D. Kelly Ogden - Verse by Verse: Acts Through Revelations

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ogden, D. Kelly (Daniel Kelly), 1947

Verse by verse, acts through revelation / D. Kelly Ogden, Andrew C. Skinner.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-10 1-59038-590-X (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-13 978-1-59038-590-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 2. Mormon ChurchDoctrines. 3. Bible. N.T.Criticism, interpretation, etc.

I. Skinner, Andrew C., 1951- II. Title.

BX8675.O43 2006

230.9332dc22

2006002497

Printed in the United States of America

Sheridan Books, Chelsea, MI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Formerly titled New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ: A Guide for Acts through Revelation.

PREFACE

All of the New Testament is a precious treasury of scripture, and the books of Acts through Revelation in particular are invaluable in helping us to understand Deity and doctrine as they really are, not as the councils of the early Christian church misunderstood and misinterpreted them to be. For example, the letters of the apostle Paul unequivocally and repeatedly affirm that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct beings. These sacred texts of the second half of the New Testament help build our faith in God the Father and his literal son in the flesh, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. They corroborate other key doctrines of the Restoration revealed anew under Joseph Smiths prophetic leadership, including the sweeping power of the atonement of Jesus Christ; the nature of the Abrahamic covenant; our premortal existence, including faithfulness in our first estate, agency, and accountability; the reality and opposition of Satan; the necessity of priesthood authority; baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; the laying on of hands for conferring blessings and performing ordinations; the resurrection of the body to specifically named degrees of glory; and the second coming of Christ and his millennial reign.

The faith of the Prophet Joseph Smith was rooted in the Bible, especially the New Testament. In fact, the restoration of divine truths, begun in 1820 with the appearance of the Father and the Son to the boy prophet, is directly tied to the second half of the New Testamentspecifically, James 1:5 and 6. Reading that passage motivated Joseph Smith to seek divine guidance in the Sacred Grove near his home in Palmyra, New York: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering

In a sense, then, we owe the beginning of the Restoration, at least in part, to the second half of the New Testament. New Testament concepts are vital in the Lords restored Church. How many times do we see a text of the Restoration in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Pearl of Great Price that has a parallel, or cognate, text in the second half of the New Testament? The theme of James 1:56, for instance, is articulated several times in Latter-day Saint scripture (see, for example, D&C 4:7; 42:68; 136:32).

Although many nonLatter-day Saint resources are available for students of the New Testament, no succinct, one-volume study guide aims at touching upon the historical context, geography, and doctrine of the books of Acts through Revelation as a whole. To be sure, Elder Bruce R. McConkies Doctrinal New Testament Commentary is an unparalleled and invaluable tool, but its aim is almost exclusively doctrinal. The present volume seeks to fill a broader need.

Our intent is to combine history, geography, and doctrine to help students of the scriptures see their interconnectednessto see that the scriptures were produced and preserved as a result of a number of interrelated factors. To keep such an enterprise to a manageable length, we have omitted the actual scriptural text, assuming that the students of the scriptures who use this book will refer frequently to the standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are several reasons for that assumption. First, the best commentary on any one of the standards works is the other three standard works. Second, no secondary work about the scriptures can replace studying the scriptures themselves regularly and frequently. Finally, this volume is a study guide; its use supposes the careful reading of the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible, including the explanatory footnotes. This volume is not intended to replace the scriptures or to repeat all the annotations of the biblical text. It is intended that this guide be used side by side with the sacred texts of Acts through Revelation.

In the scriptures, as with other texts, whether sacred or secular, some things are more important than others. Thus, we have made choices regarding what to comment upon and what to let pass without comment. We have attempted to discuss fundamental issues as well as to present what we hope will be helpful ideas. Because salvation through Jesus Christ is most important above all other subjects, the nature of the Godhead, grace, faith, works, justification, and the law of Moses have received more discussion than other things.

This study guide follows the chronological structure of the second half of the New Testament itself. One purpose has been to show, where possible, how the different books fit together historically. The two chapters on the book of Acts, for example, contain clear notations about where this or that letter fits at what chronological point in the life of Paul and in the history of the early Church. Also, we have capitalized Temple in reference to a proper sanctuary of God but not in reference to pagan shrines.

In summary, then, we have highlighted the people, the places, and the events of the second half of the New Testament that make it come alive and that will help members of the Church of Jesus Christ in the fulness of times see how applicable that ancient record is today. The Bible is a book for all times. Its message is Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). We truly believe what the Prophet Joseph Smith said about the worth of the biblical text: He who reads it oftenest will like it best and will be able to see Gods own handwriting in the sacred volume (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 56). Surely, those who study it the most intently will also find the most in it to help them in time of need.

MAP: THE WORLD OF THE APOSTLES

INTRODUCTION

Joseph Smith loved the New Testament and spent much of his time expounding and explaining it. He felt a special kinship with its principal characters, especially the apostle Paul, whose writings make up a significant part of the New Testament from Acts through Revelation. In telling his own story, the Prophet Joseph stated that he felt much like Paul (Joseph SmithHistory 1:24). The Book of Mormon, the first book of scripture produced by Joseph Smith in this dispensation through the gift and power of God, reiterates, parallels, and clarifies in a remarkable way the doctrines and principles found in the letters of Paul. Indeed, Church members of the present dispensation who love the Book of Mormon ought to love and delight in the second half of the New Testament, with its own profound discussion of such matters as faith, grace, justification, sanctification, and the Mosaic law as a schoolmaster instituted primarily to bring all unto Christ. In short, the doctrinal gems found in the treasure chest we call the New Testament, bequeathed to us from the Eastern Hemisphere, are polished and set in the Book of Mormon, a second witness from the Western Hemisphere.