The Experiential Gospel: Learning the Spirit of God

"The Spirit of Revelation is in connection with these blessings. A person may profit by ¹noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you ²feel pure intelligence ³flowing into you, it may give you ⁴sudden strokes of ideas,... thus ⁵by learning the Spirit of God and ⁶understanding it, you ⁷may grow into the ⁸principle of revelation"(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149).

I introduced Joseph's statement that we learn the Spirit of God. He did not say we learn about the Spirit of God. In other words we learn the Spirit of God as we experience it. Not only are we learning the Spirit of God, but we begin to understand it as it grows into the principle of revelation. 

These are some earlier experiences of what I now know, were the beginning of my learning the Spirit of God.

My first experience with the Holy Ghost or the Spirit, happened when I was attending a Stake Conference meeting. I would guess that I was about 13-14 years old. The speaker was a young man who recounted how he and his younger brother were left behind by his father, after their mother had died. He and his brother were quite young and were separated. The speaker was placed with an older couple who were members of the church, and his life was blessed with love and caring. 

He told us of his experiences trying to find his younger brother. It took him years but he eventually did find him, and as he was describing their reunion, I experienced a light or a power going from my head to my heart. It was a power I had not yet experienced. I knew in that moment that I wanted to go on a mission. I am not sure why I connected this experience with a mission, except that perhaps part of learning the Spirit, is that once you have experienced even a portion, you want others to experience it! 

Prior to this, my experience with the Holy Ghost had been limited to classroom instruction typical of church teachings in the fifties, teachers defining the Holy Ghost, and describing Him as a member of the Godhead, a spirit in the form of a man, a warm feeling in the heart, substituting emotion for the Spirit.

In my teens there were four men who, while maybe not intending to, were teaching me the spirit of God, or at least planting seeds. It was during my teenage years between the ages of 14-18 while I was living in the Emerson Ward in Salt Lake City. The first was Willis Muse. I was 14 and assigned to him as his ward teaching companion. 

It was my first opportunity, and Bro. Muse, with his totally white hair, seemed very old to me so I wasn’t sure how I could relate to him. He made it easy, and I remember one day while walking to our first home, he asked if I knew that Christ’s atonement was not only for those on this earth, but for those on all His worlds? Not only had I not thought much about the atonement of Christ but had no idea about the atonement being for other worlds. But something happened to me and I felt my mind expanding beyond my own little world. 

He would ask many more questions during our time as companions and I was always anxious to hear him answer his own questions. Each was beyond the scope of most people, let alone a 14 year old boy, but for some reason I responded and could feel and see so much more. My mind was expanded and my perception enhanced. He also made sure that I had the opportunity to teach the lesson, and when I did, he would expand on what I had prepared, thus teaching me even more. He stretched my mind and intellect, which are necessary experiences in learning the Spirit of God. How I wish I could converse with Willis Muse today!

The second man was called by my father, who was our Bishop. His name was Bud Scarlet and he was called as my Explorer Advisor. You have to understand a few things about Bud. He had not been active when he was called, still smoked and didn’t know much about his calling. But what he did know was how to love and care about us. 

My dad had designated a room in the old Emerson ward as the “Priest’s Room” and we used it to meet for priesthood meeting and for our Explorer activities. I was not much of a scout and while I had achieved a Star badge, I didn’t really care for scouting. It did not motivate me. But Bud Scarlet did. Not because he focused on the Explorer Handbook, but because he focused on us, and what he thought would motivate and interest us. I was learning that love is necessary to learn the Spirit of God. 

The third individual who influenced me was Marv Morris who was our sunday school teacher, even though he was only few years older. He would really challenge our thinking and assumptions. He taught me that using my mind in intellectual questions was not only stimulating but rewarding. At the same time Marv helped me to see connections, and to not learn a principle or idea in a vacuum, but to make connections and enlarge our perception. I remember that he once challenged us to see if we could walk down the hall at school,  and without saying anything, get someone to say hi to us. I tried the experiment and found that our attitude can cause a response in another, and almost without fail, I could get someone to say hi to me. 

Marv taught us about human behavior and created in me a curiosity about why people behaved the way they did. I became more interested in the why, than in the behavior. But most of all he taught me about using my own mind and not to just accept what others may say without research and gaining knowledge for myself. Expanding and stretching our minds is a key experience to learning the Spirit of God. 

But the most influential was my Priest Advisor, Dick Chidester. Dick had just returned from a mission to Austria and was asked to teach our Priests’ Quorum. The connection between Dick and my father is part of this story. Dick came from a family where his father was not active and he was not really encouraged to go to priesthood meetings, so every Sunday my dad would call Dick and remind him about priesthood meeting. Dick told us at my dad’s funeral that without fail, every Sunday morning a telephone call came for Dick. He said that he would answer it and say—“Hi Bish. Yes I will be there.” 

Dick was a gifted teacher of the gospel and the scriptures. I am sure, looking back, that he had the spiritual gift of knowledge and the gift to teach that knowledge. He motivated me to not only read the scriptures, but to study, search and make connections. I was like a sponge in his class. 

He would bring others into teach us. I remember his brother-in-law Ron Fredrickson teaching us why we should serve missions because we were descendants of Ephraim, and Ephraim was charged with teaching the gospel. I was so motivated to go on a mission and teach the gospel. When missionaries had their homecomings I remember comparing them and their homecoming talks to their farewell talks, and I was interested in how their mission experiences had changed them. Some seemed the same, but others, like Dick came back with having not only been converted himself, but full of the desire to proclaim the Gospel. 

Dick went on to become a seminary teacher and then aninstitute instructor at the University of Utah. I called him a few years ago to thank him for his influence and motivation to read and learn what our Father in Heaven had revealed to us. I told him what an influence he had been, and how grateful I was. He very much appreciated my call, and said to me that I should really be thanking my father, for not only calling him each Sunday, but for also making sure he served a mission, and then by calling him as my Priests Advisor. What my dad could not teach me himself, he called someone with the spiritual gift of knowledge to teach me and bless me.

Dick wetted my appetite for the word of God, for without the words of God, I would not have learned and experienced the Spirit of God. 

Many seeds were planted, but I knew they were good seeds after an experience I had on my mission a few years later. I mentioned my experience with the Holy Ghost in the introduction to this series. It first became significant to me following an experience I had in 1962 in Grand Island, Nebraska, where I was a new missionary, and it set the course for how I would forever experience the Spirit of God. We were tracting one day when a man invited us in. My first impression was that he was handsome and very engaging. After we sat down, he introdced himself as a missionary for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then proceeded to show us his Book of Mormon and other scripture.

Following this conversation with this Reorganized LDS Church missionary, I was left totally confused and doubting the truth of what I had been taught. I knew nothing of the Reorganized Church, and was shaken by their belief in the Book of Mormon, and their characterization of the Utah church as being the apostate church. The only thing I knew to do was to get on my knees and ask the Lord about it. The next morning, I was prompted to pick up my copy of The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and turned to this:

“The First Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. 

The idea that the only effect the Holy Ghost has is pure intelligence, underscores the many myths concerning the Holy Ghost that have become part of church culture and teachings. I think of Christ saying He will send another comforter to bring to our remembrance the words of His Father that He, Christ, taught during His mortal ministry. Intelligence is light and truth. His words are intelligence because they are light and truth. So the effect of the Holy Ghost is pure intelligence. 

It is more powerful in ¹expanding the mind, 

Note again that it is not the heart that the Holy Ghost expands, but the mind.

²enlightening the understanding, 

Again the mind and intellect...

and ³storing the intellect with present knowledge, 

The intellect where we receive light and truth...

of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, 

Different experiences...

it is ⁴calm and serene; 

and his whole ⁵soul and ⁶body are only ⁷exercised by the ⁸pure spirit of intelligence” 

Soul and body, as light surrounds and is felt by us. 

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149 emphasis added).

As I was reading I immediately experienced that calm and serene feeling, and while my whole soul and body were not exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence, I did experience the pure spirit of intelligence. I recognized it because of the seeds that had been sown for my benefit. Through the Holy Ghost ¹my mind has been and continues to expand, ²my understanding continues to be enlightened, and ³my intellect continues to be stored with present knowledge. I can see with my eyes, hear with my ears and understand with my heart. And I can see clearly that which is to come.

It was not a one and done experience, but an ever present and expanding experience. The pure spirit of intelligence is discernable and it grows. But it was not until I had repented and turned to Christ, that my whole soul and body were exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence. In other words, I was filled with the Holy Ghost and was born of the Spirit. I know that I must continue to turn to Christ, to repent, and as I do I receive more. I also know that if I turn away I can lose all that I have received.

It is the light communicated from heaven to the intellect, our intelligence as in “man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light and truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be” (D&C 93:29 emphasis added). Both God and man, and every other living being existed only as intelligences, and had so existed from the eternities, never having been created. No description is given in the scriptures of the nature of the entity that is an intelligence. There is revelation that tells us that the various innumerable intelligences varied in degree of that which was their essence: intelligence, God being the most intelligent of them all (Abraham 3:19).

Only those who have experienced the effect of the Holy Ghost can be a witness of His existence, and specifically how He operates in his/her life, and the methods He uses to do so. Sure we can read about the Holy Ghost, but until we have experienced His effect upon us, we are at a loss to describe it to others, and even then, those who have not had the same experiences may cling to their traditional ideas of Him and therefore miss the mark.

As Peter said, and this is my experience also, "This happens to me for this reason, that I have formed the habit of recalling to memory the words of my Lord, which I heard from Himself; and for the longing I have towards them, I constrain my mind and my thoughts to be roused, that, awaking to them, and recalling and arranging them one by one, I may retain them in my memory" (Clement of Rome). Or in other words "treasure up in your minds continually the words of life..." (D&C 84:85). I find it fascinating that Peter, who walked with Christ, continued, after the Lord left, to rely on the Lord's words, rather than just the experience of having been with Christ. 

I love Peter's phrase "for the longing I have towards them." I can relate. It is a longing, but also a compulsion. They continue to awaken me, and arouse in me a greater desire to gain more light and truth. Alma was right when he said "let this desire work in you" (Alma 32:27). I can say that His words have taken root in me, and that I have tasted the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and I shall continue to feast upon this fruit even until I am filled and hunger not, neither shall I thirst. 

"O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good..." (Alma 32:34 emphasis added). You can experience that it is good, and through your experience, know that it is good through personal revelation!

Whenever I find a treasure, from whatever source, I want to capture it, and do so by writing it down and expanding upon it, for I know that all riches of full understanding, lead to the knowledge "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).

And there are treasures that come from treasures. It is like adding to the treasures when discovering another way to share the treasures. For example, we know from the Book of Mormon that we are admonished to believe Christ, and from this springs other treasures. They become treasures that I must capture! Like these:

It is not what we believe that matters but who we believe. 

The challenge is not closing the gap between our actions and our beliefs. The challenge is closing the gap between our beliefs and the truth.

God doesn’t move the goal post, man does.

Because each of us has the God-given ability to determine truth from error, we have a personal responsibility to do so.

This raises a specter of something Mormons may never have imagined of themselves, only of others, that this time around they are the ones whom God warns and calls to repentance lest they perish from the earth.

Where will we go once we've left the fold?  Who knows the way?  Leaving the fold without the Shepherd to guide us is more than foolhardy; it is perilous.

The impression I had was that much of religion was a human effort to evade the responsibility of actually walking with God.

Little did we anticipate that Isaiah’s unsealing would be so damning of us. 

You can hear what someone intends to tell you and what he tells you unintentionally. And the unintentional is the interesting thing–it is most important.

It is not what goes in the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth.

You can see tragedy coming from a considerable distance when you are older, but when you are young tragedy does not pertain to you and certainly never catches up to you.

As no people in modern times have been so blessed with an abundance of God’s Word as the Ephraimite Gentiles, do we realize our lives are on the line, depending on whether we live by it, not by a muddled or watered down version of it?

By the time people realize that their house is on fire, they need more than a fire extinguisher. The trick is to learn how to smell the smoke and see that it is your house and not someone's down the street.

There is this arrogance, or unwillingness, even to fathom that Book of Mormon prophets might know more about this than you do. Or that history has nothing to teach you. But it does!

We are reactive and tend to only intervene when things are getting bad, but what we underestimate is the speed at which bad moves. 

If you are not repenting because of His word, then perhaps prophetic warnings may be for you. But maybe before you will repent, the prophecies need a warning like the one on your car mirror--things are much larger than they appear!

The thought of your righteousness will vanish in the presence of His righteousness.

The man who is proud of anything he thinks he has reached, has not reached it. He is but proud of himself, and imagining a cause for his pride.

The Lord knows what we need; we know only what we want.

What we work for reflects our true values and our God.

You won't find these actual quotes in the word of God, but you will discover them as treasures through the word of God. I have discovered thousands of such treasures through His words. And that is only in English!

The Spirit of God cannot be totally comprehended by us, any more than we can comprehend God. But imagine unlimited variety, color, dimensions, creatures, worlds, treasures, truths, and knowledge. His words are the same for they are also His Spirit. There is no limit to His language, to His understanding, and to His Spirit, which He allows us to begin to learn while in this life. His truths can be taught with the same variety and imagination, expanded upon, shared and received. And that portion of His Spirit that we learn leads to more, but also leads to becoming more.

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24).

On the other hand, 

He who delights in contemplating whereto he has attained is not merely sliding back; he is already in the dirt of self-satisfaction. The gate of the kingdom is closed, and he is outside.

Another way we learn the Spitit of God is to experience the grace of God. 

See The Experiential Gospel: Introduction

Next: The Experiential Gospel: Sorrow 

He Can Also Sing: II

After the manner of C.S. Lewis' Anthology of George MacDonald, or Of All Things, Quotations of Hugh Nibley, I present my own quotations of Timothy Merrill from his Owl Of The Desert Blog. 

I must confess that some of these quotations might be hard to hear. You may have selected others, but these are some of the many that need to be repeated. We don't like to think that in these days, we are the ones who need to be called to repentance, but we are. 

The Lord’s directive to remove the stumbling blocks from the path of his people increases in urgency as His coming to the earth draws near. That mandate, however, translates into coming to terms with truths about ourselves that many among us will simply not believe let alone face head on. The longer the stumbling blocks Isaiah and others saw among us remain, however, the more God’s people of today—ourselves as members of the church—remain under condemnation for not addressing them, thereby compounding the covenant curses that accompany such negligence.

I may have only selected a single quote from each blog post, but the one I think best captures Tim's gift of the Spirit, and his desire that we overcome these stumbling blocks. 

Tim is not only a gifted writer of the words of God, an inspired poet, but he can also sing!

This is Volume II

JANUARY 2021

Why would Christians put up with this, when Christ is their anchor, and when Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Why do Christians permit a revolving political correctness when the gospel has not changed, and yet what was "safe" yesterday may lead to our shunning today?

So instead of becoming of "one heart" with each other, we have chosen to give our hearts to "one leader" (despite the fact that we already have One Leader, Jesus).  

Oddly, we seem to be going decidedly in the opposite direction, which has created some big problems for us: 

1. we are divided by status;
2. leaders' authority is treated    above the Holy Ghost's; and
3. obedience to leaders has substituted for the law of the gospel.

FEBUARY 2021

In fact, the only Royal Law we should be concerned with is this one:

   If ye fulfil the royal law
   according to the scripture,
   Thou shalt love thy neighbour
   as thyself,
   ye do well:

   But if ye have respect to persons,

   ye commit sin. (James 2:8-9)

An "adhesion contract" is a contract drafted by one party (the one with the power), and signed by another party in a weak bargaining position, who is unable to change the terms of the agreement. 

That's the whole point: the weaker party can't negotiate a better deal because they're stuck with "take it or leave it."

How can "obedience" be the first law of heaven? 

Can someone explain that to me? Because how can we know whether we should obey, in the first place, unless we know we are doing God's will?

Have we made "keys" into an idol, worshipping those that hold them, claiming they can never lead us astray (as though the creature were greater than God)? 

If the membership of the Church believes our agency is merely to do what the leaders tell us, then what about our accountability to God? Sometimes leaders give us inspired counsel; sometimes they do not. Isn't our accountability on being able to discern between the two?

So the problem we face is expecting "celestial blessings" from living a "telestial law." I mean, isn't that Lucifer's plan? To convince us we're progressing along the straight and narrow path when in fact we're knee-deep in the quicksand of a hollow religion, living on the scraps of a dead (i.e. lesser) law?

MARCH 2021

The Disciple Mormon taught:

   It was strictly contrary
   to the commands of God
   that there should be a law
   which should bring men
   on to unequal grounds.
   There was no law

   against a man’s belief. 
   (Alma 30:7, 11)

But as we go through life, does there come a point where we become, ourselves, guilty? Do we reach a time when we stop being pilgrims in a strange land and become proud owners of a beachside condo?

Jesus had no desire to play king. He did not want the status that Babylon confers to its children. So He conspicuously avoided being "made a king." After all, his kingdom was not of this world.

Wouldn't it be wise to follow His example, rather than creating a spiritual kingdom where we elevate those with "keys" and require obsequious​ obedience?

But the important point is that Jesus refused to be made a king so that He might make us into kings and queens.

APRIL 2021

Anyone who seeks to impose external controls upon Zion is misguided because they do not understand the fundamental, essential nature (or order) of Zion, which is common consent through love.

"When I (Robert Rees) spoke at the Berkeley Institute of Religion several years ago, I asked the students, “Whose church is this?” They responded, “It’s the Church of Jesus Christ.” I replied, “There are two possessives in the name of the Church: it is the Church of Jesus Christ, certainly, but it is also the Church of the Latter-day Saints. It isn’t the Church of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve or the General Authorities, it isn’t the Church of conservatives or liberals or of any particular group, but rather the Church of all those who are or can be called saints. Thus, the Church is our joint stewardship. Ultimately, it will be no better or no worse than we ourselves choose to make it, than we ourselves choose to be."

Problem No. 1: "Melchizedek" is used as a nickname for the Priesthood of God itself. 

The use of nicknames in this dispensation is well established. As we all know, the "correct" name of the priesthood is "The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God" (D&C 107:3).

Isn't using the name "Mormon" for the Church analogous to using the name "Melchizedek" for the priesthood? (And Mormon is easier to spell, too!)

But if we apply President Nelson's logic, would it be a "victory for Satan" to remove the Savior's name (or in this case, title) from the priesthood?

I mean, the priesthood is greater than the Church. We can have the priesthood without a church, but we can't have a church without a priesthood. 

The priesthood is without beginning of days, whereas the Church is a recent creation. The priesthood endures into eternity, whereas the Church is a product of this earth-time. 

So, should we stop saying "Melchizedek" Priesthood, too?

Most disagreements are over petty issues and do not elicit much emotion. 

But when we disagree over something like politics, religion, or money (notice: things that deal with power and control) then our voices can get heated.

When there is a conflict between the scriptures and Handbook, why do we choose to enforce the Handbook over the word of God?

Why have we trampled upon the word of God with hundreds of pages of pseudepigrapha?

MAY 2021

On the other hand, if we mean we are "worthy" because of our righteousness, then we might have missed the entire point of the gospel.

Question: Can a person whose spirit is filled with contention, pride, envy and lust go to the temple? 

Answer: Sure! As long as they don't drink coffee.

Our checklist of temple worthiness questions include "carnal commandments" (i.e., the requirements we associate with the lesser law). 

Are we surprised? The recommend questions appeal to our Pharisee-mindedness because they focus on the "outside" ― on the performances and obligations that are Old School (by which I mean, Levitical).

I think the point Isaiah was making is that people were going to the temple and just "going through the motions" ― comparing them to the dumb animals they brought for sacrifice.

JUNE 2021

In the year 70 A.D. the Roman general Titus destroyed the Jewish temple as Christ had prophesied (and remember, this was already the 2nd Temple since the previous one (Solomon's) had been destroyed by Babylon ― so we're seeing a pattern of temples getting destroyed by the wicked when the Lord's people turn away).  

What is the purpose of temple recommend interviews to determine our worthiness when none of us is "worthy" (except the Lamb)?

It seems like we've lost a lot in this dispensation already. (And here I thought we were doing better than the Nephites, spinning along on their hamster wheel of pride.)

The devil knows. All the worst sins, the devil knows, are gilt with gold. They shimmer like silver. They repose on scarlet cushions in the image of respectability and religiosity.

Who has heard something like, "I love being in the temple, where everyone is dressed in white and all of our differences disappear!"

Does the temple produce a feeling of unity merely by requiring everyone to wear the same attire?

Is conformity of dress the closest we're going to get to equality in the Church?

JULY 2021

"It's time we stop thinking of Babylon as a drunk john lying in a pool of vomit in some back alley in Amsterdam strewn with dirty needles and STDs. Because Babylon is beautiful."

The devil loves religion and all its trappings; he styles himself as our "great" high priest; he craves to have people "fall down and worship [him]" (Matthew 4:9).

Which is why, if you want your religion to survive, the best way is to make the members dependent upon your authority before they jump ship and chase authority elsewhere. 

And who perfected this practice and made it an art form? The Great and Abominable Church, of course. History shows that the most enduring religion of all time is the Church of the devil. 

He earned our loyalty ― ​not because He was the Firstborn (there are plenty of examples where "firstborns" got passed over, like Cain, Esau, and Judah) ― not because of His status as the Son of God (Satan makes the same claim) ― but because He showed us how much He loves us through His condescension and sacrifice.

So tell me, why would we think the sign of authority is a person's rank rather than their love, when Christ is the Great Exemplar?

I can imagine Nicodemus patting Christ's shoulder. "Ah, come now, Master. Things aren't so bad, are they? We've got a temple, a priesthood, prosperity, a covenant with God . . . . We're doing okay."

And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength. (Alma 1:26)

How can we to be equal in earthly and heavenly things in a hierarchy?

So I hope you're excited for this field trip. Come aboard the Good Bus Zion, and let's get started.

I know, I know, it used to be the Good Ship Zion, but the rowdy sailors tossed the kids overboard. So now we're on a magic school bus like little children. And remember, there are no seatbelts on school buses! But don't worry, we have an awesome bus Driver.

We know we're ripe for destruction when we reject and persecute those whom God has sent to warn us (example: the city of Ammonihah). Can I have an Amen(!) from Abinadi, Samuel the Lamanite, and Ether?

AUGUST 2021

Joseph Smith did not teach temple work for the dead other than baptism ― which will really be the work of the Millennium. (He did allude to a time when we would do anointings and other ordinances for the dead in Zion, but didn't live long enough to restore what he had in mind.)

Personally, I am not sure why we interpret scriptural prophecy in the most narcissistic way possible. But it might come as a big surprise to learn that we are not up for Best Actor, but instead are nominated only for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Sometimes as I sit in Church, or as I read press releases from the Church Newsroom, seeing all of the attention given to authority and to power and money and to the praise of men, I wonder:

   When did we stop being freemen and become king-men?

When the Church has advocated so fiercely (historically) for independence ― for self-determination and self-government ― why does the Church deprive its members of the privileges that it has fought to retain for itself as an institution?

SEPTEMBER 2021

In Zion, the Lord dwells among His people. Whereas in a theocracy you've got to burn incense and hold fast to your rosary beads.

But I've noticed that the ugliest contention comes when we try to defend what we believe to be right with righteous indignation (read: anger) ― when we think we are standing up for truth in our persecution of those who are "wicked.​"

So by appealing to authority, we're actually (ironically) creating more contention as we escalate the disagreement up the food chain, invoking others' names in defense of our position in a "Battle of the Experts" (or as I like to play, Battle of the Prophets).

You know, the one about Christ and His death and resurrections? Rather than carrying on ad nauseum about who gets to wear His Letterman Jackets while preaching "All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth."

See, the problem is we use language from scripture as if we meant it, when our institution/hierarchy demonstrates we're only giving it lip-service.   

So I am not giving up. I am not going to stop declaring those things that God has placed in me like fire shut up in my bones. 

While our ethnic and national identities contribute to who we are, they shouldn't contribute to division among the body of believers when God Himself is "no respecter of persons," as Peter taught (Acts 10:34).

Discontinue the curriculum which requires us to rehash a General Authority's conference talk during sacrament meetings, priesthood and relief society. Does no one in this Church have the gift of the Holy Ghost? Why is God the Ghost benched while we play the second string of the junior varsity? It makes no sense. Our meetings are boring because people are not speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost: they're reading from a correlated message that was assigned. I don't understand why the leaders do not trust the members enough to let them be . . . themselves.

Do we deny the gifts of God when we defer to priesthood authority rather than to the urgings of the Spirit to us?

OCTOBER 2021

The old bottles and wine represent the status quo. The old law. The old way of doing things. In other words, pretty much everything we're used to.

We've seen all the good a temple did the Jews when they rejected the Lord. A physical temple is nothing without a Holy House to fill it. 

Among those that have bought into carnal security, into gold and silver, into religious pride and piety but who never knew the Lord and who took His name in vain while practicing priestcraft . . . what are they doing?

I want to remind everyone that the Book of Mormon doesn't say anything about priesthood keys ― yes, that's right: the Most Correct Book on Earth which contains, according to the Lord, "the fulness of my everlasting gospel" (D&C 27:5), is utterly blank about keys.

Does He mean the Church was meant to be a place of fellowship, where we gather as a family, and not a place for leaders to exercise authority: controlling who speaks and on what topics; dictating how funds are spent; ordering members into callings without counseling with them . . . . 

NOVEMBER 2021

I did not realize until much later who the most dangerous "enemies" to the Lord's people are. Now I know that the greatest threat to the Lord's people comes not from without, but from within.

The "wrong way" is to gullibly swallow up anything and everything an authority figure tells us without proving (testing) it by the Spirit within us.

I am filled with hope in the Holy One of Israel. I have hope to be numbered among the remnant of Jacob and I hold onto hope that we may yet become precious to each other as brothers and sisters, as equals, in order to preserve the Lord's fruit at the End HaHarvest.

You see, during my youth and my missionary years, I had been told that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was going to build Zion. 

. . . I had been taught that the Church was the "stone cut out of the mountain" and that "no unhallowed hand" could stop the work from progressing.  

. . . People said we'd follow the Prophet's call when it was time to return to Jackson County.  

. . . I understood that the early saints had missed their chance to see the New Jerusalem, but maybe this generation of members would succeed where our ancestors had not. 

Well, guess what?  

    That's all wrong.

Oh, how I wish we would learn this valuable truth:

"Rules and regulations cannot empower us. The potential for sin can be clarified by the law, but not eliminated by it. That is why the law can only be a schoolmaster to teach us of our plight and to encourage us to look for the remedy. The remedy is not the law. Redemption comes in and through the Holy Messiah."
("No Other Way," Blogpost, Given by the Finger of God, October 17, 2021)

DECEMBER 2021

The coming calamity, according to Joseph Smith, shall result in the ​"sweep[ing of] the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country." ("Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 January 1833," p. 17-18, The Joseph Smith Papers). This shall occur on the land of America when its peoples are "fully ripe."

Here Enos has got the Lord on the other end of the line and he asks for . . . some records to be preserved?

Now, I've saved the my most important question for last. Here it is: Is it possible to come unto Christ through a mediator or regent or prophet, such as a pope or president? Isn't it true that following our spiritual leaders is the same as following Jesus?

You see? We take the purity of the gospel and then we mix it with all of our worldliness, with the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, with our insurance liability concerns, our tax deductions, our false traditions, our cultural prejudices . . . and then what are we left with?

I want to suggest that "coming unto Christ" does not mean adding Christ to our religious and spiritual baggage; no, coming unto Christ means we set aside all our religious and spiritual baggage and just embrace Him.

Him alone.

He Can Also Sing Vol I

Leaving the Church and the Gospel?

I recently read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune by Jana Riess about Jeff Strong's book Torn, which is about what people get wrong about people leaving the church. You can find the article here.

As I read the article I was immediately struck with the idea that it only addresses the leaving the church part of the equation. It said nothing about leaving the Gospel. They are separate, but for many as described in the article, perhaps leaving the church is the all they can focus on, because they do not see nor do they understand that the Gospel is not the church, and that the church is not the Gospel. They mistake religious activities and church culture as the gospel. They simply do not understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I've written extensively about the difference in this blog.

You may ask is it possible to leave the church and not leave the Gospel? Before we can answer, we must understand that there is a difference, and understand what Christ means when He says "This is my gospel..."

The article focused on a survey completed by 11,000 people of which about 60% considered themselves active members, and about 40% were those who had left the church. 

The survey’s current members skewed active, meaning they were more likely than average members to attend church regularly and consider themselves devout.

The data showed that it’s the most devout members who have the hardest time understanding and relating to family members and friends who have left.

But to me the issue between those who considered themselves devout and those who left, is the same. Neither group seemed to understand the difference between the organized Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

My questions of those who has become inactive or has left the church, after teaching them His Gospel as He taught it, would be these:

1. Have you ever believed in Christ?
2. If yes, do you still believe in Christ?
3. Have you ever believed anything that Christ said?
4. If yes, can you give me an example?
5. Do you know what Christ taught about His and other churches? 
6. Do you feast upon the words of Christ?
7. Have you ever feasted upon the words of Christ?
8. Have you quit reading the words of Christ? 
9. Have you ever had faith in Christ?
10. If yes, do you still have faith in Christ? 
11. What does it mean to have faith in Christ? 
12. Were you aware that Christ has defined His gospel in the Book of Mormon?
13. Were you taught His Gospel at home, at church, by anyone? 
14. Were you ever taught to understand the doctrine of baptism and repentance? 
15. Were you taught that only those who are repenting are of His church, and that many members of record of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not of His church because they are not yet repenting? 
16. Were you taught that there are only two churches, the Church of God and the Church of the Devil?
17. Were you taught the difference between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and His Gospel?
18. Were you ever taught that the word of God is truth, and that you do not have to believe anything in the church that is not true? 
19. If God's words are truth, would you admit that your beliefs might be different than His truth?

Hopefully you can see that leaving the church is not the same as leaving His Gospel, but to most, who do or who do not leave the organization, they are not even aware that there is a difference! 

When we leave His Gospel, we leave Christ. We may even say that we still believe in Christ. But it is not enough just to believe in Him. We must move beyond mere belief, and actually repent, which means that we must believe Christ when He tells us that we must repent or suffer His justice. It is, afterall, not what we believe, but who we believe that matters.

My purpose in this post is not to expand on the difference, but simply to point out that there is a difference, and that many active and inactive members do not know of or understand the difference. I have linked a few posts at the end which will help you see and understand the difference.

Can you understand the consequences of not receiving and believing His words? Mormon said: 

"wo* be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore he will not receive them at the last day;

And it would be better for them if they had not been born" (3 Nephi 28:34-35 emphasis added).

And this: "Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his works!

Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 29:5-6 emphasis added)!

"Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them" (Mormon 9:8 emphasis added).

*wo signifies a covenant curse and is used here to indicate that he is talking of those who have entered into His everlasting covenant (been baptized). He is, therefore, also writing of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who do not receive His words. At the same time it is a call to repentance, to turn to Christ and hearken unto His words. 

The paradox is that those who are repenting, have turned to, and have hearkened unto Christ, can be met with resistance by members and even leaders of the organized church.

"A comment was once made on a post that repentance as defined by Christ, is difficult for those who are part of the system which is the Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The person commenting said that those who 'genuinely wish to reform and turn unto Christ, are likely to be cut off by the system,' or at least impeded by it. I would add that they find themselves turning away from the system of religious activities. They may even be criticized by members and/or leaders of the system who see them ‘leaving’ the church, or perhaps more accurately, as not being faithful or mainstream members.

But that is exactly what those who are repenting do--they are leaving behind their traditional religion, their old church life, and are turning and coming unto Christ to be “of His church.” They are leaving the system of justification by their works. It does not mean that they do not stay involved and attend church and activities, nor does it mean that they do stay involved, but it does mean that they will never see the organized church as they once did. But for those who decide to leave, as in become inactive, there is a danger. 

Christ as our Shepherd, invites us to leave the pen and follow Him to green pastures and clear waters, but those who leave without following the Shepherd are foolish and put themselves in a very precarious and dangerous environment. Neither are they led to green pastures and clear waters, but are left to their own devices in Babylon. 

Tim Merrill wrote the following in one of his posts, and it has occupied my thoughts for many months as I contemplate those family members that I am aware of who have left, and I am afraid that they may not have followed the Shepherd.

'Where will we go once we’ve left the pen? Who knows the way? Leaving the pen without the Shepherd to guide us is more than foolhardy; it is perilous.'

The name of a sheep home is called a sheep pen, sheepcote or sheepfold. It is an enclosure made up of local earth and the floor of mud, and also has a strong fence. When we repent and turn to our Shepherd to guide us, we are invited to follow the Shepherd and leave the enclosure" (Repentance: Only Those Who Repent are of My Church).

But it does not follow that those who are repenting become inactive. In fact they are more likely to stay involved and teach others the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They desire that all receive the mercy of God, and know that mercy claims only those who are repenting. 

But for those who have only focused on the church, its policies, its history, its flaws, its culture, its values, the flaws of its leaders past and present, its teachings of men, and have not feasted upon the words of Christ, and who do not know the difference between the words of God and the words of men, are easily deceived. Their reliance on men has caught up with them, and they foolishly leave the pen without the Good Shepherd to guide them. They've thrown the bucket out with the bath water. These are they who leave His words by the wayside, and become ever more captive in Babylon. Besides, all but His very elect will be deceived.

I would also ask those who leave whom did they follow? To say that they “followed the prophet” implies that they subscribed to all that implies— that they were willing to follow a man rather than Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, to say that they “followed Jesus Christ,” not the prophet, might suggest to ecclesiastical authorities that they were disloyal to the church, perhaps causing them to feel like they did not belong. 

An eminent danger in following a man rather than Jesus Christ is that people so habituated, who become disillusioned with one leader will simply transfer their allegiance to another, or may leave the church when a leader says or does something that causes them to doubt the church and question their 'faith'.

Instead of sending sinners to the authorities to be “cast out of the synagogue,” Christ said, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Even to the prophet Joseph Smith the Lord responded, “Thou art not excusable in thy transgressions; nevertheless, go thy way and sin no more” (D&C 24:2). Because persons who judge others can’t progress spiritually until they love God’s children for who they are, can they truly love without first learning forgiveness? If some grow alienated because of flaws in the church, would they not do better by performing their own part more perfectly? And by that I mean obtaining and teaching His words to strengthen the faith in Christ of those we love?

Persons who feel compelled to subordinate their wills to the dictates of an institution, employer, or ecclesiastical leader can never know the empowerment that comes from answering solely to God.

Ultimately, no one is beholden to anyone but God although he accepts the ecclesiastical guidelines God has ordained to get him started on heaven’s quest. In the end, however, that quest, too, must take him to where he walks solely with God—“independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world” (D&C 78:14).

I wrote this in a post for my grandchildren:

"I worry that you, like me, may have been taught only the traditional gospel, rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of you may be struggling with the organized church, with religion in general, perhaps going through a destruction of what you have been taught. There is a lot to struggle with. 

Others of you may believe that all you have to do is "live the Gospel." Some may think that Conference talks are the word of God, but to assume so, without knowing the word of God could find you on the wrong side of God's words. And some of you may be questioning the Book of Mormon. 

There is so much noise out there that it is impossible not to hear it, read about it or see it. Some of it is valid, but it is usually delivered without any remedy, and it is the remedy that I want to emphasize.

Some of you may have already left the church because you no longer believe some or all of its teachings. Remember that belief is irrelevant. It is not what we believe or do not believe that matters, but whether something is true or not true. That is always the question--the only question. Do not assume that just because you believe something, that it is true. On the other hand do not assume that just because you do not believe something, that it is not true! Remember it is not what we believe that matters, but who we believe.

Christ does, however, invite us to leave the fold and follow Him to living waters and green pastures. And by 'leaving the fold' I mean leaving behind religion and coming to Christ, looking to Him and relying totally upon His merits and not upon any of our own merits. It will be because of His righteousness that you will be redeemed, not your own." 

There is another condition that is in play when someone leaves the church. Keeping in mind that apostasy is not a falling away from, but a perversion of the truth, those who leave the church are more than likely, by this definition, already in apostasy when they leave, having perverted His gospel, or having lived a perverted gospel. This can be either intentionally or through ignorance, but more likely the latter, and it goes hand in hand with not recognizing that His Gospel has been perverted. Ignorance, however, is no excuse.

But for those who do not leave the church, in the last days, the falling away of those who claim to be the Lord’s covenant people sets the stage for the world’s final tumultuous events. Isaiah helps us understand that their materialism, apostasy, and rebellion serve as a forewarning of the judgments that follow. Isaiah defines apostates as those who have gone “astray,” who are “weighed down by sin,” “wrongdoers,” “perverse children,” who “have forsaken Jehovah,” “spurned the Holy One of Israel,” and “lapsed into apostasy” (see Isaiah 1:4 emphasis added). Note apostasy is not leaving the organized church, but the failure of the Lord's people to repent. 

"Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.

Whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them” (D&C 10:67-68 emphasis added; cf. 1 Nephi 14:10–14).

If you want you to explore the difference between the Gospel and the church see the following.

Do We Really Understand Christ's Gospel?

I Know Your Doing

Obstacles to Hearing the Word of God

But We Have The Book! - Introduction 

Repentance: Bondage of Sin

Repentance: Only Those Who Repent are of My Church

Neither Do They Understand

Much Should Be Done Because of the Hardness of Their Hearts

Go Onto Perfection: Sanctification

This is the third of a trilogy of posts about going on unto perfection. If you have not already, first read Leave First Principles and Go On Unto Perfection. At the end of each post is a link to the next.

“May God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works (the fruits of their repentance), that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works (which follow repentance according to their faith in Christ)” (Helaman 12: 24).

This post, which could also be named Sons and Daughters* Who May Also Become as Christ Is, adds more to the process by which we become perfect in Christ, how becoming perfect in Christ is the same as being sanctified by the blood of Christ, and how His truth or His words are not only part of the process but are also the result of being perfected in Him. I can't tell you how transformative it has been for me to discover the way to becoming like Him. 

If we continue from grace to grace on our journeys through mortality; and if, as Jesus was called the Son of God, so we are called Jesus’ sons and daughters; and if we go on and attain a “fulness” of grace as he attained it, what is the process?

The Lord said to Adam:

"Therefore I give unto 

you a commandment, 

to teach these things 

freely unto your children, 

saying:

This commandment is also a commandment to us to teach our children. He even tells us what to say.

"That by reason 

of transgression 

cometh the fall, 

which fall 

bringeth death, and

inasmuch as ye 

were born into 

the world by water, 

and blood, 

and the spirit, 

which I have made, 

and so became of 

dust a living soul,

We all are born of water, blood and spirit and become living mortal souls, and so begins the process of becoming more than we were in the pre-existence. And part of that process is that we all die as a result of the fall.

"Even so ye must be 

born again into 

the kingdom of heaven, 

of water, 

and of the Spirit, 

and be cleansed 

by blood, even the 

blood of mine 

Only Begotten; 

that ye might be 

sanctified from all sin, 

We can also experience several rebirths, first of the water by baptism unto repentance, then of the Spirit and then cleansed by His blood, that we may be sanctified from all sin. We must go through each of these early rebirths in order to eventually become sons and daughters of God, born into the kingdom of heaven. It is the process of receiving grace for grace. In the meantime we can:

"...enjoy the 

words of eternal life 

in this world,

His words of eternal life, His truth, are an integral part of receiving grace for grace, being made perfect and being sanctified, as will be made clear throughout this post.

"And eternal life in 

the world to come, 

even immortal glory;

Eternal 'lives' may be more accurate as we experience and become new creatures and ascend to higher glories and receive more grace, and if we desire, to become even as He is. 

"For by the water 

ye keep the commandment; 

by the Spirit ye are justified, 

and by the blood ye are sanctified..." (Moses 6:58-60 emphasis added).

The Lord's commandment to be baptized is set forth over and over again in the scriptures. As you teach your children as commanded here, you will teach them to understand not only the doctrine of baptism but also to understand the doctrine of repentance (D&C 68:25). Justification comes through the Spirit of God and is the process whereby we are no longer under the law, but under grace, set now to receive grace for grace which comes as a result of the blood of Christ shed for us.

To see how we are also sanctified by truth lets look to John. He said that Jesus asked His Father to

“Sanctify them through your truth— your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 

And for their sake I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth. . . . And the glory you gave me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one— I in them and you in me that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me” (John17: 18–19, 22–23 emphasis added). 

Imagine my joy as I read this and realized that in the process of obtaining His words for decades, I was in the path to becoming sanctified through His truth.

Receiving a fulness of grace thus goes hand in hand with receiving a fulness of truth: 

“The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth; 

And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments. He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things” (D&C 93:26–28 emphasis added). 

Paul alludes to this process as “the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24), which gospel, he asserts, pertains to “the dispensation of God’s grace” (Ephesians 3:2). The interrelationship of grace and truth tells us that we cannot benefit from the one without the other. 

Indeed, it seems self- evident that truth precedes grace, as God could hardly bless a person with His grace who pursues a course that isn’t grounded in the truth. On the other hand, our coming to the knowledge of God’s truth may itself depend on an endowment of God’s grace— on what we might call an infusion of grace to see what we will do with it. Either way, the truth that we seek, which leads to our continuing from “grace to grace,” pertains to the “gospel of grace”— the gospel of Jesus Christ.

More specifically, the covenant King Benjamin’s people made, involved their taking upon themselves the name of Jesus and doing all things in his name (Mosiah 5:5–15)— just as Jesus took upon himself the name of his Father and did all things in his name.

Just as Jesus saw himself able to “do nothing of himself” (John 5:19, 30), so our viewing our own nothingness— while at the same time perceiving “the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long- suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world” (Mosiah 4:6)— thus forms a prerequisite for our becoming sons and daughters of Christ. 

Taking upon ourselves the name of Christ, moreover, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), makes us witnesses of what He represents. Taking upon ourselves His name is more than mere lip service, which prompted Moroni to ask of us, "why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ" (Mormon 8:38)?

“And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:33 emphasis added). In either case, “all ungodliness” is absent. Also note the link between grace and being sanctified. 

He whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world” (John 10:36), was “made perfect” (Hebrews 5:9) by doing the things He saw His Father do (John 5:19). This embodies the very means of our being sanctified and made perfect, He being “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 emphasis added).

The way, because He paves the path to our becoming “sons (and daughters) of the Most High” (Psalms 82:6); the truth, because He personifies the truth and teaches the truth (Ephesians 4:21); the life, because He has “life in himself” given Him of the Father (John 5:26) and is the source of “everlasting life” (John 4:14 emphasis added).

In that light, the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16) parallels the power of God unto exaltation. We move from grace to grace by the power of God. Becoming Sons and Daughters of God thus is an exalted state that occurs in mortality.

Christ said that, “Strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. This is eternal lives— to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent” (D&C 132:22–24 emphasis added).

Unlike people on lower spiritual levels, who are “not valiant in the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:79) or in the testimony of the truth, Sons and Daughters of God “bear testimony of the truth in all places” (D&C 58:47)— that is, “of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:2 emphasis added)— and they are willing to “suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). And in this they are being valiant and doing the work of God in the world, acting as saviors of men, through faith in Him. They become "the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified" (Isaiah 60:21 emphasis added).

“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things” (D&C 93:28 emphasis added). As we more fully “come unto Christ”— who embodies light and truth (Alma 38:9)— we thus more fully grow in light and truth.

Being “glorified in truth” reflects a point of spiritual advancement far beyond the early learner stage. As Jesus was glorified by the works He performed (cf. John 11:4), so may we be glorified by the works we perform. As we read earlier: “If you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace” (D&C 93:20 emphasis added)— the purpose being “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:12 emphasis added).

He therefore counsels to “sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:68 emphasis added). Through that process men will “see my face and know that I am” (D&C 93:1).

As the Brother of Jared said. "Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you" (Ether 3:12-13 emphasis added).

The idea of our “knowing” all things (D&C 93:28) implies Jesus’ “showing” us all things.

“In that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Ether 4:7 emphasis added).

Sanctification, faith, truth, grace and the power of God, here appear inextricably linked.

Abraham, whom God commanded to “walk before me and be perfect” (Genesis 17:1), wasn’t perfect to begin with. Born into an idolatrous civilization that suffered the curse of a famine (Genesis 26:1; Abraham 1:5, 30), Abraham not only took leave of his father and ownership of his generational iniquities—reversing the curse for himself and succeeding generations—he additionally “sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same” (Abraham 1:2). He desired greater light and truth, likely inspired by Melchizedek, his ancestor. 

Says, Abraham, “Having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers” (Abraham 1:2). In the process, God tried him with the potential loss of his life (Abraham 1:12, 15–19), his wife (Genesis 12:14–15), and his only begotten son by Sarah (Genesis 22:1–12). ​

To attain godhood as Abraham attained it, therefore (D&C 132:37), we must “do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39) and “offer [our] whole souls as an offering” to God (Omni 1:26), “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19 emphasis added). Those things also did Jesus: “I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:11). ​

Says Peter, “The God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, make you perfect” (1 Peter 5:10 emphasis added). And again, “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his footsteps” (1 Peter 2:21). As with Jesus, our suffering in His name forms an essential part of our attaining perfection: “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23–24).

Indeed, “All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12) so that it is a measure of our righteousness and a cause for our glory or exaltation: “If we suffer, we will also reign with [him]. But if we deny [him], he will also deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12); “All they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory” (D&C 101:35 emphasis added). 

This is the pattern Jesus established: “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). ​For that reason—in order to attain the same glory—we enter into these things with our eyes open: “We see that Jesus, who in suffering death was made a little lower than the angels, was crowned with glory and honor because through the grace of God he would taste death for every man. For it became him—for whom all things are and by whom all things are—in bringing many sons (and daughters) to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, for which reason he isn’t ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrew 2:9–11 emphasis added).

And this, from Alma: “The people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure (Alma 4:8).

“They were lifted up in pride, even to the persecution of many of their brethren. Now this was a great evil, which did cause the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction. Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:34–35 emphasis added). ​The suffering we incur for Jesus’ sake or for the truth’s sake thus also purifies and sanctifies us if we bear it well.

“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12). In other words, it is inevitable that when you follow Jesus in all things you will be persecuted to the degree that people will single you out and speak evil of you, ignore what you teach and treat you with distain, arrogantly think you have nothing to teach them, and fighting against the truth while clinging to popular ideas that have no basis in scripture. You become the divisive one because of your 'radical' teachings and 'too close to home' prophecies.

The highest form of suffering we may endure, on the other hand, is redemptive suffering, suffering because of those who refuse Christ. In this we emulate Christ, who suffered for others’ sake, not His own. Becoming even more so at some point, paying the price for other’s temporal salvation, we fulfil the role of spiritual kings and queens as Nephi did in his day, of whom Jacob said, “unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety” (2 Nephi 6:2). That defines the role of saviors on Mount Zion: “Saviors will come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom will be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 1:21). Sons and daughters of Christ also act as saviors by bringing others to Christ.

It is clear that sanctification or becoming Sons and Daughters of God is a promise to those who keep His commandments. "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20 emphasis added).

Our purification and sanctification will be assured: “The remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer” (Moroni 8:26 emphasis added). God promises us that in the midst of our trials “I will not leave you comfortless—I will come to you” (John 14:18).

"Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment" (Moses 6:58-61 emphasis added).

As you ascend, if you so desire, from just believing in Christ (Jacob/Israel) to actually repenting (Zion/ Jerusalem), to becoming saviors of men (Sons, Daughters/Servants), and beyond, you will experience His grace, His power, His truth, being sanctified and recreated by Him--eternal lives. Your works will be His works, the result of your great faith in Him, not withstanding being persecuted for taking upon you His name.

See two previous posts:

Leave First Principles and Go Unto Perfection

*Sons and Daughters of God