Unity Through His Word

"Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." - D&C 38:27

Campbellites: Unity Through Dogma

Thomas Campbell arrived in New England in 1807. His intent, and that of his son Alexander who arrived shortly thereafter, was to unite U.S. Christians on a common platform of New Testament Christianity. They were strictly adherent to the text of the New Testament. In 1824, Alexander published a series of essays entitled "A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things." The Campbell's preaching yielded few conversions until they adopted a doctrinal platform that consisted of 6 principles of conversion to Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and continuation in the doing of good works until the end of one's life. Do these tenets look familiar? Many Latter-day Saints mistakenly believe that Joseph's adoption of these doctrines was novel. It was not. The Campbellite platform is the same as you will here preached in LDS meetings today. You may ask what Joseph restored? Not this doctrine, as it was already restored before he arrived at Kirtland. If these tenets were the saving doctrines, what need for Joseph Smith? What then did Joseph Smith restore?

Joseph once said that all significant differences between the LDS faith and other Christian religions "were contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost."¹ Campbell did not practice laying on of hands and held that all revelation had ceased and thus the only authority was the Bible. Smith preached continuing revelation and that God's never-ceasing word empowered as it actually had historically. In other words, God's word through revelation to the individual is what makes faith in Christ living. God's living² word is what makes salvation possible.

The genesis and substance of Campbell's movement was that of a unity based in doctrines as preached by leadership-unity in the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. Joseph Smith's movement was unified in the belief that God gave ongoing revelation to individuals. Campbell preached a connection of men to a man (or smaller set of men) who understood the words of scripture better than everyone else. Smith preached a connection of men to heaven, where those who had made a stronger connection gave hints to those who had not.³ Sameness is not God's unity. A military unit has sameness, but of what use is it? As soon as the causing force of their unity-unrighteous dominion of men who enforce unity down the barrel of a gun-leave their ranks, pandemonium sets in. In fact, in most cases, the subordinates frequently practice all sorts of unauthorized abominations behind the back of the leader-It's all good until you are caught. This is not God's unity. Joseph said he taught correct principles and let men govern themselves.⁴ God's unity is only achieved when men freely adopt the same fount of truth; when they choose to obey God.

Real Unity: God's Word

God's word is the same, thus we approach unity in command as we live the revelation of God to us as individuals. We cannot be unified or achieve God's unity if we take the arm of flesh to be our guide; policies always change. Doctrines of men will always change to match the ways of the world (though usually trailing 20 years or so behind, substituting conservatism for the unchanging righteousness of God). However, the word of God never changes. It cannot be interpreted correctly in more than one way.

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts; Knowing this first, that _no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost._ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who prively shall bring in damnable heresies... (2 Peter 1:19-21; 2:1)

False teachers may attempt to wrest the word of God to mean something other than was intended, but God's meaning is one. God's unity can only be attained based on the true interpretation of his word, which comes by revelation from him to us. After all, as Brigham Young taught, each of us is (or can be) an oracle of the Spirit:

This question occurred to my mind-"What causes men and women, whose minds have been unaccustomed to reflect upon theological subjects, to speak so intelligently as soon as the Spirit of the Lord touches their understanding?" The experience of most of the congregation can answer this question. You are the oracle of the Spirit, the repository of the intelligence that comes from another state of existence invisible to the natural eye; of the influence that produces an effect without revealing the cause, and is therefore called a miracle. (BY, JD 1:91)

It is only by receiving God's word directly that we can correctly interpret his written word, or that which is spoken by others. There is no way to divorce personal revelation from receiving the word of God, even if we are receiving it through others. Therefore, no written or spoken word can qualify as God's unless he himself gives us an individual connection to verify and understand it.

Thus, godly unity is not the result of a group consensus upon written or spoken doctrine, which could as easily come from men as God, and be incorrect or correct, but from a subscription to the same source of truth. Though minor differences are likely, they are not problematic. Oneness in Christ's word overlooks minor differences in belief. Joseph was exceedingly vocal about his disdain for prescription of doctrine. Consider just a few examples:

I will endeavour to instruct you in relation to the meaning of the beasts and figures spoken of. Er (Pelatiah) Brown has been the cause of this subject being now presented before you. He, is one of the wisest old heads we have among us, has been called up before the High Council on account of the beast. The old man has preached concerning the beast which was full of eyes before and behind and for this he was hauled up for trial. I never thought it was right to call up a man and try him because he erred in doctrine, it looks too much like methodism and not like Latter day Saintism. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be kicked out of their church. I want the liberty of believing as I please, it feels so good not to be tramelled. It dont prove that a man is not a good man, because he errs in doctrine. The High Council undertook to censure and correct Er Brown because of his teachings in relation to the beasts, and he came to me to know what he should do about it. (Words of Joseph Smith, 8 April 1843)

And again,

[some] have creeds which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please, it feels so good not to be trammeled. It does not prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine. (HC 5:340)

And again,

I ask did I ever exerise any compulsion over any man. did I not give him the liberty of disbelieveing any doctrin I have preached if he saw fit? (Words of Joseph Smith, 24 Mar 1844)

When we subscribe to God's word, we change.

And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you. (D&C 50:43)

As we achieve a more steadfast devotion to God's unchanging perfection, our changing mind and will brings us closer to those around us who have similarly subscribed to God's word. To the degree that we seek and heed God's word, we become like him. Jesus obtained his word in full, and therefore become completely like the Father: completely unified with him through sharing his knowledge and attributes:

And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one-The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men. I was in the world and received of my Father, and the works of him were plainly manifest. (D&C 93:3-5)

Our incorporation of God's word into ourselves is how he dwells in us and how his power is manifested through us, just like it was in Jesus. When he came as a man, he gave the perfect example as a man. "And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father."⁵ Seeking and heeding his word brings us closer to Him because it makes us one with him.

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. (John 14:10-11)

Though all of us will proceed line upon line, and thus will have perhaps vast swaths of subjects that have not yet been revealed to us upon which we may disagree, as a whole we will rejoice and unify in our objective to come closer to Christ through obtaining and living God's word. Thus we become one with the Son, one with the Father, and one with all others who are seeking Christ.

"Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine."⁶

Unity in God's House

God told Alma that his church was composed of "he that will hear my voice."⁷ The Lord's house is all those who seek, obtain, and heed his word. By definition, this house is ordered because it is composed of those who obey God's orders-his word.

"Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed? And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was? (D&C 132: 8-11)

Note that men are not a part of this equation, except and unless their words are received explicitly from God. His appointments, which are his word, are what order his house. By definition, his word in the scriptures is the foundational source for this order. Any deviations from his word must necessarily come from his own mouth, such as when he commanded Nephi to divert from the command, "thou shalt not kill" and slay Laban. We find ample examples of men ordering God's house through preaching his word in the scriptures. For example, Alma went forth to divorce the church from their false notions and thus order it by preaching the word of God.

And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them. (Alma 4:19)

An example of what he taught is found in Alma chapters 5 and 6. The Lord tells us that at some point the Lord will send a servant to put the house of God in order once again. Some consider this prophesy to be fulfilled, though it is clear that such is not the case since at least one critical item (to give lands of inheritance to the Saints) has not occurred.

And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God; (D&C 85:7)

At any rate, we can rest assured that when God sets about to order his house again, he will do it according to the pattern he has always followed: His servant will preach God's word.

Though surface sameness can be achieved by unrighteous dominion of men, Zion cannot be built upon this principle. Unity in heart and mind, which Zion necessitates, can only be achieved when men choose to obey God's word. "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."⁸ If all men took the word of God as their guide, we would have unity indeed.