The Nelson Challenge: Baptism by Fire

In January, President Russell M. Nelson issued a challenge to the young adults of the Church: to take time each week to study Christ's actions, words, laws, and doctrines as recorded in the scriptures. He recently wrote a blog post about how he fulfilled this very assignment. He included pictures of the notes he typed up and the markings in his Topical Guide.

As I am ever in search of a better way to study the scriptures, I have accepted this challenge. I confess to giggling with glee at the sight of President Nelson's scripture notes (so organized! so thorough!). I started by snatching the nearest copy of the Book of Mormon and searching for Jesus Christ in the index. There are several pages of entries for this subject, which is no surprise when you consider the Book of Mormon to be Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Anyway, I read a few snippets of verses right there in the index, and came across some interesting things that led me to deeper study.

Lesson #1

2 Nephi 31 covers the Doctrine of Christ from faith to repentance to baptism to the gift of the Holy Ghost and finally enduring to the end. I've heard these repeated over and over in Church lessons, but I wanted to go deeper and find a way to live the Doctrine of Christ better. I paused over the verses describing the gift of the Holy Ghost as a "baptism by fire." Why is the Holy Ghost so frequently compared to fire? I mean, the Spirit of God like a fire is burning. But why?

Feel the burn.

We know that the Holy Ghost is a cleansing agent, meaning that the Holy Ghost purifies us in the same vein as the washing of baptism. Fire burns away impurities (think refiner's fire) and is often associated with ordinary things becoming holy (think Moses' burning bush). Fire also produces light, which is associated in the scriptures with glory and truth and intelligence. After all, Christ is the light of the world. So, the Holy Ghost can make us holy and more like the Savior.

I also associate the Holy Ghost with receiving inspiration from God. The word "inspiration" contains the root "spirare," from which we also get the word "spirit." Inspiration literally means to breathe into. Breathing is what gives us life; therefore, inspiration is God giving us life, both physically and spiritually. We breathe oxygen, and what else needs oxygen to endure? Fire. The Holy Ghost ties us to the life-giving force that is our Heavenly Father.

Application: if you are feeling less than holy, seek the fire of the Holy Ghost. Create circumstances around yourself that invite the Holy Ghost to be your constant companion and, like the missionaries, never go anywhere without that companion. Seek inspiration more. Seek it in better ways. Ask questions as you study the scriptures. Set down the electronic device that consumes your quiet moments and reach out to the Spirit instead. Be still. Breathe. Burn.