Clothing as the assimilation of the character of God
Learning about and living God’s character is often described as washing, putting on, or changing out clothing. The analogy fits well in several ways.
God’s character is received and put on, not created. God already is what you are trying to become.1 He provides the way by which you can become more like he is. That path is revealed from above, not invented down below. God’s character already exists and is better than anything you can devise yourself. God’s character isn’t something you can create out of whole cloth.2 Instead, you receive it by finding and learning it from those who already possess it. The scriptures are full of examples of people following this pattern. For example, Elisha spent as much time as possible learning from and living like Elijah. Having been true and faithful to everything Elijah taught, he received Elijah’s mantle as Elijah ascended into heaven.3
Attempts to create God’s character ourselves will be just as ineffective4 as Adam and Eve’s attempt to hide their nakedness from God with the fig leaf coverings they made. The real protection came from the animal skin garments they received from God, not their juvenile imitation of the real thing. Note that in spite of the goodness of one’s intentions, counterfeiting what can only come from God is never sufficient for the task or commended by God.5
Garments are put on all at once. You can add or remove items of clothing, but you don’t wear half a shirt or one leg of a pair of pants. You would not replace one portion of your present robe at a time, attempting to sew the new into the old.6 Your idea of how Jesus is will improve over time, but you submit to a single snapshot of how you believe him to be and must fully resubmit to any changes as they occur.
While it is possible to wear layers of clothing, at some point, you can’t put anything else on before taking something else off. It’s quite normal to change out one item of clothing for another, whether because the former is dirty or worn, or to make room for something better.7 Similarly, adopting new ideas about Jesus, yourself, others, and the world will frequently require you to let go of old ideas about them.8 You repent through forsaking your sins.9 You cover the sins of others by persuading them to abandon their former ways of living for better ways of living.10
Degrees of clothing
The robe of righteousness is the character of Jesus Christ.11 To put on the robe of righteousness12 is to learn about and live more like Jesus Christ.13
There are many versions of the robe of righteousness, as each person’s understanding of how Jesus is differs, and many paths flow from that understanding to how Jesus actually is. Each improvement to a person’s understanding of the character of Christ could be considered another, better robe of righteousness,14 forming a chain of successively improving models of the character of Christ.
Each “garment” represents a level of understanding of how Jesus is, and as such, there will always be limitations in every garment, and a better garment still.15 No matter what we have sacrificed in our pursuit of God, at least some of what we understand about him will be incomplete or incorrect, and as the inadequacies of our model are revealed, we will feel as if our whitened robes of “righteousness are as filthy rags....” (Isaiah 64:6) As you live fully up to the character of Christ as you presently understand it, you will come to see shortcomings in your model of how Jesus is. These shortcomings are essential to providing you with the motivation and desire to receive additional teaching about how Jesus is beyond your present understanding, which almost always includes the difficult and painful task of abandoning at least some of the ideas you had about him before.
The growing nature of one’s understanding of God is one reason why the robe of righteousness can correctly be called a garment of light. While a garment of cloth or the skins of dead animals is fixed and can only ever wear out, a garment of light grows and flows. Though a robe is given to another all at once, the robes of righteousness are received as an unbroken series of individual lessons on the Lord’s nature that weave into an indistinguishable flow of constant and custom guidance. The incremental discovery and adoption of the character of Christ is akin to continuous development of a piece of software, where new portions are written, old portions are rewritten, most of it is reused, and sometimes everything needs to be scrapped and started over from scratch.
If you consider taking his name upon you as the decision to reconcile yourself to how you presently understand him to be, then you receive a robe of righteousness through the act of justification. If you consider taking the Lord’s name upon you as the process of learning more about him while remaining reconciled to how you understand him to be, then receiving the robes of righteousness becomes a process of wearing a robe of ever-increasing brightness, corresponding to your increasing understanding of how he is.
As you put on holier robes, you become qualified for holier places. God’s kingdom is organized into different levels of glory, each defined by the extent and accuracy of the model of Jesus which the inhabitants live according to.16 God will reveal more of himself to those who live what they already know about him. It is through obtaining and living successively more expansive and accurate models of Christ that you ascend in his kingdom. The task of mortality can be expressed as obtaining the kind of garment necessary to dwell in the highest level of God’s kingdom that we desire.
Clothing as a mantle and girdle: Power comes from the law lived
Two symbolic clothing items that frequently co-occur in scripture are the mantle and the girdle. A mantle is an outer covering. A girdle is a belt.
The mantle is a symbol of the power that comes from similitude to God.17 God’s power comes through the assimilation of his character. When you take upon yourself the character of Christ, you become more like him in character and in the power you wield.
The girdle is a tool to bind and constrict, symbolizing how one who serves God circumscribes their desires and actions to match those of the Lord. It is precisely through girding yourself with the righteousness of God18 that you receive his mantle of power.19
As you gird yourself with each of God’s qualities, you receive a mantle in the form of that character quality and its associated power and blessings.20 The composite of God’s attributes is love. When you practice charity by living for the benefit of others without preference for self, you receive the blessing of truly becoming as God is.21
Clothing as armor for the coming battle
In scripture, the preparation that God provides for future challenges by revealing more of himself to you is called the armor of God, the armor of righteousness, and the armor of light.22 God prepares you for coming challenges23 by exposing you to the limits of your present understanding and providing you access to something better. For example, God gave Adam and Eve instructions and clothed them in coats of animal skins after their fall but before their expulsion from Eden to protect them from the conditions they would experience in the fallen world.
God will not force you to notice or take up the preparation he provides. He will show you more about himself and give you every sufficient reason to choose to become more like him, but he will never force you to become like him. The preparation for what is to come is always reachable from where you presently stand, but you have to notice and make use of it.
One reason warnings from God go unnoticed and unheeded is because they often come in times of seeming prosperity24 to those who stop improving beyond what seems good enough for now. The only way to ensure you are as equipped for life’s challenges as you could be is to improve in all things at all times, to the full extent of your capability.
Even when a person strives to do the best they know of, they can reject God’s warnings when they refuse to adopt better choices when presented. Invitations of this type usually come through other people25 whose ability to see afar off26 gives them a different and more accurate perspective of the long-term consequences of your present course27 and the existence of another superior option.
When you ignore the warnings God provides, he allows you to experience the consequences of what you would have been saved from in order to persuade you to be more likely to listen the next time.28
The fuller’s field
In ancient times, the task of whitening cloth was involved and valuable enough to be a full-time skilled profession. Those who did this work were called fullers, and their significance is attested to by the frequency and content of the multiple scriptural references to them.
The act of whitening cloth is referred to in terms of sanctification,29 God’s servants’ role in it,30 and the Lord’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.31 It was at the fuller’s field where Hezekiah paid a heavy tribute to the king of Assyria after the people rebelled and refused to keep the covenant given to Moses (see 2 Kings 18:12, 14-17), where Isaiah traveled to meet Ahaz, king of Judah, to tell him not to fear the oncoming attack of the new super alliance formed between the king of Syria and the king of Israel (see Isaiah 7:14), and where the emissary of the king of Assyria shouted taunts against those on the wall and God (see Isaiah 36:1-21).
Cloth was whitened anciently by soaking it in urine, requiring: 1) proximity to enough people to provide the required supply of concentrated urine, 2) enough distance from the same people to avoid the terrible smell,32 and 3) a substantial supply of running water to rinse the cloth after whitening. The fuller’s field outside of Jerusalem provided all of these qualities.
Fulling provides many rich analogies to elements of the gospel. Fulling was a step in the process of woolen garment manufacture, where a professional would endure putrid conditions to improve the garment beyond the quality it would otherwise remain in. It required interaction with the people who would receive the finished product, but only by contributing your bodily waste, which he would miraculously use to render your clothing more valuable than it would otherwise be. Whitening was performed by stomping on the soaking garments, just as wine was made by stomping on grapes.33 Fullers were closer to the water source used by city dwellers for drinking, and they used a lot more of it than anyone did for drinking in order to make high-value products for those who lived downstream. Some traditions consider the fuller’s field to be the same location as the Mount of Olives and the place where the sacrificial red heifer was burned.
Whitening cloth is not an event, but a process. The ancients repeatedly soaked garments in new batches of chemicals to whiten them. To describe the whitening of cloth with justification and sanctification language, the complete immersion of a garment into the whitening solution is a justifying event, but the subsequent whitening is a gradual sanctification process. The duration of the soaking and the potency of the solution matters.
Wash your garments in the blood of Jesus by learning more about and living like him
You wash your garments in the blood of Christ by fully reconciling your life to how you understand God would live in your place.34 To have your garments made white in his blood is to choose to “repent and work righteousness,” by “bring[ing] forth fruit meet for repentance,” abhorring any deviation from Christ’s example in any way at any time.35
You must remain sinless to keep your garments spotless.36 Only those who live as they believe Jesus would at all times and in all places keep their garments white in the blood of the Lamb.37
As you live up to everything you know about Jesus and learn everything you can about him, your garments become even more white.38
You receive new garments from time to time as you make those you already have as white as they can be by living up to your current model of Christ completely. When you remain fully reconciled to God and continually learn more about him, you make yourself worthy of receiving a greater understanding of how he is.39 Like a crustacean outgrowing its shell, you will reach the limits of your present beliefs, paradigms, and situations, and God will invite you to take up something better.
God whitens your garment through subjecting you to greater challenges
Answering trials with adherence to God’s character whitens your garments.40 When you respond to trials with insufficient trust in or obedience to God, you dirty your garments and cut yourself off from his blessing.41
Trials are not just hard times. By definition, a trial is not just a time where you experience undesirable things, but a discovery of a more accurate idea of the worth of a thing. When you try something, you evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, its costs and benefits, and its relative value compared to alternative options.
Trials are opportunities to change your beliefs, feelings, or actions to reflect the new appraisal of value they bring.42 As you adjust what you value and by how much, and change your behavior to align with your new appraisals of value, you draw nearer to God in how you feel, think, and act.
Trials reveal the insufficiencies in what you previously considered necessary, adequate, or desirable. Reductions in perceived value can increase the urgency and benefit of finding something better, and this replacement is one way that God makes weak things strong.43
All trials are an opportunity to grow towards God. When you are subjected to changes in the value of what you have, hope for, or give, you have an opportunity to adopt greater trust in and affinity for God.44 When you respond correctly, trials purge45 from you from what keeps you from ascending to a greater relationship with and blessing from God.46
This life is the only time we can purchase a garment of light
Righteousness can only be acquired through learning more about and living more like Jesus. In order to become more righteous, you have to sacrifice whatever would preclude you from learning more about and living more like Jesus. This sacrifice for God is often spoken of as buying righteousness from God. The Lord counsels us to:
...buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18, ASV)
The sacrifice required to obtain a garment of light must occur during this life.47 For example, in the parable of the Ten Virgins, the Lord explains how the groom’s arrival marks the point when it is too late to purchase more oil for the virgins’ lamps needed to go out to meet him (see Matthew 25:1-13). At another time, the Lord elaborated on this parable, stating that those who will be able to abide his presence are those who have sought for, received, and lived more information about him (see D&C 45:56-59).
The work required to purchase a garment of light can’t be performed after this life.48 The condition to abide with God after this life is to have reconciled yourself to him in this life.49 You cannot remain in God’s presence without remaining reconciled to him. If you have not received and implemented all that was available prior to that event, you are not prepared to receive what can only come from the presence of the Master.
The trials that yield the garment of light do not exist in heaven.50 Only in this life do you have access to the situations and people that can help you learn more about and live more like Jesus. These situations and people provide constant opportunities to learn more about Jesus, constant feedback on the value of your present character, and the opportunity to recover from mistakes.
Don’t be caught without a garment
Many professed Christians believe that all that is required to dwell in the kingdom of heaven is a vague idea of the existence of God.51
In order to remain in the presence of God, you require a covering to protect you from his fiery glory.52 This covering is provided by learning about and living the character of Christ.53 You receive his covering by learning more about Jesus,54 removing from yourself whatever you believe to be offensive to his character,55 and adding into your life whatever you believe he would in your place.56
Don’t wear dirty garments
Failure to live up to your understanding of how God would live in your place is akin to wearing dirty garments.57 All professed Christians believe that they will be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom after death whether they live up to their idea of how God is or not. Anything about yourself that you believe to be impure will cause seething pain to you in the presence of God58 so great that you will do anything to flee from it.59 If you do not live up to your sincere understanding of how Jesus is, you will recoil from his presence so painfully that you would prefer being in hell.60
Don’t wear the wrong garment
Some professed Christians live up to an incorrect idea of how Jesus is. Some conflate the commandments of men with the commandments of God,61 and others invent their own imagined version of the Lord independent of and contrary to the eye witness accounts found in the scriptures and living persons.62
While it is not good to be naked in the presence of the Lord, it is even worse to appear before him wearing a garment you made up for yourself. God is just as unpleased with those who wear garments he has not ordained63 as he is those who make offerings he did not command.64 Acknowledging your nakedness before God is essential in order to receive clothing from him, and you will never seek what you already think you have.65 Those who refuse to acknowledge their lack of the real thing will see a future day when what they thought they had is taken away.66
There is nothing magical about religious clothing
There is precedent for the use of ceremonial clothing in the clothing of prophets, priests, and high priests in the Old Testament and in the peculiar garments worn by Jesus in the New Testament. However, like so many other gospel topics, the idea of special clothing has grown in some religious traditions to carry meaning independent to and greater than its original purpose.
While there is nothing necessarily wrong about inventing practices regarding clothing, it is wrong to promote these practices to the same importance as God’s actual commandments.67 There is value to wearing clothing as commanded by God in the conditions he has commanded it. It is not correct to impute the same value to clothing and conditions he hasn’t commanded, simply because other people at another time were instructed to wear it.68 In fact, impersonation can quickly degrade from flattery to blasphemy. Recall that impersonation of priests carried the death penalty in Old Testament times.
Whether commanded or not, there is no magic power in the clothing we wear. It does not impart special powers. It is, at best, an external example of an internal commitment, and even then is only worth the value of whatever improvements we make to how we think, feel, and act.
Footnotes
- 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. (Psalm 104:1) ↩
- 2. God’s commandments, power, and covenants are received by people, not created by them. The path to acquiring the real thing is humble repentance, not prideful fabrication. ↩
- 3. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him... (2 Kings 2:13) ↩
- 4. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:6-8) ↩
- 5. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. (Exodus 30:9) And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Leviticus 10:1-2) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3-5) ↩
- 6. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. (Matthew 9:16) ↩
- 7. Elisha tore his old clothing before receiving the mantle of Elijah: “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.” (2 Kings 2:12) ↩
- 8. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. (Mark 2:22) ↩
- 9. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:43) ↩
- 10. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20) And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) ↩
- 11. Righteousness means “as God is.” ↩
- 12. If thou followest righteousness, thou shalt obtain her, and put her on, as a glorious long robe. (Sirach 27:8) ↩
- 13. Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (3 Nephi 27:21-22) ↩
- 14. The process of taking off lesser garments in order to receive better garments is demonstrated in a little-known passage in the Old Testament, where an angel is sent from God to replace the righteous high priest’s dirty garments with heavenly garments: “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.” (Zechariah 3:3-5) ↩
- 15. And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all. (Abraham 3:19) ↩
- 16. And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me—That inasmuch as ye do this, glory shall be added to the kingdom which ye have received. Inasmuch as ye do it not, it shall be taken, even that which ye have received. (D&C 43:9-10) ↩
- 17. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. (2 Kings 2:14) ↩
- 18. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. (Isaiah 11:1-5) ↩
- 19. And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. (Isaiah 22:21) ↩
- 20. And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same. (D&C 88:34) ↩
- 21. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace. (D&C 88:125) ↩
- 22. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:10-18) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12) See also 2 Corinthians 6:7. ↩
- 23. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) ↩
- 24. And also, after that they had heard him, they came up before him, saying: Behold, we are the sons of God; have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men? And are we not eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage? And our wives bear unto us children, and the same are mighty men, which are like unto men of old, men of great renown. And they hearkened not unto the words of Noah. (Moses 8:21) ↩
- 25. For example, when Lehi said the following, his sons did not believe themselves to be doing anything wrong: “Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.” (2 Nephi 1:23) ↩
- 26. And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off; (Moses 6:27) ↩
- 27. See Acts 27, where in fair weather, Paul warns the captain of the ship to delay the voyage or risk damage to the ship, loss of the cargo, and danger to the passengers. The captain ignores his warning, but begins listening to Paul when the ship is wrecked in a severe unexpected storm. ↩
- 28. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. (Psalm 81:11-14) ↩
- 29. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalms 51:7) ↩
- 30. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:1-3) ↩
- 31. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. (Mark 9:3) ↩
- 32. In John 9, Jesus led a man born blind to a pool outside of the city in order to wash away the street filth Jesus had smeared into his eyes and be healed from his blindness. ↩
- 33. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. (Genesis 49:8-12) ↩
- 34. I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins. (Alma 5:21) O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. (Mormon 9:6) And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. (3 Nephi 27:19) ↩
- 35. Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish; Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest. (Alma 13:10-13) ↩
- 36. And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received....being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times....And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless.... (Alma 7:22-23, 25) ↩
- 37. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7, NKJV) And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb. (Alma 34:36) ↩
- 38. Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? (Alma 5:27) ↩
- 39. And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb. (Alma 34:36) ↩
- 40. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you.... (John 15:3-4) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:9-11) ↩
- 41. ...As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me....without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:4-6) ↩
- 42. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10) ↩
- 43. And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and 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) ↩
- 44. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:8) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalms 51:7) ↩
- 45. Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be purged, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time. (Daniel 11:35, MEV) ↩
- 46. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit....I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit....Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love....Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:2, 5, 8-10, 14) ↩
- 47. And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness. (Alma 7:21) ↩
- 48. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. (Alma 34:32) ↩
- 49. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned....If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:6, 10) ↩
- 50. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. (Alma 34:33) ↩
- 51. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God —he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 28:8) ↩
- 52. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:11-14) ↩
- 53. Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. (Alma 12:13) ↩
- 54. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:29) ↩
- 55. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (Mark 9:43) ↩
- 56. Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness. (2 Nephi 9:14) ↩
- 57. And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you? Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?...ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of the kingdom of the devil. (Alma 5:22-23,25) ↩
- 58. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. (Mormon 9:5) ↩
- 59. For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. (Alma 12:14) ↩
- 60. ...Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. (Mormon 9:3-4) ↩
- 61. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) ↩
- 62. There is a difference between the sincere composite of what you have learned about how Jesus is and an imagined alternative that bears no resemblance to his depiction in the resources you have access to, including the scriptures and those you know (or could) who know him better than you. ↩
- 63. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. (Zephaniah 1:8) ↩
- 64. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. (Exodus 30:9) And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. (Leviticus 10:1) And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord.... (Numbers 3:4) ↩
- 65. ...thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. (Ether 12:37) ↩
- 66. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (Luke 8:18) ↩
- 67. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. (Mark 7:8) ↩
- 68. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) ↩