to sin. But, as we give our hearts to God, we become slaves to righteousness, and we reap those rewards. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (verse 23)
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