Myths Refuted #3: Practice of Infant Baptism of God

To continue with my study and summary of the Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes (see myth #1 here, myth #2 here), I will expand upon the second myth I summarized which was the notion of Original Sin.

Implied in the traditional Christian theology of Original Sin is the idea that Adam and Eve were sinful and rebellious, and that humans are born sinful and as such little children need to be cleansed of original sin to prevent them from being spiritually lost if they were to die at a young age. The practice of infant baptism, which is much less popular in the Christian world today, was for almost two thousand years believed to be necessary to save a child from eternal damnation. Infants who died without baptism were believed to be lost forever which belief caused great pain for Christians throughout the world. Clearly greater clarity in Christian teaching was needed, and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God was the answer to countless Christian prayers over the ages.

Moroni, the final Book of Mormon prophet, was inspired by the spirit of revelation to address the practice of infant baptism in a way that it could not be misunderstood in the day in which the Book of Mormon would be brought forth. Some emphasis of the conditions under which this last book was written helps provide important context that gives even greater force to his words.

Moroni was the last remaining follower of Christ among an entire civilization of people. He had been handed the abridged record of his people by his father Mormon who had spent his life compiling the thousand year history it contained into a relatively short account of only the most spiritually significant teachings of their people. Mormon and Moroni knew, through revelation and the record, that the words of this book would in the last days be brought forth to restore the plain and precious truths of the gospel of Christ that would be last in the Great Christian Apostasy. Thus, Moroni was given a few gold pages to write a few last words in the record, and the words that he recorded were carefully chosen through the spirit of prophecy. In fact, he is clear that they are the words of Christ to him through this gift of prophecy. The words Moroni records about the practice of infant baptism are found only in this final book. Clearly, this essential subject was needing attention in the record that would come forth in a Christian age in which this practice was believed to be necessary for the salvation of children.

Before I share this important sermon the refutes the Christian Myth of infant baptism and explain what the Book of Mormon teaches about little children, it's important to note that in the modern Christian era, most Christians have rejected the concept that even baptism is necessary for salvation in spite of the fact that Jesus clearly taught Nicodemus that baptism was necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:1-13) and by his own baptism he witnessed it's necessity to fulfill all righteousness. The necessity of baptism for salvation was universally accepted throughout the Christian world for almost two thousand years, and in the time the Book of Mormon came forth it was still considered a requirement of salvation. LDS people still accept the teachings of baptism in the bible and have greater clarity on the topic because of the teachings of the Book of Mormon.

Under the law, with baptism required to fulfill all righteousness, it is understandable that the ancient church practiced infant baptism. It is also understandable that the practice so offend the human heart, or at least the teaching that infants who die without it would be lost forever was so abhorrent, that the Christian world would distance itself from the practice in modern times. The growing rejection of baptism for little children has played a role in the rejection of baptism as necessary in general. For this reason, the teachings of the Book of Mormon on the baptism of little children is critically restorative to the Bible teachings of baptism as necessary for salvation.

The teachings in the Book of Mormon that restore the precious truths related to baptism also refute the entire theology of Original Sin in unmistakable clarity. Moroni begins his sermon in prophetic authority with these words: "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them." Is more needed than this? You would think not, but this subject was apparently of so much importance to Christ that Moroni will continue to expound the true words of Christ.

As I pondered this, why Christ would inspire such bold and thorough a discourse on this topic and I was reminded of the great love and passion he showed for the little children and the innocent during his ministry.

"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

The same passion we hear from Christ in the New Testament when addressing this subject can be heard in his words given through the prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon. Moroni continues:

"Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!"

The ancient prophets of the Americas worshiped Jesus Christ and prophesied of His coming and of our times. They knew and loved the gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophet Nephi saw a vision of all the history of his people, the coming of Christ in the meridian of time, his mission and death. He also saw the Great Apostasy, reformation and restoration. Here Nephi explains why the Book of Mormon would be essential in the restoration of the gospel:

"These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world" (1 Nephi 13:40)

Is there anything more plain or more precious then the teachings of Moroni on the innocence and salvation of infants and young children? Certainly these words are plain, they are easy to understand, and there can be no mistake in the intent of the Lord. Moroni Continues in this plainness:

"Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell. For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism. Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption. Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and an endless torment. I speak it boldly; God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the judgment-seat of Christ."

These words and feelings have found voice in the bosom of every mother who has lost an infant in the ages of Christianity that false teachings condemnation their precious little ones to eternal hell fire. Oh, how they would have taken comfort from these soothing words of Christ in the Book of Mormon:

"I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation. For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity. Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy. For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—"

Oh what comfort and joy is in the restoration of these plain and precious truths! In my own family I have witnessed the terrible sorrow and excruciating suffering of a mother who has had to lay here little child's body to rest in the earth, and I have seen how the comfort of this knowledge has lifted her high on the wings of the Spirit of Christ and made the unbearable, bearable. It is unimaginable to me the great pain that the false teachings of original sin and infant baptism must have caused many of grieving mother and father. I have a deep gratitude for the bold words of Christ recorded by Moroni in the Book of Mormon, and here is one more reason why the Book of Mormon has drawn me closer to Christ.

Myths Refuted #2: The Notion of Original Sin

To continue with my study and summary of the Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes (see myth #1 here), I will move onto how the Book of Mormon refutes the notion of Original Sin, but to do so, I think it will require some explanation of the Christian theology of Original Sin. I have found in my interactions with Christian friends over the years that the concept of Original Sin as explained in the official declarations of most Christian’s sects is not well understood by parishioners. In fact, most of the time my non-LDS friends respond positively to the LDS teaching of Original Sin, though it is significantly different then main stream Christianity. This is not to say that there is one consistent teaching of this concept throughout Christianity, but that the ancient teachings of the Catholic Church have left a lasting impact even after the reformation.

In the standard teachings of the Catholic Church for almost two thousand years, "Original sin was defined as (1) the sin that Adam committed; (2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam." Protestant declarations teach that Original sin is an "ancestral sin stemming from Adam and Eve's rebellion in Eden." It is been written about as being the "inherited sin of disobedience from Adam and Eve to all their descendants even before we are old enough to commit conscious sin."

What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Fall and Adam and Eve?

Unlike these descriptions of Adam and Eve as sinful and rebellious, the Book of Mormon teaches that the fall of Adam and Eve is a blessing to both Adam and Eve as well as their posterity. It teaches that it was the intended result of conditions designed by a loving Father in Heaven, and this new understanding of Adam and Eve gives LDS a feeling of gratitude for Adam and Eve and feel that they are worthy of honor for their part in bringing the plan of God into action.

Every Christian believes that the world was created by Christ before Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, and most Christians believe that God created the Earth with the intent to create a home for His children to dwell, thus he placed Adam and Eve upon the earth when he saw that his creation was good. The Book of Mormon reveals that the fall was necessary to bring about God's purposes for man.

In 2 Nephi chapter 2 the Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi, teaches his sons a great sermon on the subject of God's great plan for the happiness and progression of His children. He teaches with great clarity that the fall of Adam and Eve was necessary and planned for, and put in motion by, our Father in Heaven as surely as was the earth was created for this purpose, Adam fell for this purpose. Lehi teaches what would have happened had Adam and Eve not chosen to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin." (2 Nephi 2:22-23)

The implications of this one additional truth about the fall is far reaching. We know from the Book of Mormon that Adam and Eve would have had no children had they not made the choice to partake of the "forbidden fruit" (Lehi addresses the reason why it was forbidden which I will discuss below) Since we know that God created the world with the intention that it would be a home for the human race (we know this because only when He placed Adam and Eve in the garden did he say His creation was complete), and since we know that Adam and Eve would have had no children had they not fallen, it follows that the fall was not an accident, nor was it a sin.

Lehi explains to his sons how God set the stage for Adam and Eve to fall and why he did so.

"To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents... it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other... For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad... Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose"

"To bring about his eternal purposes," it was necessary for Adam and Eve to fall and bring children into the world. The creation of the world was one preparation our Father in Heaven made in preparation for the fall, but now we know that He set up the conditions upon which Adam and Eve would have to make a choice. In Genesis we learn that God commanded Adam and Eve that they were to multiply and replenish the Earth, to fulfill the purpose of the Earth and the "eternal purposes in the end of man." In the Book of Mormon we learn that if they had not partaken of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would not have been able to keep the first commandment nor fulfilled the purposes for which the earth was prepared and for which they were placed in the garden.

Though it is difficult to understand how God could give Adam and Eve two commandments, of which they could only keep one; it is easier to understand from Lehi's teaching that the principle of agency, the ability for Adam and Eve to act for themselves, was of such importance in God's plan to bring about the progression and righteousness of His children that in this unique circumstance a loving Father created two things in opposition to one another in order that His children might exercise their agency and choose to fall into mortality and begin to participate in a great plan for the spiritual progression of man.

We have known that God created the world for a purpose, but now we know better what that purpose was. We can come to understand from this one extraordinary sermon in the Book of Mormon that mortal life was not a mistake, not the result of some terrible sin or rebellion of our first parents. The context with which this teaching rests is the central point of Lehi's sermon which is that Lehi is teaching his sons that the atonement of Jesus Christ was also planned from the "foundations of the world," (Alma 22:12-14) that like the fall, the atonement was not plan B, not a reaction to the unexpected rebellion and sin of Adam and Eve. Instead the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement make up the three essential pillars of the plan of God for His children. This plan was foreordained as Christ was foreordained (1 Peter 1:19-21).

Lehi teaches that without the fall and the atonement the creation of the world "would have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation." The fall brought about the need for the atonement, but the atonement brings about the way to fulfill the eternal purposes of God. Lehi brings these three pillars of the plan together perfectly with these verses:

"All things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh... that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit."

For the joy of redemption and the spiritual progression that comes to us through mortal life we can be grateful to our first parents, Adam and Eve, for seeking to fulfill the will of the Lord. The fall becomes a beloved step in God's grand plan for the salvation of His children rather than a great stumbling shared by all humans. For this clarity we can thank God for the Book of Mormon, for the Book of Mormon places these truths in their proper place.

What does Original Sin mean to LDS people?

LDS teaching does not use the term Original Sin, because we don't think of the choice made in the Garden of Eden as a sin, we do refer to it as the transgression of Adam. Joseph Smith wrote in the second Article of Faith, "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression."

Though Adam and Eve played their part well, and though the plan worked just as God intended, for Adam and Eve and their children the consequences of the fall were no less perilous. As a result of the fall we are cut off from God and lost to death, if not for the atonement and resurrection of Christ. These perilous consequences are understood and accepted by LDS people as necessary conditions of mortality, and mortality is accepted as a necessary step to immortality. Like the Catholic theologian St. Augustine taught, LDS people also believe that the fall brought about a separation between God and man (spiritual death) because of the fallen state of human nature. In mortality humans have a tendency to sin as a consequence of the Fall. In this world we are weak, sinful, and without Christ we are lost; but the good news is that we are here because of the fall and because of the fall we have need for the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The consequences of the fall, in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, are more positive then they are negative. The "forbidden" fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, is mistakenly viewed in traditional Christian teaching as cursed fruit that brought death and damnation, in general it was seen as more evil than good. The fruit of this tree did bring death into the world, but there is a joyful consequence of that mortality, the tree brought birth and life. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil had the power to make Adam and Eve mortal and give them knowledge and the ability to progress (i.e. learn and mature), a condition that made Adam and Eve more like God. Which is taught in Genesis when God says, "Man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." (Genesis 3:22)

The Book of Mormon contains another important sermon, by another prophet who is speaking to his son, which explains the good and bad consequences of the fall and the essential role that these consequences play in the plan of redemption by which God's children progress and receive eternal life in the kingdom of their Father. Alma teaches about the purpose and significance of the two trees in the Garden of Eden. Yes, there were two. Less familiar among Christians today is that the Tree of Life was also placed in the Garden by God. (Genesis 2:9) The fruit of this tree had the power to make Adam and Eve immortal. While in the garden they ate of this tree freely, and they were immortal in the garden state, and as we learned from the prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon they would have remained in this state forever had they not partaken of the fruit of The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Alma describes what follows Adam and Eve's choice to partake of the forbidden fruit and explains that mortal life and death are necessary in the plan of God to work (Alma 42):

"After the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life— Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

“For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated. But behold, it was appointed unto man to die... it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.

"Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. Therefore... this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state.

"Therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. And thus God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men... Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.

Once it becomes clear that Adam and Eve were not sinful or rebellious, but rather seeking to fulfill the plan of God, much of what has been taught about the hereditary stain, inherited sin, and the punishment for this sin takes on a new light. Instead of the consequences of the fall being mostly evil, we see that the fall was prepared, intended, and planned for by a loving Father who knew that this mortal life and death was an essential step in the progression of His children.

The Damage of the False Doctrines of Original Sin

False teachings of Original Sin have resulted in false ideas about the character of Adam and Eve, and sadly these false teachings have led to some verily toxic ideas about the nature of man and our relationship to God.

Implied in the traditional Christian theology of Original Sin is the idea that Adam and Eve were sinful and rebellious, and that Eve was particularly so, and that humans are born sinful and as such little children need to be cleansed of original sin to prevent them from being spiritually lost if they were to die at a young age. The practice of infant baptism, which is much less popular in the Christian world today, was for almost two thousand years believed to be necessary to save a child from eternal damnation. Infants who died without baptism were believed to be lost forever which belief caused great pain for Christians throughout the world. I will treat the teaching of infant baptism as a separate myth the Book of Mormon refutes because the Book of Mormon very particularly addresses infant baptism in the writings of the final prophet in the book.

These false teachings about the character of Adam and Eve and the anger of Lord against them for their act has been taken to extremes within the teachings of the Christian world and led to serious evils. For example, the foundational thinker of Latin Christianity, St. Augustine, in the late fourth and early fifth centuries established certain assumptions that have led to great oppression of women throughout the Christian world. Augustine taught that "women’s disproportionate guilt for the fall of humanity into sin, rooted in women’s disobedience to their subordination, meant that women could only be redeemed by accepting a redoubled subjugation to the male, even coercively so. For Augustine the female could never represent God. Maleness was the appropriate image of rationality and spirituality, while the feminine represented the body and the material world." (The Curious Appeal of Roman Catholicism, Valarie M. Hudson.)

An LDS scholar who grew up Catholic, Valarie M. Hudson recalls how painful it was for her as a young girl when she remembers "stumbling across these lines from Tertullian, a second to third century Church writer," who taught that women “might more fully expiate that which she derives from Eve—the ignominy, I mean, of the first sin, and the odium (attaching to her as the cause) of human perdition. ‘In pains and in anxieties does thou bear (children), woman; and toward thine husband (is) thy inclination and he lords it over thee.’ And do you not know that you are (each) an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil’s gateway: you are the unsealer of that (forbidden) tree: you are the first deserter of the divine law: you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God’s image, man. On account of your desert—that is, death—even the Son of God had to die.”

As Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of the LDS Church, has said, “Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Great Plan of Happiness,” Ensign, November 1993)

Hudson continues: "Did God curse Adam and Eve as is the standard teaching of Christianity? In the teachings of the LDS Church, we do not believe that that was a curse meant to punish them—it was a curse meant to start that law of opposites that undergirds agency: virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, light and darkness, truth and lies (2 Ne 2:11-13). Eve was told she would labor in childbirth—was this a cursing of Eve? Again, from the LDS perspective, absolutely not. To have children, to be able to fully give the gift of Eve, is one of the most soul-satisfying parts of a woman’s life... In the King James Version of the Bible, we are told that Eve, as part of her punishment, was told that Adam would rule over her. Is that what the LDS believe? Actually not. Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a seventy in the LDS Church, says: “Genesis 3:16 states that Adam is to “rule over” Eve, but. . . over in “rule over” uses the Hebrew bet, which means ruling with, not ruling over. . . . The concept of interdependent equal partners is well-grounded in the doctrine of the restored gospel.”

How we see ourselves in relation to God, how men and women view their relation to each other, and how we view the nature of every innocent child born into the world are colored by our understanding of the proper place and purpose of the fall in God's design for His children. Clearly greater clarity in Christian teaching was needed, and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God was the answer to countless Christian prayers over the ages.

Myths Refuted #1: Revelation Ended with the Bible

In my last post I explained that I would begin a study of the Book of Mormon that focuses on five main points in an attempt to explain what makes the Book of Mormon so valuable to me and all of God's children. The first of these five points is: The Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes.

The first obvious myth of main stream Christian tradition that the Book of Mormon refutes is that revelation ended with the Bible. Not only is the Book of Mormon a tangible testament that the Bible is not the only book of revelation and scripture from God to His children on Earth, but the way in which the Book of Mormon was revealed to the Earth is a standing testament that God still reveals himself to men on earth and directs the affairs of His church in these last-days.

Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon the "keystone of our religion." The keystone, because the truth of what the Book of Mormon is, establishes the truth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the restored Church of Christ in the last "dispensation of the fullness of times." (Ephesians 1:10)

In October 2011, Elder Tad R. Callister spoke at the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he explained why the Book of Mormon reveals the origins of the Church, he said:

"Years ago my great-great-grandfather picked up a copy of the Book of Mormon for the first time. He opened it to the center and read a few pages. He then declared, “That book was either written by God or the devil, and I am going to find out who wrote it.” He read it through twice in the next 10 days and then declared, “The devil could not have written it—it must be from God.”

"That is the genius of the Book of Mormon—there is no middle ground. It is either the word of God as professed, or it is a total fraud. This book does not merely claim to be a moral treatise or theological commentary or collection of insightful writings. It claims to be the word of God—every sentence, every verse, every page. Joseph Smith declared that an angel of God directed him to gold plates, which contained the writings of prophets in ancient America, and that he translated those plates by divine powers. If that story is true, then the Book of Mormon is holy scripture, just as it professes to be; if not, it is a sophisticated but, nonetheless, diabolical hoax."

"C. S. Lewis spoke of a similar dilemma faced by someone who must choose whether to accept or reject the Savior’s divinity—where there is likewise no middle ground: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. … You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. … But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

"Likewise, we must make a simple choice with the Book of Mormon: it is either of God or the devil. There is no other option."

Many Christians today, faced with this question, have simply decided that the Book of Mormon must be a fraud and Joseph Smith and the Church he founded must be of the devil. Unfortunately, they do so without making an earnest attempt to investigate the book with a sincere desire to know for themselves what is true. This is particularly sad because of how truly magnificent the implications are if the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, and if Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God called by God to restore his church in preparation for His second coming.

When Christ came in the meridian of time he was rejected by God's people in apostasy and accused of being of the devil because of the extraordinary claims he made that he was the son of God with authority to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) of Moses, establish a new church, and most incomprehensibly redeem all mankind from the effects of the fall. It was too astonishing, too supernatural, to fundamentally altering to the religious ideas of the day that some could not even entertain the idea that it might actually be true.

When Jesus Christ came to Joseph Smith in a sacred grove of trees in upstate New York, to restore His church to the earth for the last time in preparation for His coming in Glory, his work was again too astonishing and too fundamentally altering to the apostate religious teachings of the his people throughout the world, that though he revealed himself in majesty and power to a boy prophet, as in days of old, as in days of old, the people at large rejected these miracles and the prophet.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland said in the April 2008 General Conference of the church that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "accused, erroneously, of not being Christian," on two primary points; 1) The church's teaching of the nature of the Godhead, which Elder Holland had spoke about at a previous conference, and 2) "The bold assertion that God continues to speak His word and reveal His truth, revelations which mandate an open canon of scripture." The Book of Mormon stands as the most powerful witness that God continues to reveal himself to man on earth.

Elder Holland bears this witness:

"Some Christians, in large measure because of their genuine love for the Bible, have declared that there can be no more authorized scripture beyond the Bible. In thus pronouncing the canon of revelation closed, our friends in some other faiths shut the door on divine expression that we in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold dear: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the ongoing guidance received by God’s anointed prophets and apostles. Imputing no ill will to those who take such a position, nevertheless we respectfully but resolutely reject such an unscriptural characterization of true Christianity."

To address the scripture most often used to establish the idea of a closed canon of scripture Elder Holland said this:

"One of the arguments often used in any defense of a closed canon is the New Testament passage recorded in Revelation 22:18: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of … this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” However, there is now overwhelming consensus among virtually all biblical scholars that this verse applies only to the book of Revelation, not the whole Bible. Those scholars of our day acknowledge a number of New Testament “books” that were almost certainly written after John’s revelation on the Isle of Patmos was received. Included in this category are at least the books of Jude, the three Epistles of John, and probably the entire Gospel of John itself.1 Perhaps there are even more than these."

"But there is a simpler answer as to why that passage in the final book of the current New Testament cannot apply to the whole Bible. That is because the whole Bible as we know it—one collection of texts bound in a single volume—did not exist when that verse was written. For centuries after John produced his writing, the individual books of the New Testament were in circulation singly or perhaps in combinations with a few other texts but almost never as a complete collection. Of the entire corpus of 5,366 known Greek New Testament manuscripts, only 35 contain the whole New Testament as we now know it, and 34 of those were compiled after A.D. 1000."

The Book of Mormon, if it is true, (and a person can know if it's true or false by reading it with real intent and in prayer asking God with a sincere desire to receive a witness) stands as a sure witness that the notion that revelation ended with the Bible, or that the need for prophets and apostles is no more, is a myth that limits God and makes his children reliant upon the interpretations of man alone for their understanding of God and His gospel.

Elder Holland continues with these words to Christians who may misunderstand our love for the Book of Mormon and it's place as the keystone of our faith:

"Please do not misunderstand. We love and revere the Bible, as Elder M. Russell Ballard taught so clearly from this pulpit just one year ago. The Bible is the word of God. It is always identified first in our canon, our “standard works.” Indeed, it was a divinely ordained encounter with the fifth verse of the first chapter of the book of James that led Joseph Smith to his vision of the Father and the Son, which gave birth to the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our time. But even then, Joseph knew the Bible alone could not be the answer to all the religious questions he and others like him had. As he said in his own words, the ministers of his community were contending—sometimes angrily—over their doctrines. “Priest [was] contending against priest, and convert [was contending] against convert … in a strife of words and a contest about opinions,” he said. About the only thing these contending religions had in common was, ironically, a belief in the Bible, but, as Joseph wrote, “the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question [regarding which church was true] by an appeal to the Bible.” Clearly the Bible, so frequently described at that time as “common ground,” was nothing of the kind—unfortunately it was a battleground.

In the coming summaries of my study of the Book of Mormon and the the Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes, it will become more clear why the Book of Mormon was prepared by the Lord to be brought forth in our time through His prophet Joseph Smith. The loss of many plain and precious truths of Christ's gospel are the reason there was a need for a restoration in our times. For those who have received their own witness of the Book of Mormon, our hearts exclaim, "Oh how marvelous this work and a wonder is!"

A Deep Daily Devotion to the Book of Mormon

In the October 2017 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson asked the church to ponder what life would be like without the Book of Mormon and how precious the Book of Mormon is. He repeated the last challenge the church received from President Thomas S. Monson before his passing that “each of us prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day.”

Why is it so important? Why is a meaningful daily study of this book so critical to our spiritual wellbeing? President Nelson gave these many compelling reasons:

"Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon... the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It contains the answers to life’s most compelling questions. It teaches the doctrine of Christ. It expands and clarifies many of the “plain and precious" truths that were lost through centuries of time and numerous translations of the Bible... The Book of Mormon both illuminates the teachings of the Master and exposes the tactics of the adversary. The Book of Mormon teaches true doctrine to dispel false religious traditions—such as the erroneous practice of performing infant baptisms. The Book of Mormon gives purpose to life by urging us to ponder the potential of eternal life and “never-ending happiness.” The Book of Mormon shatters the false beliefs that happiness can be found in wickedness and that individual goodness is all that is required to return to the presence of God. It abolishes forever the false concepts that revelation ended with the Bible and that the heavens are sealed today."

President Nelson follows this impressive description of the Book of Mormon with this prophetic promise:

"I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions."

Leaders of our church have been asking, no pleading, with us to make a daily study of the Book of Mormon a daily devotion. The feeling that came to me as I listened to yet another prophet pleading for us to develop our testimonies of the Book of Mormon until we feel deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts the value of this book was that many of us, including myself, don't have a full understanding of the power that comes into our lives when we "immerse ourselves regularly in the truths of the Book of Mormon."

There are few in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who aren't familiar with the witness of the Book of Mormon given by the Prophet Joseph Smith when he said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Yet, I know that I have been guilty of being too casual about my reading and study of the Book of Mormon. I believe the "Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God." But I want to "feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it."

As I have pondered what I should do more than I am, so that I will be filled with a greater desire and commitment to a daily study of the book, so that I will "never want to live even one day without it," I have thought that perhaps a good place to start is to do the same kind of study President Nelson choose to do when he answered President Monson's challenge. He said that he "made lists of what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals."

In the coming days, probably months, but who knows how long it will take; I plan to focus my study of the Book of Mormon on these five main concepts:

1. The Book of Mormon Refutes: Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes
2. The Book of Mormon Clarifies: Teachings of the Bible the Book of Mormon Clarifies
3. The Book of Mormon Affirms: The Book of Mormon affirms the divinity and mission of Jesus Christ.
4. The Book of Mormon Reveals: New concepts and information the Book of Mormon reveals
5. The Book of Mormon Answers: Questions of the Soul the Book of Mormon answers

Perhaps some of you might want to come along with me in this study. I will post summaries of what I discover and learn in this study. I believe that a focus on what makes the Book of Mormon so valuable to me and all of God's children will help increase my desire and commitment to develop a deep daily devotion to the Book of Mormon that will not wane throughout my life.

Blessed to Know we Have a Prophet

"One of the great blessings of the Restoration: the calling and sustaining of a living prophet on the earth."

Today I had the opportunity to lead my ward Relief Society in a discussion of a talk given at the last LDS Conference by Elder Stevenson titled, "The Heart of a Prophet." We talked about the outpouring of the spirit that was present at this last General Conference of the church because of the recent change in our church leadership. With the call of a new prophet there always seems to be an outpouring of the Spirit that whispers to us of the power and authority of Christ that rests upon this ordained leader of His church. This past conference there was that same special witness as well as an extraordinary opportunity to be present as revelation was given from our new prophet to make some significant changes in how we minister and care for one another in the church. We were able to see President Nelson's leadership in action. 

In my class today we talked about the feelings and experiences we've had when we have been able to meet apostles or prophets in person. We talked about the love and Spirit that can be felt in the room when a prophet or apostle walks into it. I have had several of these experiences in my life, the most recent was in Columbia Maryland. Our stake received a special visit from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, now President Oaks newly called as a counselor to President Nelson our new prophet. I was able to attend two meetings he attended at our Conference in Maryland, and both were very special, but at an evening fireside with the youth the excitement of the youth and the love and attention the Elder Oaks paid to each and every one of them left me with a powerful impression of why these men are special witnesses of Christ.

Elder Stevenson, also an apostle of Christ, said this about President Nelson in the talk we discussed today: "His outreach is to all, young and old. He seems to know everyone and is particularly gifted at remembering names. All who know him feel that they are his favorite. And so it is with each of us—because of his genuine love and concern for everyone."

I have not personally met President Nelson, but many of the women in my ward here in Nebraska who were part of our discussion today, had the opportunity to meet with him in Omaha at a recent conference and their experiences with President Nelson were similar to the feelings and experiences our family had when we met with Elder Oaks. I believe that Apostles of Christ exude so much of the love of Christ wherever they go because of their special call as witness of Christ to our world.

"President Nelson’s call to the Twelve 34 years ago ended a professional medical career of strengthening and repairing hearts, it began a ministry as an Apostle devoted to strengthening and repairing hearts of countless tens of thousands around the world, each having been lifted and healed by his words and acts of wisdom, service, and love."

I've been pondering today about how grateful I am to be a member of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to know that Christ has restored his church again on the earth and like in ancient times has blessed us with prophets and apostles who have been ordained through priesthood power form on high and who lead the church through revelation as Christ's servants on earth.

When I read these words from Elder Stevenson's talk:

"In this sacred and memorable meeting, following a well-established precedent in unity and unanimity, the Brethren were seated by seniority in a semicircle of 13 chairs and raised their hands first to sustain the organization of a First Presidency and then to sustain President Russell Marion Nelson as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This sustaining was followed by the Quorum of the Twelve gathering in a circle and placing hands upon the head of President Nelson to ordain and set him apart, with the next most-senior Apostle acting as voice."

I thought about how I've felt in the presence of just one member of the quorum of the twelve and tried to imagine the kind of power and spirit that would be present, how it would feel for President Nelson, to be surrounded by the entire quorum and to be ordained to that highest calling on earth as prophet of the church of Christ. My heart was filled with the Spirit as I pondered that moment, that power, the significance of what it means to have a prophet on the earth and to be led by Christ through this pattern. It was a powerful thought, a powerful feeling. 

With all that power on Earth to guide us, I thought how ungrateful we are when we don't listen and follow. When a prophet speaks, we must be serious about heeding his words. I re-read President Nelson's talk from this last conference to be reminded of the things he did say to us, and I was struck by these key things.

1) Prophetic Promise: I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you--even miracles--will follow.

2) Prophetic Warning: We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation. Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again... But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

3) Prophetic Pleading: I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation... Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

4) Prophetic Council: Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!” Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.

When a prophet speaks, we should always listen, but when a prophet speaks like this we should feel a sense of urgency. Having received such a sweet witness, over and over again, of the truth of this restored church and the power and authority that rests upon our prophet and the apostles that lead Christ's church, I know that I have a solemn duty to diligently follow. I want to "Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly," because I know that President Nelson's words are Christ's words, that this is what my Savior desires for me. What a blessing and a comfort it is to know that!

By Grace We Are Saved!

“For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” 2 Nephi 25:23

I read this verse again today while studying the Book of Mormon with my son and pondered the meaning of the verse with the new perspective I have gained from the teachings of Elder Bednar on the atonement.

Elder Bednar taught that grace is the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement. He said he often replaces the word grace with this description of what it is when he reads the scriptures. That if you do this it brings greater understanding of the grace and how the power of the atonement works in our lives.

He says, “The enabling power of the atonement strengthens us to do and be good... beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity... Grace is the enabling power that allows men to receive strength to do good works that we would not be able to maintain if left to our own means.”

“The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality” Elder Bednar

“For we know that it is by [enabling and strengthening power of the atonement] that we are saved, after all we can do.” 2 Nephi 25:23

Even our best efforts require us to rely upon the power of his atonement. We cannot be what we need to be upon our own merits. We cannot maintain the good works of his gospel by our own means. When Paul taught that it is by grace alone that we are saved, and yet testified that Faith without works is dead, he was not being inconsistent. The gospel of Christ requires that we “go and sin no more,” (John 8:11) and yet are we able to forsake our sins merely because we have been forgiven of them? No, this requires a “mighty change of heart” and an increase in capacity beyond our natural strength; “that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) First, we are cleansed through the atonement but that is not all, it is not the end of our reliance upon the grace and power of Christ’s atonement. “We must press forward with steadfastness in Christ... and endure to the end.” (2 Nephi 31:20) And this we cannot do without a full reliance upon Christ.

So, do we as Christians understand the power of grace? Do we understand what the scriptures teach us about this power? — I know I have not always understood it, and even though I understand it better now, it is still a miracle beyond words and often beyond my understanding — God wants a powerful people, he wants a pure people, he wants a steadfast and immovable people and he is able to give us all that we need to be these things for Him. So let us try Elder Bednar’s tool for better understanding of grace and replace grace with “enabling and strengthening power of the atonement” in these key scriptures about the power of grace.

“For my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27)

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength (“If he love me keep my commandments” - John 14:15) then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

“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 10:33-33)

“For by grace we are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Discipleship is obedience, it is steadfast and immovable, and repentance requires the forsaking of sin. We must do all that we can do, and much more that we could never do without Christ’s grace. Christ enables us in all the requirements of the law, lest we should boast of our own strength.

The Apostasy Admitted, The Restoration Assured

The declaration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a simple one: The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith to restore his church anew in these last days in preparation for His second coming. Joseph Smith restored many plain and precious truths of Christ's gospel lost to the world in the Great Christian Apostasy following the death of the original twelve apostles of Christ. As foretold by Peter: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:28-30 And Paul prophesied: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first... The Lord, even Jesus, whose coming is not until after there cometh a falling away" Thes. 2:2, 9

The Great Apostasy of the ancient Christian church has been a great stumbling block for many modern people. A clear study of history and the wickedness and atrocities done in the name of Christ by those who were held as divine emissaries of Christ, has led to many leaving the Christian faith, not able to make sense of how these things could be done in the name of God. Other Christians today simply choose to deny that there ever was a Great Apostasy, and go so far as to say that the Bible was perfectly translated and preserved by the hand of God throughout all the ages of the church regardless of the conduct and designs of the church leadership. Both positions are a serious barrier to people being willing to accept things as they are and still keep searching for God's hand to be made manifest in a full restoration of the church as Christ organized it in his ministry.

Clearly history itself is the greatest witness of the reality of the Great Apostasy. The Reformation itself is a reaction to this Apostasy. The Reformation being an important step in the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel which Paul prophesied would come in Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Though the Reformation put Christianity on a more sure footing, it could not restore the authority of Christ to the earth, nor bring back the plain and precious truths lost in the corrupt translations of the Bible. Thus the Christian World was divided in doctrine, each church teaching their own interpretation of scriptures. The unity Christ and his apostles considered characteristic of the Church of God could not be restored by man.

For Christ had given his church "apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" by way of ordination through the laying on of hands, which ordination of power was passed down to a few additional apostles through Peter after Christ's ascension. This power was claimed later by catholic Popes to have been passed from Peter to them, but Paul teaches the purpose of priesthood leadership, he taught it was "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine is exactly what the Christian world was when Joseph Smith was born in 1805, and unity of the faith is what he sought.

In Joseph Smith's own words:

"Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.

"For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.

"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring... After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

The disunity of the Christian world is a sign of it's apostasy and the Christians of Joseph's day were aware of the deficiencies in the faith and the need for a restoration. They engaged in heated arguments over the true tenants of the Christian faith because they still believed that one interpretation or another must be the truth, and that unity of the faith was the goal. Though the more they argued these points of doctrines by appeals to the bible the further they were from unity. 

In our day most Christians see no need for a restoration of Christ's church or for a unity of the faith. I have had Christian friends tell me that the bible is perfect and without translation fault or error. That not one piece of Christ's gospel is missing from it's pages, and that God being perfect and all powerful God preserved the book in perfection through the ages of Catholicism and Reformation, from translation to translation. I have found this not only ignorant of history but astonishing that they could believe this and yet have no answer for why there are so many sects of Christian teaching that interpret the same perfect verses from scripture so differently.

Most Christians I meet today are confused by any discussion of doctrine, as most I meet have done very little study of their churches creeds or doctrines, or are simply unaffiliated with organized religion and rarely study the bible on their own. In these cases the general sentiment is that we live in an imperfect world and all we need to know is Christ is our Savior and if we believe in him we are saved. There is no need for a church beyond the community of fellowship it provides.

In either case, I find that Christians today are verily detached from the histories of Christianity, the formation of its creeds and doctrines, and even the founding teachings of their preferred sect. What the vast majority of my Christian friends have in common is a belief that there is no need for a "restoration" of gospel truth, priesthood power, or church organization in our times. They are skeptical if not hostile to talk of a Great Christian Apostasy or corruption of the Bible text and creeds of Christianity. I doubt that most of them are aware that the founders of their Christians sects in large measure believed that there had been a Great Apostasy and taught that there would come a great restoration of all things.

The fact of the Great Apostasy is admitted. Many theologians who profess a belief in Christianity have declared the fact. Thus we read: "We must not expect to see the Church of Christ existing in its perfection on the earth. It is not to be found thus perfect, either in the collected fragments of Christendom or still less in any one of those fragments." (Church of England Official Declaration)

John Wesley, who lived from {ad}1703{ad} to {ad}1791{ad} A. D., and who ranks as chief among the founders of Methodism, comments as follows on the apostasy of the Christian Church as evidenced by the early decline of spiritual power and the cessation of the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God within the Church: "It does not appear that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were common in the Church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom hear of them after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian, and from a vain imagination of promoting the Christian cause thereby heaped riches and power and honor upon Christians in general, but in particular upon the Christian clergy. From this time they almost totally ceased, very few instances of the kind being found. The cause of this was not, as has been supposed, because there was no more occasion for them, because all the world was become Christians. This is a miserable mistake; not a twentieth part of it was then nominally Christians. The real cause of it was that the love of many, almost all Christians, so-called, was waxed cold. The Christians had no more of the spirit of Christ than the other heathens. The Son of Man, when He came to examine His Church, could hardly find faith upon earth. This was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian church—because the Christians were turned heathens again, and only had a dead form left." (See I Cor., ch .12. John Wesley's Works, Vol. VII, 89:26-27.)

The Church of England makes official declaration of degeneracy and loss of divine authority in these words: "Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in abominable idolatry most detested by God and damnable to man for eight hundred years and more." (Church of England "Homily on Perils of Idolatry," p. 3.) The "Book of Homilies," in which occurs this declaration by the Church of England, dates from about the middle of the sixteenth century. According to this official statement, therefore, the religious world had been utterly apostate for eight centuries prior to the establishment of the Church of England. The fact of a universal apostasy was widely proclaimed, for the homilies from which the foregoing citation is taken were "appointed to be read in churches" in lieu of sermons under specified conditions. 

The early reformers could see that no matter the devotion to the work they could not bring about a full restoration, and short of divine intervention in the cares of man on earth, the Christian world would continue divided in doctrine. That Paul's descriptions of the power in Christ's church to bring to Christ "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God," could not be restored by man. For this reason the reformers and founders of protestant sects often referred to this awaited restoration. Ironically when it came in 1830 by an obscure farm boy in upstate New York it was universally rejected by the professors of religion. Joseph's experience in the grove of trees and subsequent visions were met with derision and persecution.

In Joseph's own words:

"Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.

"I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.

"It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.

"However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

Few Christians today feel the kind of sectarian strife that prompted Joseph to ask God which church was right. The concept of seeking for the "right" church is merely a question of which is "right" for me, not which is the "only true church." This kind of animated contest between the religious sects of Joseph's day may seem foreign to the Christian experience of our day, but don't make the mistake of assuming that the absence of such heated debates is some sort of holy evolution toward great unity with Christ in our times. The Christian world has moved from one in which Christians believed in the authority of the church to expound doctrine from the divine source to our times in which most Christians believe that there is no need for Church leadership in spiritual matters and no sacred sacraments necessary for salvation. In a Christian world were belief in Christ alone secures salvation and there may be no hell anyway, there is no need to contend over points of doctrine, they are mere trifles not matters of eternal salvation.

What Mormon missionaries go forth into the world to proclaim everyday is that Christ has restored the fullness of his gospel to the earth in these last days, in the "dispensation of the fullness of times" (Ephesians 1:10). In this final restoration and organization of His Kingdom on Earth he has once again given his church "apostles; prophets; evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" by way of ordination through the laying on of hands, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Ephesians 4:12) Within his church are found the keys and the power, and the covenants, ordinances,  and sacraments of the atonement. These ancient things restored and in their fullness.

The great apostasy was divinely predicted; its accomplishment is attested by both sacred and secular writ, with that the restoration is also prophesied in ancient scriptures of the both the Old and New Testaments. To the faithful Latter-day Saint, a concluding proof of the universal apostasy and of the absolute need of a restoration of Priesthood from the heavens will be found in the divine reply to the inquiry of the boy prophet, Joseph Smith, as to which of all the contending sects was right: "I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.'” (Joseph Smith History)

That They Might Have Joy: Why is struggling part of the Plan of Happiness?

This week in seminary a familiar question came up in class, a question that comes up often from my students, and is perhaps one of the questions that causes the most distress for God’s children in this world, the question: “Why doesn't God intervene to relieve the suffering of his children?" I have responded to this question in many ways, and there are many answers that provide perspective into this question. Recently the Spirit gave me some perspective related to this very important principle from a surprising source, my math instructor, but before I tell you how, I suggested that we examine the question from another angle? Let’s reframe the question so that we might discover a more intricate function for suffering in God's plan. What if we asked the question this way: "What functions of the Plan of Salvation might be damaged if God were to intervene to stop our pain and suffering?" 

Let me give you some background into how my math class might have inspired a new way of looking at suffering in God’s plan. I've been taking a math course that is teaching me how to teach my son math in a way that will help him to discover the principles of math through independent problem solving. This method of math instruction requires a very different approach than the one most often used in a math classroom. Instead of a direct instructional model where a student is shown in detail how to come to the answer for a particular problem and then practices that method in repetition until they become proficient. The discovery method presents a student with a problem to be solved after discussing basic principles of a math concept, such as division, then challenges the student to solve the problem independently. The student must first discover a method for solving the problem and test it out. This process has the natural result of causing the child to struggle to discover a method while learning a concept they have not mastered. It is much slower at first than the direct instructional model and results in an uncomfortable struggle, but this “more difficult” method allows a child to develop much stronger problem solving skills. You can probably imagine that one of the more difficult parts of this teaching method is training the teacher not to swoop in when the student is struggling and help the student find the answer. It was at this junction in my training that an insight into suffering in God’s plan became clear to me.

The aim of my most recent training session was to teach us what to do when our children struggle. My teacher started by getting us to think about the principle of struggle. She demonstrated that our culture has a negative view of the role struggling plays in learning and progression, she said that we often look at a person struggling and interpret the struggle as weakness. She taught us that this negative view of struggle has serious consequences for how we view learning and progression as well as how we view ourselves and others. If we view struggle as a sign of weakness then we begin to believe that only non-smart (substitute talented, righteous, strong, etc.) people struggle. What follows is that we develop unrealistic expectations for ourselves and others because we tend to believe that we should be immediately proficient at the things we attempt to do, and then we shut down, telling ourselves “we can’t do it” as soon as it gets hard. We say to ourselves, “If I could do this it wouldn’t be hard.” This results in avoiding things that are a struggle for us and destroys our confidence to do hard things.

I was struck by the gospel parallel in this view of struggle and how it relates to the human tendency to look at pain and struggle in this world and see it only as a reflection of weakness and dysfunction. In this frame many of us struggle to understand why a God that is perfect, that created a perfect plan, could have allowed for so much imperfection. Some even come to believe that God is indifferent to our suffering or that he simply doesn’t exist at all, they say, "Surely a loving God would reach down and solve these problems and relieve the suffering of his children."

I was reflecting on these ideas as my math instructor said that we, as teachers (and mothers since this class was for homeschool mothers), needed to change our view of struggle as it related to math. She taught that struggle is essential to growth. In fact she sited brain science studies that show that in order for the brain to develop the new neuro-pathways essential for developing a new skill it must struggle, without the struggle the new skill cannot be acquired. Other studies in human development have shown that when parents or teachers swoop in to solve problems rather than letting kids struggle and fail that they steal away from the child important opportunities for personal growth. Adults can rob children of their self-confidence and make them dependent on others when they don't allow children to struggle and even fail. Struggling gives the child the opportunity to develop what it takes emotionally to resolve problems by pressing through the difficulties and eventually succeeding.

Not only does this principle apply to the development of independent math thinkers, it applies to every discipline of human endeavor, including developing the skills we need in order to grow into spiritually mature beings. Our Heavenly Father's understanding of these principles is far more expansive than ours but the answer to the question, "Why doesn't God intervene to relieve the suffering of his children?" or "What functions of the Plan of Salvation might be damaged if God were to intervene to stop our pain and suffering?" May be as simple as understanding that struggle is opportunity to progress. Take that away and the primary purpose and function of God's plan, for his children to progress, is destroyed.

Now, that was not the end of what the spirit taught me during this lecture on math instruction. The teacher continued the lecture by giving us tools for how to help our children go through the struggle and inspire them to keep working till they solved the problems. She recommended lots of encouragement, letting them make mistakes and identify them, prompting them to explain their thinking, asking them to review the meaning of the concepts they have been taught, and asking them thought provoking questions to help them discover the answers to their problems.

While these principles were given in a class designed to help mothers teach their children to succeed at solving math problems on their own, the Spirit brought to my mind specific examples from my life when my Father in Heaven has used each of these strategies to help me through my own struggles. I thought about the many times when in heartbroken prayer I have felt the gentle push of the Spirit prompting me not to give up and to try again. I thought of times when the Spirit helped me in identifying my mistakes and receiving clarity on how to correct them. I remembered a specific conversation with my Father when through the Spirit this question came to mind, “Tell me what you think,” and how just having the opportunity to explain how I was thinking helped me figure out the answer to my problem. I recalled the many times that reviewing the principles of truth I already knew had helped me find answers to questions I was struggling with. I remembered a time when I was pondering and praying over a perplexing problem I was having as a mother when my Father in Heaven began a conversation with me through the Spirit by asking me a thought provoking question, over the days that followed I was able to find the answer to my problem through a series of questions the Sprit brought to my mind coupled with my answers and my study of the scriptures.

So you see, our Heavenly Father doesn't just sit by and watch us suffer with an indifferent eye, but quite the opposite; he reaches out to us continually, encouraging us, comforting us, prompting us, and openly communicating with us if we but seek him. He will help us identify our mistakes, examine our thinking, review the principles of truth we understand and ask us thought provoking questions that will lead us through our struggles here on earth and transform those struggles into a classroom of progression.

The truth is that suffering in the world isn't inconsistent with the idea of a loving God. The truth is that we need the struggle, the suffering, the opposition, the trials, and yes even the great tragedies of this world provide opportunities for us to demonstrate that we have what it takes emotionally and spiritually if we but trust in Christ, act in faith, and press forward through the struggle. My math teacher is right, we need to look at suffering in a different way, to see it in a positive light. We need to believe that struggle is opportunity to grow, to become stronger, more confident, and more joyful.

LDS Prophets on Abuse of Wife or Children

Courtship and Marriage, David O’McKay

May I now suggest that we unite for just a few minutes as bishops, presidents of stakes, as fathers, and as young men contemplating marriage, to consider some things which will avoid the breaking up of the family, which will avoid this breaking of women's hearts, this turning out of children from what should be loving homes or throwing them entirely upon the responsibility of mothers. Let us instruct young people who come to us, to know that a woman should be queen of her own body. The marriage covenant does not give the man the right to enslave her or to abuse her or to use her merely for the gratification of his passion. Your marriage ceremony does not give you that right.

Second, let them remember that gentleness and consideration after the ceremony is just as appropriate and necessary and beautiful as gentleness and consideration before the wedding.

Third, let us realize that manhood is not undermined by the practising of continence, notwithstanding what some psychiatrists claim. Chastity is the crown of beautiful womanhood, and self-control is the source of true manhood, if you will know it, not indulgence. Sexual indulgence whets the passion and creates morbid desire.

Let us teach our young men to enter into matrimony with the idea that each will be just as courteous and considerate of a wife after the ceremony as during courtship…I regard it as an incontrovertible fact that in no marriage circle can true peace, love, purity, chastity, and happiness be found, in which is not present the Spirit of Christ, and the daily, hourly striving after loving obedience to his divine commands, and especially the nightly prayer expressing gratitude for blessings received.

I cannot imagine a man's being cruel to a woman. I cannot imagine her so conducting herself as to merit such treatment. Perhaps there are women in the world who exasperate their husbands, but no man is justified in resorting to physical force or in exploding his feelings in profanity. There are men, undoubtedly, in the world who are thus beastly, but no man who holds the priesthood of God should so debase himself.

Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley: On Abuse

I feel likewise that it ill becomes any man who holds the priesthood of God to abuse his wife in any way, to demean or injure or take undue advantage of the woman who is the mother of his children, the companion of his life, and his companion for eternity if he has received that greater blessing. Let us deal in kindness and with appreciation with those for whom the Lord will hold us accountable. ("Reach Out in Love and Kindness," Ensign, November 1982, p. 77.)

My heart reaches out to . . . [those] who by the circumstances in which they find themselves feel oppressed and smothered—all but destroyed. I regret that there are some men who are egotistical and evil, who are insensitive and even brutal. They are to be both condemned and pitied. I believe that any man who offends a daughter of God will someday be held accountable, and the time will come when he will stand before the bar of judgment with sorrow and remorse. ("Rise to the Stature of the Divine within You," Ensign, November 1989, p. 95.)

I call attention to the statement in the scriptures that Adam should rule over Eve. (See "#Gen. 3:16Gen. 3:16) . . . I regrettably recognize that some men have used this through centuries of time as justification for abusing and demeaning women. But I am confident also that in so doing they have demeaned themselves and offended the Father of us all, who, I am confident, loves His daughters just as He loves His sons.

Abuse, Spouse and Childa-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPI sat with President David O. McKay on one occasion when he talked about that statement in Genesis. His eyes flashed with anger as he spoke of despotic husbands and stated that they would have to make an accounting of their evil actions when they stand to be judged by the Lord. He indicated that the very essence of the spirit of the gospel demands that any governance in the home must be done only in righteousness.

Abuse, Spouse and Childa-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPMy own interpretation of that sentence is that the husband shall have a governing responsibility to provide for, to protect, to strengthen and shield the wife. Any man who belittles or abuses or terrorizes, or who rules in unrighteousness, will deserve and, I believe, receive the reprimand of a just God who is the Eternal Father of both His sons and daughters. ("Daughters of God," Ensign, November 1991, p. 99.)

Abuse, Spouse and Childa-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPUnfortunately a few of you may be married to men who are abusive. Some of them put on a fine face before the world during the day and come home in the evening, set aside their self-discipline, and on the slightest provocation fly into outbursts of anger.

Abuse, Spouse and Childa-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPNo man who engages in such evil and unbecoming behavior is worthy of the priesthood of God. No man who so conducts himself is worthy of the privileges of the house of the Lord. I regret that there are some men undeserving of the love of their wives and children.

Elect of God

“In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” ~ Genesis 12:3

What is meant by election? Who are the elect of God? To what have they been elected? And why?

Election is akin to and synonymous with calling, and in a general sense the elect comprise the whole house of Israel. Jesus and Paul and Peter speak of the elect as the saints, as the faithful believers, as those who love the Lord and are seeking righteousness. And the Lord in our day has promised to gather and save his elect. Paul speaks of the elect along with the called, setting forth that they are foreordained to be like Christ, that their conduct here is justified, and that they shall be glorified hereafter.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption; whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:14-30)

Peter specifies that their high status is "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience " (1 Peter 1:2), and Isaiah assures us that great blessings shall flow to them during the Millennial Era. “They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”(Isaiah 65:22)

But in the most express and proper usage of terms, “The elect of God comprise a very select group, an inner circle of faithful members of the Church. . . . They are the portion of church members who are striving with all their hearts to keep the fulness of the gospel law in this life so that they can become inheritors of the fulness of gospel rewards in the life to come.

“As far as the male sex is concerned, they are the ones, the Lord says, who have the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them and who thereafter magnify their callings and are sanctified by the Spirit. In this way, ‘They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.’ ” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p. 217.)

What is meant by having one's calling and election made sure?

To have one’s calling and election made sure is to be sealed up unto eternal life; it is to have the unconditional guarantee of exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world; it is to receive the assurance of godhood; it is, in effect, to have the day of judgment advanced, so that an inheritance of all the glory and honor of the Father's kingdom is assured prior to the day when the faithful actually enter into the divine presence to sit with Christ in his throne, even as he is “set down” with his “Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21.)

What is the relationship between baptism and having one's calling and election made sure?

Baptism is the beginning of personal righteousness; it opens the door to celestial exaltation; it puts us on the path leading to eternal life. As Nephi expressed it, when we enter “the gate” of “repentance and baptism” and receive “a remission” of our sins “by fire and by the Holy Ghost,” we are then on the “straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life.”

Nephi then asks if we have thereby done all that is necessary to gain that glorious reward, and answers with an emphatic, No! “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,” he says, “having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” (2 Nephi 31:17-21.)

That is to say, after baptism, after being called out of darkness into the light of the gospel; after having been numbered with the elect of God, we must receive the guarantees to which we have been called, and the assurances that appertain to our election, and which are given on a conditional basis only in baptism. We must have our calling and election made sure, and this high achievement grows out of and is the crowning reward of baptism.

What is the relationship between celestial marriage and having one's calling and election made sure?

In the same sense that baptism opens the door and starts repentant persons traveling on the path leading to eternal life, so also does celestial marriage. This holy order of matrimony also opens a door leading to celestial exaltation. “In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.” (D&C 131:1-4.)

As everyone who has been married in the temple knows, those so united—by the power and authority of the holy priesthood and by virtue of the sealing power restored by Elijah—are promised an inheritance of glory, honor, power, and dominion in the kingdom of God. But, as with baptism, all the promises are conditional; they are specifically and pointedly stated as being contingent upon the subsequent faithfulness of the participating parties. If they keep the commandments after celestial marriage, their union continues in the life to come; if they do not conform to the standards of personal righteousness involved, their marriage is not of force when they die and they revert to their separate and single status.

Unfortunately some are confused on this point because of a misunderstanding of some of the truths revealed in the revelation on marriage. Because no person can gain exaltation or eternal life alone; because exaltation includes the continuation of the family unit in eternity; because the whole thrust of revealed religion is to perfect and center everything in the family; and because having one’s calling and election made sure is the receipt of a guarantee of eternal life—it was the most natural thing in the world for the Lord to reveal both the doctrine of eternal marriage and the doctrine of being sealed up unto eternal life (meaning having one's calling and election made sure) in one and the same revelation. In effect one grows out of the other. The one is a conditional promise of eternal life; the other is an unconditional promise.

Thus in Section 132, verse 19 begins by talking of celestial marriage in these words: “If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood,” but then proceeds to consider the matter of having their callings and elections made sure by saying: “and it shall be said unto them [meaning that in addition to the marriage sealing, it shall be said unto them]—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; . . . and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.”

That is to say, after celestial marriage; after entering into sacred covenants in the house of the Lord; after receiving the conditional promise of the continuation of the family unit in eternity; after receiving power to gain kingdoms and thrones—we must so live as to receive the guarantees to which we have thus been called, and the assurances that appertain to our election, and which are given on a conditional basis only in celestial marriage. As with baptism, so with celestial marriage; after the glorious promise of eternal life that is part of each of these covenants, we must press forward in righteousness until our calling and election is made sure; and this high achievement grows out of and is the crowning reward of celestial marriage.

What is the relationship between holding the holy Melchizedek Priesthood and having one's calling and election made sure?

The Melchizedek Priesthood is conferred with an oath and a covenant—a covenant on man’s part that he will receive the priesthood and magnify his calling therein, and an oath on God’s part that man shall, as a consequence, be “made like unto the Son of God, abiding a priest continally.” (Inspired Version, Heb. 7:3; D&C. 84:33-44; See Heb. 7:1-3; 7:18-22.) In other words, those who magnify their callings shall gain eternal life. But one cannot keep a covenant before it is made; a calling in the priesthood cannot be magnified until it is received. The covenant is the contract which sets forth the terms and conditions by obedience to which eternal life may be won; the obedience comes after the call; and when it is whole and complete, the worthy son has his calling and election made sure, and he inherits the promised reward.

Is having one's calling and election made sure the same as being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise?

The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit; he is the Holy Spirit promised the saints at baptism, or in other words the Holy Spirit of Promise, this exalted name-title signifying that the promised receipt of the Holy Spirit, as on the day of Pentecost, is the greatest gift man can receive in mortality.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead based on faithfulness; it is bestowed with a promise that we shall receive revelation and be sanctified if we are true and faithful and so live as to qualify for the companionship of that Holy Spirit who will not dwell in an unclean temple. (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; Mosiah 2:37; Helamen 4:24.) The receipt of the promise is conditional! If after we receive the promise, we then keep the commandment, we gain the companionship of this member of the Godhead, and not otherwise.

One of the functions assigned and delegated to the Holy spirit is to seal, and the following expressions are identical in thought content:

To be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise;
To be justified by the Spirit;
To be approved by the Lord; and
To be ratified by the Holy Ghost.

Accordingly, any act which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise is one which is justified by the Spirit, one which is approved by the Lord, one which is ratified by the Holy Ghost. One of Paul's great concerns was that the saints in his day should be justified by faith, through grace, because of the shedding of the blood of Christ. In other words, he sought to perfect the lives of those souls put into his care and custody so that, as a result of good works, all their acts would have divine approval and be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.

As revealed to Joseph Smith, the Lord's law in this respect is: “All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power, are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.” (D&C. 132:7)

By way of illustration, this means that baptism, partaking of the sacrament, administering to the sick, marriage, and every covenant that man ever makes with the Lord—plus all other “contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, associations, or expectations” —must be performed in righteousness by and for people who are worthy to receive whatever blessing is involved, otherwise whatever is done has no binding and sealing effect in eternity.

Since “the Comforter knoweth all things” (D&C 42:17), it follows that it is not possible “to lie to the Holy Ghost” and thereby gain an unearned or undeserved blessing. And so this provision that all things must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, if they are to have “efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead” (D&C 132:7), is the Lord's system for dealing with absolute impartiality with all men, and for giving all men exactly what they merit, neither adding to nor diminishing from.

When the Holy Spirit of Promise places his ratifying seal upon a baptism, or a marriage, or any covenant, except that of having one's calling and election made sure, the seal is a conditional approval or ratification; it is binding in eternity only in the event of subsequent obedience to the terms and conditions of whatever covenant is involved. 

But when the ratifying seal of approval is placed upon someone whose calling and election is thereby made sure—because there are no more conditions to be met by the obedient person—this act of being sealed up unto eternal life is of such transcendent import that of itself it is called being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, which means that in this crowning sense, being so sealed is the same as having one’s calling and election made sure. Thus, to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise is to be sealed up unto eternal life; and to be sealed up unto eternal life is to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. And of this usage of terms, a usage which is wholly misunderstood unless the whole concept of the sealing power of the Spirit is understood, the scriptures and other prophetic utterances bear repeated witness.

Thus Joseph Smith says that when Peter “exhorts us to make our calling and election sure,” it is the same thing as “the sealing power spoken of by Paul in other places.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149) The illustrative quotation from Paul which the Prophet then quotes is: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory,” that we may be sealed up unto the day of redemption. (Eph.1:13-14) That is, the calling and election of Ephesian Saints had been made sure because they were sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.

Those who gain exaltation in the celestial kingdom are described in the Vision of the degrees of glory in these words: “They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power; And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true." (D&C 76:51-53) That is, they first believed the gospel, received all the conditional promises of eternal life, including the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then having "overcome by faith," having kept the commandments, having proved themselves worthy, they finally had their calling and election made sure.

"This principle"—that of having one's calling and election made sure and of being sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise—"ought (in its proper place) to be taught," the Prophet said, "for God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor, know ye the Lord; for all shall know him (who remain) from the least to the greatest. How is this to be done? It is to be done by this sealing power, and the other Comforter spoken of, which will be manifest by revelation." (Teachings, p. 149.)

The scriptural passage alluded to by the Prophet in this statement is from Jeremiah and is as follows: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although 1 was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:31-34) Complete realization of the blessings here promised is Millennial, and the knowledge of God spoken of shall be manifest by the receipt of the Second Comforter, as the Prophet then proceeds to state, and as we shall now consider.

Is having one's calling and election made sure the same as receiving the Second Comforter?

It is the privilege of those who have their calling and election made sure, meaning those who are sealed up unto eternal life, meaning those who are "sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13), to receive the Second Comforter. "There are two Comforters spoken of," says the Prophet in one of his most profound and enlightening discourses. "One of these is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. The first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, 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, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence.

"The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses." (Teachings, p. 149-150.) The Prophet then quotes verses 16, 17, 18, 21, and 23, and asks that they be noted in particular.

In a revelation to certain selected saints in this dispensation, the Lord said that the alms of their prayers were "recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world" (D&C 88:2), which is to say that they were among those who had "overcome by faith," and were "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true." (D&C 76:53)

"Wherefore," the Lord said to them, "I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John. This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom; which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son." (D&C 88:3-5)

These saints, like their Ephesian Brethren before them, had been called and chosen "before the foundation of the world" that they "should be holy and without blame" before the Lord, through baptism and obedience (Eph. 1:4-7), which is the sole course by which men can sanctify their souls (3 Nephi 27:19-20), thereby qualifying to have their names recorded "in the book of the names of the sanctified." (D&C 88:2) They had then earned the right by faith and devotion to have the seal of divine acceptance placed on the conditional promises which they had theretofore made. They now had the sure "promise…of eternal life" (D&C 88:4), which eternal life is the name of the kind of life which God our Heavenly and Eternal Father lives, and they were prepared to receive the Second Comforter.

As set forth by the Lord Jesus himself to the ancient Twelve, in one of his most loving and gracious sermons, the doctrine of the Second Comforter, noting particularly the verses quoted by the Prophet, is this:

Verse 16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." That is, in their case they are going to receive a Comforter in addition to the Holy Ghost already promised, and this Comforter will abide with them forever, for they shall have membership in the Church of the Firstborn in celestial exaltation.

Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." All that is said in this verse, if taken out of context, could apply to the Holy Ghost, whom the world cannot receive, and who figuratively dwells in the hearts of the righteous, for the title, "Spirit of truth," applies to this Spirit member of the Godhead. (John 16:13)

But as spoken by Jesus, as recorded by the Beloved John, and as interpreted by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the verse has application to Jesus himself. "I am the Spirit of truth," is his latter-day declaration (D&C 93:26), which is but another of the many instances in which the same name-title applies to more than one member of the Godhead. Thus the Lord Jesus is telling his ancient apostles that he will dwell in them in the figurative sense stated three sentences later in the same sermon: "I am in the Father, and ye in me, and I in you." (Verse 20)

Verse 18: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." I will come! The Lord Jesus Christ himself will do it! He will appear to them and be with them! And what an eternal comfort it will be, in days and years to come, to see the face of their Beloved Lord! And verses 19 and 20 then reaffirm that when the world no longer sees him, yet because he continues to live in glorious immortality, his beloved disciples shall continue to see him—"Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."

Verse 21: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Again the Master Teacher affirms that because of love and obedience he personally will hereafter manifest himself to his disciples. And then, one of the Twelve, hearing the words but not comprehending the deep spiritual truths they convey, asks Jesus: "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" (Verse 22.)

Verse 23: "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Can this be possible that the Father and the Son, as resurrected, glorified persons, will come to and make their abode with those who love and serve God with all their hearts? (D&C 93:1) Such seems almost beyond comprehension, but so gracious and infinite is God's grace that such is verily the case, and so we find the Prophet, writing by the spirit of prophecy and revelation: "John 14:23 — The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false." (D&C 130:3)

Having thus set forth the doctrine that he and his Father will manifest themselves to those who are sealed up unto eternal life—and for that matter, why should they not come to such persons, since all who gain eternal life shall dwell in their presence and be like them?—having so taught, Jesus says: "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost"—the First Comforter, the initial Comforter, the one "that all saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism," the one that "has no other effect than pure intelligence" (Teachings, p. 149)—this Comforter, "whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (Verses 25 and 26.)

After quoting the named verses from the 14th chapter of John, the Prophet continues his own inspired analysis: "Now what is this other Comforter?" he asks. "It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn." (Teachings, pp. 150-151.)

Speaking in November, 1831, to those whose calling and election would in due course be made sure, and whose "privilege" it would then be to receive the Second Comforter, the Lord said: "Verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me." (D&C 67:10-14)

What if those whose calling and election has been made sure thereafter commit grievous sins? Suppose they backslide and walk in the ways of wickedness? Or fight the truth and rebel against God—what then?

That all men commit sin, before and after baptism, and for that matter, before and after their calling and election is made sure, is self-evident. There has been only one Sinless One—the Lord Jesus who was God's own Son. 

Thus in the revelation announcing the setting up of the restored church in this day, the Lord says: "There is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also." (D&C 20:32-34)

The prophets and apostles from Adam and Enoch down, and all men, whether cleansed and sanctified from sin or not, are yet subject to and do in fact commit sin. This is the case even after men have seen the visions of eternity and been sealed by that Holy Spirit of Promise which makes their calling and election sure. Since these chosen ones have the sure promise of eternal life, and since "no unclean thing can enter into" the Father's "kingdom" (3 Nephi 27:19), "or dwell in his presence" (Moses 6:57), what of sins committed after being sealed up into eternal life?

Obviously the laws of repentance still apply, and the more enlightened a person is, the more he seeks the gift of repentance, and the harder he strives to free himself from sin as often as he falls short of the divine will and becomes subject in any degree to the Master of Sin who is Lucifer. It follows that the sins of the godfearing and the righteous are continually remitted because they repent and seek the Lord anew every day and every hour.

And as a matter of fact, the added blessing of having one's calling and election made sure is itself an encouragement to avoid sin and a hedge against its further commission. By that long course of obedience and trial which enabled them to gain so great a blessing the sanctified saints have charted a course and developed a pattern of living which avoids sin and encourages righteousness. Thus the Lord said: "I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a patriarch unto you, to hold the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you." (D&C 124:124)

But suppose such persons become disaffected and the spirit of repentance leaves them—which is a seldom and almost unheard of eventuality—still, what then? The answer is—and the revelations and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith so recite!—they must then pay the penalty of their own sins, for the blood of Christ will not cleanse them. Or if they commit murder or adultery, they lose their promised inheritance because these sins are exempt from the sealing promises. Or if they commit the unpardonable sin, they become sons of perdition.

As we have already seen, making one's calling and election sure comes after and grows out of celestial marriage. Eternal life does not and cannot exist for a man or a woman alone, because in its very nature it consists of the continuation of the family unit in eternity. Thus the revelation on marriage speaks both of celestial marriage (in which the conditional promises of eternal life are given) and of making one's calling and election sure (in which the unconditional promise of eternal life are given) in one and the same sentence—which sentence also says that those who commit sins (except "murder whereby to shed innocent blood") after being sealed up unto eternal life shall still gain exaltation. This is the language: "Then"—that is, after their calling and election has been made sure—"shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods," because they have eternal life. (D&C 132:19-20)

Then the revelation speaks of that obedience out of which eternal life grows, and still speaking both of celestial marriage and of making one's calling and election sure says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment"—that is, if they are both married and have their calling and election made sure—"and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God." (D&C 132:26)

This matter of being destroyed in the flesh and delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption is the doctrine of blood atonement, whereunder those here involved are not cleansed by the blood of Christ, but must pay the penalty for their own sins. This principle can only operate in a day, as that of Moses, when there is no separation of Church and state and when the Church has power to take life. Of conditions in our day, and as to how this law applies to us, President Joseph Fielding Smith says: "We cannot destroy men in the flesh, because we do not control the lives of men and do not have power to pass sentences upon them which involve capital punishment. In the days when there was a theocracy on the earth, then this decree was enforced. What the Lord will do in lieu of this, because we cannot destroy in the flesh, I am unable to say, but it will have to be made up in some other way." (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 97.)

As to the shedding of innocent blood, within the meaning of this revelation, the Lord says: "The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord." (D&C 132:27) That is, the innocent blood is that of Christ; and those who commit blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which is the unpardonable sin (Matt 12:31-32), thereby "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Heb 6:6) They are, in other words, people who would have crucified Christ, having the while a perfect knowledge that he was the Son of God.

Following the pattern set by the Lord of speaking both of celestial marriage and of being sealed up unto eternal life in the same context, Joseph Smith said: "Putting my hand on the knee of William Clayton, I said: Your life is hid with Christ in God, and so are many others. Nothing but the unpardonable sin can prevent you from inheriting eternal life for you are sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life, having taken the step necessary for that purpose. Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. But those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory. The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood, or be accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgment in the flesh, and the spirit being delivered to the buffetings of Satan until the day of the Lord Jesus." (History of Church, vol. 5, pp. 391-392.)

Perhaps this matter of being "visited with judgment in the flesh"—whatever it may be in an individual case—is the Lord's way of handling things when it is not possible for a person to be "destroyed in the flesh." (D&C 132:26) In this connection, also—and having in mind that the sealing power was given by Elijah to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (Teachings, p. 158), and again to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:13-16)—we should note these words of the Prophet: "This spirit of Elijah was manifest in the days of the Apostles, in delivering certain ones to the buffetings of Satan, that they might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. They were sealed by the spirit of Elijah unto the damnation of hell until the day of Lord, or revelation of Jesus Christ." (Teachings, p. 338.)

As to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up so as to keep him from being a son of perdition, if that is the course he chooses to follow, the Prophet says: "The doctrine that the Presbyterians and Methodists have quarreled so much about—once in grace, always in grace, or falling away from grace, I will say a word about. They are both wrong. Truth takes a road between them both, for while the Presbyterian says: 'Once in grace, you cannot fall;' the Methodist says: 'You can have grace today, fall from it tomorrow, next day have grace again; and so follow on, changing continually.' But the doctrine of the scriptures and the spirit of Elijah would show them both false, and take a road between them both; for, according to the scripture, if men have received the good word of God, and tasted of the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, it is impossible to renew them again, seeing they have crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame; so there is a possibility of falling away; you could not be renewed again, and the power of Elijah cannot seal against this sin, for this is a reserve made in the seals and power of the priesthood." (Teachings, pp. 338-339.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been made sure, if he then commits blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, he becomes a son of perdition, because when he was sealed up unto eternal life it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of the unpardonable sin.

As to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up unto eternal life if he thereafter commits murder and thereby sheds innocent blood (not in this case the blood of Christ, but the blood of any person slain unlawfully and with malice) the Prophet says: "A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell; he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell.

"Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the priesthood; and the priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage." (Teachings, p. 339.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been made sure, if he then commits murder, all of the promises are of no effect, and he goes to a telestial kingdom (Rev 21:8; D&C 76:103), because when he was sealed up unto eternal life, it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of murder.

And as to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up unto eternal life if he thereafter commits adultery, the Prophet says: "If a man commit adultery, he cannot receive the celestial kingdom of God. Even if he is saved in any kingdom, it cannot be the celestial kingdom." (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 81.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been sure, if he then commits adultery, all of the promises are of no effect, and he goes to a telestial kingdom, because when he was sealed up unto eternal life, it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of subsequent adultery. In other cases, through repentance, there is forgiveness for this sin which is second only to murder in the category of personal sins. (1 Cor 6:9-11; 3 Ne 30; D&C 42:24-26)

Who has had their calling and election made sure and how can they be identified?

In the providences of the Lord, there is no question that many of the saints of all ages and dispensations have attained this high status, a fact which can be known in individual cases by applying the principles above set forth to the individual situation.

In this present discussion we have named Isaiah, Ezekiel, John the Revelator, Paul, William Clayton and "many others" of the Prophet's day, the Ephesian Saints, and "all the saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn." (Teachings, p. 151.)

For our day, the Prophet Joseph Smith is the classical example of one who was sealed up unto eternal life. Of him the revelation states: "I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father." (D&C 132:49)

Obviously if it applies to Isaiah and Ezekiel, it applies also to Jeremiah, Samuel, Moses, Joshua and all of the prophets; if it applies to Joseph Smith and William Clayton and "many others" in the Prophet's day, certainly a great many of the later worthies of this dispensation are also included; and if a sizeable number of the Ephesian Saints were so classified, then surely the same applies to like groups of the saints in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica, and in all the places where the Meridian Saints were congregated. If Paul and John are part of the group, so also are Peter, James, Titus, Jude, Matthew, the other apostles, and many of the preachers of righteousness of that ancient day.

And can there be any question that the same was true among the Nephites? And Jaredites? That it included all of the City of Zion and those who were thereafter caught up to heaven to dwell with Enoch and his translated brethren? And if this glorious principle has always operated in days past, is it beyond reason that it is still sealing blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints? Verily, such is the case now—a situation which we anticipate shall be increasingly so as the Millennium approaches, during which period the sealing power and all its attendant blessings will abound on every side.

As with all the blessings of the gospel, the glorious reality of having one's calling and election made sure is within the power of the faithful saints to obtain, including both men and women.

Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary