Birth, Rebirth, and Priesthood

We are immortal spirit beings. We lived in the presence of God, our Eternal Father, before we were born into mortality. Birth into mortality was also a spiritual death because we were separated from God by a veil and the fall. While we do not remember living in His presence, we are still spiritual beings and we still feel the influence of the spirit here in mortality. The Lord taught these ideas to Enoch when He said in Moses 6:

  59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
  60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

The fall brought about our spiritual death when we left God's presence to live in mortality. The fall brought about another death in that our mortal bodies die and our spirit returns home to God. Both birth and rebirth are described relative to three elements: water, blood, and spirit. Our mortal body grows in the water (amniotic fluid) of the womb, nourished by the blood of our mother (through an umbilical cord), so that an eternal spirit being can enter that body and live in mortality. These details of our mortal birth show the way back to our Father's presence. We must be born again of water (baptism in obedience to the Father), the spirit (the Holy Ghost) and blood (the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ).

Consider the parallels between the roles of women and men. Women and men each play a selfless role in our birth and rebirth. While a man and a woman are both needed to create a physical body, women have the ability to give birth to children. In an incredible act of love, women carry the growing physical body of an eternal spirit. That soul, a united body and spirit, is born and has the opportunity to experience mortality. Similarly, mothers and fathers help their children prepare for, and make, sacred covenants through the ordinances of the priesthood. Here, men also play a loving and selfless role. Men are given the opportunity to perform the ordinances that make spiritual rebirth available to God's children.

An analogy may be helpful here. If you think about the role of the referee, or official, in a basketball game you see that the one who officiates is not one of the players in the game. Rather, officiating in a basketball game involves observing the players in the game to be sure that they obey the rules of the game. When the referee officiates well, the players will observe the rules of the game.

When properly understood, men have absolutely no power or influence simply by virtue of holding the priesthood. After all, no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood (I have written more about priesthood, power and influence here). Rather, power and influence for good are exerted through officiating in the priesthood. That is, when mothers and fathers see to it that their children are raised in righteousness and receive all of the necessary ordinances of the priesthood then they are both "officiating" in such a way that the children "play by the rules of the game" successfully. Thus, women and men alike can help others, including their children, receive blessings through priesthood ordinances. And, men and women alike are benefited by the priesthood to the extent that we receive the ordinances offered through priesthood authority. Those ordinances represent our path of rebirth back into our Eternal Father's presence.

To be clear, I am distinguishing between holding the priesthood and receiving ordinances through the priesthood. Women play a critical role in the mortal birth of God's children. Men play a critical role in the ordinances that are involved in the rebirth of God's children. Yet both women and men must go through the same process of birth and rebirth in our progress back to God's presence. And, both women and men learn about God through playing their roles in birth and rebirth in a loving and selfless manner. Life, both mortal and spiritual, is God's to give. We are blessed to be partners with God in His work.

This is important for our youth to understand. Consider a young man who holds the Aaronic priesthood. While the Aaronic priesthood is called the lesser priesthood, its importance is seen in that it holds "the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel (D&C 84:26)." The Aaronic priesthood holds the keys of the preparatory gospel. That is, it is essential to preparation to be reunited with our Father in Heaven. Through repentance, baptism, and the sacrament every one of us prepares for the higher blessings available through the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood on our way back to our Father's presence. Notice the parallel to our mortal birth. By water (baptism) and blood (symbolized by the bread and wine, or water, of the sacrament) we become spiritually alive.

Our spiritual life involves the other part of the keys of the Aaronic priesthood, the ministering of Angels. Because, "by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing (Moroni 7: 25)." Notice the important role of angels in this process. "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ (2 Nephi 32:3)." This blessing is available to all of us including men, women and children. As Alma said, "He imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. (Alma 32:23)."

But, we must be clean and pure to be guided through the voice of the spirit, whether it involves the voice of angels, the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ or God the Father. And the Aaronic priesthood holds the keys of repentance and the ordinances that allow us to become clean and pure and enjoy the blessing of guidance through the spirit. Thus, the Aaronic priesthood holds the key of the ministering of angels because it holds the key of becoming clean and pure enough to hear their voice (I have written more about the ministering of angels here).

Our youth need to understand that they are critical partners to God in providing the blessings of mortality and eternal life to God's children. Young women are learning to play their part in "officiating" in such a way that God's children "play by the rules" and receive essential saving ordinances. They are learning to work in presidencies, to teach the gospel, to serve selflessly, and to encourage others to live the gospel and receive priesthood ordinances. And, they are also looking forward to their critical role in creating bodies for eternal spirit children of God. Likewise, young men are learning to serve in the priesthood by administering in ordinances under the Aaronic priesthood keys of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel. They, too, are learning to play their part in "officiating" in such a way that God's children "play by the rules" and receive essential saving ordinances. They are serving in presidencies, teaching the gospel and encouraging others to receive priesthood ordinances. If our youth can realize their critical current and future roles in God's plan they will have a greater desire to receive priesthood ordinances in order to be clean an pure and to enjoy the guidance of the spirit in their lives. And, they will be ready, when the time comes, to enter into the temple to make and keep the higher ordinances of the Melchizedek priesthood.

What Motivates Our Works?

I have talked with several friends about the ideas presented in my previous posts called "Saved by Grace?" and "The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life." The core idea in these earlier posts is that there is no amount of obedience to commandments or self-improvement that will overcome the fall on our own merits. Try as we might, our own works are not sufficient to bring us back into God's presence. Thus, we must be saved by grace. The conversation with friends on these topics always leads to the question of how works fit in to this view. After all, we know we must repent, be baptized, obey commandments, etc. And, in Alma 12 it says:

  12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
  13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.
  14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

Verse 14 shows how very important our words and our works really are. So, we face a seeming dilemma, i.e., our works are not sufficient to save us, yet they can condemn us. The dilemma is solved, though, when we realize that it is possible for the very same action to be either productive or condemning. Consider, for example, Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23:

  23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Or, similarly, in John 5 Jesus says to the leaders of the Jews, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." He is pointing out that in their careful adherence to the law of Moses the Jews missed the very Messiah the law pointed to. Thus, as Jesus went on to say in John 5, obedience to the law of Moses was condemning.

  45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
  46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

It seems that the mere act of obedience to commandments is not sufficient to know God or to return to His presence. Yet, obedience to the law of Moses allowed Simeon and Anna to recognize the baby Jesus as their Messiah and led Nephi to proclaim Jesus as the Christ. Isn't it interesting that acts of obedience can be either condemning or saving? Our works will condemn us if we have not internalized the real meaning of the works.

Jesus lived in mortality and laid down His life to overcome the fall and physical death. It is only by His merits that we are brought back into the presence of God. Initially, as we repent and call upon God, we are spiritually brought back into His presence by the power of the Holy Ghost. As we learn of God's love for us we are transformed into more Christ-like people and we want to do as He asks. John taught us about the relationship between works and God's love in 1 John 2:

  4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
  5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

In other words, if we do not keep his commandments it is clear that we do not know God. In addition, when we keep His word, we are transformed and perfected. Jesus' teaching in John 14 gives us a key to understanding the real meaning of works (obedience to commandments). Jesus said,

  21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Let me try to summarize what I think I am learning from this. Consider a person who begins to be aware, through the Spirit, of God's love and willingness to save us from the fall. If that person:

1. does not keep God's commandments then he does not know God.
2. keeps God's commandments believing that he can save himself by obedience, he is condemned.
3. keeps God's commandments as evidence of love and appreciation for God, he is saved.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of proper obedience. He said, in Moses 4: 2, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." Our works should be evidence of our love and appreciation for God. With this perspective we can rely on Jesus' promise that He will forgive our sins. We can make and keep sacred covenants. The very effort to live those covenants, when motivated by our love and appreciation for God is transformative. It makes us more like God. Rather than condemning ourselves for every little thing where we think we fall short, we can find joy in always improving in our love of God.

Our works do not cause our salvation, rather, they are evidence that Jesus is our Savior.

Choose Your Love; Love Your Choice.

In the recent General Conference, President Thomas Monson spoke in priesthood session about marriage. He spoke of the sadness associated with canceling so many temple sealings. In this context, one particular piece of counsel struck me as quite important.  He said:

Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt. It read, “Choose your love; love your choice.” There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential.

I have pondered on the principles that relate to this direction from President Monson.  There are two key principles that seem quite important.  The first is that we need to trust the priesthood power by which we are sealed in marriage.  The second is the nature of the effort required of us to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.

First, trusting the Lord's promises.  We act in faith when we believe the word of God and do as He has instructed (see previous post on faith and belief for more on this).  In Moses 4, God said,

  30 For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled.

It is truly an act of faith to trust what God has promised and live as if what He has given is already ours. In addition, we must trust the promises that come through God's servants.  As the Lord said in D&C 1,

  38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Think about how this applies to marriage in the temple.  Many of us feel that we are guided by the Spirit as we decide who to marry.  Even if we don't feel that we sought, or received, a private witness of the Spirit before marrying in the temple, we have a promise made by a servant of God through the sealing power of the Melchizedek priesthood.  While kneeling at the alter across from one another, a servant of God seals upon us the promise of an eternal marriage.  That promise now belongs to the wife and husband who enter this covenant relationship.  It is not just a woman covenanting with a man, and a man covenanting with a woman.  It is more, even, than a man and woman agreeing to a covenant relationship to each other and toward God.  It is a covenant relationship that includes God's promise to do His part to make the eternal marriage happen.  He knows that we will stumble and struggle along the way.  But, because of the priesthood authority that seals a couple together, we can trust that God will provide the way to overcome any struggle, stumble or obstacle that a couple faces together.

Consider the detailed description of eternal marriage in D&C 132:

  19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

What a remarkable promise!  And, it is ours through the power of the priesthood when we marry in the temple under proper authority.  It is a promise, spoken by a servant of God, that is as valid and reliable as if God had pronounced it upon us Himself.  It requires real faith and trust, though, to realize this promise.

I can't help but think of this idea in terms of my finance training.  The promises in D&C 132: 19 are like an asset on our balance sheet as soon as we make our marriage covenants.  We also have a liability on our balance sheet.  The liability is to live in such a way that the promises become realized.  When we have done and become what is necessary to be an eternally married couple, then the liability is discharged and the asset is declared ours through the Holy Spirit of Promise.  The promise of eternal marriage becomes the reality of eternal marriage!

The second principle relates to what is required of us.  There is a strong suggestion of what we must do to make the promise into a reality of eternal marriage.  In D&C 132: 19 are the words, "they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things ... "  Compare these words to a statement made by Brigham Young:

“Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 416).

It seems that it is in keeping all the ordinances in the house of the Lord that we become prepared to realize the promises of exaltation, eternal life and, in particular, eternal marriage.  Consider some possible implications of this in marriage.

Clearly, we will need to be obedient to the word of God.  Personal worthiness is a prerequisite to all of God's offered blessings.  In addition, though, it is quite likely that sacrifice will be needed in a successful marriage.  There may be preconceptions, personal quirks, maybe even hopes or dreams that will have to be sacrificed for the good of the marriage.

Certainly, there will be repentance and forgiveness as we live in such an intimate relationship as marriage.  No other person may ever see us so clearly as when we live in marriage.  And, we will likely have to forgive much of what we see as we allow each other to repent and progress.  How grateful we should be for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Law of Chastity is central to marriage.  The law, though, is much more than, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."  Chastity involves a committed, loyal, loving relationship between a man and a woman.  Living the law of Chastity brings children, service, sacrifice and experiential learning of Jesus Christ.  We learn to use creative power in the service of other of God's children.  We learn what it is like to love unconditionally, an still be rejected or mistreated.  We learn the power of repentance and forgiveness.  Chastity is essential to learning of God.

Finally, we must become consecrated in our marriage.  We must be willing to be as committed to the success of our marriage as God is.  Our promise must be as reliable as God's promise.  There must be no doubt that we will give all that we have to the success of our marriage.

When we keep the covenants made in the house of the Lord we keep our part of a covenant relationship between a husband, wife and God.  When we have proved that we will keep those covenants no matter what happens, then the Holy Spirit of Promise makes the promise, given by priesthood authority by a servant of God in the temple, into reality.

As President Monson said, "Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another."  And, “Choose your love; love your choice.”  The scriptures, the teachings of the prophets, and the temple show the way to trust God's promise that a marriage can be eternal.