Home-Study Lesson

Moses 5–7 (Unit 3)

Preparation Material for the Home-Study Teacher

Summary of Daily Home-Study Lessons

The following summary of the doctrines and principles your students learned as they studied Moses 5–7 (unit 3), along with Genesis 4–5, is not intended to be taught as part of your lesson. The lesson you teach concentrates on only a few of these doctrines and principles. Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit as you consider the needs of your students.

Day 1 (Moses 5:1–11)

As students studied about Adam and Eve’s obedience to the Lord’s commandment to offer sacrifice, they learned that we can choose to obey the Lord’s commandments even if we do not fully understand the reasons for the commandments. Students also learned that although mankind has fallen, we can repent and be redeemed from sin because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Day 2 (Moses 5:12–59)

In this lesson students learned that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind can be redeemed from the Fall and that through the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the Lord calls upon us to repent. They also learned that all who believe in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins will be saved, while those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ and do not repent of their sins will be cut off from the Father.

Day 3 (Moses 6)

As students studied about Adam’s righteous posterity, they learned that parents are responsible to teach their children the ways of God. While reading about Enoch they learned the following truths: If we go and do what the Lord commands us, He will be with us and help us; and by strict obedience and with the Lord’s help, we can see and discern spiritually far beyond what we can with our “natural eye.”

Day 4 (Moses 7)

In this lesson students learned that the Lord will call His people Zion when they are united, live righteously, and care for one another. As they studied Enoch’s vision, they also learned the following: Even though God has created worlds without number, He weeps for His children and cares about us as individuals; Heavenly Father feels sorrow when we choose to commit sin; and the Lord will preserve His people by sending revelation and sacred texts such as the Book of Mormon.

Introduction

Enoch taught the people in his day about the consequences of the Fall of Adam and Eve and how we can overcome those consequences. This lesson can help students learn how they can overcome the natural man and receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Suggestions for Teaching

Note: Students studied a scripture mastery passage, Moses 7:18, this week. You may want to review it before you begin the lesson.

Moses 6:48–52

Enoch teaches about the consequences of the Fall and how to overcome them

Ask students to think of a time when they or someone they know needed to be rescued. If students cannot think of an example, be prepared to describe a time when you or someone you know needed to be rescued. Then ask the following questions (you may want to write the questions on the board before class begins):

• What caused the need for you to be rescued?

• What did you have to do in order to be rescued? Who rescued you?

After students respond, explain that Enoch taught his people how we can be rescued, or saved, from the consequences of the Fall of Adam.

Invite a student to read Moses 6:48–49 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the consequences that came because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. Ask them to report what they find.

• According to Enoch, what did mankind become?

Explain that the words carnal and sensual refer to being preoccupied with worldliness and the gratification of physical desires, lusts, and pleasures. The word devilish implies being influenced by the devil. Explain that these words do not mean that our bodies are evil. Rather, they describe an aspect of our fallen condition and the consequences of yielding to the enticements of Satan (see Moses 5:13; D&C 20:20).

Invite a student to read aloud the following explanation from True to the Faith:

“In this fallen condition, we have a conflict within us. We are spirit children of God, with the potential to be ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4). However, ‘we are unworthy before [God]; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually’ (Ether 3:2). We need to strive continually to overcome unrighteous passions and desires” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 57).

• How would you describe the two forces that are pulling on us? (As students respond, help them understand that the two forces pulling on us are our fallen nature and our divine nature.)

Invite a student to read Moses 6:50–52 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what we need to do to overcome our fallen nature (see also Mosiah 3:19). Invite students to report what they find.

• According to verse 52, what do we receive if we believe, repent, and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ? (Students may use different words, but they should identify the following principle: If we believe, repent, and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, then we will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.)

• How does receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost help us overcome our fallen nature?

Moses 6:53–68

Adam learned what we must do to overcome the Fall and enter the kingdom of heaven

Invite a student to read Moses 6:53 aloud.

• What did Adam ask the Lord?

Ask students to discuss with a partner how they would answer the first part of Adam’s question: “Why is it that men must repent?” Invite a few students to explain their answers to the class.

Invite a student to read Moses 6:54–57 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the Lord answered Adam’s question about why we need to repent. Invite students to report what they find.

• What do verses 54–55 teach us about accountability for sins? (We will be punished for our own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression [see Articles of Faith 1:2]. It may be helpful to explain that Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that the phrase “thy children are conceived in sin” in verse 55 means that we are “born into a world of sin,” a world in which evil exists and influences us in our fallen state [see A New Witness for the Articles of Faith (1985), 101].)

• According to Moses 6:57, why can the unrepentant not inherit the kingdom of God?

Ask students to discuss with a partner how they would answer the second part of Adam’s question in verse 53: “Why is it that men must … be baptized in water?” Invite a few students to explain their answers to the class.

Explain that in order to help his people understand why we must be baptized in water, Enoch quoted God’s words to Adam about being born again. Invite a student to read Moses 6:58–61 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord taught about being born again. Ask students to report what they find.

• How does being baptized by water relate to being born again?

To help students understand how baptism by water relates to being born again, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Two births are essential to salvation. Man cannot be saved without birth into mortality, nor can he return to his heavenly home without a birth into the realm of the Spirit. … The elements present in a mortal birth and in a spiritual birth are the same. They are water, blood, and spirit. Thus every mortal birth is a heaven-given reminder to prepare for the second birth. …

“In every mortal birth the child is immersed in water in the mother’s womb. At the appointed time the spirit enters the body, and blood always flows in the veins of the new person. Otherwise, without each of these, there is no life, no birth, no mortality.

“In every birth into the kingdom of heaven, the newborn babe in Christ is immersed in water, he receives the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and the blood of Christ cleanses him from all sin. Otherwise, without each of these, there is no Spirit-birth, no newness of life, no hope of eternal life” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 288).

Write the following words on the board: water, Spirit, blood.

• According to Moses 6:60, what role does each of these elements play in the process of being born again?

Explain that to be justified means to be pardoned from sin. To be sanctified means to be cleansed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. (See Guide to the Scriptures, “Justification, Justify” and “Sanctification”; scriptures.lds.org.)

Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:

“Reception of the Holy Ghost is the cleansing agent as the Atonement purifies you. …

“… And when he is your companion, you can have confidence that the Atonement is working in your life” (“Come Unto Christ” [Brigham Young University fireside, Oct. 29, 1989], 4; speeches.byu.edu).

• According to President Eyring, how can we know if we are being purified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Invite students to ponder a time when they felt the influence of the Holy Ghost. Ask them to think about where they were and what they were doing. You may want to encourage students to ask Heavenly Father in prayer for the Holy Ghost to guide them, as they more frequently put themselves in places and engage in activities that invite the Holy Ghost into their lives, so they can be purified and continue in the process of being born again.

Summarize Moses 6:62–68 by explaining that after Adam received this instruction, he was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. These verses illustrate the process of being born again through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. (You may need to explain that the phrase “quickened in the inner man” refers to being enlightened or enlivened by the Holy Ghost.)

Point out the phrase “and thus may all become my sons” in verse 68. Conclude by testifying that if we follow Adam’s example by believing in Christ and being baptized by water and the Spirit, we too can become covenant sons and daughters of Jesus Christ.

Next Unit (Moses 8; Genesis 6–12; Abraham 1–2)

Ask students if they are familiar with accounts about Noah and Abraham. To help them prepare for their study during the coming week, invite them to keep in mind the following: What happens to the people when they reject Noah’s preaching and warning to repent? What promises did Abraham want from the Lord, and what was he willing to do to obtain them? Can a person grow up in an unrighteous environment and still become a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ? Explain that in the next unit, students will learn how Abraham overcame his unrighteous environment and received promises from God.