성도가 됨, 제자가 됨

성도가 됨, 제자가 됨

템피오 디 로마

2022년 10월 16일

교육

엘리노어 쿡 지음

많은 사람들에게 성인이라는 용어는 하느님과 매우 친밀한 사람이나 어떤 식으로든 하느님께 비범한 방식으로 삶을 바친 사람을 의미합니다. 그들은 존경받아야 할 사람들이며, 많은 기독교 문화에서 그 자체로 최고 수준의 존경심을 갖고 바라보며, 때로는 다른 사람들과 신 사이의 중재자 역할을 합니다. 

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term saint still has many of the same connotations. Saints work to follow Jesus Christ. They serve as He did, giving aid to the needy. They study the scriptures and pray often. They attend church and serve in different capacities. For Latter-day Saints, I have found that the term saint refers to everyone who has made promises to God through baptism and keeps those and additional promises as members of His Church. 

A saint is “one who follows Christ in holiness and devotion with a view fixed on eternal life. This is the commitment of a Latter-day Saint.”¹ Although we respect saints past and present, I understand that as Latter-day Saints, we don’t worship them. We only worship God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

So what does a saint in the latter days look like? In 2 Nephi 26:33 we read: “and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” As I ponder the truths of this scripture, it is clear to me that 여러분 그리스도의 제자로 초대받았습니다.

Being a disciple of Christ is not influenced by social, economic, or cultural backgrounds. Instead, I have come to find that there are some practical things that apply to all those trying to become disciples of Christ:²

• 믿음을 가지고
• Being humble and having the desire to communicate with God, to seek council from Him, and then to act on that guidance
• 응답 받을 줄 믿고 간절히 구하라(마 7:7)
• 남을 섬기다
• 교회 출석
• 가족 강화
• 감사의 표시
• 성전에 들어가기에 합당하고 하나님과 맺은 약속을 지킴
• 그리스도의 복음을 받아들이다

In addition, Disciples of Christ try and develop His attributes and become more like Him. “Many people hear the word disciple and think it means only “follower.” But I have come to know that genuine discipleship is a state of being. This, to me, suggests more than studying a list of individual attributes. Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry.”³

So it is no wonder that the saints throughout history have been admired by many, or that they have been recognized as extraordinary. It requires work to be a saint, or disciple of Jesus Christ. But it is not impossible. All are invited to become disciples of Jesus Christ. And the best news of all is that we are not invited to do it alone. 

We learn in Ephesians 4:11-12 that prophets, apostles, teachers, and others were given for “the perfecting of the Saints.” From this, we can learn that we must continually work to improve. We also learn that God has given us a Church to help us improve. The Church is quite literally a place where imperfect people work together to provide help, support, and guidance as we collectively try and draw nearer to Christ. He has given us prophets and apostles, to guide us and lead us in the right direction.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Jesus Christ Himself has promised that He will help us. I have found through my personal study that we actually can’t become saints or disciples of Christ without His help. As we exercise faith in Him and become better people daily through repentance, I know we can become better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Being a saint is worth it! As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can say that there is nothing better than to gather together with other followers of Jesus Christ as we work to sustain and support each other on a path of discipleship toward the Savior. As I go about daily life, my identity as one of Christ’s disciples does not change. In fact, it influences my every decision. I am not perfect. But thanks to Christ, I need only be perfect in trying.

So join us, come to church, and message this page to discover more about how you can become a disciple of Christ through the Savior’s help and the support of other saints trying to do the same. God loves you!

¹ Bangerter, Wm Grant. 1987, “성인이 된다는 것은 무엇을 의미하는가”

² Uchtdorf, Dieter F. 2012 “그리스도의 제자가 되는 방법”

³Hales, Robert D. 2017 “우리 주 예수 그리스도의 제자 되기”