Live As Saints Should Live

In Romans 13:11 it tells us, "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." nearer is our salvation and it will come sooner than we think. In Ezekial 3:20 a haunting scenario is presented. A righteous man turns to iniquity but he is killed and because he has not been warned, he dies in his sin. We must do good continually because if we turn away from the Lord even for a second we may not get the opportunity to repent and return. In Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 we are told to keep God's commandments and endure to the end. This is how we keep from dying in our sins, our good works forgotten.

Truly understanding how to attain salvation may not be as simple as being told to keep the commandments and endure to the end. What are the commandments and what does it mean to endure to the end? The answers to those questions can be both simple and complicated but Paul has provided us with a good list of things we can do in order to secure eternal life.

• Romans 12:1 "present your bodies a living sacrifice..." or in other words use all the physical and mental talents the Lord has given you in the service of his gospel and his children.
• Romans 12:2 "be not conformed to this world..." renew your mind and prove what is good and acceptable in the sight of God.
• Romans 12:9 "Let love be without dissimulation...cleave to that which is good." Reject that which is evil and celebrate and practice love and good works.
• Romans 12:13 Practice hospitality
• Romans 12:16 "Be of the same mind one toward another..." Try to think of how others think, but also be of one mind in all that you do be of one mind seeking after the same goal in exaltation. Whether you are rich or poor seek to serve your fellow man.
• Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Do not let evil things control your thoughts and actions rather drive out those evil thoughts and actions by practicing and thinking of that which is good.
• Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers..." There is not power but God in the Universe and we are to be subjects to him.
• Romans 13:3 "...do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:" When you practice good you will receive good praise after this life.
• Romans 13:8 "Owe no man anything, but to love one another..." Don't find yourself indebted to your fellow man, the only thing you should owe your neighbor is love and this is because you are and always will be indebted to God, for he gave you all that you have, and love is his law.
• Romans 13:9 Finally follow the simple commandments. Do not kill, covet, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness. Love thy neighbor as thyself and anything which that entails.

We also must remember not to judge one another. This is one of the things entailed in loving thy neighbor as thyself. We should not judge for as Paul wrote we should be bearing one another's burdens and building each other up. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes so who are we to judge another of his mistakes.

It is important to remember that all those we might judge are sons and daughters of God. They are God's to judge and not ours. God can build them up and has forbidden us from doing anything to bring them down.

During this time period Paul often refers to members of the church or followers of Christ as "saints". It is important to note this because it gives us a perspective when reviewing how he teaches doctrine to different groups of people and how he refers to those that believe and follow Christ.

New Testament-Romans