I Know in Whom I Have Trusted

"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men..." (2 Nephi 28:31) 

In the LDS Church we hear of those who have a had 'crisis of faith,' and I have often wondered whether this 'crisis of faith' is really the result of having put too much faith in the church as an organization, i.e., too much faith in the leaders of the church, past and present, and not enough faith and trust in the Lord. Isn't the 'crisis of faith' really an admission that some leader or leaders have disappointed us or said or did something that has led one to question? Or perhaps one may ask 'how can this be the true church' when its leaders make mistakes or even sometimes abuse its members, and even admit to making mistakes? 

The problem is that a myth has been created which in effect goes like this: "When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done." Although even as some leaders of the Church have disavowed infallibility and urged personal responsibility upon its members, this myth persists. Erecting any--even the noblest among us--into an idol is both a dangerous and a fail-safe recipe for disappointment. From God's perspective, the problem is not the universality of human weakness, it is the universality of human trust in that weakness. God does not warn us about trusting in flawed flesh, but in human flesh. "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh," writes Nephi. Any human flesh, that is the point. But the reason He employs flawed vessels is to protect us and to help redirect our attention to Him. 

The story of Gideon illustrates this principle. The Lord calls Gideon to free Israel from the oppression at the hands of the Midianites. Gideon raises as army of 32,000 men, but the Lord tells him that is too many, because the army will credit themselves for the victory. Gideon reduces his army to 10,000 and the Lord tells him again that it is too many, and for the same reasons. Finally Gideon reduces his army to 300. With so few, surely their victory over the Midianites could only be attributed to Divine assistance. Regrettably, it is not God or God's army that the people credit, but it is Gideon! The predilection to revere a human leader is too great. Gideon's men cannot lift their eyes any higher than the immediately visible--the great leader who has taken them to such a great victory. It is their desire that Gideon rule over them. As for Gideon, he falls prey to the resulting adulation and riches. He fashions a cult object with his new found wealth, which inevitably becomes "a snare unto Gideon, and to his house" (Judges 8:27). 

But trusting in others seems to be a problem among Latter-day Saints, especially as it relates to church leaders, and because of this trust, some have and others will lose faith when they discover that their leaders are human and make mistakes, and even err in doctrine. This is true even though the Lord has told us to look to Him and live, and yet, some continue to teach that following the Prophet is our way to salvation. It has been said that the Pope is infallible, but no one believes it, and that the LDS Prophet is not infallible, but no Mormon believes it. 

On the other hand there are those who have little or no faith in the leaders of the church, usually because of some issue or issues on which they disagree. These members are also guilty of not putting their trust in God. They use the weaknesses of their leaders to justify their lack of faith, lifestyle, or inactivity, while they criticize leaders for being human while not recognizing that they have misplaced their trust.

I am convinced that people who put their trust in the Lord will remain faithful to Him, and those who don't and instead put their trust in men by either relying on them too much or criticizing them too much, will have a crisis of faith as soon as they hear or read something that shatters that trust or seems to justify their lack of trust. 

Isaiah told us that, "Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharoah King of Egypt to all that trust in him" (Isaiah 36:6). 

We have been instructed to "put trust in the Lord" (D&C 19:30), and if we listen carefully this is the message from some Church leaders, beginning with Joseph Smith when he said that our minds have been darkened because of our dependency on our leaders. President Uchtdorf said in a recent conference: "And, to be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles, or doctrine. I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes." 

And He uses imperfect people to lead so we will put our trust in Him. He has warned us that priesthood authority is only valid if exercised upon the principles of righteousness--His righteousness, that while the rights of the priesthood "may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control of 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 121:36-37 emphasis added). He furthers tells us "that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately exercise unrighteous dominion" (D&C 121:39 emphasis added). 

Our Father knows of our tendency to transfer our trust to others, especially those who are called to positions of authority. He knows of our tendency to change "the truth of God into a lie, and worship the creature more than the Creator..." (Romans 1:25) "And my speech and my preaching," wrote Paul to the Corinthians, "was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1 Cor 2:4-5), and "...that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God" (2 Cor 1:9). 

Other writings of Paul make it clear where our trust should be. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor 3:5). "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but by measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (2 Cor 10:12). "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:12-13). 

The Book of Mormon is replete with those who are witnesses of this truth: Put your faith and trust in God, and not in man, not any man; not in flesh nor in riches, but only in God. And yet we seem to ignore these witnesses, or worse, minimize these witnesses, by teaching about good examples, about being good examples, about our strivings and the strivings of others, about the awe we seem to reinforce in our leaders or our criticism of them. No flesh is no flesh. Even the Savior tells us to not call Him good, because He says there is none good but His Father. We teach of being instruments in the Lord's hands instead of putting our faith in Christ, which when we do, we also bear witness to others where our faith is and where their faith should be. 

"As Joseph Smith so pointedly taught," wrote Bruce R. McConkie, "a prophet is not always a prophet, only when he is acting as such. Prophets are men and they make mistakes. Sometimes they err in doctrine. Sometimes even wise and good men fall short in the accurate presentation of what is truth. Sometimes a prophet gives personal views which are not endorsed or approved by the Lord. We have been introduced to the gospel; we have the gift of the Holy Ghost; we have the Standard Works, and it is our responsibility to get in tune and understand properly what the Lord has revealed and has had us canonize" (Letter from Bruce R. McConkie to Eugene England, February 19, 1981). 

But even this statement must be put to the same standard as Elder McConkie advocates. It is up to us to know whether our leaders speak the truth to us or whether they don't. D&C 68:4 says: "And whatsoever they speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scriptures, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto Salvation" (emphasis added). The operative qualifier is "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost." As J. Reuben Clark said, we decide whether or not they speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, which means we must have the Holy Ghost! 

This is consistent with a statement by Brigham Young: "We often hear it said that the living oracles must be in the church, in order that the Kingdom of God may be established and prosper on the earth. I give another version of this sentiment. I say that the living oracle of God, or the Spirit of Revelation must be in each and every individual, to know the plan of salvation and keep in the path that leads them to the presence of God." 

This is further supported by President Marion G. Romney. "I don't know much about the gospel other than what I've learned from the standard works. When I drink from a spring I like to get the water where it comes out of the ground, not down stream after the cattle have waded in it. I appreciate other people's interpretation, but when it comes to the gospel we ought to be acquainted with what the Lord says and we ought to read it" (untitled address at CES coordinators convention, 13 April 1973). 

Another witness is B.H. Roberts who said: "I think it is a reasonable conclusion to say that constant, never-varing inspiration is not a factor in the administration of the affairs of the Church; not even good men, no, not though they be prophets or other high officials in the Church, are at all times and in all things inspired of God." 

President Charles W. Penrose taught: "We do not believe in the infallibility of man. When God reveals anything it is truth, and truth is infallible. No president of the church has claimed infallibility." 

It is the greatest of all blessing that we do not have to depend on others in order to be taught and know the truth. There are no creeds, no official interpretations of scriptures, no 'official' church doctrine, and as Henry Eyring said: "You don't have to believe anything in this church that is not true." Each one of us can learn the truth directly from the words of our Father in Heaven. Christ was clear when He said, "For I have not spoken of myself; but the father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak" (John 12:45-50). 

All truth comes from God and He has defined truth as His word (D&C 84:45). It is our joy and our responsibility to hear and receive His words, and when we do, our faith in our Father and His Son will increase until we like Peter will know the truth because our Father in Heaven has revealed it unto us. 

It is not wise to equate priesthood keys and priesthood offices with knowledge. Those who do have not availed themselves of the knowledge that comes directly from God, have not searched the scriptures diligently and have not treasured up in their minds the words of God. If they had, they would know that we are not to trust in other human beings, but only in God. Do not be like the children of Israel, who, when they were given the opportunity to hear God directly, turned away and told Moses "speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:19).

"Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God" D&C 76:61).