Is this statement true or false?
We believe that all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
It is, of course, false. The most important element of the third article of faith is missing from this statement.
Last Sunday a twelve-year-old youth recited, as is traditional these days, one of the thirteen articles of faith in sacrament meeting as a token of graduation from Primary. It was rendered just as we have written it here. No one seemed to notice. It was not corrected at the time nor later. It should, of course, have been rendered:
"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
Some of us may think this is just splitting hairs, that if you leave out the beef in a beef-pie dish there will still be enough strength in the other ingredients to provide nutrition and nourishment.
But in doctrine this is not the case. As we find on the front cover of our course of study for this year and next, nothing less than "the very points of [Christ's] doctrine" are necessary for us to "know how to come unto him and be saved." Approximate doctrine won't do. Reduced or abbreviated doctrine will come short.
This is why the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, the most doctrinally correct book, and why it is Another Testament of Jesus Christ:
"Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 10:6).
"And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish. For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time" (2 Nephi 11:6--7). Stunning logic, unsurpassed in holy writ or anywhere else.
" . . . salvation doth not come by the law alone [ie the Law of Moses, nor by the 'laws and ordinances of the Gospel' alone]; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses [or 'the laws and ordinances of the Gospel']" (Mosiah 13:28).
"For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made" (Alma 34:9).
This is the language and the clear doctrine of the Book of Mormon. We should get it so deep into our souls that it comes out in our character and in our every expression. It is far clearer than anything in any other book, sacred or otherwise, and we should know it well.
President Ezra Taft Benson said, "If they [the sons of Mosiah, see Mosiah 1:2--3, but also we ourselves] did not know the right words, they would not know the plan."
Does this make eternal sense to you, and resonate as it should?
Please let me have your thoughts. . . . More later.
Warm regards,
Steve
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sabbathought: "My job is not to succeed . . ."
Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once asked by a news reporter, "Do you think, given the enormity of your work, that you will ever succeed in abolishing poverty in Calcutta?"
Her answer came quickly: "My job is not to succeed; my job is to be faithful to my mission."
Elder Richard P. Lindsay of the Seventy used this response from Mother Teresa some years ago in his capacity as public-affairs spokesman for the Church. A reporter had asked him if the Church's stance on teen abstinence was realistic in this modern day, and questioned whether the Church would succeed with such a position.
"Our job is not to succeed," said Elder Lindsay, citing the setting of Mother Teresa's response, "our job is to be faithful to our mission."
[Elder Lindsay, father of Salt Lake City's KSL channel 5 news presenter Bruce Lindsay, passed away last month.]
Consider how relevant and correct this response is for all parents, leaders, and teachers within the Church. I used to use this illustration with noisy and restless new seminary students in September when they pleaded for candy or a video or a game. My job was to be faithful to my mission given me by the Presiding Brethren of the Church, to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ by the Spirit to this generation of young people. The students soon got the message.
Now please do not misunderstand: Mother Teresa, Elder Lindsay, and I were not saying our job is to fail, we were showing that the Lord would bring the success --- He would give the harvest --- if we stayed true to our mission and commission as His agents. It is a profound truth.
I think it is possible that the error of Judas Iscariot was partly in thinking that if he betrayed the Master then Jesus would step forward and show Who He really was and win the day. Perhaps Judas sought in part to force the issue and make the Lord reveal Himself in power. If this is the case, Judas overlooked a basic truth of eternity: "It must needs be done in mine own way . . ." and "My ways are not your ways . . . ." It is a profound issue of truth.
Judas's job was to be faithful to his mission as a chosen Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. In failing to do that, he was led into deep and dark sin.
Your job and mine is to be faithful to our missions as Latter-day Saints in these Last Days.
The big question is, What is that mission? What is it from the Lord's point of view? The answers to these questions are found in the revelations and imply a deep understanding of the plan from the revelations if we are to be true to that mission. Then the Lord will give the harvest, in His own time and in His own way and after His own purpose.
Our job, for instance, is not to succeed by entertaining our students, by "teaching" them on their own terms. Our job is to be faithful to our mission.
Your comments, thoughts, and insights are encouraged.
Steve
Her answer came quickly: "My job is not to succeed; my job is to be faithful to my mission."
Elder Richard P. Lindsay of the Seventy used this response from Mother Teresa some years ago in his capacity as public-affairs spokesman for the Church. A reporter had asked him if the Church's stance on teen abstinence was realistic in this modern day, and questioned whether the Church would succeed with such a position.
"Our job is not to succeed," said Elder Lindsay, citing the setting of Mother Teresa's response, "our job is to be faithful to our mission."
[Elder Lindsay, father of Salt Lake City's KSL channel 5 news presenter Bruce Lindsay, passed away last month.]
Consider how relevant and correct this response is for all parents, leaders, and teachers within the Church. I used to use this illustration with noisy and restless new seminary students in September when they pleaded for candy or a video or a game. My job was to be faithful to my mission given me by the Presiding Brethren of the Church, to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ by the Spirit to this generation of young people. The students soon got the message.
Now please do not misunderstand: Mother Teresa, Elder Lindsay, and I were not saying our job is to fail, we were showing that the Lord would bring the success --- He would give the harvest --- if we stayed true to our mission and commission as His agents. It is a profound truth.
I think it is possible that the error of Judas Iscariot was partly in thinking that if he betrayed the Master then Jesus would step forward and show Who He really was and win the day. Perhaps Judas sought in part to force the issue and make the Lord reveal Himself in power. If this is the case, Judas overlooked a basic truth of eternity: "It must needs be done in mine own way . . ." and "My ways are not your ways . . . ." It is a profound issue of truth.
Judas's job was to be faithful to his mission as a chosen Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. In failing to do that, he was led into deep and dark sin.
Your job and mine is to be faithful to our missions as Latter-day Saints in these Last Days.
The big question is, What is that mission? What is it from the Lord's point of view? The answers to these questions are found in the revelations and imply a deep understanding of the plan from the revelations if we are to be true to that mission. Then the Lord will give the harvest, in His own time and in His own way and after His own purpose.
Our job, for instance, is not to succeed by entertaining our students, by "teaching" them on their own terms. Our job is to be faithful to our mission.
Your comments, thoughts, and insights are encouraged.
Steve
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sabbathought : The most important question in history
Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that this is the most important question in history, and that a failure to answer it is an answer in and of itself.
It is the Savior Himself who posed the question: "What think ye of Christ?" (Matthew 22:42).
Our answer to this question and our enthusiasm for the subject will not only ultimately determine our happiness and well being, but our safety and salvation as well. As Elder Maxwell indicated, this is the question of the ages; there can be no neutrals on this issue.
It is an appropriate question to ponder on this Independence Day of the United States.
At the time of the bicentennial celebration of this day back in 1976, then-President of the Church Spencer W. Kimball wrote a trenchant article in the Ensign magazine entitled, "The False Gods We Worship" (June 1976). Anyone who recalls that article may well agree that while we are declared independent of the oppression of foreign powers, we should declare ourselves utterly dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. Being a sovereign people, looking to no earthly sovereign as a matter of loyalty and subjection, American Latter-day Saints sometimes have difficulty organizing their priorities in this respect.
For instance, it is not uncommon to hear American Latter-day Saints question the propriety of a people (Nephites) who "bow down at [Jesus'] feet, and did worship him . . . [and] did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears" (3 Nephi 17:10). When we fully understand that Jesus is our God, far more than our "best friend" or "older brother," we shall have no difficulty with such reverence and awe.
The prophet Moroni wrote some 1600 years ago on this continent: "And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity."
Does anyone doubt that this nation is fast approaching that point? Moroni continues:
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity . . . if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written" (Ether 2:9, 12).
On the whole, said President Kimball thirty-four years ago, we are an idolatrous people. O, the great need to declare ourselves dependent on Jesus Christ and act accordingly!
So here is the key question: "What think ye of Christ?"
An easy measure by which to answer it is perhaps the extent to which we see Him in our study of the Old Testament. Do we see that the Old Testament is not history, but HisStory? The Apostle Paul gave us a key:
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament;" --- does this describe you and me? --- Paul gives the remedy, the solution: "which vail is done away in Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:14).
Truly, unless one sees Jesus everywhere in the Old Testament, there is no understanding of the Old Testament at all. It is HisStory, and we should search it diligently until we find Him and come to know Him.
Happy Fourth of July!
Steve
It is the Savior Himself who posed the question: "What think ye of Christ?" (Matthew 22:42).
Our answer to this question and our enthusiasm for the subject will not only ultimately determine our happiness and well being, but our safety and salvation as well. As Elder Maxwell indicated, this is the question of the ages; there can be no neutrals on this issue.
It is an appropriate question to ponder on this Independence Day of the United States.
At the time of the bicentennial celebration of this day back in 1976, then-President of the Church Spencer W. Kimball wrote a trenchant article in the Ensign magazine entitled, "The False Gods We Worship" (June 1976). Anyone who recalls that article may well agree that while we are declared independent of the oppression of foreign powers, we should declare ourselves utterly dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. Being a sovereign people, looking to no earthly sovereign as a matter of loyalty and subjection, American Latter-day Saints sometimes have difficulty organizing their priorities in this respect.
For instance, it is not uncommon to hear American Latter-day Saints question the propriety of a people (Nephites) who "bow down at [Jesus'] feet, and did worship him . . . [and] did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears" (3 Nephi 17:10). When we fully understand that Jesus is our God, far more than our "best friend" or "older brother," we shall have no difficulty with such reverence and awe.
The prophet Moroni wrote some 1600 years ago on this continent: "And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity."
Does anyone doubt that this nation is fast approaching that point? Moroni continues:
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity . . . if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written" (Ether 2:9, 12).
On the whole, said President Kimball thirty-four years ago, we are an idolatrous people. O, the great need to declare ourselves dependent on Jesus Christ and act accordingly!
So here is the key question: "What think ye of Christ?"
An easy measure by which to answer it is perhaps the extent to which we see Him in our study of the Old Testament. Do we see that the Old Testament is not history, but HisStory? The Apostle Paul gave us a key:
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament;" --- does this describe you and me? --- Paul gives the remedy, the solution: "which vail is done away in Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:14).
Truly, unless one sees Jesus everywhere in the Old Testament, there is no understanding of the Old Testament at all. It is HisStory, and we should search it diligently until we find Him and come to know Him.
Happy Fourth of July!
Steve
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sabbathought : Father's Day
It is a safe bet that we have rarely, if ever, considered Father's Day in the following context. And yet it is the most meaningful and relevant way to view this special day.
"Few doctrines are better known by members of the true church than the doctrine of preexistence. We are well aware that all men are the children of God, the offspring of the Father, his sons and his daughters. We know that we were all born in his courts as spirit beings, long before the foundations of this earth were laid, and that the Lord Jehovah [Jesus] was in fact the Firstborn Son. What is not so well known is that nearly all the passages of scripture, both ancient and modern, which speak of God as our Father and of men on earth being the sons of God, have no reference to our birth in preexistence as the children of Elohim, but teach rather that Jehovah is our Father and we are his children" (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, pp. 351-2).
Yea, but rather . . . .
A couple of weeks ago during a break in a Primary rehearsal for Father's Day singing, the music leader asked the children who, besides our own dads, could we call "Father." One young child said simply, "Jesus." A Primary teacher tried to correct the child by saying with some firmness, "Jesus is not our Father, Jesus is our Older Brother."
It is common for us these days to think of and refer to Jesus as our older brother. It is true that He is, as implied in passing in Elder McConkie's statement above. While it is true that Jesus is our older brother in the context of premortality, it is irrelevant in the context of the plan of redemption.
Jesus is the Father of our new birth, made necessary by our fallen and natural birth into the family of Adam and Eve. Thus we see again the clear context of Fall --- Atonement at the center of the gospel plan.
Just as each of us is born into this world of a mother whose water and blood enabled us to be born, and thus each premortal spirit is given a mortal body, so we must be born again into the kingdom of heaven by water and blood and Spirit (Moses 6:59). This great truth we are commanded by the Lord "to teach freely unto your children" (verse 58). Surely we can see water baptism, the blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit in this crucial doctrine.
I know the child who gave the answer, "Jesus" in that Primary setting. And I know that her parents have taught her and her siblings in accord with this doctrine and commandment. Her one-word comment was no accident, but the result of good parental teaching.
"And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned" (Alma 32:23).
Every year at Christmas we hear sung or read these words from Isaiah, all seven elements of which speak clearly of the birth of Jesus:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given . . . and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (2 Nephi 19:6).
Jesus is the Father of our necessary and vital new birth, whereby we are adopted back into the family of God and become His sons and daughters, having been orphaned from that family by the Fall of our father Adam (see Mosiah 5:7). This is one of "the very points of his doctrine" whereby we "may know how to come unto him and be saved" (1 Nephi 15:14). It is not deep doctrine, mysterious and strange. Children can understand it, if we let them. And then, "Out of the mouths of babes . . . ."
Father's Day is for all fathers everywhere, it is a special, even a holy day.
Father's Day is His day in a very special way, just as Christmas Day should be His day, and each and every Sabbath Day.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once taught, "I used to think I understood the word 'father', but recently I have come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of that holy word. . . . It is in the scriptures," he said.
Happy Father's Day everybody!
Steve (I would love to hear your comments. . . .)
"Few doctrines are better known by members of the true church than the doctrine of preexistence. We are well aware that all men are the children of God, the offspring of the Father, his sons and his daughters. We know that we were all born in his courts as spirit beings, long before the foundations of this earth were laid, and that the Lord Jehovah [Jesus] was in fact the Firstborn Son. What is not so well known is that nearly all the passages of scripture, both ancient and modern, which speak of God as our Father and of men on earth being the sons of God, have no reference to our birth in preexistence as the children of Elohim, but teach rather that Jehovah is our Father and we are his children" (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, pp. 351-2).
Yea, but rather . . . .
A couple of weeks ago during a break in a Primary rehearsal for Father's Day singing, the music leader asked the children who, besides our own dads, could we call "Father." One young child said simply, "Jesus." A Primary teacher tried to correct the child by saying with some firmness, "Jesus is not our Father, Jesus is our Older Brother."
It is common for us these days to think of and refer to Jesus as our older brother. It is true that He is, as implied in passing in Elder McConkie's statement above. While it is true that Jesus is our older brother in the context of premortality, it is irrelevant in the context of the plan of redemption.
Jesus is the Father of our new birth, made necessary by our fallen and natural birth into the family of Adam and Eve. Thus we see again the clear context of Fall --- Atonement at the center of the gospel plan.
Just as each of us is born into this world of a mother whose water and blood enabled us to be born, and thus each premortal spirit is given a mortal body, so we must be born again into the kingdom of heaven by water and blood and Spirit (Moses 6:59). This great truth we are commanded by the Lord "to teach freely unto your children" (verse 58). Surely we can see water baptism, the blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit in this crucial doctrine.
I know the child who gave the answer, "Jesus" in that Primary setting. And I know that her parents have taught her and her siblings in accord with this doctrine and commandment. Her one-word comment was no accident, but the result of good parental teaching.
"And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned" (Alma 32:23).
Every year at Christmas we hear sung or read these words from Isaiah, all seven elements of which speak clearly of the birth of Jesus:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given . . . and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (2 Nephi 19:6).
Jesus is the Father of our necessary and vital new birth, whereby we are adopted back into the family of God and become His sons and daughters, having been orphaned from that family by the Fall of our father Adam (see Mosiah 5:7). This is one of "the very points of his doctrine" whereby we "may know how to come unto him and be saved" (1 Nephi 15:14). It is not deep doctrine, mysterious and strange. Children can understand it, if we let them. And then, "Out of the mouths of babes . . . ."
Father's Day is for all fathers everywhere, it is a special, even a holy day.
Father's Day is His day in a very special way, just as Christmas Day should be His day, and each and every Sabbath Day.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once taught, "I used to think I understood the word 'father', but recently I have come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of that holy word. . . . It is in the scriptures," he said.
Happy Father's Day everybody!
Steve (I would love to hear your comments. . . .)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sabbathought : The wrong bridge
President Henry B. Eyring told this story of his friend Jack Steel. In the United States the highest decoration for gallantry in battle is the Congressional Medal of Honor. The next highest is the Distinguished Service Cross. Jack Steel won the Distinguished Service Cross for this act of heroism and bravery in the Korean conflict. It is a true story, with large implications for us.
Jack's platoon had been assigned to take a particular bridge occupied by the enemy. As they went down the hill toward the bridge Jack noticed the enemy fire was trained on the top of the hill, felling his comrades. He quickly assessed the situation and charged down the hill with his automatic rifle blazing. He took the enemy by surprise and captured the bridge --- alone. . . . As it turned out, it was the wrong bridge. A mistake had been made in intelligence and the squad had been ordered to take a bridge that led nowhere and was of no strategic value. The bridge they should have taken was several miles down the road. Jack got the medal, but the action did not contribute to the bigger plan of the war.
Often in His teachings the Savior would correct wrong ideas with, "Yea, but rather . . ." or simply, "But I say unto you . . . ."
In the last twenty years or so we have unconsciously in our classrooms and chapels moved from speaking of the Spirit to advocating persistently love: the love of God, love for each other, love, love, love. There is nothing wrong with love. God is love. But, as Presidents David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee, and Thomas S. Monson have taught, "It is a greater thing to be trusted than it is to be loved."
We speak as if the love of God will somehow save us, as if it is all we need. It was a false prophet by the name of John Lennon who popularized in the 1960s the notion that "All you need is love."
When we take a slice out of the gospel pie, the concept after we have used it should be the same size as the space in the pie we took it from. The slice is not the whole pie. It is a matter of proportion. It is a serious error to blow it out of proportion.
Again, we stress, love is an integral part of the gospel. Elder Quentin L. Cook in April general conference in his address entitled "We Follow Jesus Christ" said, ". . . He instituted the sacrament. Second, His overwhelming emphasis was on doctrines, teaching love as a preeminent principle." When that was taught last month in our ward the teacher quoted Elder Cook as saying, "Love is the preeminent principle of the gospel." We have said it so often to each other that nobody noticed that this was more than Elder Cook had taught, and was in error.
A further illustration. We most often hear it said that the tree of life in Lehi's vision is the love of God. More accurately the tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "a representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25). To explain : the most well known verse of scripture in Christendom proclaims, "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16). Most of us put a period, a full stop, or even an exclamation mark at this point and are satisfied that this is the gospel plan! But how much does God love the world? " . . . that he gave his only begotten Son . . ." and it is there that the gospel plan --- centered upon the Atonement --- begins. Jesus is the representation, the personal image, the evidence of God's love. He is the tree of life, and the fruit He gives is eternal life, God's life (1 Nephi 15:36 along with D&C 14:7).
It should be easy to see that this is one of "the very points of his doctrine", and to teach it otherwise is to miss the point, to err, and to be led into false doctrine. Any virtue taken to an extreme becomes a vice.
It is a greater thing to be trusted than to be loved. This is the point of mortality. This is the issue of earth life, "to prove them herewith, to see if they will do" according to the revealed plan, instead of making up their own doctrine and plan of action.
Does God love His children? Of course He does. The birth, life, and death of His Son are ample evidence of that love. The issue is : can God trust His children? Can He trust me to keep my promises to Him, to be true to my covenants? Can He trust me at all hazards?
It is a covenant matter, and it goes way beyond love.
We must wake up or we'll end up taking the wrong bridge. The implications of this for our lessons, for our testimonies, for the teaching of our young people are huge. Their salvation depends upon our getting it right. Do you think I exaggerate or overstate the case?
Henry B. Eyring's purpose in sharing this story with all the teachers in the worldwide Church Educational System was to make the point that, as good a job as we had been doing in teaching the youth, we have been taking the wrong bridge. The right bridge is centered in the scriptures, on the Savior and His restored gospel plan. We have not been doing that, said Brother Eyring.
More on this later.
God bless you all on this glorious Sabbath day --- His holy day (not a holiday).
Steve
Jack's platoon had been assigned to take a particular bridge occupied by the enemy. As they went down the hill toward the bridge Jack noticed the enemy fire was trained on the top of the hill, felling his comrades. He quickly assessed the situation and charged down the hill with his automatic rifle blazing. He took the enemy by surprise and captured the bridge --- alone. . . . As it turned out, it was the wrong bridge. A mistake had been made in intelligence and the squad had been ordered to take a bridge that led nowhere and was of no strategic value. The bridge they should have taken was several miles down the road. Jack got the medal, but the action did not contribute to the bigger plan of the war.
Often in His teachings the Savior would correct wrong ideas with, "Yea, but rather . . ." or simply, "But I say unto you . . . ."
In the last twenty years or so we have unconsciously in our classrooms and chapels moved from speaking of the Spirit to advocating persistently love: the love of God, love for each other, love, love, love. There is nothing wrong with love. God is love. But, as Presidents David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee, and Thomas S. Monson have taught, "It is a greater thing to be trusted than it is to be loved."
We speak as if the love of God will somehow save us, as if it is all we need. It was a false prophet by the name of John Lennon who popularized in the 1960s the notion that "All you need is love."
When we take a slice out of the gospel pie, the concept after we have used it should be the same size as the space in the pie we took it from. The slice is not the whole pie. It is a matter of proportion. It is a serious error to blow it out of proportion.
Again, we stress, love is an integral part of the gospel. Elder Quentin L. Cook in April general conference in his address entitled "We Follow Jesus Christ" said, ". . . He instituted the sacrament. Second, His overwhelming emphasis was on doctrines, teaching love as a preeminent principle." When that was taught last month in our ward the teacher quoted Elder Cook as saying, "Love is the preeminent principle of the gospel." We have said it so often to each other that nobody noticed that this was more than Elder Cook had taught, and was in error.
A further illustration. We most often hear it said that the tree of life in Lehi's vision is the love of God. More accurately the tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "a representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25). To explain : the most well known verse of scripture in Christendom proclaims, "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16). Most of us put a period, a full stop, or even an exclamation mark at this point and are satisfied that this is the gospel plan! But how much does God love the world? " . . . that he gave his only begotten Son . . ." and it is there that the gospel plan --- centered upon the Atonement --- begins. Jesus is the representation, the personal image, the evidence of God's love. He is the tree of life, and the fruit He gives is eternal life, God's life (1 Nephi 15:36 along with D&C 14:7).
It should be easy to see that this is one of "the very points of his doctrine", and to teach it otherwise is to miss the point, to err, and to be led into false doctrine. Any virtue taken to an extreme becomes a vice.
It is a greater thing to be trusted than to be loved. This is the point of mortality. This is the issue of earth life, "to prove them herewith, to see if they will do" according to the revealed plan, instead of making up their own doctrine and plan of action.
Does God love His children? Of course He does. The birth, life, and death of His Son are ample evidence of that love. The issue is : can God trust His children? Can He trust me to keep my promises to Him, to be true to my covenants? Can He trust me at all hazards?
It is a covenant matter, and it goes way beyond love.
We must wake up or we'll end up taking the wrong bridge. The implications of this for our lessons, for our testimonies, for the teaching of our young people are huge. Their salvation depends upon our getting it right. Do you think I exaggerate or overstate the case?
Henry B. Eyring's purpose in sharing this story with all the teachers in the worldwide Church Educational System was to make the point that, as good a job as we had been doing in teaching the youth, we have been taking the wrong bridge. The right bridge is centered in the scriptures, on the Savior and His restored gospel plan. We have not been doing that, said Brother Eyring.
God bless you all on this glorious Sabbath day --- His holy day (not a holiday).
Steve
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Sabbathought: The Lord is in charge of the weather
With the news this week (early June 2010) of the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the resulting human disruption and turmoil in canceled air flights and so on, it caused some reflection on the eternal perspective of things.
In Psalm 24 David wrote, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (verses 1--2).
In Moses 7:48--9 we find, "And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men [the mortal bodies of all mankind are made of the dust of the earth]; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
"And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?"
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that the Earth is a living thing, and that mankind are stewards in exercising righteous dominion over it.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Lord uses the weather many times to get the attention of His people and to chasten them.
Our point here in all of this is that the Lord is in charge. Many people have observed the obvious changes in climate we now witness and ascribe them to mankind's abusive stewardship in excessive greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial and machinery waste products. A "scientific report" last month said that the Ten Plagues of Egypt found in the Book of Exodus were not miracles caused by Moses' priesthood power but were caused by climate change! One pundit speculated on just what brand of SUV the Pharaoh was driving . . . !
Would it sound simplistic or naive to state that the Lord's hand is in "climate change", so called, to chasten and bless His children and to bring them to repentance?
Nearly two years ago on the internet was a report on the possible existence of other earths in outer space. One of the points made was that "plate tectonics" (stay with me, this is not that technical)---"the forces that move continents and lift gigantic mountain ranges---are key to life on Earth, and possibly to life on other worlds." That's because "as the rocky plates that form the planet's outer shell move about, they also recycle carbon dioxide. This greenhouse gas keeps our planet's temperature balmy, but not too hot."
As prophesied in the scriptures, in the last days there will be a great increase in natural disasters --- earthquakes . . . tornadoes on a massive scale . . . the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds . . . vapors of smoke in foreign lands . . . massive destruction and devastation, and so forth. Earthquakes shift tectonic plates causing release of the gases on a huge scale. And here is the point: humankind has not caused and cannot cause earthquakes. The God of nature has, and does. And for a purpose.
In the "warning voice" that is known to us as the book of Doctrine and Covenants we find in section 121:12 this summary of all we are saying here: "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and the seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them . . . ."
The Psalmist went on to say after our initial quote above: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3--4). . . . That swearing, referred to, has less to do with profanity than with swearing an oath, or making a covenant. More on this later, it is important to our point.
Thus we see: the issue for us is one of being humble before the Lord, of acknowledging His hand in all things (see D&C 59:21), so that we do not find ourselves as the Nephites of old, of whom it was written, "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3).
O, that we may "always remember Him . . ."!
Steve
In Psalm 24 David wrote, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (verses 1--2).
In Moses 7:48--9 we find, "And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men [the mortal bodies of all mankind are made of the dust of the earth]; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
"And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?"
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that the Earth is a living thing, and that mankind are stewards in exercising righteous dominion over it.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Lord uses the weather many times to get the attention of His people and to chasten them.
Our point here in all of this is that the Lord is in charge. Many people have observed the obvious changes in climate we now witness and ascribe them to mankind's abusive stewardship in excessive greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial and machinery waste products. A "scientific report" last month said that the Ten Plagues of Egypt found in the Book of Exodus were not miracles caused by Moses' priesthood power but were caused by climate change! One pundit speculated on just what brand of SUV the Pharaoh was driving . . . !
Would it sound simplistic or naive to state that the Lord's hand is in "climate change", so called, to chasten and bless His children and to bring them to repentance?
Nearly two years ago on the internet was a report on the possible existence of other earths in outer space. One of the points made was that "plate tectonics" (stay with me, this is not that technical)---"the forces that move continents and lift gigantic mountain ranges---are key to life on Earth, and possibly to life on other worlds." That's because "as the rocky plates that form the planet's outer shell move about, they also recycle carbon dioxide. This greenhouse gas keeps our planet's temperature balmy, but not too hot."
As prophesied in the scriptures, in the last days there will be a great increase in natural disasters --- earthquakes . . . tornadoes on a massive scale . . . the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds . . . vapors of smoke in foreign lands . . . massive destruction and devastation, and so forth. Earthquakes shift tectonic plates causing release of the gases on a huge scale. And here is the point: humankind has not caused and cannot cause earthquakes. The God of nature has, and does. And for a purpose.
In the "warning voice" that is known to us as the book of Doctrine and Covenants we find in section 121:12 this summary of all we are saying here: "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and the seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them . . . ."
The Psalmist went on to say after our initial quote above: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3--4). . . . That swearing, referred to, has less to do with profanity than with swearing an oath, or making a covenant. More on this later, it is important to our point.
Thus we see: the issue for us is one of being humble before the Lord, of acknowledging His hand in all things (see D&C 59:21), so that we do not find ourselves as the Nephites of old, of whom it was written, "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3).
O, that we may "always remember Him . . ."!
Steve
With the news this week of the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the resulting human disruption and turmoil in canceled air flights and so on, it caused some reflection on the eternal perspective of things.
In Psalm 24 David wrote, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (verses 1--2).
In Moses 7:48--9 we find, "And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men [the mortal bodies of all mankind are made of the dust of the earth]; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
"And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?"
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that the Earth is a living thing, and that mankind are stewards in exercising righteous dominion over it.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Lord uses the weather many times to get the attention of His people and to chasten them.
Our point here in all of this is that the Lord is in charge. Many people have observed the obvious changes in climate we now witness and ascribe them to mankind's abusive stewardship in excessive greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial and machinery waste products. A "scientific report" last month said that the Ten Plagues of Egypt found in the Book of Exodus were not miracles caused by Moses' priesthood power but were caused by climate change! One pundit speculated on just what brand of SUV the Pharaoh was driving . . . !
Would it sound simplistic or naive to state that the Lord's hand is in "climate change", so called, to chasten and bless His children and to bring them to repentance?
Nearly two years ago on the internet was a report on the possible existence of other earths in outer space. One of the points made was that "plate tectonics" (stay with me, this is not that technical)---"the forces that move continents and lift gigantic mountain ranges---are key to life on Earth, and possibly to life on other worlds." That's because "as the rocky plates that form the planet's outer shell move about, they also recycle carbon dioxide. This greenhouse gas keeps our planet's temperature balmy, but not too hot."
As prophesied in the scriptures, in the last days there will be a great increase in natural disasters --- earthquakes . . . the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds . . . vapors of smoke in foreign lands . . . and so forth. Earthquakes shift tectonic plates causing release of the gases on a huge scale. And here is the point: humankind has not caused and cannot cause earthquakes. The God of nature has, and does.
In the "warning voice" that is the book of Doctrine and Covenants we find in section 121:12 this summary of all we have said here: "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and the seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them . . . ."
The Psalmist went on to say after our initial quote: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3--4). . . . That swearing, referred to, has less to do with profanity than with swearing an oath, or making a covenant. More on this later.
Thus we see: the issue for us is one of being humble before the Lord, of acknowledging His hand in all things (see D&C 59:21), so that we do not find ourselves as the Nephites of old, of whom it was written, "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3).
O, that we may "always remember Him . . ."!
Steve
In Psalm 24 David wrote, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (verses 1--2).
In Moses 7:48--9 we find, "And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men [the mortal bodies of all mankind are made of the dust of the earth]; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
"And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?"
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that the Earth is a living thing, and that mankind are stewards in exercising righteous dominion over it.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the Lord uses the weather many times to get the attention of His people and to chasten them.
Our point here in all of this is that the Lord is in charge. Many people have observed the obvious changes in climate we now witness and ascribe them to mankind's abusive stewardship in excessive greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial and machinery waste products. A "scientific report" last month said that the Ten Plagues of Egypt found in the Book of Exodus were not miracles caused by Moses' priesthood power but were caused by climate change! One pundit speculated on just what brand of SUV the Pharaoh was driving . . . !
Would it sound simplistic or naive to state that the Lord's hand is in "climate change", so called, to chasten and bless His children and to bring them to repentance?
Nearly two years ago on the internet was a report on the possible existence of other earths in outer space. One of the points made was that "plate tectonics" (stay with me, this is not that technical)---"the forces that move continents and lift gigantic mountain ranges---are key to life on Earth, and possibly to life on other worlds." That's because "as the rocky plates that form the planet's outer shell move about, they also recycle carbon dioxide. This greenhouse gas keeps our planet's temperature balmy, but not too hot."
As prophesied in the scriptures, in the last days there will be a great increase in natural disasters --- earthquakes . . . the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds . . . vapors of smoke in foreign lands . . . and so forth. Earthquakes shift tectonic plates causing release of the gases on a huge scale. And here is the point: humankind has not caused and cannot cause earthquakes. The God of nature has, and does.
In the "warning voice" that is the book of Doctrine and Covenants we find in section 121:12 this summary of all we have said here: "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and the seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them . . . ."
The Psalmist went on to say after our initial quote: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3--4). . . . That swearing, referred to, has less to do with profanity than with swearing an oath, or making a covenant. More on this later.
Thus we see: the issue for us is one of being humble before the Lord, of acknowledging His hand in all things (see D&C 59:21), so that we do not find ourselves as the Nephites of old, of whom it was written, "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3).
O, that we may "always remember Him . . ."!
Steve
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