Eternal Life and Exaltation

This is a big topic but I’d like to discuss a piece of it here. I could include many more quotes by the prophets but time constraints allow me to mention only a few.

In Alma 7:11-13 we learn more why the Savior came down to a mortal experience and went through what He did. Before mentioning these verses let us remind ourselves what eternal life is. In John 17:3 we learn that, “this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” So, eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ. That is the great purpose of why we are here. We learn that God’s whole work and glory is to bring about our exaltation or eternal life (Moses 1:39). Since we know this, what can we expect to go through?

Alma 7:11-13 tells us what the Savior went through and why He went through it. Here is what the account says, “11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 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.
13 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.”

He had to experience it even through the Spirit could have taught Him how to succor us, He had to go through it in the flesh to really minister to us appropriately.

President Henry B. Eyring interprets these verses in this way too. He said, “My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and thus be prepared for the trust of an endless posterity to teach and to lead through tests to be raised up to qualify to live forever in eternal life.

It is clear that for us to have that gift and to be given that trust, we must be transformed through making righteous choices where that is hard to do. We are prepared for so great a trust by passing through trying and testing experiences in mortality. That education can come only as we are subject to trials while serving God and others for Him.

In this education we experience misery and happiness, sickness and health, the sadness from sin and the joy of forgiveness. That forgiveness can come only through the infinite Atonement of the Savior, which He worked out through pain we could not bear and which we can only faintly comprehend.

It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the Savior’s promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal and help us. The Book of Mormon gives us the certain assurance of His power to comfort. And faith in that power will give us patience as we pray and work and wait for help. He could have known how to succor us simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal experience. Here is the account from Alma...” (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/adversity?lang=eng 

General Conference, April 2009, Adversity).

It now makes perfect sense why we go through similar challenges and experiences as the Savior did. That we might truly come to know Him and thus fulfill the measure of our creation, to become as He is. As we come to know Him, then we can succor those that stand in need of His succor. So, everything that is difficult for us to go through can be explained with a correct understanding of the doctrine of Christ and what eternal life truly is.

When I ask myself, “how can I learn more about the Savior from this experience, then I began to receive real answers about the injustices of life.

Isaiah taught, “3 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.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed“ (Isaiah 53:3-5).

Next time you or I feel hated by men, misunderstood, falsely accused, unjustly treated, or that you are suffering because of the sins of others; look to the example of Jesus Christ and how He handled these same situations. We can learn to handle them as the Savior did and at the same time rejoice that the Lord trusts us enough to allow us to go through these experiences that we might become more like Him and that much closer to eternal life.

I have noticed that if I learn from the experiences the way Christ would have me, that then He sends people to me that are going through similar experiences so that I can turn them to the Savior to learn why they are going through these horrible situations and experiences. The only way to make sense of life is a correct understanding of the purposes of God, to make gods out of us, to help us become as They are.

Joseph Smith explains these principles so well in a funeral sermon, the King Follett discourse. Here is: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1971/04/the-king-follett-sermon?lang=eng

I know God lives and loves us. He will succor us in our afflictions if we turn to Him. He has all the answers and is the truly the great healer. True doctrine understood changes our attitudes and behavior and our reaction to our trials. We can truly be grateful for the excruciating experiences we are allowed to go through by a loving Father and Mother in heaven. They went through them and now They must allow us to go through them that we might learn through experience and thus become a great benefit to our fellow brothers and sisters.

“One Thing Which is of More Importance Than They All”

I read Alma 7:7 today, “For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all--for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.”

That is so applicable to today. There is so much we can talk about. Right now the NBA Playoffs are going on. There is much of strife in the world and tragedies and joys all around us, but what is the most important thing we could talk about and point our minds and hearts forward to...the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

We have seen the signs of His coming and those signs continue to manifest themselves. According to our calendars, we are at the end of the sixth seal, we have seen impressive solar eclipses and the blood moon tetrad. Men’s hearts are failing them and the gospel is going to all the world. Marvelous works are being done through the power of the priesthood of God. We are seeing the world powers gather near Armaggedon. The list goes on and on. We are told that signs follow those that believe (Mark 16:17; Mormon 9:24; Ether 4:18; Doctrine and Covenants 58:64, 63:9, 68:10, 84:65). What a wonderful time to be alive and to be believing!!!

These scriptures listed make it clear that signs follow after faith and that we are not to seek signs that we might have faith. That is so key. I’d encourage you to study these verses listed for they shed great light on the signs of the second coming and their purpose. I have seen many who seek for signs before they will act in faith. When things don’t happen according to their timing, then they switch directions and quit preparing for the coming of the Lord because their faith was centered in the signs, not in Christ. I have also seen many who see the signs and continue to live lives of faith and dedication to the Lord. Seeing the signs fulfilled brings them great hope and comfort to patiently move forward with faith in the coming of their Redeemer and King who will make all things right and usher in the peace of the millennium. 

It’s interesting at the time shortly before the signs given by Samuel the Lamanite in the Book of Mormon were to be manifest, the believers were severely persecuted. We are seeing that today. Many have seen the signs but they don’t want to believe that Christ really will come and that we need to repent and be prepared in every way; spiritually, temporally, emotionally and mentally. The prophets have spoken and told us how to be ready for His coming. If we heed their words and the voice of the Spirit and the Lord, Jesus Christ, we will be ready and rejoice in the days ahead. It truly will be great and terrible, great for the righteous and terrible for the wicked. 

Unbelief

I was in Alma 7 this morning. It is one of the most important chapters, in my opinion, in describing what it will take for us to gain eternal life. John 17:3 states that, “this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” So, eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ. Alma 7:11-13 explains that for Jesus Christ to KNOW how to succor His people, He would have to experience all things in the flesh and not just learn them in the spirit. So, if we are to truly come to know God and Jesus then we will have to suffer similar things they did so that we might truly succor others. Succor is to “run to or help.” I’ve noticed in my life, especially while serving as a bishop, that the Lord gave me specific circumstances in my life so I could truly know what others were going through and how to help them. The way to help them always included looking at the Savior’s life and realizing that the unjust experience was helping us know what Jesus truly felt like as He was unjustly treated in His earthly experience. So, if someone truly seeks eternal life, to KNOW God and Jesus, that person can expect to be tried by fire. 

So, I was excited to get to these verses but verse 6 caught my attention. It reads, “But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come” (Alma 7:6).

The first thing Alma mentions to the people of Gideon is his hope that they are not in a state of “unbelief.” As I’ve pondered and studied over the Book of Mormon, I have come to realize that the “enemies of Christ” that President Benson said the Book of Mormon will help us identify, include two major culprits; pride and unbelief. They go hand in hand. Unbelief can be tricky to identify in ourselves. Sometimes we know we have it but it requires us to let go of our “beliefs” that we might be open to receiving more light and knowledge, truth. 

There are many examples in the scriptures of the children of God growing from one belief to the next. King Limhi was willing to let go of false traditions of his father and people to be open to listening to Ammon preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Saul, became Paul, because he hearkened, listened and obeyed, to the Lord when He told him he was kicking against the pricks and was fighting against the Lord. Saul was deeply committed to what he “believed.” He was even so entrenched in “believing” he saw things clearly in the word of God that he was “unbelieving” to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. He had studied the word of God under Gamaliel. The Bible Dictionary says this of Gamaliel, “A Pharisee, a doctor of the law, held in honor with all the people (Acts 5:34). He was a celebrated Jewish teacher who belonged to the more liberal school. His influence carried great weight in the Sanhedrin (5:35–40). Paul had been one of his pupils (22:3).” 

Nephi “believed” so much in the holy word of God, to not kill, that he struggled with “unbelief” to the promptings of the Holy Ghost to kill Laban. 

These are just a couple examples of conversion. I would suggest that all of us are in a state of “belief” at the very moment we are struggling in a state of “unbelief.” The fact that one isn’t translated, in the presence of Jesus Christ or in the presence of Father, as John 14 explains, denotes that we are “unbelieving.” For if we “believed” then we would be exercising faith and following “every word that proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:44). In light of this conversation listen to this great revelation given to the prophet, Joseph Smith:

43 And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life.

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

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

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

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

48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.

49 And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.

50 And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me.

51 For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin.

52 And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me.

53 And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now.

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received--

55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.

57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written--

58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:43-58)

The rest of the section is incredible too but this part specifically points out the gravity of the sin of “unbelief.” 

Nephi, a great prophet in the Book of Mormon warns us by saying, “A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible.” (2 Nephi 29:3-14). Just before this chapter in chapter 28, he gives us a marvelous sermon on “unbelief.” The whole chapter must be read and pondered and prayed over. He sums up some of his thoughts at the end by saying, “Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!  For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:29-30).

Ether gives an incredible sermon on “belief” versus “unbelief” in Ether 3-4. After describing the Brother of Jared seeing the Lord, he says this, “For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things--it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things” (Ether 3:26). He continues to teach us that if we don’t break the veil of unbelief then we will never receive the blessing of seeing what the Brother of Jared saw. If we do truly believe then we will see the beginning and the end, the Lord and all things (Ether 4). 

Is “unbelief” an enemy to Christ? Is “belief” a friend to Christ? Absolutely! Do we all “believe” something? Yes! Are we all in a state of “unbelief?” I would agree with Ether and all the holy prophets, if we aren’t actively in the presence of deity and being shown all things then there is still some “unbelief” that needs to be rooted out of us. Once we come to this realization, Ether 4 is a good place to begin and then we eventually see how all the scriptures are trying to teach us to break the veil of “unbelief” and truly come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. What a great challenge and opportunity!

It’s easy to see “belief” and “unbelief” in others but harder to see in ourselves. In our family scripture study this morning (I had to leave this entry for a moment to do with them) we read, “Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not ‘believe’ that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we ‘believe’ that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you” (Alma 44:9). So interesting. We all believe and we all have unbelief. The Book of Mormon teaches us to break away from false traditions and false beliefs and embrace the truth that God and Jesus Christ are waiting to give us. That we might fully embrace the full gospel of Jesus Christ, to come unto Him and be perfected in Him, is my humble prayer for me and all of you, I so invite in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thoughts on Revelation...How we know if Revelation is from Jesus Christ

Alma 6:8 was interesting to me this morning. Alma taught the word of God to the people in Gideon and this is what and how he taught, he declared the “word of God unto the church which was established in the valley of Gideon, according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been spoken by his fathers, and according to the spirit of prophecy which was in him, according to the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who should come to redeem his people from their sins, and the holy order by which he was called.” 

There is a lot of meat in there. He taught the word of God, “according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been spoken by his fathers...”. “The revelation of the truth of the word,” indicates to me that only those words others have spoken that the Spirit of revelation dictated were true. We are entitled to know “by the power of the Holy Ghost...the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). That same spirit is what settled upon him as he taught by the spirit of prophecy. He had this because of the testimony he had of Jesus Christ. Wow! That is so powerful!

In our family scripture study we were in Alma 44. We read the first 6 verses. It was powerful to me to identify the enemies of Christ, that President Benson taught are revealed to us in the Book of Mormon. The enemy described here is one that seeks for power over others to bring them into bondage. Bondage is being forced to do what others ask you to do. Moroni was the opposite. He sought for power to ensure that he and his people could exercise their liberty to choose and worship and live their religion as they saw fit. We must measure everything we do and our interactions with others in that light. Even if we want others to keep their faith we must never use a position of power to force someone to use their agency to live their religion the way we feel is best. At that point we have crossed the line and are then using the means of the evil one, seeking for power to bring someone into bondage and to force them to follow the dictates of our conscience instead of theirs. 

Searching Our Hearts as Individuals and as a People

I recently came across this quote from Hugh Nibley:

from a 1973 lecture that Nibley gave at BYU, later reprinted in the collection, What is Zion? Joseph Smith Lecture Series 1972-73.

“…the worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status-symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism...the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances.”

What are your thoughts and feelings about this quote?

Here are two quotes from Elder F. Burton Howard that I think are worth pondering over:

“Certainty is incompatible with learning.” 

“The only thing that keeps us from learning more is the false certainty that we know enough.”

What are your thoughts?


Hugh Nibley gave a great discourse at a BYU commencement address. Here it is:

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/hugh-nibley_leaders-managers/

What are your thoughts and feelings after reading this discourse?

Just Follow the Prophet

I have been persecuted for believing that others could have dreams, visions and prophecy and be commanded to share them. I wrestled much with the Lord to know if I should be open to people sharing these sacred, personal experiences. The Lord led me to many scriptures and words of the prophets such as; Samuel the Lamanite (Helaman 13-15), Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11:25-29) and a great talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled, "Spiritual Gifts," Ensign, September 1986. https://www.lds.org/ensign/1986/09/spiritual-gifts?lang=eng

Dieter F. Uchtdorf made this great observation about when one receives additional light and truth and what happens as they share it. “Some might believe us. Most would ridicule, oppose, or perhaps even seek to silence or harm us. Some might attempt to apply logic, reason, and facts as they know them to show that we are misguided, foolish, or even dangerous. They might condemn us for attempting to mislead others.
But of course, these people would be completely mistaken. They might be well-meaning and sincere. They might feel absolutely positive of their opinion. But they simply would not be able to see clearly because they had not yet received the more complete light of truth” (Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, October 2014).

He continued,  “The Everlasting and Almighty God, the Creator of this vast universe, will speak to those who approach Him with a sincere heart and real intent.
He will speak to them in dreams, visions, thoughts, and feelings.
He will speak in a way that is unmistakable and that transcends human experience. He will give them divine direction and answers for their personal lives” (Ibid).

As I tried to share the beautiful insights that I received from being open to other's experiences, I was told often to, "Just Follow the Prophet!" I would say, "I am. That is why I'm using the words of the prophets to try and share what they've shared in how we ought to be open to other's experiences, dreams, visions and prophecies. We can take these things to the Lord and pray to know if they are true. The Spirit testifies of all truth and we need to ask God to confirm or deny if something is true or not" (Moroni 10:3-5, Moroni 7, James 1:5-6 etc). I would try to explain but I've been deemed a heretic and apostate.

I came across this gem in the Joseph Smith Translation of Luke 14:34-37, "So likewise, whosoever of you forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my disciple. Then certain of them came to him, saying, Good Master, we have Moses and the prophets, and whosoever shall live by them, shall he not have life? And Jesus answered, saying, Ye know not Moses, neither the prophets; for if ye had known them, ye would have believed on me; for to this intent they were written. For I am sent that ye might have life. Therefore I will liken it unto salt which is good; But if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?"

The way I interpret this is Jesus is saying, "if ye understood Moses, the prophet, then ye would believe in Me." In our day, if we believe the prophets, then we are open to applying what they are teaching. I believe there is ample evidence in the scriptures and the words of the latter-day prophets to justify and bear witness to us that we ought to be open to other's being able, willing and commanded to share what they are learning from God and then we go to the Lord for our own confirmation, just as the saints did when Joseph Smith shared his vision or when any person has shared sacred communication from heaven to them. We are agents for ourselves and ought to trust God more than man.

We ought not to limit the ways in which God will answer our prayers. I testify that God has communicated to me and countless others through various means. The one thing in common is that by the power of the Holy Ghost the communication comes to and penetrates the heart and mind deeply in a very personal way (Moroni 10:3-5). May God bless us as we turn to Him in faith, believing He will answer us in His own way and timing. Let us be meek enough to receive the light through whatever means He brings it to us on the wings of His Holy Spirit.

Leaving the Garden and Temple to Progress to Exaltation

Eve and Adam were in the Garden of Eden and were in the presence of God. They had all the security and safety they could possibly need but there was one problem, there was a separation between them and God, their Father. They communed and walked and talked with Him but they were not like Him. He was an exalted being and had a knowledge of good and evil and had learned all things. We learn by study and also by faith (D&C 88:118; D&C 109:7). Faith can only be developed in a fallen experience, otherwise, there would be no opportunity to exercise faith. We could have a very long discussion on faith but that is not the point of this post for now.

So, there they were, enjoying being in the presence of Father but recognize a huge gap in their personal development. They must have wrestled and asked how they could become like Him or was it ok to seek to become like Him.

There is a great verse in 2 Nephi chapter 2 verse 19 in the Book of Mormon, "And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth." That seems like a pretty simple verse but it hit me yesterday that if we read it like this, "And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the [temple and out of the presence of Father] to till the earth. The temple is Father's House. It's the "House of the Lord," as we have inscribed on our temples. The Garden of Eden is a place where God dwelt. It's a home for Him. So, why would Eve and Adam purposely leave His presence? 2 Nephi chapter 2 explains why. Some of those reasons were to learn the difference between good and evil and learn to prize the good. They would learn by experience those things that they had studied. Faith would now play a huge factor in their development. They would have to believe in and follow Father to greater happiness even though they were shut out of His presence. The only way they could now return would be through a process of changing, repenting, and becoming clean and holy. Though they were determined to change and repent to become holy like Father, they would have scars and stains from their mortal, fallen experience on earth. This leads us to a great sacrifice to satisfy the demands of justice that mercy might be extended to those that repent or change. This leads us to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who pays the demands of justice that He might extend mercy to us.

So, these are beautiful doctrines but the main message that I felt this time in verse 19 was a question and some wonderful thoughts the Lord took me down. The thought was this, "would Father ever inspire someone to do something that would keep them out of His presence, like partake of the  forbidden fruit, to become more like Him in the end?" "Are there multiple 'falls' in our lives?"

As I look back upon my life, God has taken me to some interesting stages and levels of development. He will require great obedience and sacrifices to be completely faithful to a doctrine or principle that I understand, then He will require great obedience and sacrifice to be obedient to another principle or doctrine I previously did not understand or even one that I thought was forbidden. It would be like Eve. She had conflicting commandments, first, to multiply and replenish the earth and second to not partake of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She partook of the forbidden fruit in order that she might be obedient to the first commandment.

What is our first purpose in this earth or mortal experience, that we might gain eternal life. Moses 1:39 states that Father's work and glory is to bring about our immortality and eternal life. We will all be resurrected and gain immortality so the question is will we be resurrected to a body and spirit that is exalted, one like Father's? John 17:3 explains that eternal life or life eternal is to come to know God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We come to know Them by becoming like Them. You can't really know or understand someone if you are not like them. I have learned that truth by experience. We may think we understand or know someone but it isn't possible until we're in their shoes. That happens by walking in the paths they walk. Alma 7:11-13 has a great discourse about this truth. It explains that Jesus could have learned through the spirit what to do to succor His people but only through physical experience, suffering our pains, sicknesses, infirmities and sins could He truly know how to succor His people. So, to know someone you truly have to go through what they go through. That is an interesting truth.

So this leads one to ponder descending and ascending. Eve and Adam fell, or descended, that they might ascend to the throne of God, having become like Him. If they are to become like Him, then from what we just discussed, wouldn't it be logical that they will eventually have to descend below all things to ascend above all things? "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6).

This is leading to a very long discussion. I guess that is expected because the gospel principles and doctrines are all so intricately connected to all others. My point is that we can expect to have "falls" in our lives if we really want to come to know Father and Jesus Christ. Eve was willing to leave the garden, the temple, and so I wonder what that means for each of us? What will God require of us that we might come to know Him?

What are your thoughts?