Doctrinal Mastery Review 25
Understand and Apply
One of the purposes of doctrinal mastery is to help you understand and apply the doctrinal mastery passages in your own circumstances or as you help other people. This lesson will give you an opportunity to deepen your understanding of and apply truths from the 13 doctrinal mastery passages from the second half of the New Testament.
Student preparation: Consider giving students a copy of the handout included in this lesson. Invite them to review the scripture references and key scripture phrases and to consider situations in which understanding those passages may be helpful.
Possible Learning Activities
A doctrinal mastery passage lesson may need to be taught in place of this review lesson. Refer to the pacing schedule provided by the area or region director or coordinator to ensure that each doctrinal mastery passage lesson will be taught while seminary is in session.
Being strengthened by the truths of the gospel
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once stated that one of the purposes of doctrinal mastery is to focus on “building and strengthening [our] faith in Jesus Christ and fortifying [us] with increased ability to live and apply the gospel in [our] lives” (“The Opportunities and Responsibilities of CES Teachers in the 21st Century” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 26, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). In other words, the doctrinal mastery passages are intended to make your faith stronger!
Imagine you have friends who tell you after seminary one day that they feel doctrinal mastery is a waste of time. They feel the doctrinal mastery passages are not helpful and don’t see how they can help them in their lives.
Using the provided chart, reflect on the passages you have studied during this half of the New Testament. Ponder which passages have been a blessing or a help to you.
Display the following scripture references and key scripture phrases, or provide the handout to students.
New Testament Doctrinal Mastery: 1 Corinthians–Revelation
|
Scripture Reference |
Key Scripture Phrase |
|---|---|
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase In the Resurrection, there are three degrees of glory. |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “In the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase The Church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “The day of Christ … shall not come, except there come a falling away first.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “The holy scriptures … are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase Heavenly Father is “the Father of spirits.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “The gospel [was] preached also to them that are dead.” |
Scripture Reference | Key Scripture Phrase “And the dead were judged … according to their works.” |
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How have you been blessed, strengthened, or fortified by any of the doctrinal mastery passages you have studied this year?
To invite the Savior to build, strengthen, and fortify us through the doctrinal mastery passages, we must increase our understanding and ability to apply the truths found in the passages. The following activities are intended to help you do this.
Understanding and remembering gospel truths
One way to better understand and remember the truths found in the doctrinal mastery passages is to compare them to everyday objects and situations.
Select two of the passages that you would like to understand better, and review their key scripture phrases.
Depending on students’ needs and available time, students could select more than two passages for this activity.
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Draw or take a picture of an object or situation that you feel relates to the key scripture phrase in the passage. (For example, for James 1:5–6 you could draw someone praying. For 1 Corinthians 15:40–42 you could draw or take a picture of the sun, moon, or stars.)
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Write a brief explanation of how your picture relates to the truth taught in the passage.
Consider inviting students to share their drawing or photo, along with their explanation, with a partner or small group. It may be beneficial to also invite a few students to share their picture and explanation with the class.
Applying gospel truths
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught a truth that can help us understand and apply doctrinal mastery passages. He taught that gospel principles provide “the precious perspective of eternal truth as we navigate the different circumstances, challenges, decisions, and experiences of mortality” (“The Principles of My Gospel,” Liahona, May 2021, 123–24). The principles found in the doctrinal mastery passages can help us in many situations in our lives.
Select two passages with principles that you would like to know how to apply to your life. They might be the same passages you chose earlier, or they might be different.
Depending on students’ needs and available time, students could select more than two passages for this activity.
For each passage, describe a situation in which someone would be able to apply the truth taught in the passage. For example, a young person might be more motivated to participate in family history work by increasing their testimony of the doctrine of salvation for the dead taught in 1 Peter 4:6.
Explain how applying the truth taught in each passage you chose could help the person receive the Savior’s help.
Consider providing each student with a card or piece of paper and asking them to write the doctrinal mastery reference, the situation, and the explanation of how the truth taught in the doctrinal mastery passage may help someone. It may be engaging and instructive to then collect the cards or papers and read the situations, inviting the class to guess which passage may be most helpful in each situation and to explain why. If a student identifies a different passage than the one written on the paper, invite that student to explain how the passage they mentioned might also be helpful.
The students may guess as a class, in pairs or small groups, or individually.
Supplemental Learning Activities
Memorize
If students could use more practice memorizing the doctrinal mastery key scripture phrases and references, consider doing some or all of the following activities:
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Display all of the doctrinal mastery scripture references and key scripture phrases out of order. Invite students to see how many scripture references and key scripture phrases they can match correctly. Then invite students to check their work using their scriptures.
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Display only a portion of the key scripture phrases, and invite students to complete them and give the scripture references.
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Begin reading the key scripture phrases slowly, one word at a time. When students think they know which key scripture phrase is being read, they can open to it in their scriptures.
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If available, consider inviting students to use the Doctrinal Mastery app to practice memorizing.
Role play
Sister Joy D. Jones, former Primary General President, stated that role-playing “can fortify children to be prepared in a challenging setting” (“Essential Conversations,” Liahona, May 2021, 13). Students could be invited to identify a situation in which a truth from a doctrinal mastery passage could be helpful. Then they could role-play responding to the situation using the truth from the doctrinal mastery passage.