Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know. In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.
Mormon Thoughts: Feeling the Spirit
Letter to Author’s Father
Hey, Dad!
That was an amazing game last night! I wish I could have been there. I bet the stadium was going crazy. Did you get to talk to any players? Anyway, the reason I am emailing you is because I wanted to share what I learned in New Testament. This week we read 2nd Corinthians. In chapter one verse 22 it says: “Who hath also sealed us [to Christ], and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts.”
We discussed the meaning of “earnest.” It relates to earnest money, which you probably know about already, but it means just a small part of money that you pay someone in the beginning to let them know that you will pay the rest. Our teacher related this concept to the spirit. Christ gives us just a small, small portion of the spirit that represents a little bit of what heaven will be like. When we feel the spirit we get a glimpse of what heaven will have in store for us.
It is Heavenly Father’s and Christ’s way of giving us a constant reminder of what we should be working towards. If we choose the world, then we will have no blessings in heaven waiting for us. But, if we choose Christ and to follow the gospel, then we cannot even imagine all the blessings that will be waiting for us in the next life.
This is a good reminder, for whenever we feel like what’s the point in trying anymore or if we feel that we have lost Christ’s love, if we can just go somewhere where we can feel the spirit, then we can be reminded of what heaven will be like. Love ya! I can’t wait to see you next weekend. I hope you can think of the spirit in a different light now. I thought this was a very cool lesson.
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