Paul on Self-deception

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3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. (Galatians 6:3-4)

When we think we’re something when we’re nothing, of course we lie to ourselves. And if we persist, we will also deceive other people.  But eventually we will be put to the test, and it will reveal our nothingness and disappoint both ourselves and others.

Also, it is easy to get a cock-eyed notion of what we’re capable of when we judge others or mentally charge them with neglect or pride or some other deficiency.  So often we think, “I could do better than that.”  But so often we are ignorant of what is involved—of the challenges to be overcome, of the opposing forces to be balanced, of the negotiations to be made, of considerations to be taken into account, of the skills required.  The only way to find out how good you are at something is to test yourself, to prove your own work.  That will turn into a humbling process.  Ultimately, you’ll know more about yourself and you’re less likely to deceive yourself that way again.

We can be tested by the Lord through circumstances, and we can also test ourselves.

The one time I remember saying, “I could do better than that,” I then tested myself and over the process of a year or so discovered that I had indeed been deceiving myself.  It was a painful experience, but I’m still grateful for having done it because of what it taught me about myself. It also taught me much greater respect for the person I had previously looked down on.

Who Hinders Us?

7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

(Galatians 5:7-8)

Here Paul talks to the Galatians to try to get them to recognize they have been diverted from the true gospel, but I think it is applicable in all cases when we find ourselves suddenly stopped in our efforts to press forward.

If we’ve been diligent and careful and obedient in the past, who is it that is trying to prevent us from continuing that path? Of course it is Satan.

Satan uses a variety of arguments to try to convince us we shouldn’t continue. If we resist one type of argument, he will switch to another type, even if it is opposite to the first type.  (For instance, once I noticed an argument of “Oh, you don’t need to do that until your husband gets home. You’ll work better when he’s around” which, when my husband came home turned into “Oh, you don’t need to do that. You want to enjoy time with your husband now that he’s home.”)  Satan doesn’t care about logical consistency; he just wants to get us to stop our good works.

If we listen to one of his arguments (which are have some kernel of lie in them), he will use that as much as possible and try to apply it to other aspects of our faithfulness to stop that too. If there are cracks in our obedience, Satan will use his arguments like a chisel to widen the crack.

And as I said before, if we resist, he will switch arguments and keep trying anything he can think of.  He will also use feelings of low energy, apathy, depression, irritation, disappointment, and so on to try to divert us and make us think that now is not the time. Those feelings lie to us.

The Lord wants us to continue our diligent obedience. Anything that tries to persuade us otherwise is not of God.

How does this help us? It is like turning on the lights in a dark room where a fight is occurring. When the lights go on, suddenly you can see who is fighting whom, and then you know which combatant needs to be hand-cuffed.   Satan would like us to think we are fighting ourselves instead of him. So recognizing the real source of those persuasions is the important first stop to learning to resist and ignore them.

What Hindered You?

7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. (Galatians 5:7-10)

This block of verses resonates with me right now.  I feel like I’ve been a little hindered in my gospel run because of internal negative self-talk in my head.  I like that Paul points out this persuasion doesn’t come from the Lord.  It helps to have that discernment.  Satan is the one who tries to create obstacles for us, and a little corruption, like leaven, affects our whole spiritual life.

Also notice the words used for the problem – hinder, persuasion, troubleth.  Sometimes it is obstacles, sometimes it is persuasions from Satan, sometimes it is just troubles.  And trouble could be circumstances, or it could be persecution.

I also like that Paul points out that “he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.”  That means that the people who try to hinder, persuade away, or trouble us to keep us from enduring faithfully to the end will someday stand before God in judgment and be held accountable for those actions.  Yes, there is opposition in all things, but there is no call for anyone else to be someone’s opposition to doing good.

But what about those of us who struggle against ourselves?  Paul says, “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded.”  He is assured that our thoughts are all towards choosing the right and being true.   Having good desires is very important.  (I suppose that means if my thoughts are not that way, then that is an indication there are internal yearnings toward sinning, and that means I’d need to repent and seek to be born again.)

Paul on the effect of baptism

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For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27)

Some Christians might read this verse as an indication that baptism is not necessary in the church because of the phrase “as many of you as have been baptized” and how it implies there are also those who haven’t.  Yet the effect of baptism Paul describes of “putting on Christ” is one that God would want for everyone in the church, so it is silly to think it is not necessary.

Further, Paul’s description of the effect is a great way to compare our own experiences with to gauge their authenticity.  God does not give the blessing to baptisms if they are not done in the correct manner or by those who do not have the priesthood authority to do them.

Priesthood authority to baptize was restored to the earth when the resurrected John the Baptist came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and ordained them, giving them the priesthood of Aaron, which had keys “of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins” (D&C 13).  Who would be better to give that power than the man who had baptized Christ?  Additional priesthood keys of authority were conferred by ordination to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the resurrected apostles Peter, James, and John.  Since that day, all those in our church who are ordained to the priesthood keep track of their priesthood line of authority to show how their priesthood came from those ordinations.

I testify that the baptism done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have all the blessings that Paul attributes to them.  When I was baptized, I knew it had been efficacious.  I felt the change inside me.   I also asked a bunch of kids age 8-11 who had been baptized and they also knew their baptism had been efficacious too.  They knew their sins had been washed away and they had been made new creatures.  They felt the difference.

So when Paul said, “as many of you as have been baptized,” he was speaking semi-humorously because all the Galatians in the church had been baptized and they all should have known what he was talking about!

I have seen on the internet that some Christians believe that to attribute any special spiritual effect to baptism constitutes magical thinking.  This is understandable, since a baptism looks like one person praying and then dunking another person.  However, it is one thing to speculate about what effect baptism will have, and it is another thing to experience it.   God is the one who bestows the spiritual blessing and He can’t be mocked or fooled, so one must be baptized the way He has decreed, by His authorized servants to get the blessing.  We want everyone to have that blessing of putting on Christ, so we invite everyone to come to church with us, to learn the doctrine, and be baptized to repentance!