Put off the natural man and become a Saint through the Atonement.
19 For the anatural bman is an cenemy to God, and has been from the dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he eyields to the enticings of the fHoly Spirit, and gputteth off the hnatural man and becometh a isaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a jchild, ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
3.8. Faith in Jesus Christ and our love for Him and Heavenly Father lead us to repent. Repentance is part of Heavenly Father’s plan for all of His children who are accountable for their choices. This gift is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Repentance is a change of mind and heart. It includes turning away from sin and turning our thoughts, actions, and desires toward God and aligning our will with His (see Mosiah 3:19).
3.9. Repentance includes recognizing our sins; feeling remorse, or godly sorrow, for committing sin; confessing our sins to Heavenly Father and, if necessary, to others; forsaking sin; seeking to restore, as far as possible, all that has been damaged as a result of our sins; and living a life of obedience to God’s commandments (see D&C 58:42–43). The Lord promises to forgive us of our sins at baptism, and we renew that covenant each time we sincerely partake of the sacrament with the intent of remembering the Savior and keeping His commandments.
3.10. Through sincere repentance and the grace offered through Jesus Christ’s Atonement, we can receive God’s forgiveness and feel peace. We feel the influence of the Spirit in greater abundance, and we are more prepared to live eternally with our Heavenly Father and His Son.
Related topic: Ordinances and Covenants
Doctrinal Mastery Manual
Read Mosiah 3:19 and look for what this verse teaches about turning our thoughts, actions, and desires toward God and aligning our will with His. The phrase “natural man” refers to a person who is in a lost and fallen condition—separated from God—because he or she “chooses to be influenced by the passions, desires, appetites, and senses of the flesh rather than by the promptings of the Holy Spirit” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Natural Man,” scriptures.lds.org). The word yield means to surrender or submit.
- What do you think it means to “[yield] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit”?
- According to Mosiah 3:19, what does yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit lead us to do and become?
- What does this verse teach us about how to align our will with God’s?
Write the heading “To Put Off the Natural Man” in your scripture study journal. Under this heading, make a list of what Mosiah 3:19 teaches we must do to overcome the “natural man.” Circle one action that you feel would be most important for you to work on at this time. Make a plan to apply this action.
One of the principles Mosiah 3:19 teaches is that if we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the natural man through the Atonement of Christ.
In your own words, what does it mean to yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit”?
Read the following statement from Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about putting off the natural man: “Personal righteousness, worship, prayer, and scripture study are so crucial in order to ‘[put] off the natural man’ (Mosiah 3:19)” (“The Tugs and Pulls of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 36).
Answer the following question in your scripture study journal: In what ways are you seeking to yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit in your life?
What can you do to more fully yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” in your own life? Write a goal in your scripture study journal to help you improve in this area this week. You might consider working on one of the attributes that help us become like a child, listed in Mosiah 3:19—for example, becoming more submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, or willing to submit to all things that the Lord sees “fit to inflict upon” you.
Write in your scripture study journal some of the obstacles in your life that keep you from yielding to the enticings of the Spirit.
To help you remember or memorize Mosiah 3:19, you may want to read it through three times. The repetition will help you become familiar with the content of the verse. After doing this, try to write as much of the verse, or the ideas in the verse, as you can in your scripture study journal without referring to your scriptures. Try repeating the verse aloud at various times, such as while you are walking, exercising, or preparing for bed. Doing this for several days in a row can help you memorize and remember the important principles in this verse.
As recorded in Mosiah 3:19, the angel taught King Benjamin how we can become as little children. Read the following explanation from the Guide to the Scriptures:
“[A natural man is] a person who chooses to be influenced by the passions, desires, appetites, and senses of the flesh rather than by the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Such a person can comprehend physical things but not spiritual things. All people are carnal, or mortal, because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. Each person must be born again through the Atonement of Jesus Christ to cease being a natural man” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Natural Man,”scriptures.lds.org).
- Based on this explanation, who is a natural man?
Read Mosiah 3:19 and look for what the angel said we need to do in order to put off, or overcome, the natural man within us.
- What principle can we learn from this verse about what is required to put off the natural man?
- What do you think it means to yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit?
- According to verse 19, what are the childlike qualities we develop as we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit?
- Whom do you know who displays one or more of these qualities?
- What can you do to more fully yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit? What will you do over the next week to improve in this area of your life?
- What attribute of a child listed in Mosiah 3:19 do you most need to develop? What will you do over the next week to help you develop that attribute?
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Ask, Seek, Knock, Pres. Nelson
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