Choice 1: Romans 12-16. Live as Saints Should Live

In Romans 13:11, Paul counsels the Romans that now was when they needed to wake up, because the thing that was “nearer” was salvation. He said that it was closer than they believed. In Ezekiel 3:20 and Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, there is found counsel of what we can continue doing to work out our salvation. In Ezekiel 3:20, the counsel is that we need to stay away from sin, which is a stumbling block on the path to salvation. In Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, we are counseled to do a couple of things. We are counseled to keep the commandments and endure to the end. It stays that if we do those two things, we “shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

In Romans 12-13 Paul gave much counsel that leads to salvation. The following verses include a list of various things that will help lead us to salvation.

Scripture	Those that will help lead us to salvation
Romans 12:1	to present our bodies as a holy and living sacrifice to God
Romans 12:2	we shouldn’t be of the world but have renewing of our mind
Romans 12:9	let love be sincere; abhor the evil and cleave to the good
Romans 12:13	give to those of us who are need but are lacking
Romans 12:16	be of the same mind toward one another; do not be prideful
Romans 12:21	“Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 13:1	we need to “be subject” to the powers of God; His is the only power
Romans 13:3	do good
Romans 13:8	love one another
Romans 13:9	don’t commit adultery; don’t kill; don’t steal; don’t bear false witness; don’t covet; “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

From Romans 14:1-13; 15:1-3.

Q. What cautions did Paul give about judging?

A. Paul cautioned that God and the Lord are the judges of all things…not us. We are not to judge others.

Q. People may have different opinions and practices, but what is most important to remember?

A. We should not judge them. We are all children of God, and He loves each of us. God will be the judge and not us. We need to serve our fellow men.

Q. What additional insight comes from reading Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27?

A. We need to be one. It says in those verses, “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine”. We need to treat others the way we would like to be treated. “…let every man esteem his brother as himself.” God won’t say to two of his sons that one of them has to be a king while that son’s brother is a peasant. He is a just God, and loves each of his children equally.

In Romans 15:25-26, 31 and 16:2, 15, Paul uses a term frequently in referring to members of the Church in his day. He refers to them as “saints”. According to the Bible Dictionary, “The word saint is a translation of a Greek word also rendered ‘holy,’ the fundamental idea being that of consecration or separation for a sacred purpose;”. The saints back in Paul’s day were consecrated for a sacred purpose as they were baptized, therefore entering “into the Christian covenant.”