1 Nephi 10: 18-19
For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
The other day in a conversation with a friend he said, "All churches think they have the truth, but what I'm interested in is what makes your church different from the others."
Something that I think makes our church unique is our perspective. True, most churches think they either have THE truth or enough of it that they don't need to look elsewhere. But this scripture in the Book of Mormon teaches that the way that God has dealt with man has never and will never change. The way that all man receive salvation is the same for all people that have ever lived on the earth. This means people that died 4,000 years ago receive salvation from God the same way as people who live on the earth right now. We also believe that all people who live will be given an opportunity to be taught the gospel after they are dead. As the apostle Peter taught:
1 Peter 4:6
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
God's plan has never changed and he has continued to re-establish his kingdom on the earth every time that his people have dwindled in unbelief and iniquity. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints is not only the restoration of the same church that Jesus Christ established, but that it is just the modern-day version of a church and religion that has existed in various forms and at various times throughout the history of the earth, and that is being preached right now to the spirits of the dead by the servants of God from all dispensations of time.
Does this mean that we think Moses and Jesus and Abraham were Mormon? No, it does not. But it does mean that we believe the same spirit and power of God that existed in the teachings and religion of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus is on the earth today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints.
I can see how critics of the church can claim that we believe that all people throughout the history of the world must become "Mormon" to be saved, but I think this is a tragic misrepresentation. The fact is that we do not believe that. It is an oversimplification (sometimes purposeful) of what we do believe, which is that all people throughout the history of the world, including mormons, must follow the gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. And we believe, as Nephi taught, that you can learn that gospel through revelation from God regardless of your religion, race, lifestyle, or the time period in which you lived. "He that diligently seeketh shall find, and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..."
Monday
Thursday
1 Nephi 6
1 Nephi 6: 4, 5
For the fullness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
Wherefore, the things the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.
The first of these two verses was one of the first scriptures I had memorized on my mission. I guess I thought it was a good summary of my purpose as a missionary. But now that I am a wannabe writer (meaning that I want to be a writer), I find a somewhat different application to my life. These scriptures lead me to ask "What is my intent?" Why do I want to be a writer? Why am I writing this blog right now? Am I writing this just so all the pretty girls who are looking at my Facebook page (because so many pretty girls look at my Facebook page) will follow the link to this blog and be impressed with my "spirituality" and want to date/marry me? I sure hope not. I would hope that I am not only writing things that are pleasing to God, but writing them with an intent to please him. But personally I find the battle for pure intent to be an ongoing one.
It is the same battle I must fight whenever I give a talk, or teach a lesson, or bear my testimony, or even if I am just making comments in Sunday school. What is my intent? Why do I want to give an insightful well planned talk or lesson? Is it to help people feel the spirit and come unto Christ or is it to impress people in my ward. I always have this voice inside that says things like, you're such a genius, you are so insightful, you are such a good public speaker, you're talk is going to be good and everyone will love you because of your abilities, everyone will be so impressed. And so when I give talks I find myself praying more for humility than for guidance on the topic. Because I know that God doesn't need a genius, he doesn't someone insightful, and he doesn't need good public speakers (but if everyone in the church would at least try to improve those skills it wouldn't hurt).
Doctrine and Covenants 64:34
Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
The lord requireth the heart. I'm sure that most of us have heard the idea that the Lord doesn't choose the qualified, he qualifies the chosen. I have a testimony that it is the spirit that will lead men to come to Christ, not me or my words. And I know that when I write this blog, when I give a lesson, when I make comments in Sunday school, if I am prideful, or if I am seeking my own glory then I will not have the spirit. Nephi said the "fullness" of his intent was to persuade men to come to God. That leaves no room for desires for the praise of men, or as is slightly more applicable to me, women (even if it's the praise of the good men and women of the church). And so the battle continues to purify my desires and fully give my heart to the Lord. It's a great and silent work of introspection and "feeling". Searching my heart diligently for the answer to the question "Why am I doing this REALLY?" Is it for my glory or His. And then praying that God might help me do good things for the right reason.
For the fullness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
Wherefore, the things the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.
The first of these two verses was one of the first scriptures I had memorized on my mission. I guess I thought it was a good summary of my purpose as a missionary. But now that I am a wannabe writer (meaning that I want to be a writer), I find a somewhat different application to my life. These scriptures lead me to ask "What is my intent?" Why do I want to be a writer? Why am I writing this blog right now? Am I writing this just so all the pretty girls who are looking at my Facebook page (because so many pretty girls look at my Facebook page) will follow the link to this blog and be impressed with my "spirituality" and want to date/marry me? I sure hope not. I would hope that I am not only writing things that are pleasing to God, but writing them with an intent to please him. But personally I find the battle for pure intent to be an ongoing one.
It is the same battle I must fight whenever I give a talk, or teach a lesson, or bear my testimony, or even if I am just making comments in Sunday school. What is my intent? Why do I want to give an insightful well planned talk or lesson? Is it to help people feel the spirit and come unto Christ or is it to impress people in my ward. I always have this voice inside that says things like, you're such a genius, you are so insightful, you are such a good public speaker, you're talk is going to be good and everyone will love you because of your abilities, everyone will be so impressed. And so when I give talks I find myself praying more for humility than for guidance on the topic. Because I know that God doesn't need a genius, he doesn't someone insightful, and he doesn't need good public speakers (but if everyone in the church would at least try to improve those skills it wouldn't hurt).
Doctrine and Covenants 64:34
Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
The lord requireth the heart. I'm sure that most of us have heard the idea that the Lord doesn't choose the qualified, he qualifies the chosen. I have a testimony that it is the spirit that will lead men to come to Christ, not me or my words. And I know that when I write this blog, when I give a lesson, when I make comments in Sunday school, if I am prideful, or if I am seeking my own glory then I will not have the spirit. Nephi said the "fullness" of his intent was to persuade men to come to God. That leaves no room for desires for the praise of men, or as is slightly more applicable to me, women (even if it's the praise of the good men and women of the church). And so the battle continues to purify my desires and fully give my heart to the Lord. It's a great and silent work of introspection and "feeling". Searching my heart diligently for the answer to the question "Why am I doing this REALLY?" Is it for my glory or His. And then praying that God might help me do good things for the right reason.
Saturday
1 Nephi 1 and 2
As I read these chapters the first thing that occurred to me was that Lehi was a great prophet. Not that I didn't already think of him as a prophet but just that I realized that because his writings were lost, we don't know much about him or his prophecies and I think that causes us to focus more on the story of his son Nephi. If we had his book I think that we would have a much different view of him.
Regardless I think we can agree that Lehi and Nephi were both great prophets. What is interesting to me is that in the very first two chapters of the Book of Nephi we have the story of Lehi's call to be a prophet and the story of Nephi's conversion, and that the stories are quite similar.
1 Nephi 1:4-6
...and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed. Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. And it came to pass that as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much...
He goes on to have visions and dreams and he begins to preach repentance unto the people at Jerusalem, and to preach unto them about the coming of the Messiah. He is now a prophet.
1 Nephi 2:16, 18-19
And it came to pass that I Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
In both of these stories we see a pattern. Lehi heard the words of the Lord from the prophets and they caused him to pray, he then received his own personal witness that they were true. Nephi heard the words of Lord from his Father and he prayed and received his own personal witness that they were true. We have the words of the Lord from prophets and from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and we can pray and receive our own personal witness that they are true.
Also, in both of these situations Lehi and Nephi both shared the witnesses they received with others. Lehi prophesied of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem to the Jews and Nephi shared the witness he received with his brothers. If we follow that example it means that once we receive a witness we need to bear testimony.
And finally, it was interesting to me that both Lehi and Nephi were visited by the Lord, Lehi by a pillar of fire and Nephi by the voice of the lord, while they were praying for OTHER PEOPLE. In fact there are many other examples of Book of Mormon prophets that received revelation while they were praying for other people. Off the top of my head I can think of Enos (Enos 1:9-13), Nephi (son of Nephi son of Helaman, 3 Nephi 1:11-13), and Moroni (Ether 12:36-37). I'm willing to bet that there are others as well. The point is, it is interesting that these people all received revelation while praying for others. I wonder if praying for others brings us closer to the spirit or opens our hearts in a way that prepares us to receive revelation. I don't know.
But I do know that once in the past when I was sincerely pouring out my heart in behalf of some other people I did receive revelation. It was one of the most profound moments of my life. I think that when we are are really struggling before the Lord in behalf of someone else, perhaps that is when we come the closest to understanding the atonement, to having charity.
Regardless I think we can agree that Lehi and Nephi were both great prophets. What is interesting to me is that in the very first two chapters of the Book of Nephi we have the story of Lehi's call to be a prophet and the story of Nephi's conversion, and that the stories are quite similar.
1 Nephi 1:4-6
...and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed. Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. And it came to pass that as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much...
He goes on to have visions and dreams and he begins to preach repentance unto the people at Jerusalem, and to preach unto them about the coming of the Messiah. He is now a prophet.
1 Nephi 2:16, 18-19
And it came to pass that I Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
In both of these stories we see a pattern. Lehi heard the words of the Lord from the prophets and they caused him to pray, he then received his own personal witness that they were true. Nephi heard the words of Lord from his Father and he prayed and received his own personal witness that they were true. We have the words of the Lord from prophets and from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and we can pray and receive our own personal witness that they are true.
Also, in both of these situations Lehi and Nephi both shared the witnesses they received with others. Lehi prophesied of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem to the Jews and Nephi shared the witness he received with his brothers. If we follow that example it means that once we receive a witness we need to bear testimony.
And finally, it was interesting to me that both Lehi and Nephi were visited by the Lord, Lehi by a pillar of fire and Nephi by the voice of the lord, while they were praying for OTHER PEOPLE. In fact there are many other examples of Book of Mormon prophets that received revelation while they were praying for other people. Off the top of my head I can think of Enos (Enos 1:9-13), Nephi (son of Nephi son of Helaman, 3 Nephi 1:11-13), and Moroni (Ether 12:36-37). I'm willing to bet that there are others as well. The point is, it is interesting that these people all received revelation while praying for others. I wonder if praying for others brings us closer to the spirit or opens our hearts in a way that prepares us to receive revelation. I don't know.
But I do know that once in the past when I was sincerely pouring out my heart in behalf of some other people I did receive revelation. It was one of the most profound moments of my life. I think that when we are are really struggling before the Lord in behalf of someone else, perhaps that is when we come the closest to understanding the atonement, to having charity.
Wednesday
Moroni 10
A friend of mine once remarked at how surprised she was at the family she was a nanny for. She said that they were totally atheist but that they were still really good people. This is an idea that we hear often, and it has always bugged me. I don't hate atheists, I just don't see what "good" they think can possibly come from welding their mind shut to the idea of God. Recently another friend of mine told me that she thought that a belief in God would make absolutely no difference in her life, that she would be just as good of a person either way. I told her that for me, the purpose of life is to change, to become not just a good person, but a perfect one, to become like Christ, to love and serve as he did. I told her that I do not believe that a person with no belief in God could be as inspired to change their life as a person with a firm belief in God. I still believe that.
While it's true that there are often no differences between the lifestyles of believers and atheists that doesn't mean that either of them are "good". In fact I realized the other day that when you say something like "He is an atheist, but he is still a good person" you are making a lot of assumptions about what it means to be "good". I asked myself what God's definition of "good" is. Then this morning I read the following scriptures in Moroni 10.
Moroni 10:24, 25
And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth- that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.
No not one. An interesting thing to note about these scriptures is that Moroni does not talk about being good, he talks about DOING good. After reading this another scripture came to mind which I looked up with the help of google.
Matthew 19:16, 17
And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
I got to thinking that maybe according to God there are no "good people" whether or not they believe in him. As Jesus said, there is none good but God. And we cannot even do anything good unless we work by the power and gifts of God. (Conversely if we do anything by the power and gifts of God than that thing is a good thing.)
But as I said before, to me life is about more than what we do. It's about what we become. The purpose is to become perfect like Christ, to become perfect through Christ. As Jesus said to the young man in Matthew 19.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.
And Moroni gives us this challenge which I think is one of the greatest scriptures of the Book of Mormon.
Moroni 10:32
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, 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.
While it's true that there are often no differences between the lifestyles of believers and atheists that doesn't mean that either of them are "good". In fact I realized the other day that when you say something like "He is an atheist, but he is still a good person" you are making a lot of assumptions about what it means to be "good". I asked myself what God's definition of "good" is. Then this morning I read the following scriptures in Moroni 10.
Moroni 10:24, 25
And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth- that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.
No not one. An interesting thing to note about these scriptures is that Moroni does not talk about being good, he talks about DOING good. After reading this another scripture came to mind which I looked up with the help of google.
Matthew 19:16, 17
And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
I got to thinking that maybe according to God there are no "good people" whether or not they believe in him. As Jesus said, there is none good but God. And we cannot even do anything good unless we work by the power and gifts of God. (Conversely if we do anything by the power and gifts of God than that thing is a good thing.)
But as I said before, to me life is about more than what we do. It's about what we become. The purpose is to become perfect like Christ, to become perfect through Christ. As Jesus said to the young man in Matthew 19.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.
And Moroni gives us this challenge which I think is one of the greatest scriptures of the Book of Mormon.
Moroni 10:32
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, 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.
Saturday
Moroni 7
This chapter is full of great doctrine on miracles and faith, hope, and charity and many other things but I am going to focus on some ideas in this chapter that may go overlooked but that I find of great importance to myself.
Moroni 7:9
And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
What does that mean "with real intent of heart"? I define "heart" as our center, our core. Our true inner desires. Our true selves. Our identity independent of all other people or influences. The things we would say and do if we lived alone on a island, and there were no other people to "act" for. So when we pray if we wish God to receive us, we must truly be sincere.
The general idea expressed in this scripture is that it doesn't count if we don't mean it. It takes constant effort to "mean it", to overcome the tendency we all have to revert back to just "going through the motions". Do you have a testimony in your core that you pray in sincerity and with real intent of heart? Only you can answer that question for yourself and it takes some heart searching, but I think if we're honest with ourselves we can all find the answer.
Moroni 7:44
If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God; save the meek and lowly in heart;
Now terms like lowly in heart are used all too often in the church, but I find personally, if I'm put on the spot, I struggle to provide adequate definitions for them. Now that I have plenty of time to ponder, I would define lowly in heart as being sincerely humble, as being humble in our very core. It means we fully admit to ourselves the gap between us and the Father and our dependence on the savior and his atonement to bridge that gap. It is related to the sentiment expressed by Ammon when he said "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak" (Alma 26:12) Do we have a testimony of our own nothingness?
The ideas expressed in these verses relate to our true selves, not only the actions that we perform but the ideas and desires behind those actions. These scriptures show us that a person may pray and may have faith and hope but may still be unacceptable before god. While god wants us to have hope and faith and to pray he is also vitally interested in the actual changing of our hearts. It's about making real change, becoming something new in our very core. He wants us to truly become like his son Jesus Christ, and this is a work done alone, in our hearts. It is between us, our Father, and the Savior. And only we can know our own sincerity and our own progress.
And never forget...
1 John 3:20-21
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Moroni 7:9
And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
What does that mean "with real intent of heart"? I define "heart" as our center, our core. Our true inner desires. Our true selves. Our identity independent of all other people or influences. The things we would say and do if we lived alone on a island, and there were no other people to "act" for. So when we pray if we wish God to receive us, we must truly be sincere.
The general idea expressed in this scripture is that it doesn't count if we don't mean it. It takes constant effort to "mean it", to overcome the tendency we all have to revert back to just "going through the motions". Do you have a testimony in your core that you pray in sincerity and with real intent of heart? Only you can answer that question for yourself and it takes some heart searching, but I think if we're honest with ourselves we can all find the answer.
Moroni 7:44
If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God; save the meek and lowly in heart;
Now terms like lowly in heart are used all too often in the church, but I find personally, if I'm put on the spot, I struggle to provide adequate definitions for them. Now that I have plenty of time to ponder, I would define lowly in heart as being sincerely humble, as being humble in our very core. It means we fully admit to ourselves the gap between us and the Father and our dependence on the savior and his atonement to bridge that gap. It is related to the sentiment expressed by Ammon when he said "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak" (Alma 26:12) Do we have a testimony of our own nothingness?
The ideas expressed in these verses relate to our true selves, not only the actions that we perform but the ideas and desires behind those actions. These scriptures show us that a person may pray and may have faith and hope but may still be unacceptable before god. While god wants us to have hope and faith and to pray he is also vitally interested in the actual changing of our hearts. It's about making real change, becoming something new in our very core. He wants us to truly become like his son Jesus Christ, and this is a work done alone, in our hearts. It is between us, our Father, and the Savior. And only we can know our own sincerity and our own progress.
And never forget...
1 John 3:20-21
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Friday
Moroni 6
Moroni 6: 1-2
And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized unless they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it. Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
I remember when I was 6 my cousin was in my back yard flipping off the sky. He immediately dropped to his knees and asked God for forgiveness, then stood up and flipped him off again. I watched him do this for a minute and then, as kids do, I started copying him. He stopped me. He told me that I didn't need to repent cause I wasn't baptized yet. My cousin understood that when he sinned he should immediately repent, and he understood that as often as we repent we will be forgiven. But I don't think he quite grasped what it means to sincerely repent, or to have a contrite spirit and a broken heart.
As many other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I was baptized when I was 8 years old. At this time did I really understand repentance? I probably had a pretty good grasp on it for an 8 year-old (I'd like to think it was better than my cousins). But is 8 too young to bring forth true fruit meet that they are worthy of baptism? My answer is, obviously not, or God would have told us not to baptize people until they are older. So that makes it the responsibility of the parents and teachers and other adult members of the church to teach children what it means to have a contrite spirit and a broken heart and to help them bring forth fruit worthy of baptism. I also am in favor of not letting some children get baptized until they show adequate understanding of these principles. I personally know one 7 year old girl, who I would not allow to be baptized unless she was able somehow have a change of heart. True children cannot sin. but innocence is not the same as righteousness. One disfavor we do to our children is by teaching them to itemize sin. Sins are not only actions but they are attitudes and once a child turns 8 they become accountable not only for what they do from that point on but for who they are. And it now becomes their personal responsibility (though obviously adults still have a great responsibility to help these children) to start the process of changing who they are, of becoming like the savior.
Is this a little extreme? I don't know, but I don't think that baptizing kids who have no idea what they are doing, does any good for anyone. It promotes an attitude in the church where we just do things cause it's the thing to do, the same reason many 19 year-old boys go on missions. I think that if we show our children just how important baptism is by making it something that they have to work at, they will grow a lot more, and have a much deeper understanding of repentance.
But for all of us who just did it cause we were 8 and everyone else in our Sunday school class already did it. We can still learn what it really means to come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and truly witness to the church that we have repented of all of our sins. We can do this every Sunday as we partake of the sacrament and renew the covenants we made at baptism to take upon us the name of Christ and to follow him.
And if we make mistakes in any aspect of our lives, if we made mistakes when we were children, if we make mistakes in raising our children, if we, metaphorically speaking, flip off the heavens, we can always find forgiveness from God and from each other as church members, if we sincerely repent.
Moroni 6:8
But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.
And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized unless they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it. Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
I remember when I was 6 my cousin was in my back yard flipping off the sky. He immediately dropped to his knees and asked God for forgiveness, then stood up and flipped him off again. I watched him do this for a minute and then, as kids do, I started copying him. He stopped me. He told me that I didn't need to repent cause I wasn't baptized yet. My cousin understood that when he sinned he should immediately repent, and he understood that as often as we repent we will be forgiven. But I don't think he quite grasped what it means to sincerely repent, or to have a contrite spirit and a broken heart.
As many other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I was baptized when I was 8 years old. At this time did I really understand repentance? I probably had a pretty good grasp on it for an 8 year-old (I'd like to think it was better than my cousins). But is 8 too young to bring forth true fruit meet that they are worthy of baptism? My answer is, obviously not, or God would have told us not to baptize people until they are older. So that makes it the responsibility of the parents and teachers and other adult members of the church to teach children what it means to have a contrite spirit and a broken heart and to help them bring forth fruit worthy of baptism. I also am in favor of not letting some children get baptized until they show adequate understanding of these principles. I personally know one 7 year old girl, who I would not allow to be baptized unless she was able somehow have a change of heart. True children cannot sin. but innocence is not the same as righteousness. One disfavor we do to our children is by teaching them to itemize sin. Sins are not only actions but they are attitudes and once a child turns 8 they become accountable not only for what they do from that point on but for who they are. And it now becomes their personal responsibility (though obviously adults still have a great responsibility to help these children) to start the process of changing who they are, of becoming like the savior.
Is this a little extreme? I don't know, but I don't think that baptizing kids who have no idea what they are doing, does any good for anyone. It promotes an attitude in the church where we just do things cause it's the thing to do, the same reason many 19 year-old boys go on missions. I think that if we show our children just how important baptism is by making it something that they have to work at, they will grow a lot more, and have a much deeper understanding of repentance.
But for all of us who just did it cause we were 8 and everyone else in our Sunday school class already did it. We can still learn what it really means to come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and truly witness to the church that we have repented of all of our sins. We can do this every Sunday as we partake of the sacrament and renew the covenants we made at baptism to take upon us the name of Christ and to follow him.
And if we make mistakes in any aspect of our lives, if we made mistakes when we were children, if we make mistakes in raising our children, if we, metaphorically speaking, flip off the heavens, we can always find forgiveness from God and from each other as church members, if we sincerely repent.
Moroni 6:8
But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.
Thursday
Moroni 2-3
Moroni 2: 1-2
The words of Christ, which he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon them- And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles.
I found it interesting that he made their authority conditional. First they had to call upon the Father in mighty prayer before they would have power to give the Holy Ghost. Usually we think of priesthood power as transferred directly my the laying on of hands by those who are in authority. Perhaps this is part of the difference between power and authority. Authority is conferred upon us, it is simply given to us by those who already possess it, but true power in the priesthood is obtained by aligning our hearts with the Father through mighty prayer and through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And then once we have obtained the authority and power of the priesthood, what do we do with it?
Moroni 3:3
...to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end.
We are called as teachers, priests, elders, high priests, etc. to preach to all the world that they must change. That they must become something more, something better. That they must repent, and as they do they will be forgiven of all their mistakes and transgressions and receive a remission of their sins. And the way that they accomplish all of this is through Jesus Christ.
Real repentance is difficult, it involves changing your desires. We should not be timid in asking the world to change. It is our responsibility. It is the reason that we were given the priesthood. To help all men women and children come unto Christ and become like he is by having faith in him until the end of their lives. This doesn't mean we shouldn't be tolerant of other lifestyles and world views, just that we should invite them to change their views to align with Father in Heavens.
BUT the first step in this process is changing our own views and desires through faith in Christ and through mighty prayer in his name. Only then that we will receive the true power of God to do his work here on the earth.
The words of Christ, which he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon them- And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles.
I found it interesting that he made their authority conditional. First they had to call upon the Father in mighty prayer before they would have power to give the Holy Ghost. Usually we think of priesthood power as transferred directly my the laying on of hands by those who are in authority. Perhaps this is part of the difference between power and authority. Authority is conferred upon us, it is simply given to us by those who already possess it, but true power in the priesthood is obtained by aligning our hearts with the Father through mighty prayer and through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And then once we have obtained the authority and power of the priesthood, what do we do with it?
Moroni 3:3
...to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end.
We are called as teachers, priests, elders, high priests, etc. to preach to all the world that they must change. That they must become something more, something better. That they must repent, and as they do they will be forgiven of all their mistakes and transgressions and receive a remission of their sins. And the way that they accomplish all of this is through Jesus Christ.
Real repentance is difficult, it involves changing your desires. We should not be timid in asking the world to change. It is our responsibility. It is the reason that we were given the priesthood. To help all men women and children come unto Christ and become like he is by having faith in him until the end of their lives. This doesn't mean we shouldn't be tolerant of other lifestyles and world views, just that we should invite them to change their views to align with Father in Heavens.
BUT the first step in this process is changing our own views and desires through faith in Christ and through mighty prayer in his name. Only then that we will receive the true power of God to do his work here on the earth.
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