Introduction

"...and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword..." - Revelation 1:16

John the Revelator described Jesus saying that "out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword..."¹ This is the same message that is conveyed in D&C 6:2, D&C 11:2, D&C 12:2, and D&C 14:2. In each case, the verse reads: "Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word." Why do you suppose that God would repeat himself so many times? Could it be that the object of the analogy-the word of God-is important enough to justify it?

Imagine yourself as one of the mighty and noble ones shown to Abraham. You have already proven yourself to God and obtained glory with him. Yet, you willingly offer to condescend to a filthy, polluted place, completely outnumbered. You know fully that you will be almost utterly rejected. You realize the tremendous effort that will be required to save a few souls. This is tantamount to accepting a search and rescue mission behind enemy lines knowing full well that your whole team will probably die, on the outside chance that you might be able to rescue one or two captives. Were you to accept such a mission, what weapon would you choose?

Mormon makes clear the weapon he would choose. As he abridged the record of Alma he wrote,

And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just-yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them-therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. (Alma 31:5)

Mormon's choice of weapon is the word of God. While Christ himself had greater force than any earthly army within his arsenal, he instead opted to use persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, and pure knowledge.² Jesus does not employ speculation, opinion, force, compulsion, dominion, arrogance, or arbitrary threats. His word is the vehicle for these attributes. By his word we learn of his attributes. By his word they are demonstrated.

This weapon is available to all of us. When we seek and heed the word of God, it acts on us. When we obtain it and then provide it to others, it acts on them.

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked. (Helaman 3:29)

God's word in the Book of Mormon clearly teach us that it (his word) is the only foundation for salvation.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12)

Despite the plainness of this instruction, many have or will face the disappointment and pain that always eventually comes to those who set up a foundation on sand. The promise for peace lies only in building our foundation upon the rock. What is the rock?

And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. (1 Nephi 15:24)

It is the word of God. As Nephi said, this only includes secondary sources when those sources are explicit repetitions from heaven: "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost."³ This doctrine offends many, but it ought not be offensive. After all,

...we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Nephi 25:26)

Jacob's quoted allegory of the olive tree mentions branches whose loftiness exceeded the root.

And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard-have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted? (Jacob 5:48)

This was a common occurrence in Israel. However, if we are connected directly to the root, and we don't rely on the branches to bring us nourishment of the pure word of Christ, these corrup-tions cannot harm us. We can have fellow Christians who let us down, we can have leaders who offend us, we can experience num-berless doctrinal errors professed by our friends, and the word of God is still true. When we separate the foundation from the superstructure, the root from the branches, we are only susceptible to our own failings, not those of others.

Interestingly, Nephi criticized those who, in our day, would say they don't want any more truth. "And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall." (2 Nephi 28:28) The weakness of a sandy foundation is not apparent until the quake or the rains hit. Yet Christ explicitly commanded us not to establish foundations on sand:

And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. (3 Nephi 11:40)

The word of God always-ALWAYS-leads us to Christ. This is the sum of the subject: obtain the word of God and live it. If you do, you will build your foundation on the rock.

And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. (2 Nephi 33:10)