From Clement of Rome* On Truth & Ignorance

Clement reporting on his association with Peter and identifying Peter as the source of these teachings (emphasis added).

From all these things, therefore, it is concluded that all evil springs from ignorance; and ignorance herself, the mother of all evils, is sprung from carelessness and sloth, and is nourished, and increased, and rooted in the senses of men by negligence.

He, therefore, whose aid is needed for the house filled with the darkness of ignorance is He, we say, who is called the true Prophet, who alone can enlighten the souls of men, so that with their eyes they may plainly see the way of safety. For otherwise it is impossible to get knowledge of divine and eternal things, unless one learns of that true Prophet.

Only Christ can enlighten us with truth, and we must get the truth directly from Him. For to remain ignorant offers no excuse. The light and knowledge is there, and to remain ignorant is a willful choice of darkness rather than light. We choose to avoid the light.

For when He came, He was not at all acknowledged by those who seemed to expect Him, in consequence of the tradition of their ancestors; whereas those who had heard nothing at all of Him, both believe that He has come, and hope that He is to come.

The Jews expected Christ, but because of their traditions, they rejected Him, and continue to hear nothing of Him. After the Jews rejected Christ, His gospel was taken to the Gentiles, who at first received it and brought forth good fruit. Likening this to ourselves, will our traditions cause us to reject the Lord's prophecies concerning His second coming, including rejecting the Lord's servant, as the Jews did John the Baptist? 

But this happened by the providence of God, that the knowledge of this good One should be handed over to the Gentiles, and those who had never heard of Him, nor had learned from the prophets, should acknowledge Him, while those who had acknowledged Him in their daily meditations should not know Him. 

But the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. It is now reversing where we, the Ephraimite Gentiles, who at first brought forth good fruit, will not know Him, notwithstanding our claims otherwise. At that time, many persons who are “of the covenant”—the Latter-day Saints—who will “not hear” his words and “not believe” the true nature of the Lord’s great and marvelous work, but instead “mar” the messenger, will be “cut off” from among God’s people.

For, behold, by you who are now present, and desire to hear the doctrine of His faith, and to know what, and how, and of what sort is His coming, the prophetic truth is fulfilled.

As will be fulfilled the prophetic truth that the Gentiles (us) will reject the fulness of His gospel.

For when one at the outset the truth of the Prophet is established on examination, the rest is to be heard and held on the ground of the faith by which it is already established that he is a teacher of truth. And as it is certain that all things which pertain to divine knowledge ought to be held according to the rule of truth, so it is beyond doubt that from one but Himself alone can it be known what is true.

The qualifier is to hear and hold fast to His words. Through His words we exercise faith in Him, that He is the sole source of truth.

Then Peter: "You have answered rightly, O Clement; for as no one can see without eyes, nor hear without ears, nor smell without nostrils, nor taste without a tongue, nor handle anything without hands, so it is impossible, without the true Prophet, to know what is pleasing to God."

Brilliant! "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22-23 emphasis added).

And therefore we must labour for a little, that we may search out the presumptions of ignorance, and cut them off by means of knowledge, especially in those who are preoccupied with some erroneous opinions, by means of which ignorance is the more firmly rooted in them, as under the appearance of a certain kind of knowledge; for nothing is worse than for one to believe that he knows what he is ignorant of, and to maintain that to be true which is false. This is as if a drunk man should think himself to be sober, and should act indeed in all respects as a drunk man, and yet think himself to be sober, and should wish to be called so by others. 

Ignorance can only be eliminated by the knowledge of truth. How many erroneous opinions do we hold fast? And yet we claim to know! As Benoit Blanc said "It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.” 

Thus, therefore, are those also who do not know what is true, yet hold some appearance of knowledge, and do many evil things as if they were good, and hasten destruction as if it were to salvation. 

By our traditions we make His truth of none effect, but still hold to the appearance of knowledge, and the appearance that we are somehow righteous. And yet we remain ignorant. 

Since, indeed, as land neglected by the cultivator necessarily produces thorns and thistles, so your sense, by long neglect, has produced a plentiful crop of noxious opinions of things and dogmas of false science; there is need now of much care in cultivating the field of your mind, that the word of truth, which is the true and diligent husbandman of the heart, may cultivate it with continual instructions. 

Where is the urgency to cultivate our minds with His words, His truth? Where is the hunger and thirst after knowledge? Is it disguised as following the prophet, but not The Prophet?

It is therefore your part to render obedience to it, and to lop off superfluous occupations and anxieties, lest a noxious growth choke the good seed of the word. 

The parable of the Sower is everyone's story.

For it may be that a short and earnest diligence may repair a long time's neglect; for the time of everyone's life is uncertain, and therefore we must hasten to salvation, lest haply sudden death seize upon him who delays. 

Here is the remedy prescribed for us in language we all can understand--hasten! We can repair the neglect, but we must hurry. 

Our Lord, when He sent us apostles to preach, enjoined us to teach all nations the things which were committed to us. We cannot therefore speak those things as they were spoken by Himself. For our commission is not to speak, but to teach those things, and from them to show how every one of them rests upon truth. 

And yet our prescribed subject matter is conference talks, compiled in the Gospel Library on the same level as the Scriptures. I leave it to you to decide whether modern-day apostles give talks or teach only what Christ taught. 

Nor, again, are we permitted to speak anything of our own. For we are sent; and of necessity he who is sent delivers the message as he has been ordered, and sets forth the will of the sender. 

And it is up to us to know the difference! 

For if I should speak anything different from what He who sent me enjoined me, I should be a false apostle, not saying what I was commanded to say, but what seems good to myself. For we apostles are sent to expound the sayings and affirm the judgments of Him who has sent us; but we are not commissioned to say anything of our own, but to unfold the truth, as I have said, of His words. 

Do you need anymore clarification? If so, here it is:

For there is one true Prophet, whose words we twelve apostles preach.

The will and counsel of God has for many reasons been concealed from men; first, indeed, through bad instruction, wicked associations, evil habits, unprofitable conversation, and unrighteous presumptions. On account of these, I say, first error, then contempt, then infidelity and malice, covetousness also, and vain boasting, and other such like evils, have filled the whole house of this world, like some enormous smoke, and preventing those who dwell in it from seeing its Founder aright, and from perceiving what things are pleasing to Him. 

Similar to what the Lord told Joseph Smith. "...upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8 emphasis added).

The teaching of all doctrine has a certain order, and there are some things which must be delivered first, others in the second place, and others in the third, and so all in their order; and if these things be delivered in their order, they become plain; but if they be brought forward out of order, they will seem to be spoken against reason. 

This order is given to us in the Book of Mormon in the accounts to Ammon and Aaron teaching King Lamoni and His Father.

Do not think that we say that these things are only to be received by faith but also that they are to be asserted by reason. For indeed it is not safe to commit these things to bare faith without reason, since assuredly truth cannot be without reason. 

Why is the mind washed and anointed? The Holy Ghost communicates light and truth to our minds and intellect.

All were made equal by Him, and to all He has given equally to be receptive of truth. But that none of those who are born, are born with education, but education is subsequent to birth, no one can doubt. Since, therefore, the birth of men holds equity in this respect, that all are equally capable of receiving discipline, the difference is not in nature, but in education. 

Another reason why Alma and other Book of Mormon writers describe inequality as evil.

Who does not know that the things which any one learns, he was ignorant of before he learned them? If then in those arts which are in common use, one first learns and then teaches, how much more ought those who profess to be the educators of souls, first to learn, and so to teach, that they may not expose themselves to ridicule, if they promise to afford knowledge to others, when they themselves are unskillful? 

Like parents teaching (or not) their children to understand the doctrine of repentance? Or like bringing (or not) their children up in light and truth? 

You also pardon me (Peter speaking to Simon) this one thing, because I cannot do otherwise than the Prophet of truth has instructed me. First of all, then, he is evil, in the judgment of God, who will not inquire what is advantageous to himself. For how can any one love another, if he does not love himself? Or to whom will that man not be an enemy, who cannot be a friend to himself. 

I would have never thought that not inquiring what is best for me would be considered evil. Could it be that what is best for each of us has already been taught, the seeds sown, and to ignore it is evil?

In order, therefore, that there might be a distinction between those who choose good and those who choose evil, God has concealed that which is profitable to men, i.e., the possession of the kingdom of heaven, and has laid it up as a secret treasure, so that no one can easily attain it by his own power or knowledge. 

Oh how I love treasures! Especially secret treasures! And possession of the kingdom of Heaven is a priceless treasure. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2).

Yet He has brought the report of it, under various names and opinions, through successive generations, to the hearing of all: so that whosoever should be lovers of good, hearing it, might inquire and discover what is profitable and salutary to them; but that they should ask it, not from themselves, but from Him who has hidden it, and should pray that access and the way of knowledge might be given to them: which way is opened to those only who love it and above all the good things of this world; and on no other condition can any one even understand it. 

Again the parable of the Sower. The sowing of His words throughout the world beginning with Adam. No one can claim ignorance. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3).

It behooves, therefore, the good to love that way above all things, that is, above riches, glory, rest, parents, relatives, friends and everything in the world. But he who perfectly loves this possession of the kingdom of heaven, will undoubtedly cast away all practice of evil habit, negligence, sloth, malice, anger, and such like. For if you prefer any of these to it, as loving the vices of your own more than God, you shall not attain to the possession of the heavenly kingdom; for truly it is foolish to love anything more than God. 

His love works in us to more fully love the possession of this secret treasure--the kingdom of Heaven.

He, therefore, who will not seek after that which is profitable to himself, is evil, to such an extent that his wickedness exceeds the very prince of impiety. For he abuses the goodness of God to the purpose of his own wickedness. 

When we want for ourselves what God wants for us, then are wills are aligned. If we don't want for ourselves what He wants for us, then we ignore His goodness, and to ignore it, is to abuse His goodness.

Wherefore we must, above all things, hasten to the knowledge of the truth, that, as with a light kindled thereat, we may be able to dispel the darkness of errors; for ignorance, as we have said, is a great evil; but because it has no substance, it is easily dispelled by those who are; in earnest. For ignorance is nothing else than not knowing what is good for us; once know this, and ignorance perishes. Therefore the knowledge of truth ought to be eagerly sought after; and no one can confer it except the True Prophet. 

Amen! Again that word hasten. For us the time is short on this earth and to not hasten for the knowledge of His truth is the worst kind of ignorance for we never learn what is best for ourselves. Eager implies enthusiasm and thirst for His knowledge. Those who are uninterested, indifferent or apathetic make a choice to choose darkness. 

Then Peter began to say: Those who speak the word of truth, and who enlighten the souls of men, seem to me, to be like the rays of the sun, which, when once they have come forth and appeared to the world, can no longer be concealed or hidden, while they are so much seen by men, as they afford sight to all.

I love this comparison. Rays of the sun bring light. I remember driving across Kansas just before the sun started to rise. The rays of light shown over the horizon, and then with no mountains or hills to hide behind, the sun was there in all its beauty and glory. 

For it very frequently happens that he who defends the truth does not gain the victory, since the hearers are either prejudiced, or have no great interest in the better cause.

This doesn't mean that we give up or give in, but that we brighten His rays in us and sharpen His sword of truth to shed more light wherever we may be. Christ exercises patience because He is merciful, and He can foresee that many of the ungodly can become godly.

Peter rose up, and began to speak to the following effect: To me it is exceedingly wonderful, that things which can easily be found out men make difficult by recondite thoughts and words; and those especially who think themselves wise, and who, wishing to comprehend the will of God, treat God as if He were a man, yea, as if He were something less than a man: for no one can know the purpose or mind of a man unless he himself reveal his thoughts; and neither can any one learn a profession unless he be for a long time instructed by a master. 

Worship the creature rather than the Creator. I am so grateful to have been instructed by the Master, who continually allows me to find new hidden treasures. I love my treasure chest, and go there often to hold and cherish them and give thanks to Him in whom are hidden all treasures.

How much more must it be, that no one can know the mind or the work of the invisible and incomprehensible God, unless He himself send a prophet (Christ) to declare His purpose, and expound the way of His creation, so far as it is lawful for men to learn it! 

I can only shout for joy that He has revealed Himself to me. He alone enlightens the souls of men, so that with their eyes they may plainly see the way of safety. But they must look.

For you ought not to seek a foreign and extraneous sense, which you have brought from without, which you may confirm from the authority of the Scriptures, but to take the sense of truth from the Scriptures themselves; and therefore it behooves you to learn the meaning of the Scriptures from him who keeps it according to the truth handed down to him from his father, so that he can authoritatively declare what he has rightly received. 

I can think of many, but Alma springs to mind. He believed the words of Abinadi, wrote them all down, and taught others the words of God, which became His words. Among us what do the fathers teach their children? 

But when one has received an entire and firm rule of truth from the Scriptures, it will not be improper if he contribute to the establishment of true doctrine anything from common education and from liberal studies.

But if one's source is the truth of His words, then like this post, one can contribute to His true doctrine from any source whereby it is found.

But he who, hearing those things, willingly receives them, and is thankful that the teaching of good things has been brought to him, inquires more eagerly, and does not cease to learn, until he ascertains whether there be truly another world, in which rewards are prepared for the good. And when he is assured of this, he gives thanks to God because He has shown him the light of truth; and for the future directs his actions in all good works, for which he is assured that there is a reward prepared in the world to come; while he constantly wonders and is astonished at the errors of other men, and that no one sees the truth which is placed before his eyes.

Liken all scriptures unto ourselves. Ignorance is in itself a most deadly poison, which is sufficient to ruin the soul without any aid from another. There is no one who is ignorant who shall escape through ignorance. Be careful not to laugh at the absurdities of others, while through long custom and tradition, you do not see your own.

*Clement of Rome is dated at approximately 100 AD. It was available in 400 AD to the Nicene Council, but was discarded as heresy because it did not conform to their creeds. More on Clement.

But We Have The Book! - Obstacles To Belief

 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. (2 Nephi 33:10)

Sometimes I feel it is necessary to plead with you to wake up! I want you to be awakened by the light of His everlasting words. I want you to choose mercy, and not suffer His justice. Other times I am content to let you sleep, not because you are resting, but because sometimes I am not filled with His love for you, and if you refuse to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, it is your choice and why should I care? I tried, but you were thinking of other things.

But then I think of some of Mormon's last words. He had made an oath that he would no longer assist his people, for they repented not of their iniquities. He was without hope, for he knew the judgments of the Lord would come upon them. But notwithstanding the hardness of their hearts, Mormon "did repent of the oath which" he had made (Mormon 5:1), having hope that his written words would help the "seed of this people (to) more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles" (Mormon 5:15). And what specifically did Mormon teach them? "Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved" (Mormon 7:2 emphasis added).

I always come back to finding the hope for others as I am fed with His words. I know my words reach very few people. I do wish more would receive them, because in them they may hear the words of Christ. And when I think of the judgments of God which are about to come upon us, I can't just turn away and put my head in the sand. When I desired of the Lord to say nothing but repentance unto this generation, He called me to do so, and I do so through His words

I can magnify that calling by taking upon me the responsibility, answering your sins upon my own head, if I do not teach you the word of God with all diligence. It is only by laboring with my might, that your blood might not come upon my garments, otherwise your blood would come upon my garments, and I would not be found spotless at the last day.

My motivation is two-fold--I want to be found spotless, and I want you to be found spotless. And after tasting of His mercy and love for me, I can't stay silent for long, because at those times when I feel His love for you, I really do want you to choose His mercy and not His justice. I experience you as my brother or sister, as my children and grandchildren. I would rather that you heed His words in this life, than wait to be taught by me in the spirit world after you die.

When Oliver Cowdrey said that one word from the mouth of God strikes everything else into insignificance, he zeroes in on the source of the words--from the mouth of God. One word from the mouth of God! Can you imagine as you circle the sun once a year, in a cosmos so vast and never ending that it is impossible for us to grasp, that God has spoken? 

His words matter. He uses His words to manifest Himself to us. He calls His words the sword of truth. He offers this sword of truth to all who desire it, to be used as a weapon against the falsehoods and the fiction that encompasses us. 

His words accompanied by the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy--are His words coming from someone who has received from Him the revelation of the truthfulness of His words. It is not enough to study, read, ponder or even search and feast. Words spoken by the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy are felt and seen, and the response is either to believe them, or not believe them by letting them fall by the wayside.

We should follow the pattern given by the sons of Mosiah, "...they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; ...for they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fastings; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation..." (Alma 17:3 emphasis added).

And what was the result: "...when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God" (Alma 17:3 emphasis added). Alma said the same after the truth of God's words were "made known unto (him) by the Holy Spirit of God" (Alma 5:46). He too, fasted and prayed many days that he might know of himself. "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 5:46 emphasis added).

Alma had certainly, for years, heard the words taught by his father Alma and others, but it was not until the truthfulness of the words spoken and written by his father was revealed to him personally, that he could teach with power and authority, and not only with the spirit of revelation, but also with the spirit of prophecy (Alma 5:47). He is not speaking of ecclesiastical authority, but the power and authority that comes from a personal revelation from God that all His words are truth, light, spirit, even His spirit (D&C 84:45).

Alma emphasized the importance of having the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy when he said "therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; the the knowledge I have is of God" (Alma 36:26 emphasis added).

Just reading the scriptures is not enough. It explains why we can sit through talks and lessons that quote the scriptures and yet are still lifeless. It is only when God's words become our words, because they have been revealed to us, that we become witnesses with first hand knowledge and can testify that we know! It is only then that we speak with power and authority! 

Tim Merrill said that the "scriptures come alive with the Spirit when someone uses them to express what they have received from the Lord already! This is the best definition of 'the spirit of revelation' I have ever read." 

Too often we limit ourselves by reading, trying to understand, or by studying or pondering, or by feasting, or even searching. And while we may know what others have said and can quote them, we stop short of desiring, asking and receiving the revelation directly from our Father in Heaven, and therefore do not have the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy, and do not teach the word of God. Otherwise we would teach with power and authority (Alma 5:45-47; Alma 17:24; Isaiah 28:9).

Enoch is an example, a type of the Lord's latter-day servant, who will speak "forth the words of God" and the people will tremble and will not be able to stand in his presence (Moses 6:47). "And the Lord said unto me: Go to this people, and say unto them--Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die" (Moses 7:10).

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar to lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all the nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him" (Moses 7:13 emphasis added).

As for me I am just one of many preachers of His righteousness, who speaks and prophecies in these last days, and teaches all who will hear, to repent, in order to help you avoid the two-headed monster.

But there are many that harden their hearts against the words of God, so that they have no place in them. As a result they ignore, or worse, arrogantly esteem His written words as nothing. I have written His words, and I esteem them of great worth, especially for my friends and family. I pray for them, and I worry about them, but I cry unto God in faith, for I know He will hear my pleas.

I know that at some point, God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my friends and family. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them, for I know that His words will persuade them to believe in Christ and turn them to Him and His goodness. His words speak harshly against turning away from Him and putting our trust in men and in the things of the world. They speak plainly of the truth and no one will be angry at the words I have written, except he shall have the spirit of the devil.

I love the glory of His words and how they have brought me to my Savior, for He has redeemed my soul from hell. I have great faith in Christ, and know that I will meet many spotless souls at His judgment-seat. 

I know that He will again remember His covenant with the House of Israel, and many will be gathered to their lands of inheritance. I worry, however, about the Gentiles, of which we are numbered, for none can I hope except they repent, enter into the narrow gate and walk in the strait path which leads to eternal life until the end of the day of probation.

My prayer for you is that you will hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words, believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and He has given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye--for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are His words!

And now I prophesy that all things which Christ and others taught concerning the house of Israel, in which Zenos likened to a tame olive tree, must surely come to pass. When He shall set His hand the second time to recover His People, is the day, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in His power to nourish His vineyard with the word of God; and after that the end soon cometh.

They who have labored diligently in His vineyard by teaching His words, are blessed. But those who have not labored diligently in His vineyard,  notwithstanding all their religious observances, are cursed, and shall be cast out into their own place! And the world shall be burned with fire.

How merciful is our God unto us, for He remembers the house of Israel, both roots and branches; He has hope that some Gentiles will repent; and He stretches forth His hands unto them all the day long; but they are a stiff-necked people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

What we can do is repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as He cleaves unto us. And while His arm of mercy is extended towards us in the light of day, hear His voice in His words, and let's not harden our hearts; for why should we die?

For after we have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will we bring forth evil fruit, and be hewn down and cast into the fire?

Will we reject His words? Will we be found on the wrong side of His words? For it is by His words that we will be judged. Will we reject the words of the prophets; and will we reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning Him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and mock the great plan of redemption which has been laid for us in His words?

Avoid being brought to stand before God with shame and awful guilt. Remember that Justice cannot be denied, and for those who bring forth evil fruit, there awaits that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascends up forever and ever.

So to all that hear and read these words, repent--turn to Christ with faith in Him, relying alone upon His merits! Those who have entered into the gate, but have not continued in the way, grab and hold fast to His words. The same for those who have not yet entered into the gate.

Oh be wise; what more can I say?

As the Lord said to Enoch "Say unto this people choose ye day, to serve the Lord God who made you" (Moses 6:33). And then He said to Enoch, "Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify..." (Moses 6:34 emphasis added).

The main obstacle to receiving His words is a lack of desire. We are not hungry or thirsty enough to want to feast upon His words. Unless you are seeking for something, like knowledge, truth or some validation of your life, no matter how much of the word of God is available, it will be meaningless without some desire on your part to want to know it. Without this desire you will not seek it. But don't think that being ignorant will excuse you. The question for you then would be: what would it take to arouse in you a desire to seek for truth? More on what it would take.

Next: But We Have the Book! - America

But We Have the Book! - And It Was Written for Us

"And if it so be that they shall not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld
from them, unto their condemnation" 

(3 Nephi 26:10).

When I say the Book of Mormon was written for us, who are we? Who are 'they,' 'them' and 'their?' Of the groups of people described in the Book of Mormon, of what group are we identified with? And by we, I mean members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I mean you--of what group are you?

Book of Mormon prophecy relates to six groups of people: 1) the Jews, 2) the lost tribes, 3) Lehi's descendants, 4) the Gentiles, 5) the fulness of the Gentiles, and 6) the salt of the earth. 

Of these six groups only the Jews, lost tribes and Lehi's descendants constitute the house of Israel spoken of in the Book of Mormon, both historically and prophetically. Since most members of the church are not Jews, Lehi's descendants or of one of the lost tribes, they are identified with the Gentiles (D&C 109:60), which includes the fulness of the Gentiles or Ephraim among the nations (Genesis 49:19). 

Members of the church are also called the salt of the earth, or those who have entered into the Lord's new and everlasting covenant (D&C 101:39-40). 

The only prophetic reference to the salt of the earth in the Book of Mormon is found in 3 Nephi 16:15 where the Lord prophesied that the salt of the earth would lose its savor, and "thenceforth would be good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of my people, O house of Israel."

It is necessary to understand the difference between the Gentiles and the fulness of the Gentiles in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon was intended to come forth as a test to the latter-day Gentiles. If we embraced its message, we would receive greater light and knowledge. If, however, our unbelief and false traditions led us to harden our hearts against His words, we would come under condemnation. And this condemnation would come unto us because of our vanity and unbelief, having treated lightly the words of Christ recorded in the Book of Mormon (D&C 84:52-55).

This is my church, . . . and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people" (Mosiah 27:13). God guarantees the integrity of His church against all external enemies, but He will not deny the members the right to transgress and destroy it. More on the Gentiles in Prophecy.

Because this series of posts is about believing the words of God in the Book of Mormon, I want to ask you a series of questions concerning your level of belief. Keep in mind that you either believe or you do not believe. "I don't know" is the same as saying "I do not believe." 

Do you believe that the Book of Mormon was written for you and about you, either to bless you or condemn you?

Do you believe that you are identified with the Gentiles spoken of in the Book of Mormon?

The Gentiles are identified as those who migrated to the Americas—specifically Latter-day Saints or “my people who are of the covenant” (3 Nephi 21:11).

Do you believe that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of Lehi's seed, shall be brought to a knowledge of their Redeemer (3 Nephi 16:4)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles shall sin against His gospel (3 Nephi 16:10)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles will reject the fulness of His gospel (3 Nephi 16:10)?

Do you believe that Christ will take away the fulness of His gospel from the Gentiles (3 Nephi 16:10)?

Do you believe that Christ will then remember His covenant with His people, the house of Israel, and bring His gospel unto them (3 Nephi 16:11)?

Do you believe that you must repent and hearken unto His voice if you are to be numbered among His people, the house of Israel (3 Nephi 16:13;15)?

Do you believe that the Salt of the Earth will lose its savor and will be good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden unto the feet of the house of Israel (3 Nephi 16:15)?

Do you believe that you must know of the true points of His doctrine in order to be numbered among His people (3 Nephi 21:6)?

Do you believe that the Father will work a great and marvelous work among us, and there shall be among us those who will not believe it (1 Nephi 14:7; 3 Nephi 21:9)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles will reject His words and not believe them (3 Nephi 21:11-12)?

Do you believe that the house of Israel (Jews, 10 tribes and Lehi's descendants) will believe His words (3 Nephi 20:29-31)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles will reject the blessing of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 28:4-5; 3 Nephi 20:15;27)?

Do you believe that you are judged by His words in the Book of Mormon (John 12:46-50)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles are the wild branches spoken of in Enos' allegory in Jacob 5, who are grafted into the tame olive tree?

Do you believe the master of the vineyard in Jacob 5 when He says that the wild branches bring forth fruth, but none of it which is good?

Do you believe that fruit which results from being religious, like temple attendance, reading the scriptures, attending meetings, paying tithing, fasting, family activities, and not committing any of the 'serious' sins are not good fruits (3 Nephi 16:12-13)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles deny the gifts and power of God because of unbelief (Moroni 10)?

Do you believe that unless one works by the gifts and power of God, they do no good (Moroni 10:25)?

Do you believe that Christ has all power to save every person that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance (Alma 12:15)?

Do you believe that the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of god, and preach unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor (2 Nephi 26:20)?

Do you believe that the laborers in Zion shall labor for Zion; but if they labor for money they shall perish (2 Nephi 26:31)?

Do you believe the last days are the days of the Gentiles (2 Nephi 27:1)?

Do you believe that the Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, that He has closed your eyes (2 Nephi 27:5)?

Do you believe that you draw near unto Christ with your mouth, and with you lips you do honor Him, but that you have removed your heart far from Him, and the fear towards Him is taught by the precepts of men (2 Nephi 27:25)?

Do you believe that all churches, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have become corrupted because of pride, and because of false teachers and false doctrine (2 Nephi 28:11-12)?

Do you believe that you must be stirred up unto repentance or the devil will grasp you with his everlasting chains, from whence there is no deliverance (2 Nephi 28:19;22)?

Do you believe and understand the doctrine of repentance (D&C 68:25)? 

Do you believe that only those who repent are of His church (Mosiah 26:22; D&C 10:67-60)?

Do you believe that 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)?

Do you believe that notwithstanding that Christ has lengthened out His arm unto the Gentiles from day to day, that they will still deny Him (2 Nephi 28:32)?

Do you believe that as many of the Gentiles that will repent are the covenant people of the Lord (2 Nephi 30:2)?

Do you believe that the time speedily cometh that the Lord God will cause a great division among the people, and that the division will be caused by His words, which come as a result of His Great and Marvelous Work (2 Nephi 30:10; 1 Nephi 14:7)?

Do you believe that the voice of the Gentiles has chosen iniquity?

"Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction" (Alma 10:19).

How many did you believe? How many did you answer 'I don't know?' You can clearly see that just saying 'I know the Book of Mormon is true,' is not sufficient. 

This may be where you may want to try Alma's experiment, by desiring to believe, and planting His words in your heart. 

I would like to propose that our unbelief comes from treating the Book of Mormon lightly. I have just scratched the surface with these questions. There is so much breadth and depth in the Book of Mormon. It is both a history and a prophecy, but also filled with truth and light and intelligence. The Book of Mormon tells us that the Gentiles will reject the gift given to them. And what is that gift? The Holy Ghost. 

Q. And what is the purpose of the Holy Ghost, even the Spirit of truth? 

A. To bring to our remembrance all the words spoken by Jesus Christ (John 14:26; 15:26). 

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13 emphasis added). So even the Holy Ghost speaks only what he hears from the Father. 

Think about this for a minute: 

Christ only teaches what His Father commanded Him to teach--His Father's words. 

The Holy Ghost only speaks what he hears from the Father.

And angels only speak the words of God (Moroni 7:31).  

Christ prayed to His Father saying, "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me..." (John 17:8 emphasis added).

Those who teach His words, teach the truth. In fact Christ prayed for them "which shall believe on me through their word..." (John 17:20).

Do you believe that we magnify our office unto the Lord by taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we do not teach them the word of God with all diligence (Jacob 1:19)?

The deceitfulness of the self-image is the most formidable barrier to belief. 

This is perfectly understandable, since people have to live with themselves, but also quite dangerous, since it easily covers a multitude of sins. Thus the people of Zarahemla angrily rebuffed calls to repentance by Samuel the Lamanite. They insist on being told not what is wrong with Zarahemla—for that "ye . . . cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; . . . ye say that he is a false prophet . . . of the devil," and so on (Helaman 13:26). They only want to hear what is right with Zarahemla.

Do you only want to hear what you consider to be right with you? Forget the Book of Mormon then.

Can you see yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbors, and others, in the Book of Mormon prophecies concerning the Gentiles (D&C 84:49-53)?

Next: But We Have The Book! - Obstacles to Belief

But We Have the Book! -- That Same Spirit

"Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world" (Alma 34:. 34).

This series is about whether or not we believe the words of God in the Book of Mormon, keeping in mind that there are ways to measure our belief in His words (D&C 84:49-53). We talk a lot about faith, but belief seems to carry a lot of weight in the Book of Mormon. But they are related in that belief is faith, and faith is believing His words. It is not about knowing His words, or even about teaching them, but about believing them. For if we believe His words we will believe in Him, we will repent and turn to Him, and then come to know His words. Then comes the Spirit of Revelation and the Spirit of Prophecy. 

It is, after all, a belief or non-belief of His words that will separate us. Alma describes a desire to believe as exercising faith. It follows that believing Him is the best way to begin to exercise our faith in Him. It is the reason ministering angels declare the word of God to those they minister to (Moroni 7:25). If we just talk of faith but don't believe Him, we are just--talking. 

What does Amulek mean by the term "same spirit?" He makes it clear by telling us that it is the spirit which possesses our bodies at the time we die, and the spirit that will possess our bodies in the eternal world. A question arises as to whether he is referring to the spirit world as the eternal world, or the world we enter after our bodies and spirits have become inseparable. 

Regardless, the state of this 'same spirit' is THE factor in whether or not we will repent in this life. And the state of this 'same spirit' is THE factor in whether or not we will believe Him (2 Nephi 33:10). Notice the link between believing and repenting.

As I was preparing to write this post several ideas came into my mind. Because of this I can now say that I am understanding what the Lord meant when He said that His words are one Eternal Round. It is because all His words bring us back to Him and how important it is to believe His words. By believing His words we will turn to Him because His words are Him. It doesn't matter where we start on the Eternal Round, we will end up at the same starting point. If we start on the Eternal Round at belief, we end up at belief. If we start on the Eternal Round at repentance, we end up at repentance. All His words are One Eternal Round.

So with that in mind, that 'same spirit' spoken of by Amulek has everything to do with His words and whether we believe them, or at least initially, desire to believe them. Light and truth increases our intelligence, and because His words are light and truth, even His spirit, as we receive them our spirit is nourished with more light and truth, and we grow in intelligence. Our spirit is nourished and enlarged.

Joseph ties the intellect, the spirit, and the mind together when he said: 

"The mind or the intelligence which man possesses, is co-equal with God himself." 

What greater crime than the minimizing of such capacity? The Prophet continues, 

"All the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement. . . . God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge."

As I thought about what Amulek said, many ideas on how our spirits are enlarged, it came to my mind that if our spirits can be enlarged they can also be contracted. We have been taught that it is the flesh that is tempted and weak and that Satan has power over the flesh. Could it be that Satan has power over the spirit as well? Yes, and the Book of Mormon makes it clear that without the Atonement, our spirits are subject to Satan, while our bodies are subject to death (2 Nephi 9:9-12). 

It is another "either or" that we discover. Our spirits are either being enlarged or they are being contracted. Like with His words, we are either receiving more or losing what we have.

"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if it so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Roman 8:9). It is either or. Connect His Spirit dwelling in you with His words being found in you.

I first thought of 3 Nephi 11:1-7 where people gathered after the destruction in the land, and struggled to hear the voice speaking to them because they were conversing among themselves, and not looking toward the source of the voice, and therefore did not open their ears to hear the voice. 

Hearing Him enlarges our spirit. Conversing among ourselves and not looking towards the source of the voice contracts our spirit. Even when we 'hear' according to Nephi, we will not be brought to the light if we do not ask to understand (2 Nephi 32:4).

It is our spirit that is nourished (Moroni 6:4). It is His words that keep us in the right way (2 Nephi 31:19-20).

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit" (Romans 8:5). When Paul says that our spirits are willing, but the flesh is weak, he teaches that a willing spirit is one that is ready to be nourished. And because the scriptures link our hearts and minds with our spirits, we can begin to understand that the 'same spirit' is the one we have either nourished or have not nourished with His light and truth.

Spirits have different intelligence and spirits grow in intelligence as they receive more light and truth. Those whose spirits have not received light and truth are subject to the flesh, and the more they are assimilated into the world, the more removed from light and truth they become. And because it is generational, it becomes more difficult to break the chain spoken of by the Lord in D&C 123, because the creeds of the fathers are so strongly riveted upon the hearts of the children, the later generations groan under the weight of its iniquity.

Another thought that came to my mind is the scripture that says "...if ye could be healed by merely casting your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief... (Alma 33:21)? If you had the opportunity to look and live, would your spirit be responsive to this test of your belief?

Joseph said: "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; . . . but . . . no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed . . . by proper degrees. The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens."

Contracted minds/spirits will not stretch any higher than what is most important to them, i.e., their god.

Another indicator of a contracted spirit is the lack of thirst for the word of God. There is no hunger. We settle for spiritual twinkies instead of light and truth. I am reminded of all the fruit that we bear, none of it is good! There is no desire to search, no desire to believe. Is that 'same spirit' one who believes that she is already good enough, that there will be some things to forgive, but because of the Lord's love, she will be ushered into the blessings of the great beyond?

"Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come" (D&C 130:18-19).

Is there no Spirit of Inquiry? Avraham Gileadi wrote:

"Paul and Silas’ missionary experience with the Jews in the synagogue at Berea reveals a telling contrast between the early saints who searched the scriptures daily to determine what God was saying in his Word and those who remained content to listen to the brethren’s preaching: 

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women who were Greeks, and of men, not a few” (Acts 17:11–12). 

If searching the scriptures daily to see what they said—not only what Paul and Silas preached—defined saints as “more noble” before God, then wouldn’t it profit saints today to emulate their example, especially in a day when those scriptures are beginning to be fulfilled? 

Certainly, the early saints had fulltime professions like the saints do today that perhaps required the bulk of their daytime hours to sustain life. Yet, the scriptures they had and searched—most likely the words of Isaiah that predict the first and second comings of Jesus Christ—set their faith on fire. 

Religious Jewish traditions to this day focus on searching the Torah to elicit the truths of God that sustain them through life’s challenges. Jews have traditionally eschewed the practices of the Gentiles such as the games and circuses these loved to attend. Even though Jews were scattered around the world, and were judged and persecuted by non-Jews for being different, God was still the center of their lives. 

But isn’t being different also what characterizes church members today, and within the body of the church what characterizes persons who search the words of God? Isn’t the spirit in inquiry shared by saints and Jews ancient and modern what sets them apart from secular Jews and saints-in-name only? 

Wasn’t that what distinguished Nephi, who inquired of the Lord, from his brothers, who didn’t? Do we realize that the gap between searchers and listeners-only has so widened that in just one generation almost the entire church has moved into a non-searching mode? When prophecy fails—as Isaiah says—where will the saints turn who have never exercised these spiritual skills but relied instead on what non-searchers told them?" (emphasis added)

I have raised more questions than answers in this post, and because our spirits differ in the amount of intelligence obtained, we can see that there are no two spirits that are the same. Being called upon to repent, however, does require that our spirits be in such a condition as to be receptive to the light and truth communicated to our spirits. It is not the light that is missing, but a 'willing' spirit that has not been given an opportunity to respond to the light and truth. This is just another way to see how the Book of Mormon convicts us. It contains the light and truth and whether we search it out, receive it in our hearts and desire to receive more light and truth, it will remain a contracted spirit. We have the book!

Next: But We Have the Book! - And It Was Written For Us.