Don't Miss the Real Point

It is possible to be very busy trying to do all the right things and, yet, to miss the real point of what we are in mortality to do. We can read the scriptures, diligently, every day. We can attend our meetings every week, without fail. We can be excellent and reliable in our callings. We can participate in the temple on a very regular basis. And, yet, we can still not feel the joy of the Gospel. We may even feel sad and discouraged that we are not doing more of what we tell ourselves we must do.

Remember the question to Jesus about the greatest commandment? His answer, recorded in Matthew 22, is:

  37 ... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
  38 This is the first and great commandment.
  39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
  40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

It is easy to get caught up in all the things that we tend to treat as if they were a "law" to us. When it comes right down to it, though, all of the things that we do should be for the purpose of coming to love God and others better.

Consider scripture study. Speaking of the words given through His prophet, the Lord tell us in D&C 18:

  34 These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man;
  35 For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them;
  36 Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words.

The Lord has assured us that we can hear His voice and come to know Him as we search the scriptures and receive inspiration and revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost.

In addition, we come to know the Lord through the temple. Shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland temple, the Lord appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and said, in D&C 110:

  7 For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

We have these wonderful assurances that we can come to know God through the scriptures and the temple. When we come to know Him, we realize how deeply He loves us. And, "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

When we come to know God we inevitably feel His love for us. His love transforms us and teaches us how to love others. This is the process by which we become possessed of Charity. Recall Moroni 7:

  47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Notice the grammar. Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is not clear whether charity is Christ's love for us, our love for Christ, or our Christ-like love for others. In fact, though, it may be all three. We come to know Christ through prayer, scripture study, temple worship, serving others, etc. When we come to know Him, we feel his pure love. We feel our sins forgiven and our hearts changed through the power of the atonement. Then we are possessed of that aspect of charity that is His pure love for us. Then we love Him because He first loved us. And, we are possessed of the aspect of charity that is our pure love for Christ. Finally, I believe that an essential consequence of genuinely coming to know God is that we love others in a more pure manner. Thus, we learn to be possessed of that aspect of charity that is the Christ-like love for others.

What a shame it would be to be busy doing good things but to miss the point. The point is to know God and to be transformed by His love. Then, we have peace and can love others in a manner that will bring them to Christ. We don't have to do everything that is on everyones list of good things to do. All we need to do is know and love God and love His children. At the end of the day ask yourself, "Have I shared the pure love of Christ with somebody today." If you have, then sleep well in His peace.

Is It Enough that Others Have Feasted?

With yesterday being Thanksgiving day, when we enjoyed a wonderful feast, this quote from Parley P. Pratt seems particularly appropriate. The core of this quote is the question of, "Is it sufficient to read of others who have enjoyed a feast, or do we need to feast for ourselves?"

The scriptures command you to covet earnestly the best gifts; but more especially the spirit of prophecy. Paul prays that you may be enriched with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. James says, “If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Again, Jesus Christ declairs, that no man knows either him or his father, except it be revealed to him. He also declares that “to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, is life eternal.” Consequently all who enjoy eternal life must know God by revelation to themselves. ...

The scriptures are given for the very purpose of inviting and encouraging men to come unto the great fountain of light and truth where they may enjoy all the blessings which are recorded in them, as having been enjoyed by the Ancients. And those who are contented to enjoy the history of blessings instead of the blessings themselves, may be compared to a man on a desolate island who has nothing to eat or to drink. But while he is famishing, and ready to perish with hunger and thirst he pulls a book from his pocket which contains the history of a feast of things once enjoyed by his forefathers. He reads with rapture of delight of the delicious meets, the rich viands, the sweet fruits and sparkling wines which were spread upon the plentious board, and of the joys of those who feasted freely there. But these recollections only serve to whet his apetite, and to increase his cravings after food. In the anguish of hopeless despair, he exclaims: O that I were at my father’s house, O that I too might partake of the feast. At this moment a messenger appears before him in the attitude of an instructor, and kindly offers to relieve him. With a sudden ray of hope springing in his bosom and with an emploring look of confidence he enquires; what must I do to be saved from hunger and thirst and to feast as did my fathers? O friend, save or I perish. 

But judge his feelings of disappointment and anguish when he is gravely told by his instructor that he does not need food as his fathers did. That it was only given to them because they had no sacred record, no history of the past to feast their souls upon, but now the cannon of feasting is complete, the record is full, he need not eat as they did, nor drink as they did; but to read the history of their feasting and to believe it and rejoice in it would answer the same purpose, and that it was wicked and even presumptious to desire or ask any food other than that which the reading of their record afforded him. In short, that they had the feast and he had the history of it, which amounted to the same thing; and he must therefore be content. 

With these instructions he strives to restrain his apetite, he condemns himself a hundred times for feeling hungry and a thirst; the keener his desires for food and drink, the closer he pursues his study of the history of the feasting. He reads it over and over again, he commits it to memory, he presses it with fervor to his heart, he kisses it with reverence, he lays it for a pillow when he sleeps, and awakes but to read a new. But still finds no relief; in spite of himself his soul hungers and thirsts for food, such as his parents enjoyed and he pines out a wretched existence. But reading still the history of the past he discovers at last that he had overlooked an important sentence; a sentence which informs him that he must partake of the food for himself as they did for themselves or starve to death; and at the same time a messenger arrives with food, and wine in plenty, and kindly invites him to eat and drink; nay, says he, my instructor told me that this history was all the food I need, that it was enough for me to read and believe that my fathers ate that it was all the same as to eat myself. But says the kind instructor, that man was a deceiver, he has imposed upon you. Does not common sense teach you; does not experience teach you, and does not the history itself teach you that you must feast as well as they, or perish forever. The poor starving man is at last brought to his senses and is prevailed on to eat and drink and live. His spirits are then renewed, his soul is satisfied, and he looks with astonishment and wonder upon his former absurdity and that of his teacher and is surprised to think that such foolish ideas should have ever entered the human mind. 

So is the man, who, led by the vain traditions and precepts of men is made to believe that the gifts of revelation, vision, the ministry of angels, and prophecy, and all the keys of knowledge which the ancients did enjoy, are not now needed, or to be enjoyed; but that the Bible which contains the history of them is all that is necessary. 

O ye hungry, famishing souls who have thus been deceived, rouse from your slumbers, break off the shackles of your minds, burst through the thick darkness and gloom of ages with which you are surrounded, and emerge forth into the light and liberty of the gospel, that you may enjoy those great and glorious privileges which have been hid from ages and generations; but which are again made manifest in these last days, for the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets. * 

Elder Pratt was speaking to those who would reject the restored gospel based upon their belief that they had all they needed of revelation through reading ancient stories of God's revelations in the Bible. Could we fall into this trap today? Do we read of the spiritual feast during Joseph Smith's time and feel that reading those stories are sufficient for us? Do we read the scriptures of the restoration and feel satisfied with a broader array of testimonies of feasting? Or, do the added testimonies build within us the faith to feast for ourselves?

Joseph Smith taught, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor, Know ye the Lord; for all shall know Him … from the least to the greatest [see Jeremiah 31:34].” ** If we ask to be taught by the power of the Holy Ghost, seek in the scriptures, and knock in the temple, we can each enjoy a personal feast as we come to know the Lord for ourself.




*      Taken from Essential Parley P. Pratt, Chapter 8, http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=14732
**    History of the Church, 3:380; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on June 27, 1839, in Commerce, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards.

One more quote from Hugh B. Brown:

"When the gospel was restored, the Lord advised us, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that a great and marvelous work was to come forth. Since that time there has been a revolution in knowledge in all fields of human endeavor. It is therefore incumbent upon us to be well informed and proficient through study, reading and prayer. The Lord never puts a premium on sluggish thinking. Sluggishness of spirit is most deplorable. We must be prepared to meet men of science and knowledge and present to them the gospel in the light of what they already have. (From a BYU Devotional Address, June 9, 1964)

The Pursuit of Truth

I found the following quote in "Be Aware-Beware" given at BYU on May 24, 1962 by Hugh B. Brown:

Be dauntless in your pursuit of truth and resist all demands for unthinking conformity. No one would have you become mere tape recorders of other people's thoughts. Be modest and teachable and seek to know the truth by study and also by faith. There have been times when progress was halted by thought control. Tolerance and truth demand that all be heard and that competing ideas be tested against each other so that the best, which might not always be your own, can prevail.

The Joy of Repentance

 Repentance is a change of the mind and the heart

that is accompanied by increased knowledge of God

and finding more joy in Jesus Christ our Redeemer

In a previous post I discussed faith in the context of various definitional statements found in the scriptures.  Once again, my goal in this post is to explore repentance in light of scriptures that define the principle.  It is interesting, though, that while the words “repent” or “repentance” are used numerous times in the scriptures, there are very few definitional statements. There are, however, uses of the word that provide us with insight into repentance. And, there is one passage that is truly definitional.

Defining Repentance

It seems appropriate to begin with the well-known invitation of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:

  1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

  2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

It is often noted that the footnote to the word “Repent” in the LDS version of the King James Bible indicates that the Greek word denotes a change of heart or mind, i.e. a conversion. It is also interesting to look at the Oxford English Dictionary to find a definition that is contemporaneous with the translation in the King James Bible.[1] 

Repent, v. – To feel contrition, compunction, sorrow or regret for something one has done or left undone; to change one's mind with regard to past action or conduct through dissatisfaction with it or its results.

It is clear, then, that an understanding of this second principle of the gospel begins with the idea that repentance is a type of change. It is a change of heart or mind that involves sorrow or regret for past errors.

There is a passage in the Book of Mormon, though, that provides a definitional statement about repentance that adds insight into this principle of the gospel. Alma, son of Alma, knew much about repentance and taught his son Helaman. In particular, Alma spoke of the value of the scriptures relative to repentance in Alma 37:

  8 And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.

  9 Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.

In verse eight, those who become convinced of the error of their ways come “to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.”  In verse nine, repentance is accompanied by knowledge of God and joy in Jesus Christ as Redeemer. A comparison of the structure of verses eight and nine suggests a parallel between becoming convinced of the error of our ways and repentance. Similarly, the comparison also links salvation of the soul with rejoicing in Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Here is a table that shows these parallel parts of verses 8 and 9:

convinced of the error of their ways	knowledge of their God	salvation of their souls
repentance	knowledge of the Lord their God	rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer

One more important insight comes from these verses. The structure of the last sentence equates repentance with being brought “to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.”  Thus, repentance is not just any change of mind or heart about our past conduct, repentance is a change that is uniquely linked to gaining knowledge of God and rejoicing in Jesus Christ our Redeemer because He is the source of salvation of the soul.

At least four defining aspects of repentance come from the above observations:

1. Repentance is a change of heart or mind.
2. Repentance involves becoming convinced of the error of our ways.
3. Repentance is accompanied by increased knowledge of God.
4. Repentance necessarily causes us to rejoice in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

The dictionary definitions of the word “repent” and the Greek word that is translated as “repent” are consistent with the aspects gleaned from Alma 37: 8-9. But, the dictionary definitions only really focus on the first, and most often discussed, aspect of repentance. Imagine, though, substituting all four aspects of repentance into John’s command in Matthew 3: 2.

Change your heart and your mind because you have become convinced of the error of your ways so that you may better know God and rejoice in Jesus Christ your Redeemer: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The meaning of the verse is the same. Yet, the nuances of the expanded verse are powerful. John is asking the listener to rethink their past views of right and wrong, their past conduct, and their past understanding of the Lord’s will. The change that John is inviting in the listener is specifically the change that will cause a person to better know God and to find greater joy in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer. This invitation is all the more urgent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

A similar substitution can be made in any verse of scripture that uses the word “repent.”  When these four aspects of repentance are kept in mind many, many verses take on a richer and more powerful meaning.

Why Repentance?

Having determined four defining aspects of repentance, it is important to consider the circumstances in life that make repentance necessary. In Moses 6 we learn of the condition of all people ever born into mortality. Starting with verse 48:

  48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.

Adam, having fallen, was instructed about the role of repentance in God’s plan.

  52 And [God] also said unto [Adam]: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.

Adam asked for further information and was taught about the role of the Savior in overcoming the consequences of Adam’s transgression.

 53 And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.

  54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

Finally, Moses 6 contains instruction to Adam about the importance of repentance for all of Adam’s children.

  55 And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.

  56 And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment.

  57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

While we are free from responsibility for the transgression of Adam and Eve in the garden, we are all born into a world where our spirit inhabits a body that has desires, appetites and passions. We will all be subject to temptation and sin. In fact, King Benjamin in Mosiah 3 described us as being by nature, through Adam, fallen (see verse 16). He then goes on to describe us in our fallen state:

  19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord …

Consider the implication of this. God intended, from the beginning as part of His plan, for us to be born into mortality in a fallen state. It is inherent in mortality that we experience sin. We will sin and there is a purpose in the experience of mortality. As it said in Moses 6: 55, we are meant to taste the bitter, that we may know to prize the good. We are here to learn to prefer the good to the bitter, to prefer God to the desires, appetites and passions of the body.  For this to happen, we are meant to taste the bitter.

As an analogy, mortality and sin are kind of like God dropping us in the middle of a muddy field. We are invited to get out of the mud. But, it is inevitable that we will get mud on us as we try to get out. What we should not do, though, is drop and roll in the mud and revel in the feel of it. We should head for the edge of the field where God is waiting to wash the mud off of us. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the only one who can wash the mud of sin off of us. We should not think of ourselves as failures just because we sin (get mud on ourselves). Sin is inevitable in life. The real question is, do we learn to prefer being clean?

Moroni also spoke of our condition in mortality. He gives us hope that the fallen condition of the “natural man” in mortality may be overcome. In Ether 12 Moroni reports the Lord’s invitation to us:

  27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Taken together these scriptures describe the fall of Adam and Eve and our condition in mortality. And, despite their transgression, we enjoy freedom from original guilt through Jesus Christ. Yet, our condition in mortality is one of weakness as the “natural man.”  Our spirit is confronted with the desires, appetites and passions of the body. The desires of the “natural man” cause us to violate the laws that would allow us to return to the presence of God. We become unclean because of sin.

If we will humble ourselves and come unto Jesus Christ, He will do something remarkable for us. He will show us our weakness. Our weakness is that we are the “natural man” and an enemy to God. While it may not sound like a fun thing to learn of our weakness, it is actually the beginning of repentance. We come to understand that we can be reconciled to God through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We accept His invitation to change.

What a remarkable blessing it is that God intended, from the beginning, for us to taste the bitter that we might know to prize the good. He will show us our weakness so that we may have those weak things in us become strong. Jesus Christ will transform us from a natural man or woman into a man or woman of God. This will happen a little at a time as, line upon line, grace for grace, weak things are made strong through repentance; that is, through changing our mind and heart as we come to know God and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

The sheer joy of this process is seen in Ammon’s words in Alma 26:

  16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

  21 And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.

If we truly understand repentance then we will gladly learn of our weakness. We will find greater knowledge of God and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Redeemer as we see weak things become strong through repentance. Rather than wallowing in guilt over past mistakes and haranguing ourselves as worthless and unworthy, we should celebrate the opportunity to learn and progress. God intended for us to experience the feelings and consequences of indulging the desires, appetites and passions of mortality. He does not, however, intend for us to remain in sin. He is waiting to embrace us when we choose to come to Him as we follow the sweet promptings of the Spirit.

As Ammon said, the natural man cannot know the things of God. Only the penitent can know God and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

How do I Know I Have Been Forgiven?

Often we wonder how to know if our sins have been forgiven. This is a matter of faith in Jesus Christ. He is very clear on this question. Remember the woman taken in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus. After the crowd dispersed in response to His invitation, "he that is without sin cast the first stone," Jesus asked the woman who was left to condemn her. Her response, in John 8: 12, was, “No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

This wonderful anecdote illustrates what John had already taught about Jesus in chapter 3:

  16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

  17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus did not come into the world to condemn us. He came into the world to save us from sin. His request is simple. Learn from the sin that we do not like the bitter consequences. Show through change that we prefer the good that comes from being clean of sin. We have his promise that if we change through repentance that He will not condemn us, our sins are forgiven, and we can look forward to everlasting life.

Remember, sin is an inevitable part of life. We do not fail just because we sin. We fail when we do not learn the lessons of sin in such a way that we come to better know God and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

---

[1] Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989). 

Know the Lord

There is a wonderful and profound prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. It is in the 31st chapter and is as follows:

  31 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

  32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

  33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Recall the earlier history of Israel and their interaction with God. After Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, the invitation was made to Israel to enter the presence of the Lord and to know Him at Sinai. They were to prepare themselves to meet the Lord in the mountain. But when the Lord came down to meet them, the people pulled back, as described in Exodus 20:

  18 ¶ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

  19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

They declined the opportunity to personally know their God and, instead, sent Moses to speak to God and deliver God’s word. Having rejected the opportunity to come into the presence of God, and after making the golden calf, Israel lost the higher priesthood and ordinances necessary to enter God’s presence. They were left to follow a law of outward observances and to be reliant on prophets, as intermediaries, to teach them of God. Still, Moses longed for a day when Israel would receive knowledge of the Lord when he said in Numbers 11: 29, “ … would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”

Jeremiah’s prophecy indicates that the day will come when Israel will accept the Lord’s covenant and come to know the Lord. In fact, each and every person alive will know the Lord. All will know the Lord and will know their sins have been forgiven. Imagine living among such people!  Each and every person you come in contact with would already know the Lord and have the promise of eternal life, as indicated by John 17: 3. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

At a very practical level a society like this would enjoy very different interactions. There would be no need for a prophet or apostle to say, “Know the Lord” because each member of the society, from the least to the greatest, would already know the Lord. Imagine what the church might be like if everyone already knew the Lord. A Bishop would still hold the keys of certain ordinances. He would still call people to serve in the ward organization. But, he would not need to worry about building the faith of people. Rather, he could just count upon each member of his ward being willing to serve wherever needed. Similarly, a relief society president would count on not just the visiting teachers, but on all of the other sisters to see to the needs of ward members out of a pure motivation of charity. Nobody would need the recognition of a calling or visible service. All members of this society would find their satisfaction in their personal knowledge of the Lord and His acceptance of their service.

There would still be the two lines of communication discussed by Elder Oaks (“Two Lines of Communication,” General Conference, October 2010). There would still be a church line of authority to see to the running of the church, the provision of ordinances, and the official communication of revelation from heaven. And, in addition, there would be regular personal communication from heaven. Neither line would contradict nor supersede the other. Both would make the other more effective. We would have an entire society, and church, filled with the kind of people described by President Dieter Uchtdorf in the analogy he made to his favorite pen (“Pride and the Priesthood,” General Conference, October 2010).

I once owned a pen that I loved to use during my career as an airline captain. By simply turning the shaft, I could choose one of four colors. The pen did not complain when I wanted to use red ink instead of blue. It did not say to me, “I would rather not write after 10:00 p.m., in heavy fog, or at high altitudes.” The pen did not say, “Use me only for important documents, not for the daily mundane tasks.” With greatest reliability it performed every task I needed, no matter how important or insignificant. It was always ready to serve.

In a similar way we are tools in the hands of God. When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work.

I have illustrated what this organization might be like in the picture below. This society would be made up of individuals. Some of these individuals would be in callings in the church. The church could still include the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Quorums of Seventy, Stake Presidents and all Stake auxiliary leaders, Bishops and all ward leaders, etc. Each of these would be a source of revelation for their area of responsibility. Each will serve well because of their own knowledge of the Lord and their joy being found in His service.

In addition to the church, there would be the rest of the men and women in the society. Each of these would personally know the Lord and, thus, have their own personal line of communication with God. When asked, they would serve willingly and ably in any position, great or small, in the church. When not in a calling they would serve one another in ways that would lift burdens, bring joy, create unity, etc. Each and every individual in this society would find their joy and their sense of acceptance to God through the personal line. And, when asked, would serve in the church as needed.

It is important to remember that no amount of revelation will cause us to graduate from, or move beyond, the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the place where we have the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and the Bible. In addition, we have the temple and the ordinances through which the power of godliness is manifest. As we come to know the Lord, that knowledge should be manifest in how we lift and serve others. We should not become impatient with others who are in the church and still trying to find their way. The more we know of Jesus Christ, the better we should be able to teach of Him and live as an example of a believer.

Brigham Young on Individual Learning

I really like this quote from Brigham Young about our individual ability and opportunity to be taught directly by God.

Our motive is to make every man and woman to know just as much as we do; this is the plan of the Gospel, and this is what I would like to do. I would like all the Latter-day Saints to come up to this standard, and know as much as I do, and then just as much more as they can learn, and if they can get ahead of me, all right. I can then have the privilege of following after them. If they keep up close to me, so that they will understand as I do the workings of the Spirit, they will do a good deal better than they do now. But the beauty and excellency of the wisdom that God has revealed to us is to fill everybody with wisdom, bringing them up to the highest standard of knowledge and wisdom, purifying us and preparing us to enter into the highest state of glory, knowledge and power, that we may become fit associates of the Gods and be prepared to dwell with them. This I say is the beauty and glory of the great knowledge that God has revealed unto the Latter-day Saints. You may ask in what particular? In every particular. For the knowledge men possess of every science, every art, every study there is, and every branch of mechanism known to men, they are indebted to the Lord. True men may have been taught it by his fellow man and he may have discovered much himself; but all originated with God our Heavenly Father, through his agents to the children of men. The faith and philosophy of our religion comprehends all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and I wish I was able to say a little better than I am, endures all things. But we must endure all things that we cannot help, enduring patiently until we are counted worthy to be free.

- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 19: 98

Do I Know Jesus Christ?

My journey to know Jesus Christ has been very similar to the hike we took together in an earlier post.  I have been blessed with an ever-increasing amount of light from my Father in Heaven.  As the light grows brighter I have been able to appreciate more of the detail and beauty of the gospel message.  But, rather than just tell you of my journey, let me ask a series of questions and share some thoughts that will allow us to walk together towards knowing the Savior.

In all our experiences in life there are the things that we do and then there are the things that we feel.  We learn in our minds by the choices we make about the activities we participate in, the people we associate with, and the study in which we engage.  We learn in our hearts as we contemplate the feelings that accompany our life experience.  It is when the message received in our mind is confirmed by the feelings of the heart that we experience revelation.

For example, do you remember your earliest days of learning the gospel?  It may have been your parents, a friend, or missionaries that introduced you to the gospel message.  What caused you to accept their message?  Were you somehow impressed by the goodness radiating from those who taught you?  Did you see the blessings of obedience in their lives?  Do you remember how you felt as you heard the gospel message?  Did it sound good and uplifting and thrill your soul?  Did you hope that it could be true?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you have experienced the Spirit of Jesus Christ reminding your spirit of what we knew in the premortal world.[1]

After we hear the gospel we begin to have hope of eternal life through the redemption and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We also come to know that our lives are not in harmony with all of the teachings of the gospel.  So, we begin to repent and call upon God for forgiveness.  Have you ever felt the weight of knowing that something in your life is not in harmony with God’s teachings?  Have you felt that burden lifted as you repented and moved on living in a little better harmony with the gospel?  Repentance and forgiveness bring joy and relief from the burden of sin.

Many of us were baptized at a young age and may not remember that day.  Fortunately, we have the opportunity to attend baptisms of friends and family members.  Once we are twelve years old we have the blessing of doing baptisms for the dead.  Whether it was at your baptism or at any other baptism, have you ever felt the spirit whisper of the cleansing power of the Savior?  Not long ago I had the privilege of going to the temple with the young women from our ward.  One of these young women brought the name of her grandfather to be baptized and confirmed in the temple.  I got to baptize this young woman’s father in behalf of her grandfather as she looked on.  Our eyes filled with tears as we felt the gratitude of her grandfather from the other side of the veil.  The spirit whispered and we were uplifted.

Following faith, repentance and baptism we are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Often we hear in talks of dramatic stories where the Holy Ghost directs someone to leave a dangerous situation.  These are great stories of blessing to those who experienced them.  But, we are not promised that we will be saved from all danger by the Holy Ghost.  Rather, we are promised by Jesus Christ that the Holy Ghost “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” and “he shall testify of me.”[2]

Have you ever been reading your scriptures and had a verse grab your attention?  Have you ever stopped to ponder that verse and felt it speak to your heart?  Have you ever looked for similar verses and had your understanding of a gospel principle confirmed and expanded?  These are all done by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Do you remember hearing a talk or a lesson and feeling challenged to make a change in something you were doing or not doing?  Did you feel that your life could be brought into better alignment with the teachings of the Gospel?  Did you feel a little closer to God because of that effort to change?  This is part of enduring to the end.

The atonement provides more than just the power to erase the stains of sin.  It also offers us the chance to become better than we currently are.  It is the power of change in our lives.  Once we have forsaken the worst of our sins, Jesus Christ is still the power that allows us to grow and progress toward our Father in Heaven.  It is only through Jesus Christ that we can approach the Father.

In the temple we learn the way back into the presence of our Father in Heaven.  The temple is, itself, a great symbol of Jesus Christ.  If we will approach the temple as if we are approaching the Savior we will be refined and purified through our temple worship.  We will be taught of how we are literally transformed and prepared in all ways to enter the presence of God. 

Have you ever felt a little closer to God in the temple?  Have you ever had a principle of the gospel become clear as you pondered the symbols in the temple?  Have you ever felt the cares of the world left behind and your soul lifted as you participated in temple ordinances?  It is in the priesthood ordinances that we find the key to the knowledge of God.[3]  These flashes of insight are an important part of the Lord’s promise to manifest Himself to His people in mercy in His house.[4]

Would you like to see Jesus Christ?  Have you ever done something kind for someone else and felt your own burdens become easier to bear?  Have ever served another person and felt your love and care for them grow beyond what you expected?  Have you ever put someone else’s needs ahead of your own and been surprised at the deep impact this can have?  When we serve those around us we are in the service of Jesus Christ and we see Him in the service of others.

Jesus said:[5]

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

We can be where the Savior is if we will serve Him by serving our brothers and sisters.

Were you able to answer “yes” to any of the questions I asked?  If you did then you have felt the quiet whisperings of the Spirit in those situations I asked about.  In fact, you are much like the Lamanites spoken of by Jesus Christ who “were baptized with fire and with the holy Chost, and they knew it not.”[6]  If in reading this post you have been reminded of past spiritual experiences I would ask Alma’s question, “Can you feel so now?”[7]

Each week as we partake of the sacrament we have the opportunity to turn our minds to Jesus Christ.  I have found a question that is of great help to me.  The question is, “when is the last time I felt the Spirit in my life?”  If I have not felt, and acknowledged feeling, the spirit since the last time I partook of the sacrament then I know there is something out of line with the gospel in my life.  I can prayerfully ask what I need to do and my loving Father in Heaven will bring to my mind that which I need to work on next.  Remember the question, “When is the last time I felt and acknowledged feeling the Spirit?”

Remember that we are, in fact, eternal spirit beings living in mortality in order to become like our Father in Heaven.  We were born into mortality as infants that could not walk, talk, feed ourselves, or even understand the loving language of our parents.  But, over time and with effort we learn and progress to become adults. 

Similarly, when we are born again we are as spiritual infants.  The language of the spirit feels good but we do not yet understand it in full.  The language of the spirit is quiet and is best heard while we are praying, serving others, reading the scriptures or worshiping in the temple.  These are the things we should be doing because they are things that will bring us closer to Jesus Christ.  By following the gospel path we will grow and progress in the things of the Spirit to the end that we may return to live with our Father in Heaven.  Sometimes the path seems difficult.  I believe, though, that there is no challenge that we may face in this life that cannot be overcome through the power of Jesus Christ.[8] 

At the end of the hike I described, we raised our hands in celebration of reaching the summit in the full light of the rising sun. I look forward to the day when, through the Savior’s guidance and mercy, we will raise our hands in the joy of the full light of God’s presence. That is the greatest destination we can work towards. It is only in and through the light of Jesus Christ that we can find our way to our Father in Heaven.

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[1] See D&C 84:

  44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.

  45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

  46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

  47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.

[2] See John 14: 26, 15:26

[3] See D&C 84:

  19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

  20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

  21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

  22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

[4] See D&C 110:

  7 For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

[5] See John 12: 25-26

[6] See 3 Nephi 9: 20

[7] See Alma 5: 26

[8] See Ether 12:

  27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

This I Know ...

Often in our LDS tradition we talk of the things we “know.” But, from time to time I wonder what it means to “know” a thing. For example, I have a brother who I claim to know. Yet, despite a lifetime of experience, beginning with us living in the same home and continuing with very regular contact, there is much I do not know about him. It is true that I know his name and his outward appearance. I know some of his likes or dislikes. I even how to push his buttons, so to speak, if I want to play the part of the tormenting older brother again. The reality is, though, there is much that I do not know about his inner feelings, hopes, and dreams as well as experiences he has had when I have not been present. 

Just recently I learned something about an experience my brother had in high school that I had not known before. Does this new story invalidate my claim to know my brother? Not in the least. What I knew before, I still know. Now, I just know him a little better, in a little more detail.

Another example of “knowing” a thing is the classic story of the blind men and the elephant. This story is found in Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and other traditions. There is a version by John Godfrey Saxe that I will quote in part:

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined, 

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind), 

That each by observation 

Might satisfy his mind.

In subsequent verses we learn that these six men each touched a different part of the elephant. Each declared their discovery that an elephant was like: a wall, a spear, a snake, a tree, a fan, or a rope. The concluding verses close the story:

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long, 

Each in his own opinion 

Exceeding stiff and strong, 

Though each was partly in the right, 

And all were in the wrong! 

So, oft in theologic wars 

The disputants, I ween, 

Rail on in utter ignorance 

Of what each other mean, 

And prate about an Elephant 

Not one of them has seen! 

Often we experience a religious principle, teaching or doctrine and feel that we know something about it. Just like my claim to know my brother, there is real substance to our sincere knowledge of religious principles. But, like the blind men and the elephant, our view of a particular principle may be limited to just one facet or aspect. What we know may be correct, as far as it goes, but may not be complete. Many disagreements are born of “testimony” that is correct, even supported by the witness of the Spirit, yet incomplete.

Similar to me knowing my brother, or the blind men knowing about an elephant, I claim to know four things that we refer to as the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel. And I have, in fact, learned something about each of these four. I know their names, some basic descriptions, a few anecdotes based upon experience, and have even felt the confirmation of the Spirit that these principles and ordinances are of God. At times I have even been tempted to feel that I know these things well enough to get bored when they come up, yet again, in a talk or a lesson. After all, I have attended over 2,300 sacrament meetings and Sunday School classes, 1,800 priesthood lessons, 700 seminary classes, as well as innumerable family home evenings, stake conferences and general conferences where these first four principles and ordinances have been discussed. I have never found a reason to doubt these four things. In fact, as I mentioned, I have often felt the warm reassurance of the Holy Ghost that these things are true.

Yet, there is much I do not yet know. This is an important start to further learning. One of the greatest obstacles to learning is the thought that we already know enough. If, on the other hand, we realize that we are like one of the blind men and that there are more aspects of the elephant to experience, then we can continue to learn. In fact, once all the blind men experience the entire elephant, their disagreements will likely be resolved. 

One of the best learning experiences I have had is to set aside what I think I know and turn to the scriptures to see what they really teach about a principle or ordinance. Often I find that my past understanding is basically correct, yet incomplete. Always I find that the scriptures teach about Jesus Christ. I learn more about Him every time I search the scriptures. In subsequent posts I will share some of what I have learned. I hope you will accept these contemplations as just one blind man's views of Jesus Christ.