Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live with the unfortunate misunderstanding that everything in the scriptures is part of a to-do list. Not everything is on our shoulders. For instance, instead of reading Paul’s list of the traits that stem from charity as a list of chores to work on, we can read it as a list of behaviors that grow naturally from charity.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ...” (Moroni 7:48). Charity is a gift from God; we position ourselves based on the conditions outlined for receiving it, and then God instills it in us. The virtues that grow out of charity will then flow to us naturally. Longsuffering, kindness, not envying, not being puffed up, seeking not our own, not being easily provoked, thinking no evil, rejoicing not in iniquity, rejoicing in truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things—these traits begin to take hold in us naturally after God bestows on us His gift of charity.
Charity as a gift from God offered to those who meet certain qualifications (like being a “true follower of his Son,” and praying “with all the energy of heart” for it). In other words, there is our part in the pursuit of the virtue, and God’s part. Our work, and His work. God is an active participant in making us better—the burden is not all on our shoulders.
There is another virtue that follows this pattern of being the result of our works, and God’s work in us: faith.
Our Work
We have been warned that, in this time, no one will be able to live on borrowed light successfully. What part do we play in growing our own faith? Alma 32 is the go-to scripture concerning our role in cultivating our faith in Christ.
The first twenty five or so verses of that chapter are spent reassuring us that deep humility is a prerequisite for receiving the gift of faith. Extending the agricultural metaphor used by Alma, a softened heart is like softened soil—ready for seeds to be planted. Gratitude, patience, and willingness to follow divine direction also arise from humility.
Hearing the word (planting the seed) at some point is necessary to begin the process. Faith is like a muscle that we always have, but faith in a particular idea, or person, grows or shrinks depending upon our exercise of our faith. Jesus said, “If any man will do [God’s] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). We develop our faith in God’s commandments as we follow them and see the results.
Feeling sorrow for our sins, and turning away from them in our minds, hearts, and with our feet and hands, also positions us to receive greater faith.
Studying the scriptures is one of the best ways to cultivate our faith. They remind us, not only of the events they record, but of events in our lives in which our faith was strengthened. As we survey evidences from the past, we remember miracles and the intervention of God in our own lives.
The Lord’s Work in Us
The things we do to cultivate our faith all have one thing in common: they make room for the Holy Spirit in us. When we refuse evil and choose the good, the influence of the Spirit can be present in greater portions. While the Holy Ghost is a personage in one place at one time, His influence can be felt anywhere, by any number of people, to greater or lesser degrees, depending on the people’s behavior and attitudes.
Moroni refers to Jesus Christ as “the author and finisher of [our] faith” (Moroni 6:4).
Even with all we can do to choose to believe, choose to keep the commandments, choose to strive and pray, our efforts will not bear adequate fruit without God.
If faith is a gift from God, why doesn’t God just convince everyone? He can surely do it, so why doesn’t He? Alma 32 gives us one possible reason:
“And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?” (Alma 32:19).
Our culpability for our sins is proportional to our knowledge. The more certain we are of God, His existence and His will for us, the more power we have to condemn ourselves through defying Him and doing what we know to be wrong. (This might be the main reason for requiring us to position ourselves in the most humble, penitent, and righteous stance we can manage on our own before God reinforces our faith.)
A Spiritual Gift
Moroni lists “exceedingly great faith” among the spiritual gifts we can receive from God. The Lord tells Joseph Smith that, “To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.” (D&C 46:13).
What if we lack that gift of the Spirit? “And it shall come to pass that he that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit” (D&C 46:28). If we do not have a spiritual gift we need, we can ask for it.
Our faith as it stands, as we cultivate it within ourselves, and the confirmation of that faith by the Holy Spirit, can merge like the flames of two candles into one larger flame.
Snowballing
Spiritual gifts are given “that all may be profited thereby.” Another price we must pay for increased faith is the willingness to cultivate the faith of other people with our own.
“A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it. Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that ‘leap of faith,’ as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and step into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two” (President Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified, 1982, pg. 340).
Exercising faith by bearing witness of God couples with the sustaining, supporting hand of the Lord in us. Whoever has the courage to stand up for Him receives an increase of faith, and other spiritual gifts.
Faith in Christ, Receiving Christ
President Nelson has recently encouraged the Latter-day Saints to prepare to receive the Savior to the earth, to prepare for His Second Coming. This is intimidating, yet also exciting. What can prepare us to stand without fear in the presence of God? (Whether He comes to us, or we go to Him, we will each meet Jesus Christ someday, so the question is pertinent for everyone.)
“And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
“For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.
“But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.
“Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.” (Ether 12:6-9).
Elder Hales died during October 2017 General Conference. He did not have the chance to deliver the talk he composed for that meeting. His brother from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Niel L. Andersen, obtained a copy of his talk, and quoted a paragraph from it at the end of the last session:
“When we choose to have faith, we are prepared to stand in the presence of God. … After the Savior’s Crucifixion, He appeared only to those ‘who had been faithful in the testimony of [Him] while they lived in mortality.’ [D&C 138:12.] Those ‘who rejected the testimonies … of the … prophets [could not] behold [the Savior’s] presence, nor look upon his face.’ [D&C 138:21.] … Our faith prepares us to be in the presence of the Lord.”
The metaphor employed by the scriptures is that of a Groom coming to marry His bride. As His Church, we constitute the bride, and a bride should be excited for her Groom, unafraid. Faith in Christ, of His sustaining influence, and in the directions and guidance we receive from Him, will carry us through the tribulations leading up to His arrival on this earth, and prepare us to meet Him, whenever and wherever that may occur.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Addressing Two Misunderstandings
Statements often have assumptions and false premises woven into them. I recently encountered two.
In the parable of the talents, three servants are each given different amounts of money by their master, who then leaves them to their own devices. We often focus on the plight of the servant who received one talent, buried it, and was severely rebuked by his Lord.
There is another important point here. The servant who received five talents, and doubled that initial investment, and the servant who received two and doubled his, were both congratulated gladly by their master.
Jesus was the Son of God, and a mortal mother, Mary. No one else ever had that advantage. He only was able to live a perfect, sinless life; this is a great example for us to follow, but we invariable spill water trying to carry that jug on our heads, even when we are giving our best efforts.
My point is that we are judged based on how we use what gifts we receive and play our individual roles, not on how we stack up against others who received more (or differently) than we did.
God placed us on this earth to be our individual selves, not to be someone else. If you are female, following and emulating Jesus would include being the very best girl or woman you can be, not necessarily trying to act in male ways because Jesus was male.
If your gifts, your allotted talents, include being a woman, then doubling that endowment is the way to follow Christ.
Individual Liahonas
“And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” (1Ne. 4:6). Nephi here explains that his success in accomplishing his life’s missions was due in large measure to having the courage to follow individual promptings that came to him, and to no one else.
Sometimes we mistakenly believe that we already know what God wants from us. Sometimes we do know; other times the Lord has something else in mind. When this is the case, He will send us promptings through the Spirit. It is like having our own unique compass built into us, our personal Liahona. It will give us unexpected directions that may conflict with our well thought out itineraries.
There is a tendency to give one’s day planner priority over the promptings of the Spirit. It is also possible to waste time doing the wrong good thing, when the Spirit is clearly directing us elsewhere, if only we will heed those whisperings.
A personal story will illustrate my point.
One night I was driving home, and I saw a car broken down on the side of the road. A young man and a young woman, two siblings, were stranded there. My first impulse was to run to the rescue, but I felt a distinct prompting to keep on driving. I argued with and eventually ignored that prompting, doing what I thought I knew to be right, instead of following the still, small voice.
The car’s occupants said the engine was overheating. I recommended that they follow me to a nearby gas station. They drove slowly and parked in front of the station. I checked their engine to see if it had adequate anti-freeze (which also cools the engine). Their reservoir was empty. I bought a large container of anti-freeze, and began pouring it into the reservoir. I noticed that the level of anti-freeze in the engine did not seem to be rising; why was I unable to fill it up?
I looked down and saw a puddle of green slime moving towards my feet. The reservoir was empty because it was punctured and leaking.
At that point, the father of the two stranded siblings arrived, and I left embarrassed.
I had ignored my personalized spiritual prompting, and done things my way, following my own notions of right and wrong instead of relying on the subtle directions of an omniscient Being. I had wasted my time and money, and made a mess in the parking lot of a local refueling station.
This story might serve as a microcosm of a broader problem. We assume that we already know what the right thing is, and act on that assumption, even when the Spirit has other directions for us. This is akin to roaming around wearing a backpack full of rocks—carrying burdens we have assigned to ourselves that sap our strength and displace the actual work God would have us be about.
How does this apply to trying to emulate Jesus Christ?
“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). This sounds easy, even quaint, until we consider the enormity of the burdens Jesus bore to fulfill this statement.
Consider just one incident where doing His Father’s will meant disappointing friends, doing what they considered to be wrong.
He received word that His friend, Lazarus, was sick and at the brink of death. Instead of doing what many of us would consider to be the “right thing”—running and administering as quickly as possible—Jesus lingered, allowing Lazarus to die. He had been dead for four days when Jesus finally showed up.
Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, chided Jesus, giving Him advice about punctuality:
“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died…
“…Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21, 32).
Jesus did the wrong thing by their estimation; He pleased His Father first, and all others were secondary to Him. Under normal circumstances, administering to Lazarus before he died would have been the right thing. But God had other plans.
Why was it right to delay and allow Lazarus to die? Jesus prayed before the tomb where His friend’s body was laid:
“…but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:42-43).
Lazarus arose, returned from the dead by Jesus Christ. In His way, in His time, not in Martha or Mary’s time. And many people believed on Jesus as a result.
Trying to be like Jesus entails being ourselves, but our very best selves. It also includes following the promptings of the Spirit, rather than assuming we already know what is right and neglecting the things God is trying to tell us. If our attempts to be like Jesus are a dance, then the Spirit should lead.
A second misunderstanding I encountered recently came in the form of a criticism of Christian faith. The basic premise could be summarized:
If Jesus died to pay for our sins, and He was resurrected, then His resurrection negates that payment for our sins.
This critique of our faith (along with many others) might actually be useful if presented as a sincere inquiry; there are always answers to questions, if we are willing to pay the price for them.
Here is my response:
Our finite minds struggle to grasp infinite things, whether of infinite duration, infinite size, or infinite intensity. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was just such a thing—it has many aspects that are infinite, limitless.
To better help us comprehend the incomprehensible, scripture presents metaphors for the Atonement. They are legitimate, given to us by God, and well-worn (some more, some less, depending on the community being taught). They can all help us wrap our minds and hearts around what Jesus Christ has done for us. But they have limits.
Here are some of those paradigms employed for our sake:
Economic
We say Jesus “paid” for our sins. This is slightly inaccurate; He Atoned for our sins. Yes, as with a commercial transaction, Jesus gave Himself in exchange for us. But the similarities to a shopper purchasing something with money break down.
“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
“…therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world” (Alma 34:10, 12).
When was the last time you paid infinity dollars for something? The economic metaphor has reached the limits of its use in assisting our comprehension.
Maternal
Jesus used the figure of a mother travailing in labor to give birth to describe what He was about to go through when He suffered for our sins.
“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (John 16:21).
Agricultural
He also compared His death to a seed falling to the ground, and rising again to bear many seeds, a harvest.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).
One of the most prominent ways in which God taught His people anciently about the upcoming Atonement of His Son was the Tabernacle or Temple, with their altars out front for all to see. A sinner would bring a lamb (or other animal) that met certain qualifications (without blemish, first-born, no broken bones, kept from begetting any offspring, etc.), and the priests would ritually kill this animal to atone for the sins of the one who offered it. This metaphor breaks down because the animal does not spring back to life after being slaughtered and burned. Jesus was resurrected.
Why did Jesus return from the dead, if His death was some form of payment?
The Atonement might be better understood as trading places. Jesus stood in our place, was judged, suffered for our sins, and died, because that is what each sinner deserves. He bore our merits, our punishment.
He offers us the opportunity to receive what He deserves and owns. An abundance of the Spirit; spiritual gifts; healing, both mental and physical, to resemble His wholeness; freedom from addiction and anger and misery; strength to bear burdens; a vibrant relationship with God. These were all things Jesus had, and enjoyed, because He earned them. We do not really merit them, but when we take the name of Jesus Christ upon ourselves, we stand in His place and receive these unearned blessings, gifts, and grace.
We formalize this process by receiving priesthood ordinances, such as baptism.
Jesus offers us the opportunity to stand in His place, sit in His throne, eat His feast, because He stood in our place and bore vicariously the misery we merited. What He offers includes a glorious resurrection.
The first was expressed by a sincere, good woman.
She apparently was operating under the assumption that “trying to be like Jesus” meant attempting to behave and think in stereotypical male ways. She took that admonition as a commandment to be more masculine, or at least have more sympathy for men, try to see the world the way men do.
She followed her disclosure of this mistaken notion with a request that men would learn to reciprocate by seeing the world through female eyes, since she thought she had been asked to perceive the world through a male lens.
This is misguided, and what follows is my response to her sincere, misled attempt to do the right thing.
Spheres
“All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence” (D&C 93:30). As intelligences native to light and truth, we have been placed by God in our individual spheres. This includes our surroundings, our relationships, our environment, our internal world, and our bodies, natures, gifts, talents, and attributes.
These are unique for each individual. How, then, are we to try to emulate Jesus Christ?
It is not necessarily by walking the roads of forgotten villages somewhere in Palestine, nor grow a beard, nor live the law of Moses. We each have a unique life to live; living that life as best as we can—be the best version of you in your given circumstances—is the way to be like Jesus.
She apparently was operating under the assumption that “trying to be like Jesus” meant attempting to behave and think in stereotypical male ways. She took that admonition as a commandment to be more masculine, or at least have more sympathy for men, try to see the world the way men do.
She followed her disclosure of this mistaken notion with a request that men would learn to reciprocate by seeing the world through female eyes, since she thought she had been asked to perceive the world through a male lens.
This is misguided, and what follows is my response to her sincere, misled attempt to do the right thing.
Spheres
“All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence” (D&C 93:30). As intelligences native to light and truth, we have been placed by God in our individual spheres. This includes our surroundings, our relationships, our environment, our internal world, and our bodies, natures, gifts, talents, and attributes.
These are unique for each individual. How, then, are we to try to emulate Jesus Christ?
It is not necessarily by walking the roads of forgotten villages somewhere in Palestine, nor grow a beard, nor live the law of Moses. We each have a unique life to live; living that life as best as we can—be the best version of you in your given circumstances—is the way to be like Jesus.
In the parable of the talents, three servants are each given different amounts of money by their master, who then leaves them to their own devices. We often focus on the plight of the servant who received one talent, buried it, and was severely rebuked by his Lord.
There is another important point here. The servant who received five talents, and doubled that initial investment, and the servant who received two and doubled his, were both congratulated gladly by their master.
Jesus was the Son of God, and a mortal mother, Mary. No one else ever had that advantage. He only was able to live a perfect, sinless life; this is a great example for us to follow, but we invariable spill water trying to carry that jug on our heads, even when we are giving our best efforts.
My point is that we are judged based on how we use what gifts we receive and play our individual roles, not on how we stack up against others who received more (or differently) than we did.
God placed us on this earth to be our individual selves, not to be someone else. If you are female, following and emulating Jesus would include being the very best girl or woman you can be, not necessarily trying to act in male ways because Jesus was male.
If your gifts, your allotted talents, include being a woman, then doubling that endowment is the way to follow Christ.
Individual Liahonas
“And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” (1Ne. 4:6). Nephi here explains that his success in accomplishing his life’s missions was due in large measure to having the courage to follow individual promptings that came to him, and to no one else.
Sometimes we mistakenly believe that we already know what God wants from us. Sometimes we do know; other times the Lord has something else in mind. When this is the case, He will send us promptings through the Spirit. It is like having our own unique compass built into us, our personal Liahona. It will give us unexpected directions that may conflict with our well thought out itineraries.
There is a tendency to give one’s day planner priority over the promptings of the Spirit. It is also possible to waste time doing the wrong good thing, when the Spirit is clearly directing us elsewhere, if only we will heed those whisperings.
A personal story will illustrate my point.
One night I was driving home, and I saw a car broken down on the side of the road. A young man and a young woman, two siblings, were stranded there. My first impulse was to run to the rescue, but I felt a distinct prompting to keep on driving. I argued with and eventually ignored that prompting, doing what I thought I knew to be right, instead of following the still, small voice.
The car’s occupants said the engine was overheating. I recommended that they follow me to a nearby gas station. They drove slowly and parked in front of the station. I checked their engine to see if it had adequate anti-freeze (which also cools the engine). Their reservoir was empty. I bought a large container of anti-freeze, and began pouring it into the reservoir. I noticed that the level of anti-freeze in the engine did not seem to be rising; why was I unable to fill it up?
I looked down and saw a puddle of green slime moving towards my feet. The reservoir was empty because it was punctured and leaking.
At that point, the father of the two stranded siblings arrived, and I left embarrassed.
I had ignored my personalized spiritual prompting, and done things my way, following my own notions of right and wrong instead of relying on the subtle directions of an omniscient Being. I had wasted my time and money, and made a mess in the parking lot of a local refueling station.
This story might serve as a microcosm of a broader problem. We assume that we already know what the right thing is, and act on that assumption, even when the Spirit has other directions for us. This is akin to roaming around wearing a backpack full of rocks—carrying burdens we have assigned to ourselves that sap our strength and displace the actual work God would have us be about.
How does this apply to trying to emulate Jesus Christ?
“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). This sounds easy, even quaint, until we consider the enormity of the burdens Jesus bore to fulfill this statement.
Consider just one incident where doing His Father’s will meant disappointing friends, doing what they considered to be wrong.
He received word that His friend, Lazarus, was sick and at the brink of death. Instead of doing what many of us would consider to be the “right thing”—running and administering as quickly as possible—Jesus lingered, allowing Lazarus to die. He had been dead for four days when Jesus finally showed up.
Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, chided Jesus, giving Him advice about punctuality:
“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died…
“…Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21, 32).
Jesus did the wrong thing by their estimation; He pleased His Father first, and all others were secondary to Him. Under normal circumstances, administering to Lazarus before he died would have been the right thing. But God had other plans.
Why was it right to delay and allow Lazarus to die? Jesus prayed before the tomb where His friend’s body was laid:
“…but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:42-43).
Lazarus arose, returned from the dead by Jesus Christ. In His way, in His time, not in Martha or Mary’s time. And many people believed on Jesus as a result.
Trying to be like Jesus entails being ourselves, but our very best selves. It also includes following the promptings of the Spirit, rather than assuming we already know what is right and neglecting the things God is trying to tell us. If our attempts to be like Jesus are a dance, then the Spirit should lead.
A second misunderstanding I encountered recently came in the form of a criticism of Christian faith. The basic premise could be summarized:
If Jesus died to pay for our sins, and He was resurrected, then His resurrection negates that payment for our sins.
This critique of our faith (along with many others) might actually be useful if presented as a sincere inquiry; there are always answers to questions, if we are willing to pay the price for them.
Here is my response:
Our finite minds struggle to grasp infinite things, whether of infinite duration, infinite size, or infinite intensity. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was just such a thing—it has many aspects that are infinite, limitless.
To better help us comprehend the incomprehensible, scripture presents metaphors for the Atonement. They are legitimate, given to us by God, and well-worn (some more, some less, depending on the community being taught). They can all help us wrap our minds and hearts around what Jesus Christ has done for us. But they have limits.
Here are some of those paradigms employed for our sake:
Economic
We say Jesus “paid” for our sins. This is slightly inaccurate; He Atoned for our sins. Yes, as with a commercial transaction, Jesus gave Himself in exchange for us. But the similarities to a shopper purchasing something with money break down.
“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
“…therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world” (Alma 34:10, 12).
When was the last time you paid infinity dollars for something? The economic metaphor has reached the limits of its use in assisting our comprehension.
Maternal
Jesus used the figure of a mother travailing in labor to give birth to describe what He was about to go through when He suffered for our sins.
“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (John 16:21).
Our spiritual rebirth is a parallel here, but the metaphor still has limits. Jesus was male, and His suffering included infinite pain for billions of individuals’ sins, whereas mothers endure pain to give birth to one (or maybe two or three) innocent individuals at a time.
Agricultural
He also compared His death to a seed falling to the ground, and rising again to bear many seeds, a harvest.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).
But Jesus returned after His death. We cannot retrieve an intact seed beneath the plant that grew from it; it is lost permanently.
Animal Sacrifice
Animal Sacrifice
One of the most prominent ways in which God taught His people anciently about the upcoming Atonement of His Son was the Tabernacle or Temple, with their altars out front for all to see. A sinner would bring a lamb (or other animal) that met certain qualifications (without blemish, first-born, no broken bones, kept from begetting any offspring, etc.), and the priests would ritually kill this animal to atone for the sins of the one who offered it. This metaphor breaks down because the animal does not spring back to life after being slaughtered and burned. Jesus was resurrected.
Why did Jesus return from the dead, if His death was some form of payment?
The Atonement might be better understood as trading places. Jesus stood in our place, was judged, suffered for our sins, and died, because that is what each sinner deserves. He bore our merits, our punishment.
He offers us the opportunity to receive what He deserves and owns. An abundance of the Spirit; spiritual gifts; healing, both mental and physical, to resemble His wholeness; freedom from addiction and anger and misery; strength to bear burdens; a vibrant relationship with God. These were all things Jesus had, and enjoyed, because He earned them. We do not really merit them, but when we take the name of Jesus Christ upon ourselves, we stand in His place and receive these unearned blessings, gifts, and grace.
We formalize this process by receiving priesthood ordinances, such as baptism.
Jesus offers us the opportunity to stand in His place, sit in His throne, eat His feast, because He stood in our place and bore vicariously the misery we merited. What He offers includes a glorious resurrection.
If He had not been resurrected, it would not be among the joys and blessings He would be able to offer to us. But because He was resurrected, everyone will be resurrected. (It is just a question of how good the quality of that resurrection will be; He has also made provision to secure the highest quality resurrection for all who will receive the necessary ordinances, and live up to the associated promises).
Before we begin charging headlong into a particular cause, let us triple-check to ensure our zeal is thoroughly informed, under-girded by a firm understanding of what work we are to be about, and how to get that work accomplished.
Also, we can avoid confusion by remembering we are imperfect beings, using imperfect words to describe infinite perfections and glories. We should check to see whether we are stumped by a flaw in the Gospel, or a flaw in the language we use to convey it.
Before we begin charging headlong into a particular cause, let us triple-check to ensure our zeal is thoroughly informed, under-girded by a firm understanding of what work we are to be about, and how to get that work accomplished.
Also, we can avoid confusion by remembering we are imperfect beings, using imperfect words to describe infinite perfections and glories. We should check to see whether we are stumped by a flaw in the Gospel, or a flaw in the language we use to convey it.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Materialism
One day, people will talk about what is happening today by saying, "One hundred years ago..." They will undoubtedly point out the vastly different beliefs and practices of society then versus now. Technology and scientific knowledge will have advanced beyond what is considered cutting edge today.
Moral relativism is opportunistic, not rigid, so he shifts his position according to convenience. Certainty is a certainty up front; meanwhile, the rats are ready to jump ship at the first sign of sinking.
With sophisticated arguments against God promoted abundantly, and the mocking inhabitants of the great and spacious building "point[ing] the finger of scorn" (1Ne. 8:33), it will take more than a preponderance of tangible evidence for the existence of God to preserve faith in Christ today. Alma had seen an angel with his own eyes, but he did not give that as the reason for his certainty.
"Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
"Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:45-46).
The Spirit and its influence in our lives are tangible (though non-transferable, typically) evidences for faith in Christ. Guidance, impressions, peace, love, joy, a changed heart; all these things are evidence that bolsters our faith.
Personal experience, especially the kind that comes from years of seeking God in private and living the standards set forth by His prophets, creates layers of confidence to stabilize us, especially when times get hard and Satan tempts us to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9), or to die spiritually.
The Book of Mormon has great power to anchor us to the "rock" of Christ (Hel. 5:12). It anticipates the sordid materialism and logic of our day, and gives us the alternative. Just as Korihor is a faith-shaker and anti-Christ, so Alma and Amulek become faith builders. Two chapters after Korihor's ignominious end, Alma and Amulek give us a masterful sermon on planting the word (Jesus Christ, His suffering, death, and resurrection) in our hearts, and nurturing it. At some point in the process, faith becomes trust, trust becomes confidence, confidence becomes knowledge. It can come instantly, but typically, it grows steadily, bit by bit.
It is not necessary to have an answer to every doubt and criticism. "We heeded them not" was the way Lehi and those partaking of the fruit of the tree of life dealt with mockers. There are things we know; we should not throw them away because of what we do not know or currently understand (yet).
A pattern of asking questions, and getting to the point where we are ready for, and receive, answers, is part of long-term discipleship. Put questions on the shelf—for years, if necessary—with full confidence that the Lord can, and will, answer them the instant we are ready to receive. "What powershall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints" (D&C 121:33).
A good fast and testimony meeting becomes a rich tapestry of evidences, recently gleaned, from the lives of the congregation. The Spirit becomes palpable and undeniable during priesthood ordinances.
Those who are interested in having spiritual experiences can participate in Temple work. Even seeking out the dead to submit their names for Temple work is fraught with miracles as information that was hidden is recovered. The Temple is a bulwark of spiritual warmth and light in an increasingly cold and dimming world.
The testimonies and teachings of living prophets and Apostles are yet another shield for our faith. They point us to Christ, teach us how to access His power and stand against Satan and the avalanche of temptations and sophistry we cope with daily.
Rather than prioritize and trust in the physical, material things of this world, and place primary trust in the evidence of our bodily senses, we can exercise faith and trust in the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. It seems paradoxical, but relying upon this intangible, invisible voice will guide us far better than logic, human technology, or current moral or social trends.
God knows all things and loves us immensely, individually. He therefore wants us to be happy as He is. He gives us spiritual guidance and nourishment. These things will bleed into the physical realm, when necessary, for our benefit, provided we remain faithful to Him.
This requires us to prioritize spiritual things above the physical, and exercise faith in His outcomes, certain, though (as yet) unseen.
Oddly, it is possible to believe in that very reasonable future, and at the same time have confidence in today's scientific model of the universe. Odd, because if past experience is any teacher, knowledge evolves and replaces old ideas at an ever-increasing pace. It would make more sense to believe in such a future, and therefore approach today's knowledge as tomorrow's outdated 100-year-old understanding of science, instead of placing absolute confidence in it.
Materialism can have two meanings, and they are closely connected. One has to do with the pursuit of ownership, material goods, wealth. The other is broader, and seems less ignoble: The belief that the universe consists of nothing but what can be demonstrated to exist via the scientific method. That second kind of materialism is gripping modern society, threatening religion and society itself.
Evangelical Materialism
The quintessential anti-Christ from scripture is Korihor. His hypocritical certitude shines through:
"Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
"...ye cannot know of things which ye do not see..." Alma 30:13-15. He teaches with certainty about the future, saying that he knows there will be no Christ, while denying the power to predict the future.
"And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime" (Alma 30:17).
Today's marketers of atheism leave out that last part about the non-existence of crime and utility of conquest in their public discourse. Nevertheless, it is a logical extension of the belief that there is no God, no law, no afterlife, and no judgment. Moral relativism is the figurative gem in the center of the forehead of the idol of atheism.
Today's rational materialists preach that science and technology have made a mostly-peaceful, prospering world for us, and that we ought to throw religion overboard as a cumbersome and embarrassing relic. This is a faulty conclusion. Large portions of Asia were the testing ground for this notion for about the last century. Atheism was the official state religion; reason, rationalism, science, empiricism, logic, these were supposed to be the guiding stars of their ships of state.
What was the result?
Millions of innocent people slaughtered, imprisoned, and impoverished; the evaporation of personal freedoms; the effective enslavement of the populace. The shackles began to fall in the late 1980s, but Asia is still largely reeling from the oppression of its now-vanished rational-materialist states.
Those who point to the west, Europe and the Americas, and the rising prosperity there, speak as though this wealth and peace are the result of modern science. Atheist Asia had science and technology, too. What makes the difference between the outcomes?
At least one thing that materialists seem unable to see is that the West is saturated with Christian principles, even if only as a residue of expectations for behavior and social norms. Compassion, kindness, fair play, mercy, humane treatment of others, forgiveness—all these virtues are woven into the tapestry of how children are raised and values inculcated in society. And this saturation with Christian principles, even if disassociated from religion, accounts in a large way for the difference between Asia's nightmare and the West's prosperous dream.
Asia discovered what happens when people in power accept Korihor's premises—that there is no objective, self-evident right or wrong. As the West rejects Judeo-Christian beliefs in God and judgment and the afterlife, and adopts secularism as the de facto institutional and state religion, moral relativism, the disbelief in right and wrong as real things, will rear its head, and society will plunge (or drift slowly, imperceptibly) into a morass of dishonesty, exploitation, and outright violence.
It will not be enough to simply raise everybody to be nice and kind. Inquiring minds will ask, Why should I? And Korihor will be there converting new disciples with his answers: "...whatsoever a man [does is] no crime." (The attempt to raise a generation of nice people without religion is resulting, ironically, in ostracism, cruelty, and even violence—lashing out in the attempt to enforce tolerance, of all things.)
Korihor begins to waffle at the last minute as Alma debates him:
"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator...
"...ye cannot know of things which ye do not see..." Alma 30:13-15. He teaches with certainty about the future, saying that he knows there will be no Christ, while denying the power to predict the future.
"And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime" (Alma 30:17).
Today's marketers of atheism leave out that last part about the non-existence of crime and utility of conquest in their public discourse. Nevertheless, it is a logical extension of the belief that there is no God, no law, no afterlife, and no judgment. Moral relativism is the figurative gem in the center of the forehead of the idol of atheism.
Today's rational materialists preach that science and technology have made a mostly-peaceful, prospering world for us, and that we ought to throw religion overboard as a cumbersome and embarrassing relic. This is a faulty conclusion. Large portions of Asia were the testing ground for this notion for about the last century. Atheism was the official state religion; reason, rationalism, science, empiricism, logic, these were supposed to be the guiding stars of their ships of state.
What was the result?
Millions of innocent people slaughtered, imprisoned, and impoverished; the evaporation of personal freedoms; the effective enslavement of the populace. The shackles began to fall in the late 1980s, but Asia is still largely reeling from the oppression of its now-vanished rational-materialist states.
Those who point to the west, Europe and the Americas, and the rising prosperity there, speak as though this wealth and peace are the result of modern science. Atheist Asia had science and technology, too. What makes the difference between the outcomes?
At least one thing that materialists seem unable to see is that the West is saturated with Christian principles, even if only as a residue of expectations for behavior and social norms. Compassion, kindness, fair play, mercy, humane treatment of others, forgiveness—all these virtues are woven into the tapestry of how children are raised and values inculcated in society. And this saturation with Christian principles, even if disassociated from religion, accounts in a large way for the difference between Asia's nightmare and the West's prosperous dream.
Asia discovered what happens when people in power accept Korihor's premises—that there is no objective, self-evident right or wrong. As the West rejects Judeo-Christian beliefs in God and judgment and the afterlife, and adopts secularism as the de facto institutional and state religion, moral relativism, the disbelief in right and wrong as real things, will rear its head, and society will plunge (or drift slowly, imperceptibly) into a morass of dishonesty, exploitation, and outright violence.
It will not be enough to simply raise everybody to be nice and kind. Inquiring minds will ask, Why should I? And Korihor will be there converting new disciples with his answers: "...whatsoever a man [does is] no crime." (The attempt to raise a generation of nice people without religion is resulting, ironically, in ostracism, cruelty, and even violence—lashing out in the attempt to enforce tolerance, of all things.)
Korihor begins to waffle at the last minute as Alma debates him:
"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator...
"...Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe" (Alma 30:43-44, 48).
Moral relativism is opportunistic, not rigid, so he shifts his position according to convenience. Certainty is a certainty up front; meanwhile, the rats are ready to jump ship at the first sign of sinking.
Blank Checks
Despite the intelligence of its promoters, explanations for the order noted by Alma tend to become circular. We know there is no God, therefore the universe must be perfectly capable of doing all this on its own. But the burden of science is proof; repeatable experimentation yielding consistent results. What experiment can anyone perform to test the existence of God?
"And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only" (Alma 30:40). Order is the hallmark of intelligence at work.
In lieu of any experimental laboratory data, materialists will begin to offer themselves blank checks, ideas that cannot be proven empirically, to show that God is unnecessary.
There are so many worlds out there, there is bound to be more accidental life existing on some of them. Really? Show me. That is the burden of science. Instead of finding many places where life could reasonable exist, exploration presents us with a universe filled with living essays in how to not create a planet capable of sustaining life.
Life began so early in the fossil record that it must be easy for life to come into existence spontaneously. Really? That means blind chance is more powerful than all scientists on earth, because so far none have created life from scratch. Are we qualified to comment on the ease with which life can be created on accident from dead matter without preexisting life until after we do it on purpose?
There are an infinite number of universes out there, so one of them is bound to have intelligent life in it. Really? Has anyone substantiated this claim? Or are we conveniently imagining an infinite number of dice-rolls to account for the immense improbability of the existence of life? (As though the dice remember what was rolled previously, anyway.)
The fine-tuning of fundamental forces shaping the universe to permit and promote the existence of life; the position of our sun in a relatively safe, cool space in the galaxy; the constant stability of temperature and lack of violent outbursts from our sun (common among stars elsewhere); the position of the earth relative to the sun (neither too close nor too distant), the position of our moon, stabilizing our planet's rotation like a kite tail; the magnetic field around our planet (missing from other local planets) mitigating solar radiation and only letting through enough to sustain, rather than destroy, life; the persistence of the right amount of oxygen in our atmosphere for eons, so that we neither suffocate (too little) nor incinerate (too much); the abundance of water on our planet; all these things and more testify of a divine Intelligence at work.
There is also an artistic flourish to our planetary perspective: Our only moon perfectly subtends our only star, when viewed from the surface of the earth. That phenomenon appears nowhere else in our solar system. What are the odds that it would be seen here, where there is someone to appreciate it? (Eclipse-watching arrested much human activity and attention on an entire continent, recently.)
All these things are miraculous, yet also quickly dismissed as evidence for God by materialism when its logic is only embraced to support moral relativism. It is emotional convenience, not logical rigor.
Korihor confesses the origins of his ideas:
"...the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:53; emphasis mine).
Pleasing to the carnal mind—this is the main ingredient, the sugar that makes the whole thing palatable. As soon as empirical evidence for God appears, logic is thrown out the window because the existence of God is not pleasing to the carnal mind.
"...the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:53; emphasis mine).
Pleasing to the carnal mind—this is the main ingredient, the sugar that makes the whole thing palatable. As soon as empirical evidence for God appears, logic is thrown out the window because the existence of God is not pleasing to the carnal mind.
I do not believe that the average modern atheist is having visions of demons, or that they are all of them being insincere. There are honorable atheists (I have met some). But the destructive societal outcome is the same for subscribing to a faith-free existence.
Islands of Safety
Islands of Safety
With sophisticated arguments against God promoted abundantly, and the mocking inhabitants of the great and spacious building "point[ing] the finger of scorn" (1Ne. 8:33), it will take more than a preponderance of tangible evidence for the existence of God to preserve faith in Christ today. Alma had seen an angel with his own eyes, but he did not give that as the reason for his certainty.
"Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
"Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:45-46).
The Spirit and its influence in our lives are tangible (though non-transferable, typically) evidences for faith in Christ. Guidance, impressions, peace, love, joy, a changed heart; all these things are evidence that bolsters our faith.
Personal experience, especially the kind that comes from years of seeking God in private and living the standards set forth by His prophets, creates layers of confidence to stabilize us, especially when times get hard and Satan tempts us to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9), or to die spiritually.
The Book of Mormon has great power to anchor us to the "rock" of Christ (Hel. 5:12). It anticipates the sordid materialism and logic of our day, and gives us the alternative. Just as Korihor is a faith-shaker and anti-Christ, so Alma and Amulek become faith builders. Two chapters after Korihor's ignominious end, Alma and Amulek give us a masterful sermon on planting the word (Jesus Christ, His suffering, death, and resurrection) in our hearts, and nurturing it. At some point in the process, faith becomes trust, trust becomes confidence, confidence becomes knowledge. It can come instantly, but typically, it grows steadily, bit by bit.
It is not necessary to have an answer to every doubt and criticism. "We heeded them not" was the way Lehi and those partaking of the fruit of the tree of life dealt with mockers. There are things we know; we should not throw them away because of what we do not know or currently understand (yet).
A pattern of asking questions, and getting to the point where we are ready for, and receive, answers, is part of long-term discipleship. Put questions on the shelf—for years, if necessary—with full confidence that the Lord can, and will, answer them the instant we are ready to receive. "What powershall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints" (D&C 121:33).
A good fast and testimony meeting becomes a rich tapestry of evidences, recently gleaned, from the lives of the congregation. The Spirit becomes palpable and undeniable during priesthood ordinances.
Those who are interested in having spiritual experiences can participate in Temple work. Even seeking out the dead to submit their names for Temple work is fraught with miracles as information that was hidden is recovered. The Temple is a bulwark of spiritual warmth and light in an increasingly cold and dimming world.
The testimonies and teachings of living prophets and Apostles are yet another shield for our faith. They point us to Christ, teach us how to access His power and stand against Satan and the avalanche of temptations and sophistry we cope with daily.
Rather than prioritize and trust in the physical, material things of this world, and place primary trust in the evidence of our bodily senses, we can exercise faith and trust in the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. It seems paradoxical, but relying upon this intangible, invisible voice will guide us far better than logic, human technology, or current moral or social trends.
God knows all things and loves us immensely, individually. He therefore wants us to be happy as He is. He gives us spiritual guidance and nourishment. These things will bleed into the physical realm, when necessary, for our benefit, provided we remain faithful to Him.
This requires us to prioritize spiritual things above the physical, and exercise faith in His outcomes, certain, though (as yet) unseen.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Priesthood Ordinances: Their Permanence Throughout Time
The scriptures tell us that God is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (D&C 20:12). It is consoling to identify any form of permanence in a world that is changing so rapidly. God’s nature is such that His perfections and attributes allow us to exercise faith and have confidence in Him.
It stands to reason, then, that His requirements for salvation and exaltation would ultimately be the same for each individual throughout time.
“How could Abel offer a sacrifice and look forward with faith on the Son of God for a remission of his sins, and not understand the Gospel? … And if Abel was taught of the coming of the Son of God, was he not taught also of His ordinances?” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 59). While the shedding of blood and animal sacrifices were suspended at the coming of Christ, the principle of sacrifice, as well as all other ordinances, have been conveyed and taught in every Gospel dispensation from the beginning of the world until the current dispensation.
Baptism
The ordinance of baptism was taught to Adam:
“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…
“…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, an 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;
“For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;
“Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter…” (Moses 6:53, 59-61).
Then Adam was baptized by God Himself, by the Spirit of the Lord:
“And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
“And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man” (Moses 6:64-65).
So the receipt of the Holy Spirit was associated with baptism from the beginning.
The Temple of Solomon included amongst its furniture a Brazen Sea resting on the backs of twelve brazen oxen. It was about thirty feet in circumference and about seven feet deep. Although any ceremonies associated with this Font were sparsely recorded in the scriptures, it does not take much imagination to recognize that it was more than likely designed for ritual immersion.
We read of John baptizing Jesus and numerous other individuals, as well as Jesus teaching the necessity of baptism to receive salvation:
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). In case the reader wants to know whether the water spoken of here is literal or figurative, John writes seventeen verses later:
“After these things cam Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them and baptized.
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized…” (John 3:22-23). There is no need to wander about the scriptures or misconstrue Ephesians 5:26 to understand the context of Jesus’ statements to Nicodemus.
After His resurrection, Jesus Christ sent His disciples into the world to teach and baptize everyone:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…” (Matt. 28:19).
The authority to perform this introductory ordinance was restored by John the Baptist when he appeared as a resurrected being to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and said the following after laying his hands on them:
“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness” (D&C 13:1).
Joseph and Oliver then baptized each other as John the Baptist directed them.
“Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father…We were filled with the Holy Ghost…” (Joseph Smith History 1:73).
The ordinance of baptism is consistent from one dispensation to the next.
Confirmation, The Gift of the Holy Ghost
“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:3-4).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to a large group composed of people from diverse nations. They asked,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38).
Later, Peter and John came to Samaria, “…that they might receive the Holy Ghost…
“…Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:15, 17).
Peter and John came to lay hands on some who had already been baptized by Philip, because they had authority to give the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Sacrament
The Lord gave the Israelites the Passover as a meal to commemorate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
Later, the Lord instructed Israel to create a Table of Shewbread as part of the Tabernacle, then the Temple of Solomon. In each case, the Table was to hold twelve loaves of bread. The symbolic significance of twelve loaves was obvious; one loaf for each of the twelve tribes. In other words, a place was set at the Table for everyone, for all the faithful.
Jesus instituted the ordinance of the sacrament at the Last Supper, which He conducted during the Feast of Passover.
Our sacrament table today is a cousin of the Table of Shewbread in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple of Solomon. We meet each week to commemorate our deliverance from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ—His suffering, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Because He died and was resurrected, all of us will be resurrected after we die. Because He took our sins, and their consequent loss of the Spirit, upon Himself, we can receive His identity, and the consequences of His obedience—always having His Spirit to be with us—upon ourselves.
Naming Children
Jesus was given a name and presented at the Temple. Though circumcision and all other forms of ritual blood-letting were done away with after the death of Christ, children are still named and given a blessing today. This ordinance is not necessary for salvation, but it parallels the life of Christ, and that is the fuller purpose of ordinances—to access the power of Christ, create a unity between us and Him, and put us on His path of eternal progress.
Dedicating Graves
Just as we imitate Christ in the beginning of life, so the death and burial of Christ are imitated. Dedication of a grave and clothing the body are not necessary for salvation. However, the ordinance of dedicating a grave imitates the designation of a grave site for Jesus’ burial, and clothing the body in Temple robes is a figure of the return to God’s presence. Jesus’ body was prepared for burial; it is fitting that our dead are also washed and robed.
Anointing and Blessing the Sick
Jesus lays His hands on many in the New Testament, and heals them. Such blessings are not necessary for salvation, but they are a part of His plan. Whether given for emotional comfort or guidance, or physical healing or spiritual comfort or healing, priesthood blessings constitute a large part of the scriptures and a large part of the lives of Latter-day Saints now.
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).
Patriarchal Blessings
Jacob gave a patriarchal blessing to each of his sons (see Genesis 49). He gave explicit descriptions of their temporal blessings, what to expect in this life, admonitions, reproofs, counsel, and spiritual directions, how they would fare in their relationships with God.
The confluence of physical and spiritual, temporal and eternal, heritage and posterity, premortal, mortal, and postmoral, is found in the personal scripture offered in patriarchal blessings given to individual Latter-day Saints today. Such blessings constitute a page from the book of an individual’s possibilities, a road-map for one person’s mortal journey.
The Temple
Just as the Temple anciently showed Israel a covenant path back to God, so the modern Temple shows the Latter-day Saints how to live and walk a covenant path back to God. Washings, anointing, clothing, covenants of obedience, sacrifice, purity of living, chastity, devotion of self, consecration of all, prayer, instruction, and a ritual return to the presence of God were included in the Temple of the scriptures, and the modern Temple today.
Marriage
Parley P. Pratt noted that Adam and Eve were immortal beings when they were first married, and that it stood to reason, therefore, that marriage was originally intended to last forever.
“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1Cor. 11:11).
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6).
Jesus told Peter, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). God shares His power to act in His name, the priesthood, with men today as well.
Though one Prophet, President, and High Priest holds the keys on earth at a time, all are able to benefit from that power who will receive ordinances, make and keep covenants, and live accordingly.
Jesus Christ compared Himself to the Bridegroom, the Church to the Bride, and His Second Coming to a great Wedding Feast.
“Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage…
“…So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
“And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
“Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:4, 10-14).
The tendency among modern Christians is to despise ceremony, ritual, formality, contracts, and covenants with God. And yet the scriptures they read are rife with such things. The Temple, ritual, ordinances, and sacraments are abundantly described as part of Christian worship both before and after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and He teaches, receives, and performs them all.
Why send someone to hell for being improperly dressed in the above parable?
“Being born again…comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162). If the Pharisees Jesus condemned had stumbled by forsaking the spirit of the law in favor of the letter alone, many modern Christians have made something close to the opposite mistake.
Ordinances that crowd the pages of scripture are not vestigial. They were important enough to capture the attention of the writers, and demand the expenditure of precious time, care, ink, and parchment anciently. They still matter now.
It stands to reason, then, that His requirements for salvation and exaltation would ultimately be the same for each individual throughout time.
“How could Abel offer a sacrifice and look forward with faith on the Son of God for a remission of his sins, and not understand the Gospel? … And if Abel was taught of the coming of the Son of God, was he not taught also of His ordinances?” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 59). While the shedding of blood and animal sacrifices were suspended at the coming of Christ, the principle of sacrifice, as well as all other ordinances, have been conveyed and taught in every Gospel dispensation from the beginning of the world until the current dispensation.
Baptism
The ordinance of baptism was taught to Adam:
“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…
“…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, an 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;
“For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;
“Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter…” (Moses 6:53, 59-61).
Then Adam was baptized by God Himself, by the Spirit of the Lord:
“And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
“And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man” (Moses 6:64-65).
So the receipt of the Holy Spirit was associated with baptism from the beginning.
The Temple of Solomon included amongst its furniture a Brazen Sea resting on the backs of twelve brazen oxen. It was about thirty feet in circumference and about seven feet deep. Although any ceremonies associated with this Font were sparsely recorded in the scriptures, it does not take much imagination to recognize that it was more than likely designed for ritual immersion.
We read of John baptizing Jesus and numerous other individuals, as well as Jesus teaching the necessity of baptism to receive salvation:
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). In case the reader wants to know whether the water spoken of here is literal or figurative, John writes seventeen verses later:
“After these things cam Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them and baptized.
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized…” (John 3:22-23). There is no need to wander about the scriptures or misconstrue Ephesians 5:26 to understand the context of Jesus’ statements to Nicodemus.
After His resurrection, Jesus Christ sent His disciples into the world to teach and baptize everyone:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…” (Matt. 28:19).
The authority to perform this introductory ordinance was restored by John the Baptist when he appeared as a resurrected being to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and said the following after laying his hands on them:
“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness” (D&C 13:1).
Joseph and Oliver then baptized each other as John the Baptist directed them.
“Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father…We were filled with the Holy Ghost…” (Joseph Smith History 1:73).
The ordinance of baptism is consistent from one dispensation to the next.
Confirmation, The Gift of the Holy Ghost
“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:3-4).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to a large group composed of people from diverse nations. They asked,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38).
Later, Peter and John came to Samaria, “…that they might receive the Holy Ghost…
“…Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:15, 17).
Peter and John came to lay hands on some who had already been baptized by Philip, because they had authority to give the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Sacrament
The Lord gave the Israelites the Passover as a meal to commemorate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
Later, the Lord instructed Israel to create a Table of Shewbread as part of the Tabernacle, then the Temple of Solomon. In each case, the Table was to hold twelve loaves of bread. The symbolic significance of twelve loaves was obvious; one loaf for each of the twelve tribes. In other words, a place was set at the Table for everyone, for all the faithful.
Jesus instituted the ordinance of the sacrament at the Last Supper, which He conducted during the Feast of Passover.
Our sacrament table today is a cousin of the Table of Shewbread in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple of Solomon. We meet each week to commemorate our deliverance from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ—His suffering, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Because He died and was resurrected, all of us will be resurrected after we die. Because He took our sins, and their consequent loss of the Spirit, upon Himself, we can receive His identity, and the consequences of His obedience—always having His Spirit to be with us—upon ourselves.
Naming Children
Jesus was given a name and presented at the Temple. Though circumcision and all other forms of ritual blood-letting were done away with after the death of Christ, children are still named and given a blessing today. This ordinance is not necessary for salvation, but it parallels the life of Christ, and that is the fuller purpose of ordinances—to access the power of Christ, create a unity between us and Him, and put us on His path of eternal progress.
Dedicating Graves
Just as we imitate Christ in the beginning of life, so the death and burial of Christ are imitated. Dedication of a grave and clothing the body are not necessary for salvation. However, the ordinance of dedicating a grave imitates the designation of a grave site for Jesus’ burial, and clothing the body in Temple robes is a figure of the return to God’s presence. Jesus’ body was prepared for burial; it is fitting that our dead are also washed and robed.
Anointing and Blessing the Sick
Jesus lays His hands on many in the New Testament, and heals them. Such blessings are not necessary for salvation, but they are a part of His plan. Whether given for emotional comfort or guidance, or physical healing or spiritual comfort or healing, priesthood blessings constitute a large part of the scriptures and a large part of the lives of Latter-day Saints now.
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).
Patriarchal Blessings
Jacob gave a patriarchal blessing to each of his sons (see Genesis 49). He gave explicit descriptions of their temporal blessings, what to expect in this life, admonitions, reproofs, counsel, and spiritual directions, how they would fare in their relationships with God.
The confluence of physical and spiritual, temporal and eternal, heritage and posterity, premortal, mortal, and postmoral, is found in the personal scripture offered in patriarchal blessings given to individual Latter-day Saints today. Such blessings constitute a page from the book of an individual’s possibilities, a road-map for one person’s mortal journey.
The Temple
Just as the Temple anciently showed Israel a covenant path back to God, so the modern Temple shows the Latter-day Saints how to live and walk a covenant path back to God. Washings, anointing, clothing, covenants of obedience, sacrifice, purity of living, chastity, devotion of self, consecration of all, prayer, instruction, and a ritual return to the presence of God were included in the Temple of the scriptures, and the modern Temple today.
Marriage
Parley P. Pratt noted that Adam and Eve were immortal beings when they were first married, and that it stood to reason, therefore, that marriage was originally intended to last forever.
“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1Cor. 11:11).
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6).
Jesus told Peter, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). God shares His power to act in His name, the priesthood, with men today as well.
Though one Prophet, President, and High Priest holds the keys on earth at a time, all are able to benefit from that power who will receive ordinances, make and keep covenants, and live accordingly.
Jesus Christ compared Himself to the Bridegroom, the Church to the Bride, and His Second Coming to a great Wedding Feast.
“Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage…
“…So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
“And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
“Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:4, 10-14).
The tendency among modern Christians is to despise ceremony, ritual, formality, contracts, and covenants with God. And yet the scriptures they read are rife with such things. The Temple, ritual, ordinances, and sacraments are abundantly described as part of Christian worship both before and after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and He teaches, receives, and performs them all.
Why send someone to hell for being improperly dressed in the above parable?
“Being born again…comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162). If the Pharisees Jesus condemned had stumbled by forsaking the spirit of the law in favor of the letter alone, many modern Christians have made something close to the opposite mistake.
Ordinances that crowd the pages of scripture are not vestigial. They were important enough to capture the attention of the writers, and demand the expenditure of precious time, care, ink, and parchment anciently. They still matter now.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Priesthood Ordinances
Joseph Smith taught:
“Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162).
How? How do ordinances facilitate spiritual rebirth?
Perhaps a review of those ordinances essential for salvation will help us answer this question.
Baptism
Few things recapitulate physical birth quite as obviously as the ordinance of baptism. Nicodemus sneaked in secret to talk with Jesus one night, and their words are recorded in John 3:
“…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh (a mother) is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:3-6).
The symbolism of baptism is manifold; a bath to cleanse our sins, death and burial of sinful old persons, and resurrection, are each legitimate interpretations. It also represents the womb, being immersed in amniotic fluid, and being born into the world.
In case there is any doubt that Jesus and Nicodemus were talking about baptism (immersion) in water, a few verses later the same chapter offer clarity:
“After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there; and they came, and were baptized” (John 3:22-23).
Water baptism is the context, and the early Church obviously taught the necessity of this ordinance (or sacrament). It is a powerful way to symbolize birth into Christ’s Church.
Confirmation
Before an unborn child emerges from the womb, his or her eternal spirit enters the body of that child. After immersion in water, baptism, a person has hands laid on his or her head, and is confirmed a new member of the Church. During this confirmation, the person hears this command: “…I confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and say unto you: Receive the Holy Ghost.”
Our bodies receive their spirits before leaving the womb; we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the companionship of His influence, after we leave the waters of baptism. “…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Yes, we are promised to have the Holy Spirit with us as long as we are keeping the commandments, but confirmation is not necessarily the moment when we are fully spiritually reborn. Typically, we spend a lifetime heeding the command to “Receive the Holy Ghost.”
John Taylor reports what Joseph Smith told him: “…you have been baptized, you have had hands laid upon your head for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and you have been ordained to the holy priesthood. Now, if you will continue to follow the leadings of that spirit, it will always lead you right. Sometimes it might be contrary to your judgment; never mind that, follow its dictates; and if you be true to its whisperings it will in time become in you a principle of revelation so that you will know all things” (Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Jan. 15, 1878, p. 1).
Joseph Smith taught: “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where his is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the…laws of that kingdom…” (TPJS, p. 51).
“It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe to the articles of adoption to enter therein.
“No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator” (TPJS, p. 328).
As we exercise faith in Christ and repent, the Holy Spirit will guide us into what we need to repent of next, what to do next in order to be changed and improved and polished.
The Spirit “strives” with us. (This implies a struggle; imagine the behavioral tug-of-war between children and parents.) The Spirit encourages us to let go of the bad we are fond of, and accept the good things we hesitate to adopt. There is always something to repent of, as long as we are alive and know enough to be accountable for our sins.
Sacrament
Just as an unborn child is fed in the womb through the umbilical cord at its navel, and fed by mother and then by both parents after birth as that child grows, so Christian life and spiritual growth involve regular spiritual feeding. The emblems of the Sacrament (Eucharist in other churches), or the Lord’s Supper, are a part of that regular feeding. And it is a family meal.
Instituted by Jesus at the Passover, we meet each Sunday (“the Lord’s Day”) to partake of bread and water. While this ordinance is technically not necessary for salvation, it is what we have been commanded to do. We do not emerge from the waters of baptism and walk directly past angels and Jesus into heaven. We stay here on earth, working out our salvation, preparing and repenting and anticipating the day when we will stand before God to be judged of our works.
While most other ordinances are individually administered, the Sacrament is a group ordinance. It could be construed as group repentance. We collectively meet and quietly reflect on Jesus Christ, His suffering and death on our behalf, and what we need to do in the coming week in order to improve.
Just as athletes feed their bodies to heal and be strong between bouts of exertion, we partake of the emblems of the Sacrament as spiritual food on the Lord’s day of rest. Done properly, the ordinance allows us to “always have [Jesus’] Spirit to be with us.”
It is a long journey for most of us; what sustains us through the decades? The Sacrament—it is the most frequently administered ordinance in the Church. If God wants us to repeat this ordinance weekly for the rest of our lives, it must be very effective in giving us the sustaining help we so desperately need through the trials and tests of life.
Ordination (for Males)
In order to receive exaltation, men must receive the priesthood. Women do not need to be ordained to the priesthood in order to be saved. There is a parallel between physical birth and spiritual rebirth here, as well.
Everyone must be born of a woman in order to leave God and come to this earth. She can give birth to anyone but herself.
Everyone must receive priesthood ordinances administered by men and be spiritually reborn thereby in order to return to God. A priesthood holder can administer these ordinances to anyone but himself.
Women beget us physically, and we die spiritually as we leave the presence of God; men officiate in the the ordinances that allow us to be spiritually reborn of God, and as we die physically we are then able to return back to His presence.
Yes, men make a small but essential contribution at the beginning of the process of physical birth; yes, women are involved in performing essential ordinances at the end of the process of spiritual rebirth (especially marriage); but it is bad form to talk too extensively or too openly about these things in public.
Initiatory
A new child is attended to quite earnestly by parents. The child is cleaned, clothed, fed to start life properly. The child is given a name.
Similar ordinances are performed in the Temple. “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
“And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
“And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
“And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations” (Ex. 40:12-15).
Names
Throughout the scriptures, new names are given to various people to signify the end of an old life and the beginning of a new life, or a new calling: Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah; Jacob to Israel; Simon to Peter (or Cephas; they both mean Small Rock); Saul to Paul; and so on. This puts spiritual rebirth on a parallel with physical birth once again.
“Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;
“And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word” (D&C 130:10-11).
Endowment
The garments of childhood meant to cover nakedness are soon covered with the clothes of an adult. The word “endued” (endowed) as used in Luke 24:49 means to be clothed.
“…(in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively)…array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on. (Greek Dictionary, pg. 28, entry 1746, Strong’s Concordance of the Bible).
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (clothed) with power from on high…”
“…And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
“And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen” (Luke 24:49, 52-53).
To be endowed in modern Temples carries all the implications of that word; clothed, endowed with new power and knowledge.
The purpose of the endowment is to empower us to return to the presence of God, and to empower us to perform the work of God here in this life. Missionary work and marriage (having a family, parenthood) are both preceded by receiving one’s endowment in the Temple because these tasks are the work of the Lord. He wants His servants prepared with the necessary tools before they begin helping with His work.
Just as His disciples were commanded to wait at Jerusalem for an endowment of power before they went into all the world, so we go to the Temple to receive power formally before assisting in God’s work.
Sealing to Family
“The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, 1995).
In the Temple, we are sealed as husbands and wives; any children born to couples thus sealed are then eternally sealed to their parents. Those who are sealed after children are born can have their children sealed to them as though they had been born under that covenant.
This doctrine of eternal marriage ties all the deepest questions about life together. Why did God create the universe, this earth, and life on it? Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where do we go after we die? What will we be doing in heaven? What does it mean to be like God?
Among the reasons God has put us here on this earth is to create a family. Through priesthood power, the promises we make with our spouses, those relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, can rise with us in the resurrection and be permanent.
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16 19). Why was it necessary for Jesus to grant this authority to Peter?
“All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both in time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power…are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead” (D&C 132:7).
If a man dies deep in debt, does that debt follow him into the next life and damn him? No, if he was honest, that contract is dissolved the instant he departs this life. This cleans the slate, so to speak, for all of us, and rids us of baggage and guilt and responsibility for so many things at the Judgment Day. Alas, it also means that marriages and family relationships are dissolved, too.
But Jesus gave power to Peter to seal on earth AND in heaven. This power was later given by Peter, James, and John to Joseph Smith. It is still on the earth today, and is only to be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in no other organization.
Why come to earth and go through the arc of life? Why put us through birth, puberty, marriage, begetting children, old age, and death? Because these things show our readiness to participate in the same activities and relationships in eternity. Eternal life is to know God; how better to know Him than to be like Him and do what He does?
The context for the following verse is an explanation of the law of eternal marriage:
“This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law” (D&C 132:24).
Christians have prayed for millennia to “Our Father which art in heaven,” and yet the majority have never taken that phrase, or its implications, literally. If we are the children of God, what is our trajectory? Cubs grow into wolves and lions; seeds become mighty trees. What are we going to grow into?
If Jesus was fully divine and fully mortal, and He ascended back to the right hand of God to rule forever, what does it say about our course and development if we are to be His disciples and follow in His path, and be “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17)?
After this crowning ordinance of marriage-sealing, we come full circle. The man and woman have received the necessary ordinances and accoutrements for spiritual rebirth; now they begin the process of physically begetting others, bringing children out of the presence of God into this world.
Ideally, those who have been spiritually reborn are ready and waiting to raise those who are fresh from the presence of God, to help them along the path of spiritual rebirth and back into the presence of their heavenly Parents.
Other Ordinances
Resurrection is, perhaps, the last ordinance associated with this earth, and it could be characterized as physical rebirth. Our spirit bodies were born in heaven; we are spiritually reborn here on this earth. Our physical bodies are born on this earth, and reborn as we burst from the grave and into immortality. Everyone will receive this gift of resurrection, their spirit bodies reunited with their physical bodies, restored and without pain or death ever again.
But only those who have been thoroughly spiritually reborn and received all the priesthood ordinances will have the power to beget children after the resurrection. Romantic love in the next world is only for those who are completely spiritually reborn, and therefore fully capable of raising offspring.
To be like God, our Father, is to have His abilities and do what He does. We imitate on a tiny scale here on earth, the activities of our heavenly Parents.
Priesthood ordinances recapitulate aspects of physical birth and physical development, but they facilitate spiritual rebirth and progress instead. Internal and external, physical and spiritual, male and female, temporal and eternal; all these aspects are woven together as part of the trajectory, the path from eternity into this life, and again as we progress in this life back to eternity. Jesus Christ oversees and coordinates all these things. His Atoning sacrifice makes all this possible.
It is easy to take ordinances for granted; to see ordinances as mundane, or perceive them as pedestrian; but the eternal results will be of great consequence.
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
“Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162).
How? How do ordinances facilitate spiritual rebirth?
Perhaps a review of those ordinances essential for salvation will help us answer this question.
Baptism
Few things recapitulate physical birth quite as obviously as the ordinance of baptism. Nicodemus sneaked in secret to talk with Jesus one night, and their words are recorded in John 3:
“…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh (a mother) is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:3-6).
The symbolism of baptism is manifold; a bath to cleanse our sins, death and burial of sinful old persons, and resurrection, are each legitimate interpretations. It also represents the womb, being immersed in amniotic fluid, and being born into the world.
In case there is any doubt that Jesus and Nicodemus were talking about baptism (immersion) in water, a few verses later the same chapter offer clarity:
“After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there; and they came, and were baptized” (John 3:22-23).
Water baptism is the context, and the early Church obviously taught the necessity of this ordinance (or sacrament). It is a powerful way to symbolize birth into Christ’s Church.
Confirmation
Before an unborn child emerges from the womb, his or her eternal spirit enters the body of that child. After immersion in water, baptism, a person has hands laid on his or her head, and is confirmed a new member of the Church. During this confirmation, the person hears this command: “…I confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and say unto you: Receive the Holy Ghost.”
Our bodies receive their spirits before leaving the womb; we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the companionship of His influence, after we leave the waters of baptism. “…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Yes, we are promised to have the Holy Spirit with us as long as we are keeping the commandments, but confirmation is not necessarily the moment when we are fully spiritually reborn. Typically, we spend a lifetime heeding the command to “Receive the Holy Ghost.”
John Taylor reports what Joseph Smith told him: “…you have been baptized, you have had hands laid upon your head for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and you have been ordained to the holy priesthood. Now, if you will continue to follow the leadings of that spirit, it will always lead you right. Sometimes it might be contrary to your judgment; never mind that, follow its dictates; and if you be true to its whisperings it will in time become in you a principle of revelation so that you will know all things” (Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Jan. 15, 1878, p. 1).
Joseph Smith taught: “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where his is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the…laws of that kingdom…” (TPJS, p. 51).
“It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe to the articles of adoption to enter therein.
“No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator” (TPJS, p. 328).
As we exercise faith in Christ and repent, the Holy Spirit will guide us into what we need to repent of next, what to do next in order to be changed and improved and polished.
The Spirit “strives” with us. (This implies a struggle; imagine the behavioral tug-of-war between children and parents.) The Spirit encourages us to let go of the bad we are fond of, and accept the good things we hesitate to adopt. There is always something to repent of, as long as we are alive and know enough to be accountable for our sins.
Sacrament
Just as an unborn child is fed in the womb through the umbilical cord at its navel, and fed by mother and then by both parents after birth as that child grows, so Christian life and spiritual growth involve regular spiritual feeding. The emblems of the Sacrament (Eucharist in other churches), or the Lord’s Supper, are a part of that regular feeding. And it is a family meal.
Instituted by Jesus at the Passover, we meet each Sunday (“the Lord’s Day”) to partake of bread and water. While this ordinance is technically not necessary for salvation, it is what we have been commanded to do. We do not emerge from the waters of baptism and walk directly past angels and Jesus into heaven. We stay here on earth, working out our salvation, preparing and repenting and anticipating the day when we will stand before God to be judged of our works.
While most other ordinances are individually administered, the Sacrament is a group ordinance. It could be construed as group repentance. We collectively meet and quietly reflect on Jesus Christ, His suffering and death on our behalf, and what we need to do in the coming week in order to improve.
Just as athletes feed their bodies to heal and be strong between bouts of exertion, we partake of the emblems of the Sacrament as spiritual food on the Lord’s day of rest. Done properly, the ordinance allows us to “always have [Jesus’] Spirit to be with us.”
It is a long journey for most of us; what sustains us through the decades? The Sacrament—it is the most frequently administered ordinance in the Church. If God wants us to repeat this ordinance weekly for the rest of our lives, it must be very effective in giving us the sustaining help we so desperately need through the trials and tests of life.
Ordination (for Males)
In order to receive exaltation, men must receive the priesthood. Women do not need to be ordained to the priesthood in order to be saved. There is a parallel between physical birth and spiritual rebirth here, as well.
Everyone must be born of a woman in order to leave God and come to this earth. She can give birth to anyone but herself.
Everyone must receive priesthood ordinances administered by men and be spiritually reborn thereby in order to return to God. A priesthood holder can administer these ordinances to anyone but himself.
Women beget us physically, and we die spiritually as we leave the presence of God; men officiate in the the ordinances that allow us to be spiritually reborn of God, and as we die physically we are then able to return back to His presence.
Yes, men make a small but essential contribution at the beginning of the process of physical birth; yes, women are involved in performing essential ordinances at the end of the process of spiritual rebirth (especially marriage); but it is bad form to talk too extensively or too openly about these things in public.
Initiatory
A new child is attended to quite earnestly by parents. The child is cleaned, clothed, fed to start life properly. The child is given a name.
Similar ordinances are performed in the Temple. “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
“And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
“And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
“And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations” (Ex. 40:12-15).
Names
Throughout the scriptures, new names are given to various people to signify the end of an old life and the beginning of a new life, or a new calling: Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah; Jacob to Israel; Simon to Peter (or Cephas; they both mean Small Rock); Saul to Paul; and so on. This puts spiritual rebirth on a parallel with physical birth once again.
“Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;
“And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word” (D&C 130:10-11).
Endowment
The garments of childhood meant to cover nakedness are soon covered with the clothes of an adult. The word “endued” (endowed) as used in Luke 24:49 means to be clothed.
“…(in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively)…array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on. (Greek Dictionary, pg. 28, entry 1746, Strong’s Concordance of the Bible).
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (clothed) with power from on high…”
“…And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
“And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen” (Luke 24:49, 52-53).
To be endowed in modern Temples carries all the implications of that word; clothed, endowed with new power and knowledge.
The purpose of the endowment is to empower us to return to the presence of God, and to empower us to perform the work of God here in this life. Missionary work and marriage (having a family, parenthood) are both preceded by receiving one’s endowment in the Temple because these tasks are the work of the Lord. He wants His servants prepared with the necessary tools before they begin helping with His work.
Just as His disciples were commanded to wait at Jerusalem for an endowment of power before they went into all the world, so we go to the Temple to receive power formally before assisting in God’s work.
Sealing to Family
“The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, 1995).
In the Temple, we are sealed as husbands and wives; any children born to couples thus sealed are then eternally sealed to their parents. Those who are sealed after children are born can have their children sealed to them as though they had been born under that covenant.
This doctrine of eternal marriage ties all the deepest questions about life together. Why did God create the universe, this earth, and life on it? Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where do we go after we die? What will we be doing in heaven? What does it mean to be like God?
Among the reasons God has put us here on this earth is to create a family. Through priesthood power, the promises we make with our spouses, those relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, can rise with us in the resurrection and be permanent.
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16 19). Why was it necessary for Jesus to grant this authority to Peter?
“All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both in time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power…are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead” (D&C 132:7).
If a man dies deep in debt, does that debt follow him into the next life and damn him? No, if he was honest, that contract is dissolved the instant he departs this life. This cleans the slate, so to speak, for all of us, and rids us of baggage and guilt and responsibility for so many things at the Judgment Day. Alas, it also means that marriages and family relationships are dissolved, too.
But Jesus gave power to Peter to seal on earth AND in heaven. This power was later given by Peter, James, and John to Joseph Smith. It is still on the earth today, and is only to be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in no other organization.
Why come to earth and go through the arc of life? Why put us through birth, puberty, marriage, begetting children, old age, and death? Because these things show our readiness to participate in the same activities and relationships in eternity. Eternal life is to know God; how better to know Him than to be like Him and do what He does?
The context for the following verse is an explanation of the law of eternal marriage:
“This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law” (D&C 132:24).
Christians have prayed for millennia to “Our Father which art in heaven,” and yet the majority have never taken that phrase, or its implications, literally. If we are the children of God, what is our trajectory? Cubs grow into wolves and lions; seeds become mighty trees. What are we going to grow into?
If Jesus was fully divine and fully mortal, and He ascended back to the right hand of God to rule forever, what does it say about our course and development if we are to be His disciples and follow in His path, and be “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17)?
After this crowning ordinance of marriage-sealing, we come full circle. The man and woman have received the necessary ordinances and accoutrements for spiritual rebirth; now they begin the process of physically begetting others, bringing children out of the presence of God into this world.
Ideally, those who have been spiritually reborn are ready and waiting to raise those who are fresh from the presence of God, to help them along the path of spiritual rebirth and back into the presence of their heavenly Parents.
Other Ordinances
Resurrection is, perhaps, the last ordinance associated with this earth, and it could be characterized as physical rebirth. Our spirit bodies were born in heaven; we are spiritually reborn here on this earth. Our physical bodies are born on this earth, and reborn as we burst from the grave and into immortality. Everyone will receive this gift of resurrection, their spirit bodies reunited with their physical bodies, restored and without pain or death ever again.
But only those who have been thoroughly spiritually reborn and received all the priesthood ordinances will have the power to beget children after the resurrection. Romantic love in the next world is only for those who are completely spiritually reborn, and therefore fully capable of raising offspring.
To be like God, our Father, is to have His abilities and do what He does. We imitate on a tiny scale here on earth, the activities of our heavenly Parents.
Priesthood ordinances recapitulate aspects of physical birth and physical development, but they facilitate spiritual rebirth and progress instead. Internal and external, physical and spiritual, male and female, temporal and eternal; all these aspects are woven together as part of the trajectory, the path from eternity into this life, and again as we progress in this life back to eternity. Jesus Christ oversees and coordinates all these things. His Atoning sacrifice makes all this possible.
It is easy to take ordinances for granted; to see ordinances as mundane, or perceive them as pedestrian; but the eternal results will be of great consequence.
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
Saturday, May 12, 2018
To Weep
One of my college professors was an active and open anti-Mormon (though he seemed not to understand it, oddly; he wanted to embody a paragon of objectivity).
He said that Latter-day Saints weep at funerals, and therefore they do not really believe in heaven or an afterlife.
I wondered if, at any time when he was a member of the Church, this professor had read the following verse:
“Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die…” (D&C 42:45).
The Lord gives us not only the ability to weep, but permission to do so. It is a blessing not to be shamed for having feelings.
On the other hand, it is important not to conflate emoting with spirituality. Tears may be shed for numerous reasons; most of them are not spiritual.
“And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy” (Mosiah 4:20).
Peace, love, joy, and, apparently, silence, are among the fruits of the Spirit.
Testimony Meeting
People who get up to share testimonies in Fast and Testimony meeting will often weep. This is not necessarily good or bad. I sometimes wonder if sharing less feeling and more thoughts would be more effective; in other words, sharing more information about personal revelation and experiences with the Spirit, and less about how these makes us feel, would help others to experience the same thing.
Imagine being grilled by someone who is not a Latter-day Saint:
“Why are you willing to give ten percent of your income, enormous amounts of your time, and defer to a group of elderly men by following their instructions?” An attempt to answer these questions would definitely include elements of a testimony, but in the original sense of the word: a courtroom deposition given by a witness.
Far from tender hearts and wet eyes, a response to such interrogation would be sober, factual, and to the point. The hymn sums it up: “The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true” (I Know My Father Lives, Hymns, 302).
The next logical question would be something like, “Why are you so willing to trust those whispers, impressions, and promptings?
This could be followed by a multitude of personal stories about being led by that same voice out of danger, into success, or into a crucial learning situation that affected a person’s life for years afterward.
All of this could transpire without expecting tears.
Tears in sacred settings are appropriate; they do not, however, necessarily intensify spirituality, or even indicate authenticity of spiritual experiences. Perhaps the injunction to “bridle all your passions” (Alma 38:12) is a good guide for shedding tears in worship settings. A bridle does not eradicate; it guides and restrains, if need be.
Brother Joseph: A True and Faithful Guide
Openness about feelings notwithstanding, coherency and dignity are hallmarks of true messengers of God.
Joseph Smith taught regarding the excited and bizarre behavior exhibited at various groups’ religious meetings, such as swooning, twitching, falling, shouting, etc., “Now God never had any prophets that acted in this way; there was nothing indecorous (undignified) in the proceedings of the Lord’s prophets in any age…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 209).
“…there is nothing unnatural in the Spirit of God” (TPJS, p. 214).
“Not every spirit, or vision, or singing, is of God” (ibid, p. 162). This might be said of shedding tears or other strong emotions exhibited in church settings.
The Spirit is a revelator; if no revelation, no knowledge, is communicated, then that manifestation is most likely not of God: “…a manifestation of what? Is there any intelligence communicated? Are the curtains of heaven withdrawn, or the purposes of God developed? Have they seen and conversed with an angel—or have the glories of futurity burst upon their view? No! …all the intelligence that can be obtained from them when they arise, is a shout of ‘glory,’ or ‘hallelujah,’ or some incoherent expression; but they have had ‘the power’” (ibid, p. 204).
“A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge” (ibid, p. 217), so we ought to make sure that, regardless of whether we weep or not, we convey the knowledge the Lord prompts us to speak when we get up and share our faith with others.
Jesus Christ Weeps
Joseph Smith criticized a particular kind of people whom he referred to as “long-faced hypocrites,” people who attempt to seem holy by being sour and stoic, dampening emotional expressions, while also being judgmental toward others. He preferred to associate with coarser people who were open, friendly, and, honest, than with pious frauds. There is a time and place for silence and stoicism, solemnity and sobriety, but there is also a time and place for tears, laughter, and other emotions.
Jesus wept.
A granddaughter tried to stifle her tears while discussing her divorce, and her grandfather consoled her:
“Remember John 11:35—‘Jesus wept.’” In this verse, Jesus wept for his friends, Mary and Martha, who ached for the loss of their brother, Lazarus.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
“Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me” (Alma 7:12-13).
Jesus Christ also wept tears of joy after His resurrection, as recorded in 3 Nephi:
“…and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
“And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
“And when he had done this he wept again…” (3Ne. 17:20-22).
There is something more mature about tears of compassion for others, versus tears for personal pain. Jesus Christ embodies pure compassion for us, even when we are in our sins.
He said that Latter-day Saints weep at funerals, and therefore they do not really believe in heaven or an afterlife.
I wondered if, at any time when he was a member of the Church, this professor had read the following verse:
“Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die…” (D&C 42:45).
The Lord gives us not only the ability to weep, but permission to do so. It is a blessing not to be shamed for having feelings.
On the other hand, it is important not to conflate emoting with spirituality. Tears may be shed for numerous reasons; most of them are not spiritual.
“And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy” (Mosiah 4:20).
Peace, love, joy, and, apparently, silence, are among the fruits of the Spirit.
Testimony Meeting
People who get up to share testimonies in Fast and Testimony meeting will often weep. This is not necessarily good or bad. I sometimes wonder if sharing less feeling and more thoughts would be more effective; in other words, sharing more information about personal revelation and experiences with the Spirit, and less about how these makes us feel, would help others to experience the same thing.
Imagine being grilled by someone who is not a Latter-day Saint:
“Why are you willing to give ten percent of your income, enormous amounts of your time, and defer to a group of elderly men by following their instructions?” An attempt to answer these questions would definitely include elements of a testimony, but in the original sense of the word: a courtroom deposition given by a witness.
Far from tender hearts and wet eyes, a response to such interrogation would be sober, factual, and to the point. The hymn sums it up: “The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true” (I Know My Father Lives, Hymns, 302).
The next logical question would be something like, “Why are you so willing to trust those whispers, impressions, and promptings?
This could be followed by a multitude of personal stories about being led by that same voice out of danger, into success, or into a crucial learning situation that affected a person’s life for years afterward.
All of this could transpire without expecting tears.
Tears in sacred settings are appropriate; they do not, however, necessarily intensify spirituality, or even indicate authenticity of spiritual experiences. Perhaps the injunction to “bridle all your passions” (Alma 38:12) is a good guide for shedding tears in worship settings. A bridle does not eradicate; it guides and restrains, if need be.
Brother Joseph: A True and Faithful Guide
Openness about feelings notwithstanding, coherency and dignity are hallmarks of true messengers of God.
Joseph Smith taught regarding the excited and bizarre behavior exhibited at various groups’ religious meetings, such as swooning, twitching, falling, shouting, etc., “Now God never had any prophets that acted in this way; there was nothing indecorous (undignified) in the proceedings of the Lord’s prophets in any age…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 209).
“…there is nothing unnatural in the Spirit of God” (TPJS, p. 214).
“Not every spirit, or vision, or singing, is of God” (ibid, p. 162). This might be said of shedding tears or other strong emotions exhibited in church settings.
The Spirit is a revelator; if no revelation, no knowledge, is communicated, then that manifestation is most likely not of God: “…a manifestation of what? Is there any intelligence communicated? Are the curtains of heaven withdrawn, or the purposes of God developed? Have they seen and conversed with an angel—or have the glories of futurity burst upon their view? No! …all the intelligence that can be obtained from them when they arise, is a shout of ‘glory,’ or ‘hallelujah,’ or some incoherent expression; but they have had ‘the power’” (ibid, p. 204).
“A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge” (ibid, p. 217), so we ought to make sure that, regardless of whether we weep or not, we convey the knowledge the Lord prompts us to speak when we get up and share our faith with others.
Jesus Christ Weeps
Joseph Smith criticized a particular kind of people whom he referred to as “long-faced hypocrites,” people who attempt to seem holy by being sour and stoic, dampening emotional expressions, while also being judgmental toward others. He preferred to associate with coarser people who were open, friendly, and, honest, than with pious frauds. There is a time and place for silence and stoicism, solemnity and sobriety, but there is also a time and place for tears, laughter, and other emotions.
Jesus wept.
A granddaughter tried to stifle her tears while discussing her divorce, and her grandfather consoled her:
“Remember John 11:35—‘Jesus wept.’” In this verse, Jesus wept for his friends, Mary and Martha, who ached for the loss of their brother, Lazarus.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
“Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me” (Alma 7:12-13).
Jesus Christ also wept tears of joy after His resurrection, as recorded in 3 Nephi:
“…and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
“And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
“And when he had done this he wept again…” (3Ne. 17:20-22).
There is something more mature about tears of compassion for others, versus tears for personal pain. Jesus Christ embodies pure compassion for us, even when we are in our sins.
In any case, it is neither a sin, nor a character flaw, to be sad or to weep.
Abinadi quotes Isaiah regarding the mortal Messiah:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
“Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Mosiah 14:3-4).
A Joyful End
If shouting and joy are part of worship, why are our worship services so quiet (or at least, attemptedly)?
Elijah witnessed a roaring pyrotechnics display from God—a fire, a wind that broke rocks, and an earthquake. But God was not in any of these phenomena. Immediately afterward, Elijah heard a small, still voice, and it was the voice of God.
Moroni writes at the end of the Book of Mormon about the proper way to conduct a church meeting:
“And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done” (Moroni 6:9).
The Spirit whispers; are we listening carefully? Or are we distracted?
“…as the Holy Ghost falls upon [us], it is calm and serene…” (TPJS, pp. 149-50).
“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus” (ibid, p. 151).
Letting the Spirit in requires us to be still. Then we will have the authentic gifts and fruits of the Spirit. These can include joy, tears, sorrow for sin, a desire to repent, and plenty of knowledge about what each of us needs, on an individual basis, to do next in our lives.
A reverent and attentive congregation is more likely, then, to experience these blessings and receive these gifts.
Tears, joy, sorrow, laughter, are all legitimate parts of this mortal journey. Keeping our feelings restrained and within the boundaries of dignity in sacred circumstances (such as church meetings) fosters clear communication and strong witnesses. It allows others to feel the Spirit authenticate the truth of our words, which can then enable them to learn the truth and validity of what we are saying.
Abinadi quotes Isaiah regarding the mortal Messiah:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
“Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Mosiah 14:3-4).
A Joyful End
While tears for our own sorrows are also legitimate, their end is eventually inevitable.
“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…” (Isaiah 25:8). To wipe away a person’s tears is an intimate and tender act, requiring close physical proximity.
Spark, Then Fire
Many religious groups work themselves into exuberant frenzies during their worship services. Nephi seems to take a different approach.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel” (2Ne. 31:13).
He seems to insist that we first go through formalities, and get the Spirit, experience actual rebirth, and then express the natural feelings that come as a result of these revelations and spiritual experiences.
“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…” (Isaiah 25:8). To wipe away a person’s tears is an intimate and tender act, requiring close physical proximity.
Spark, Then Fire
Many religious groups work themselves into exuberant frenzies during their worship services. Nephi seems to take a different approach.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel” (2Ne. 31:13).
He seems to insist that we first go through formalities, and get the Spirit, experience actual rebirth, and then express the natural feelings that come as a result of these revelations and spiritual experiences.
If shouting and joy are part of worship, why are our worship services so quiet (or at least, attemptedly)?
Elijah witnessed a roaring pyrotechnics display from God—a fire, a wind that broke rocks, and an earthquake. But God was not in any of these phenomena. Immediately afterward, Elijah heard a small, still voice, and it was the voice of God.
Moroni writes at the end of the Book of Mormon about the proper way to conduct a church meeting:
“And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done” (Moroni 6:9).
The Spirit whispers; are we listening carefully? Or are we distracted?
“…as the Holy Ghost falls upon [us], it is calm and serene…” (TPJS, pp. 149-50).
“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus” (ibid, p. 151).
Letting the Spirit in requires us to be still. Then we will have the authentic gifts and fruits of the Spirit. These can include joy, tears, sorrow for sin, a desire to repent, and plenty of knowledge about what each of us needs, on an individual basis, to do next in our lives.
A reverent and attentive congregation is more likely, then, to experience these blessings and receive these gifts.
Tears, joy, sorrow, laughter, are all legitimate parts of this mortal journey. Keeping our feelings restrained and within the boundaries of dignity in sacred circumstances (such as church meetings) fosters clear communication and strong witnesses. It allows others to feel the Spirit authenticate the truth of our words, which can then enable them to learn the truth and validity of what we are saying.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
April 2018 Conference: Thoughts and Reflections
Watching President Russell M. Nelson sustained by the body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a rich and powerful spiritual experience for me. The instant he stood and his name was read, I experienced something powerful, yet difficult to describe, but the message from God to me was clear: This is the Lord’s prophet.
The next week was Fast and Testimony meeting, and so many others expressed what I had felt; that this was the Lord’s next chosen mouthpiece, a representative for Him. This knowledge is priceless. It transcends logic, reason, what can be detected with the five senses, the “arm of the flesh” as Nephi calls it.
Impressions: Unity
There is always room for growth, as well as room to discuss and interpret and parse and ponder in Gospel study. The scriptures present a wall of almost 2500 pages of information spanning thousands of years. That unity can prevail in a Church with that much scripture implies divine influences are at work.
Individual testimony, like the oil in the lamps of the Five Wise Virgins, cannot be bought or sold. It is nontransferable. We can state the reality of what we believe, testify, but that is not the same thing as enabling others to enjoy our personal spiritual witness born of experience.
Such testimony is obtained in the closet, on our knees in prayer, and in the small acts daily, weekly, and consistently done. There is no royal road or privileged shortcut to testimony.
What are the linchpins of testimony? We are bound to have different understandings of details amid all those thousands of pages of scripture (as well as Church history and widely varied personal life experiences). Joseph Smith taught that the closer to the trunk of the tree we are, the less likely we are to fall out of the tree.
In other words, there are more basic, foundational points of doctrine upon which everyone under the influence of the Spirit will agree. These doctrines and principles are closer to the “trunk” of unity that Church members accept as immutable truth.
Here are some of the basics:
God is our Father in Heaven, a perfected, resurrected being of flesh and bone who loves us, His Spirit children.
Jesus Christ is His perfected, resurrected Son, our Savior who makes it possible to overcome physical and spiritual death and return to God forever one day.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God, a second witness confirming and strengthening the testimony of witnesses found in the Bible for the divinity of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
Joseph Smith was called of God in his early youth to receive revelations and restore what was lost through centuries, not just knowledge, but the keys necessary for sealing on earth and in heaven.
Today we have living prophets and Apostles again on the earth who hold and pass down those keys. Russell M. Nelson is the current successor to the Prophet Joseph, and the other Apostles also speak for the Lord.
Another basic witness we could add to these fundamentals is the validity of Temple ordinances and covenants—if you want sacred spiritual experiences and to grow your witness that all of the above statements are true, attend to any aspect of the work of the Temple.
The Spirit whispers and writes the truth of these things into our hearts indelibly, especially when we are doing those simple things the Lord has asked us to do.
Get and Follow the Spirit
In this most recent General Conference, to a greater degree, we were admonished to get, keep, and follow the Spirit. “Receive the Holy Ghost,” we are told as we are confirmed members of the Church of Christ. Obeying that commandment is this life’s work in a nutshell.
The possible answers to the question of why this is important are too numerous to count here, but the parable of the Ten Virgins illustrates one answer clearly. Each member of the Church must have his or her own testimony to be prepared to meet the Lord when He comes again.
D&C 45:56-57 interprets the parable:
“And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
“For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.”
Critics and shirkers adopt an easier task; it does not take much effort to walk downhill. Those who choose to follow the voice of the Spirit find themselves asked to climb—to ascend into the difficulty of uphill struggles. The ability to admit the limits of our strength and knowledge, and supplicate the Lord for His enabling power to do His work are and will be essential in coming days.
And how the critics have multiplied.
Assumptions in society today often include that everyone has a right to be declared equal to others; everyone has the right to acceptance and tolerance of others; everyone has the right not to be offended; that nothing should be spoken if it might hurt others’ feelings, even if it is the truth. (Curiously, the Latter-day Saints are often excluded from the shelter of this umbrella of unearned respect, tolerance, and prohibition against criticism. Who wants or requires such a bizarre, ephemeral stamp of approval, though? Those with weaker positions.)
The psychological and emotional nursery wallpaper for Latter-day Saints is persecution, or at least, a lack of acceptance. In every age and every milieu, the Church members, upon arrival, have been ostracized by some, however many or few. We come to expect it, and even grow a bit nervous if the background chatter of anti-Church noise grows silent, like crickets suddenly silenced. We wonder: Is everything OK?
The faintest whiff of favoritism or inequality is enough to send some into paroxysms today. Egalitarianism is a strange god; it flies in the face of a cursory survey of reality. Equal means same. If everyone is unique, then how can we truly be equal?
A more parsimonious explanation is needed. We like hearing that we are all equal to each other because it feeds our vanity. (Observe how kids argue over dessert disbursement sometime; if the portions aren’t precisely identical, tempers can flare.)
Being told we are unique also flatters our vanity. Unique typically means valuable; it also implies that we hold a metaphysical territory of sorts, best-in-category in some kind of unspoken contest to outdo others. “I am the best chess-playing skier with red hair on earth.” It’s not much, but it’s something. Niche = identity.
So we swallow contradictory statements combining equality and uniqueness because they are coated with the saccharin of flattery. Pride is a truth-allergy, and this is another example of departure from reality to prevent emotional inflammation.
Add the Lord
Those who lack actual spiritual experiences (at least, any they are aware of) are left, like scavengers, to pick through such bones and tendons and sparse gristle to feed self-esteem. Even the best of any category are likely to be dethroned tomorrow. To become great in the eyes of the world is not to become much, or for long.
Instead of becoming the best hockey-playing cellist with sleep apnea, or something desperate like that, in order to feel a sense of worth and specialness, Latter-day Saints are encouraged from childhood to look up to God for such affirmations.
We came from God, the Father of our spirits, in a forgotten pre-mortal state. We existed as conscious beings with God, even before this world existed. We agreed to come to this earth to be tested, to receive physical bodies, and that the Savior would be Jesus Christ. Everyone accepted Him before we were born into this life.
Though our memories of that life with God are veiled as part of this mortal probationary time, we can learn about God and re-initiate our relationships with Him. “I am a child of God,” sing our three and four year-old children. And yet it is not an invitation to arrogance; quite the opposite, in fact.
As with so many things, the Lord’s way is inverted from the world’s. This is the case with leadership in the Lord’s Church.
Here the Lord displays His shocking policy:
“He riseth up from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
“After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded… (Peter protested this vocally.)
“…So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
“Ye call me Master, and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:4-5, 12-17).
This flips the worldly notion of authority and prominence on its head. And this orientation towards service is characteristic of the Brethren, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Rather than retire into passive comfort as they age, we can watch them wearing out their lives, serving the Lord by serving His children.
Accepting any authority figure is becoming increasingly unpopular. Why are Latter-day Saints so willing to accept the authority of the Church’s General Authorities?
Add the Lord and His invisible spiritual influence to the analysis. Faithful members have a personal, immutable spiritual witness (at least, ideally) that those leaders are called of God. Start with that assumption; from there it becomes reasonable to follow them and pay close attention to their instructions.
Also—the love these men have for the members of the Church is obvious when they speak.
More leadership policy from the Lord:
“…when we…exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (D&C 121:37).
In contrast to such negative behaviors or feelings, the Spirit of the Lord is present and confirms what Church leaders say. What behaviors and attitudes instead grace their conduct?
“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
“By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile…” (D&C 121:41-42).
Love of Truth
Nephi chastened his brothers:
“…I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1Ne. 16:2).
Their younger brother, Jacob, gives a sermon that applies well to this most recent General Conference, but to the Church in general of any age:
“O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken” (2Ne. 9:40).
Weaning ourselves away from dependence upon false flatteries and accolades of the world and sensing God’s love for us instead will enable us hear difficult truths—about ourselves, our behaviors, our desires—and to make necessary changes when the Lord’s servants speak for Him.
Rather than point downward to retirement and ease and comfort and convenience and shedding burdens, Church leaders stand at the base of the mountain, asking us to drop what will not help us, pick up the necessary tools, and ascend into the high peaks where struggle and upward pushes are the daily norm. (It is also possible to inconvenience ourselves unwisely; not every call from others inviting us to struggle is an invitation to expend time and energy and resources profitably. Again, staying attuned to spiritual promptings is key.)
This General Conference it felt like the bar was once again being raised. Nothing short of an active, vibrant personal relationship with the Holy Spirit will suffice anymore. Being able to receive and follow personal revelation is indispensable. The world seeks kindness in flattery, but kindness resides ultimately (and then solely) in truth. Even if that truth is a call to repentance.
We can trust that Jesus Christ will still support us if we are offering Him our best efforts, and He will cover our sins and shortcomings and foolish errors with His matchless love.
The next week was Fast and Testimony meeting, and so many others expressed what I had felt; that this was the Lord’s next chosen mouthpiece, a representative for Him. This knowledge is priceless. It transcends logic, reason, what can be detected with the five senses, the “arm of the flesh” as Nephi calls it.
Impressions: Unity
There is always room for growth, as well as room to discuss and interpret and parse and ponder in Gospel study. The scriptures present a wall of almost 2500 pages of information spanning thousands of years. That unity can prevail in a Church with that much scripture implies divine influences are at work.
Individual testimony, like the oil in the lamps of the Five Wise Virgins, cannot be bought or sold. It is nontransferable. We can state the reality of what we believe, testify, but that is not the same thing as enabling others to enjoy our personal spiritual witness born of experience.
Such testimony is obtained in the closet, on our knees in prayer, and in the small acts daily, weekly, and consistently done. There is no royal road or privileged shortcut to testimony.
What are the linchpins of testimony? We are bound to have different understandings of details amid all those thousands of pages of scripture (as well as Church history and widely varied personal life experiences). Joseph Smith taught that the closer to the trunk of the tree we are, the less likely we are to fall out of the tree.
In other words, there are more basic, foundational points of doctrine upon which everyone under the influence of the Spirit will agree. These doctrines and principles are closer to the “trunk” of unity that Church members accept as immutable truth.
Here are some of the basics:
God is our Father in Heaven, a perfected, resurrected being of flesh and bone who loves us, His Spirit children.
Jesus Christ is His perfected, resurrected Son, our Savior who makes it possible to overcome physical and spiritual death and return to God forever one day.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God, a second witness confirming and strengthening the testimony of witnesses found in the Bible for the divinity of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
Joseph Smith was called of God in his early youth to receive revelations and restore what was lost through centuries, not just knowledge, but the keys necessary for sealing on earth and in heaven.
Today we have living prophets and Apostles again on the earth who hold and pass down those keys. Russell M. Nelson is the current successor to the Prophet Joseph, and the other Apostles also speak for the Lord.
Another basic witness we could add to these fundamentals is the validity of Temple ordinances and covenants—if you want sacred spiritual experiences and to grow your witness that all of the above statements are true, attend to any aspect of the work of the Temple.
The Spirit whispers and writes the truth of these things into our hearts indelibly, especially when we are doing those simple things the Lord has asked us to do.
Get and Follow the Spirit
In this most recent General Conference, to a greater degree, we were admonished to get, keep, and follow the Spirit. “Receive the Holy Ghost,” we are told as we are confirmed members of the Church of Christ. Obeying that commandment is this life’s work in a nutshell.
The possible answers to the question of why this is important are too numerous to count here, but the parable of the Ten Virgins illustrates one answer clearly. Each member of the Church must have his or her own testimony to be prepared to meet the Lord when He comes again.
D&C 45:56-57 interprets the parable:
“And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
“For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.”
Critics and shirkers adopt an easier task; it does not take much effort to walk downhill. Those who choose to follow the voice of the Spirit find themselves asked to climb—to ascend into the difficulty of uphill struggles. The ability to admit the limits of our strength and knowledge, and supplicate the Lord for His enabling power to do His work are and will be essential in coming days.
And how the critics have multiplied.
Assumptions in society today often include that everyone has a right to be declared equal to others; everyone has the right to acceptance and tolerance of others; everyone has the right not to be offended; that nothing should be spoken if it might hurt others’ feelings, even if it is the truth. (Curiously, the Latter-day Saints are often excluded from the shelter of this umbrella of unearned respect, tolerance, and prohibition against criticism. Who wants or requires such a bizarre, ephemeral stamp of approval, though? Those with weaker positions.)
The psychological and emotional nursery wallpaper for Latter-day Saints is persecution, or at least, a lack of acceptance. In every age and every milieu, the Church members, upon arrival, have been ostracized by some, however many or few. We come to expect it, and even grow a bit nervous if the background chatter of anti-Church noise grows silent, like crickets suddenly silenced. We wonder: Is everything OK?
The faintest whiff of favoritism or inequality is enough to send some into paroxysms today. Egalitarianism is a strange god; it flies in the face of a cursory survey of reality. Equal means same. If everyone is unique, then how can we truly be equal?
A more parsimonious explanation is needed. We like hearing that we are all equal to each other because it feeds our vanity. (Observe how kids argue over dessert disbursement sometime; if the portions aren’t precisely identical, tempers can flare.)
Being told we are unique also flatters our vanity. Unique typically means valuable; it also implies that we hold a metaphysical territory of sorts, best-in-category in some kind of unspoken contest to outdo others. “I am the best chess-playing skier with red hair on earth.” It’s not much, but it’s something. Niche = identity.
So we swallow contradictory statements combining equality and uniqueness because they are coated with the saccharin of flattery. Pride is a truth-allergy, and this is another example of departure from reality to prevent emotional inflammation.
Add the Lord
Those who lack actual spiritual experiences (at least, any they are aware of) are left, like scavengers, to pick through such bones and tendons and sparse gristle to feed self-esteem. Even the best of any category are likely to be dethroned tomorrow. To become great in the eyes of the world is not to become much, or for long.
Instead of becoming the best hockey-playing cellist with sleep apnea, or something desperate like that, in order to feel a sense of worth and specialness, Latter-day Saints are encouraged from childhood to look up to God for such affirmations.
We came from God, the Father of our spirits, in a forgotten pre-mortal state. We existed as conscious beings with God, even before this world existed. We agreed to come to this earth to be tested, to receive physical bodies, and that the Savior would be Jesus Christ. Everyone accepted Him before we were born into this life.
Though our memories of that life with God are veiled as part of this mortal probationary time, we can learn about God and re-initiate our relationships with Him. “I am a child of God,” sing our three and four year-old children. And yet it is not an invitation to arrogance; quite the opposite, in fact.
As with so many things, the Lord’s way is inverted from the world’s. This is the case with leadership in the Lord’s Church.
Here the Lord displays His shocking policy:
“He riseth up from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
“After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded… (Peter protested this vocally.)
“…So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
“Ye call me Master, and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:4-5, 12-17).
This flips the worldly notion of authority and prominence on its head. And this orientation towards service is characteristic of the Brethren, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Rather than retire into passive comfort as they age, we can watch them wearing out their lives, serving the Lord by serving His children.
Accepting any authority figure is becoming increasingly unpopular. Why are Latter-day Saints so willing to accept the authority of the Church’s General Authorities?
Add the Lord and His invisible spiritual influence to the analysis. Faithful members have a personal, immutable spiritual witness (at least, ideally) that those leaders are called of God. Start with that assumption; from there it becomes reasonable to follow them and pay close attention to their instructions.
Also—the love these men have for the members of the Church is obvious when they speak.
More leadership policy from the Lord:
“…when we…exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (D&C 121:37).
In contrast to such negative behaviors or feelings, the Spirit of the Lord is present and confirms what Church leaders say. What behaviors and attitudes instead grace their conduct?
“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
“By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile…” (D&C 121:41-42).
Love of Truth
Nephi chastened his brothers:
“…I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1Ne. 16:2).
Their younger brother, Jacob, gives a sermon that applies well to this most recent General Conference, but to the Church in general of any age:
“O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken” (2Ne. 9:40).
Weaning ourselves away from dependence upon false flatteries and accolades of the world and sensing God’s love for us instead will enable us hear difficult truths—about ourselves, our behaviors, our desires—and to make necessary changes when the Lord’s servants speak for Him.
Rather than point downward to retirement and ease and comfort and convenience and shedding burdens, Church leaders stand at the base of the mountain, asking us to drop what will not help us, pick up the necessary tools, and ascend into the high peaks where struggle and upward pushes are the daily norm. (It is also possible to inconvenience ourselves unwisely; not every call from others inviting us to struggle is an invitation to expend time and energy and resources profitably. Again, staying attuned to spiritual promptings is key.)
This General Conference it felt like the bar was once again being raised. Nothing short of an active, vibrant personal relationship with the Holy Spirit will suffice anymore. Being able to receive and follow personal revelation is indispensable. The world seeks kindness in flattery, but kindness resides ultimately (and then solely) in truth. Even if that truth is a call to repentance.
We can trust that Jesus Christ will still support us if we are offering Him our best efforts, and He will cover our sins and shortcomings and foolish errors with His matchless love.
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