Commanded in All Things

From the Throne of God

"...which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things." - D&C 88:13.

The LDS endowment ceremony teaches us the preeminence of God's word. It is God's word that causes the organization of our world, as well as all things that occupy it. It is God's word that causes a man's sins to be forgiven. It is obedience to God's word that sanctifies man. It is God's word that brings a man back into God's presence.

Throughout the endowment, we are exposed to a system for the distribution of God's word. We see Heavenly Father speaking to Jesus Christ. We see Jesus Christ speaking to angels. We see angels speaking to men. Through each messenger, the word of God remains true to its original content. Neither Jesus nor his angels add to, take away from, or modify the message they receive. There is not an individual in that series who is authorized to remove from, alter, or invent, even when the chain is augmented by adding a final link of a human messenger. Were removal, modification, or invention to occur, the changed portion would cease to be God's word and there would be no power in it. All happiness is found in the word of God.

The Lord commands us to heed his word.

It is exceedingly important for us to obey this commandment. After all, the righteous are not those who profess a particular creed or are members of a particular culture, but those who serve God. To serve God, one must seek, discern, and heed his word. Understanding the origin of God's word, where we receive it from, and how we receive it is essential to being counted among the righteous. This chapter explores just how the word proceeds forth from the mouth of God.

The first few verses of John in the King James Bible read.

The Inspired Version reads.

There is an alternate translation that reads, "in the ruling council there was a spokesman, and the spokesman was among the gods, and the spokesman was a god."

The concept of Jesus Christ as God's messenger is in accordance with what we know through Joseph's revelations about the premortal council of the gods.

John described the Savior's role by saying.

All of these scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ is the spokesperson for Heavenly Father. With exceedingly few exceptions, most of the recorded words of the Father in the scriptures came through Christ. Significantly, the Father calls the Son the word of his power: "And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth." All of God's power that we experience is a result of his word flowing through Jesus Christ.

Man can come to the point where he receives God's word directly from Christ face to face as Moses did. He can come to the point where he walks with Christ as Enoch did. This point is always preceded by the occasional receipt of the voice of Christ. The scriptures are full of examples of Jesus dispensing the word of Heavenly Father to end recipients such as Joseph Smith and his associates, the brother of Jared, Moses, Enoch, and many many others. However, not all of God's word is delivered to the end recipient directly through Christ. The purpose of the Holy Ghost, angels, and human messengers is to bring a man to the point where he can converse with Jesus face to face. Until then, Jesus dispenses his word through the Holy Ghost, angels and men.

Christ has charge over the angels. He assigns them to send his words forth to men.

In scriptural instances where God has shown people his throne, we have the common description of the throne being surrounded by angels. Lehi says that God's throne is surrounded by "numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God." Alma Jr.'s description of the throne concurs with Lehi's: "I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels...". John also describes angels surrounding the throne. These are the agents of transmission of God's word from Christ to men.

Recipients of angels do not need to have any church office or responsibility. The people of Lamoni's court-common folks in both the ecclesiastic as well as civic sense-saw angels and conversed with them, and were taught things of God (see Alma 19:34). Prisoners in jail with Nephi and Lehi also were taught by angels (see Helaman 5:48). Women and children can receive angels just as readily as men: "And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also." (Alma 32:23).

As God's words do not cease, God's angels do not cease to minister. "And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." Angels are just as vital to the transmittence of God's word today as they ever have been.

The word of the Lord comes to men by the Holy Ghost. Nephi taught that "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." There is much to this verse. Does the power of the Holy Ghost give angels what to say, such as it does when a preacher is preaching by the Holy Ghost? In other words, is it the medium by which the words of Christ flow to the recipient through the angel, like a straw is the means whereby liquid travels into the mouth of the user? Or, is it the means by which the individual receives the words of Christ delivered by an angel, just as we receive mortal communications through our eyes or ears? There are scriptures that support both applications.

Moroni teaches that the Lord intends for the content of meetings in the church to be indicated by the power of the Holy Ghost. In this sense, the power of the Holy Ghost is able to tell you what to say or do. Therefore, if angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, they are told what to say via the Holy Ghost.

Nephi says that "when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." Therefore, the Holy Ghost can be the medium of delivery from the angel to the man.

Nephi also tells us that it was through the power of the Holy Ghost that he received his visions.

His visions were seen not with his mortal eyes, but with his spritual eyes. It was received by the Holy Ghost within him.

The Holy Ghost is the mind of God. "Not a desire, act, wish, or thought does the Holy Ghost indulge in contrary to that which is dictated by the Father." As symbolically presented in the endowment ceremony, the Lord, through his mind-the spirit of God-transmits messages to and through angels into the spirits of the recipients. Sometimes these messengers are visible, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes they are heard, and sometimes they are felt. Sometimes they come when the recipient is awake, and sometimes when the recipient is asleep. Many times, recipients are not able to receive angels, and so God amply puts to use human messengers.

During his mortal ministry, Jesus provided the perfect example of a righteous mortal messenger of God's word. Of his message he said, "the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." God transmits his word through Christ to angels to true messengers. The message is always limited to God's word.

John was also a messenger. In his vision.

John delivered God's words as they were delivered to him. John understood that, as Joseph Smith taught, "God will not acknowledge that which He has not called, ordained, and chosen."

Ezekiel saw the throne and was told by God: "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll." God delivered to Ezekiel all the words that he wanted Ezekiel to say to Israel. Ezekiel was not authorized to speak his mind, nor improvise. If he had, all those words which were his own would have fallen to the earth null and void. However, because Ezekiel was given God's word, he could be assured that God's authority backed his words. He was a messenger.

Every true messenger in scripture was commanded by God to give a set message-from Samuel the Lamanite and King Benjamin, whose message was given by angels, to the Savior himself, who spoke only what Heavenly Father told him to speak.

Jesus taught that he is the true vine. He is the root that connects us to the Father. Without him, we are nothing.

The nutrients of a vine flow from its root. We receive nourishment from God's word through Christ. Inasmuch as we seek after and accept that word, we are grafted into the true vine; we abide in him; we bear the fruits of his word. However, inasmuch as we do not seek and accept his word, we become withered, devoid of nourishment. Here Jesus alludes to the time when those who have not made a sure connection with God through his word will be gathered by the angels and burned. As Jesus states, without the word of God, we are nothing. This is because everything of worth has to come as a result of the acceptation of words transmitted from God's throne through some combination of Christ, angels, and men to the recipient. Most are aware that salvation can only come through Christ's word, but how many realize that anything that will endure past his coming must also be by his word, or it shall be "shaken and destroyed"?

We ought to give pause to these subjects, perhaps among the most important in the gospel. Treating lightly God's word, which certainly includes misunderstanding what it is and what it isn't, was described by Nephi as trampling God under our feet.

Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. (Jacob 4:8-10)

Jacob reminds us that God has all power, that his word is the device of his power, and that revelation is the means appointed to receive his word. He suggests that the logical conclusion of an understanding of these facts is to seek and heed God's word. The rest of the book is dedicated to the same purpose as Jacob's. I sincerely hope it is of service to you in your journey back to God.

By Me or By My Servants

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." - D&C 1:38.

The Lord has commanded that we "shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God." As laid out in another chapter of this book, God speaks his word to us through his own presence, his voice, angels, and sometimes even men. We are told that.

An example of this principle is given by Mormon's seeking the word of God in relation to whether or not infants should be baptized. He seeks the Lord and obtains the word of God in a writable response.

Several important factors are worth pointing out here. First, Mormon says that the source of this revelation was not a personal visit of Christ, but the Holy Ghost. The still small voice, in other words, is actually a voice; an audible, transcribable voice. This is consistent with how Joseph described the still small voice: "Yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest, saying..." He then goes on to give a lengthy "thus saith the Lord" revelation. Since the word of God is the word that God speaks, it must necessarily come via a "thus saith the Lord" revelation. Now, often revelation comes in a flash of intelligence that must be put to words by the recipient. However, the vital point is that there is transcribable substance to true revelation-not just emotion. It need not be long-an answer to a question of yes or no is certainly the word of God and is a single word revelation.

When the Elders (or whoever else) are speaking, the mind of the Lord, the word of the Lord, the voice of the Lord, and power unto salvation are only present inasmuch as their words are actually given to them by God. If God is speaking to them via the Holy Ghost and they repeat those words given to them, they are speaking the mind of the Lord. However, D&C 68:4 does not mean that whatever a holder of church office says is God's mind; man cannot dictate the mind of God. The word of God must actually come from God!

We can understand this further by analyzing the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Here we encounter verse 38, usually quoted without the rest of the section.

As we have shown elsewhere in this book, in order for words to have the power of God, they must proceed from the throne down, not from earth up. Therefore, taken in conjunction with what God said elsewhere in the scriptures, the Lord can only be saying here, "if someone speaks the words of God, it doesn't matter whether that someone is me or someone else, I will own those words, because they came from me." Note that this is not the same as saying, "whatever a church office holder says, I will consider that as if I had said it, even though the words did not come from me." He explicitly says "what I have spoken." In fact, he says it twice. The "whether by mine own voice" is not variable in the source of the word, but only variable in terms of which messenger (the Lord himself, an angel, or a man) delivered it. The word "servant" here does not indicate an office, but simply a role that can as easily be filled by a child as a patriarch, or a heathen as a saint. The only qualification for a true messenger is that the word they carry, as brief as it may be, originates from God. It is supremely important to heed God's word no matter who the messenger may be.

Messengers of God can be a motley crew. On the one hand, we see that Caiaphas' role as a messenger of God was not abrogated despite his being guilty of the blood of Christ, for it was he who prophesied (or, in other words, spoke God's word) that it were better that one man die than a nation. On the other hand, we see Jesus of Nazareth, not only void of church authority or office, but also grossly unorthodox, whose only credential was that his message actually came from God. He did not use any other signet of authority besides simply claiming that his message was from God. He said, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." Even to the Nephites, to whom he appeared in resurrected glory and in plain display of his divinity, his authority was simply as the messenger of the Father, come to deliver his word.

Interestingly, like Abinadi, John the Baptist, Lehi, and the majority of scriptural prophets, Jesus' message was from God and supremely official despite his never having been appointed by the duly recognized authorities nor sustained by the body of the church. This did not invalidate the source of his message nor nullify God's word as preached through him.

The origination from God is critically important. Even Joseph, whose words God commanded us to receive as his own (an endorsement I am not aware of any other man having received in this dispensation), had a limitation placed in his endorsement. God explicitly limits his commission as a messenger to his word: "Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;" Thus we call these people messengers and not, say, authors. No man can dictate God's word independent of God giving it to him.

Because messengers are only true when their message emanates from God, true messengers always plainly identify the heavenly source of their message. Nephi son of Helaman "declare[d] unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him." Jesus commanded the Nephite twelve to "declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth." He told Abraham, "I show these things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare all these words." Enoch saw a vision where "the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment" to speak specific words to specific people. King Benjamin's famous speech was an exposition of "the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord" the night before. Jacob spoke on the errand of the Lord, who explicitly gave him the words to say.

He said, "Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker." His brother Nephi similarly received the text of his sermons not only from his encounters with angels but from the "words of [his] Maker".

Alma Jr. tells us that his father and Abinadi both spoke the words that were given them from God.

The foregoing personalities are the most powerful preachers in scripture. If they (including the Savior) would not pretend to preach the gospel except God dispensed his word to them, should we? God said.

He has told us that we need to treasure his word up in our minds in order to be blessed to be given his words when the necessity arises.

Note that the phrase "every man" seems to indicate that this command is to every man, not just those who are wont to have spiritual experiences. God makes this explicit by explaining that those who preach are only to do so by (or in accordance with or through the means of) the Comforter, thus giving them God's word. Joseph said the same: "All are to preach the Gospel, by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost; and no man can preach the Gospel without the Holy Ghost." "If ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." God has commanded us to declare his word, not our own: "And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices..."

And what of those who do not preach God's word but teach by "some other way?" All the pretense of a false messenger is worthless if the individual does not, in fact, possess a message from the throne of God. For all his office, King Noah and the like never delivered the word of God. Abinadi tells us that though King Noah's priests considered themselves teachers over the people and knew at least a few verses, they failed to teach the people even the simplest saving doctrines, and were woefully ignorant of the gospel. The church office of Noah and his priests (who had been duly ordained by those who had authority and were sustained by their people) was insufficient to empower them to speak God's word without God having given it to them. Office isn't enough, even if God himself calls the individual.

Many personalities in the scriptures, including Judas Iscariot, King Saul, King David, and several Old Testament prophets, had at least seasons where their rebellion led to a dearth in the word of God-sometimes permanently. The truthfulness of messengers is not permanent; their status as a nexus between heaven and earth can be transitory. It is subject to their own status with God and God's ever-changing will.

In Noah's priests we see an example of how false priests, not having a dispensation of God's word, must necessary fill their sermons with misapplied scriptures they do not understand. Samuel the Lamanite tells us that false prophets fill their sermons with praise for people, since they have not received God's word which is always to repent. Though they are sometimes helpful in expounding scripture, platitudes, stories, or personal interpretations are not God's word and are powerless to save in and of themselves.

Let's take a look a the rest of D&C 1, the Lord's preamble to the Doctrine and Covenants.

The Lord's command is the Lord's authority, and the Lord's command is the authority of his servants. Without the Lord's command, his servants have no authority. Without the Lord's command, he has no servants. When one ceases to receive commands from the Lord, one ceases to be the Lord's servant.

Receipt of the continually flowing word of God is essential to increasing faith in the world, as the Lord continues.

The phrase "arm of the flesh" as used in the scriptures refers to the supposed authority, wisdom, or power of men who speak their own words and act in the absence of or in opposition to God's commands. Contrary to implying that a set of men possess God's power independent of his dictations to them, this section condemns those who suppose God has given his power to men and that there is any wisdom in hearkening to men whose words do not come from God and who replace God's commandments with their own.

Without faith, no man can please God. Without the word, no man can have faith. This is taught plainly by Joseph Smith in the "Lectures on Faith."

Note how God's word is necessary that his "everlasting covenant might be established." Joseph taught that "[God] set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them." Thus we see that, in order to be valid, ordinances must be dictated from the throne of God, through his angels, to man. God does not acknowledge ordinances created or modified by man for "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." And again, "I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing."

John the apostle taught that the power of God is found in his word and only in his word. Jesus, he taught, is the one and only mediator-the only being between us and our Father in heaven. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Nephi provided a second witness that he does not delegate this position to any other.

The Lord, in several cases, gives a commandment and then says, "whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil." Because "truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come," and because God is "the Spirit of truth," or the source of all truth available to us, "whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning." The words which God utters and are delivered to us are the rock. Words uttered by man are not the rock, but sand. They did not originate from the source of all truth. God will not own them, and in them is no power. The word of God can only lead to life, and the commandments of men can only lead to death. Therefore.

Let us build upon the rock.

Power in the Priesthood

"...where the word of a king is, there is power." - Ecclesiastes 8:4.

Priesthood is nothing more and nothing less than the power of God. When God delegates this power to a person or a group of people, it is through his word. John the Baptist was sent from God with a dispensation of God's word to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Joseph and Oliver received God's word, which empowered them to do certain things. Peter, James, and John were sent from God's presence to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. They transmitted to Joseph and Oliver God's word empowering them to do certain things. If Joseph or Oliver had assumed that God authorized them to do these certain things without God actually saying so, their administration would have been in vain. Likewise, if they had assumed more than what God's word had authorized them, or if they had modified the instructions they received, those actions done would have been without power. This is because God does not give his power autonomously to men. He instructs them in true principles, which are then available for the discharge of anyone who obtains those instructions in their correct form. He also, from time to time, authorizes specific actions to specific people. Sometimes that authorization expands beyond the person who receives it, as when he gave the Aaronic priesthood to Aaron and his seed after him.

Every scriptural example accords with this fact. In each case of an exercise of God's power, we find a man who received God's word empowering him to do so.

It is not enough to impersonate the actions of those to whom God has actually spoken. Consider what happened when the sons of Sceva attempted to work the miracles they had observed at the hands of Jesus' disciples. Their actions were emulations of the disciples, yet they had not received God's word to empower their works, as had the disciples.

Though the sons of Sceva invoked the name of Jesus, Jesus had not ordained a law whereby the devils would be subject to them. They exercised the same form as those who had a dispensation of God's word, but they had no power. Exercising forms without power is a sin every man should watch for. Joseph once observed Elders repeatedly administering to the sick without healing them. He remarked, "Let the Elders either obtain the power of God to heal the sick, or let them cease to administer the form without the power." In this light, we read the following scripture differently.

When you seek to obtain God's word and then receive it, you will obtained the power of God.

As the sons of Sceva learned, no miracles can be performed save God performs them.

It is impossible for a man to be an instrument in the hands of God without revelation to that end. The object of communication is the word of God. That's why we find so many declarations of the power of God being by his word. Mormon taught.

Nephi exclaimed that it is.

Nephi doesn't explain the priesthood as some institution divorced from God. In fact, he does quite the opposite. He describes the priesthood as being the manifestation of the living link between the throne of heaven and a man on the footstool of earth, a link consisting of the word of God. He warned us not to think that God had given his authority to man and removed himself from the process of exercising his power.

If Nephi's witness is still insufficient, we have God's witness that it is "...at my command the heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire."

Priesthood is not a permission slip that entitles the holder to do what he will with minimal or no interaction from God. We should take Nephi as an authority. We would be hard pressed to find any who manifested as much priesthood power as Nephi. His brother, who had seen Christ and wasn't a whit behind Nephi, echoed the same doctrine. Jacob says God created man and the earth "by the power of his word."

This is why Nephi pegged any of his priestly works as being predicated upon God's command.

Brigham Young taught similarly that priesthood power is to be found only in the dictations of God to men.

Not even Jesus Christ was immune to this law. He was only empowered to do what the Father told him to do.

Teaching about the Savior, Brigham Young said.

and again.

Jesus could only do those things contained in Heavenly Father's word to him. If Jesus Christ is subject to this law, are any of us exempt?

And thus we see that no amount of priesthood ordination can ever give a man power to use God's power in a way other than which God has ordained. So priesthood is not a dispensation of power to man, but rather the result when man obtains and yields to the word of God. To illustrate the point, consider Mormon's soliloquy about the insubordination of men found in Helaman 12.

His words make it abundantly clear that all of God's creations save one-us-readily respond to his word. As opposed to the rest of creation, men have generally opted to use their agency against God's instructions. However, as we seek for God's word and yield to it, we will find ourselves necessitating the exercise of God's power to fulfill God's command. This is not the fulfillment of our vain desires, but, as Moses was given power over water that he might enable God's people to cross the sea, we will find ourselves doing God's work for God's purposes.

God's word is the mechanism of power in our universe. There is not a single true principle, law, movement, advancement, or joy in this world that did not come into being as a result of God's word. This is as true in spiritual settings as temporal. All temporal laws came into being by God's word. Through the medium of the spirit of God, which is in all things and through all things, temporal actions occur. When I hit a hammer with a nail, it is the spirit of God working with the temporal matter of the artifacts in play that causes the nail to drive into the wood. When I take a match to dry paper, it is the spirit of God acting through the medium of the match, the chemicals in the air, and the matter of the paper to ignite. Whenever you do anything in this world, you can correctly see it as matter obeying God's word as it has been given to it. Since the power of God is what actuates everything we do, it turns out that man cannot act at all without using some power God has given him. Acts as simple as taking a breath would be impossible without our bodies being sustained by the laws he has ordained by his word. As I type this page, I do so by taking advantage of the power he has given me to think, to breathe, and to move. We are quick to overlook that, in this non-trivial sense, everyone has some amount of priesthood: that portion of the power of God given to every man. This dispensation of power is bound by certain laws: I cannot jump 400 feet. I cannot avoid the effects of gravity. I cannot speak a foreign language I do not know.

However, our descriptions of priesthood generally focus on power given to God that breaks the rules that apply to the power he gives generally. An angel can jump 400 feet and defy gravity. God can, through the Holy Ghost, enable a man to speak a language he has not learned. Actions such as raising the dead, moving mountains, spontaneously communicating in an unknown tongue, closing the mouths of lions, healing the sick, and so on, like the rest, are controlled by God's word. He has not put these actions into man's power. Unlike the other things discussed, these actions were not instructed through his word at the creation to yield to man. They require a new dispensation of his word in order to take place. These permissions are no less bound by his law than the general powers granted to man. However, the law applies to an individual, and not to the general population. Moses could divide the waters. Aaron could not. Joseph received revelations from the heavens. Oliver did not.

Priesthood is nothing more and nothing less than the transmittance of God's word from his throne to an individual, empowering them to use that dispensed word to unlock normally locked experiences. "By the power of his word miracles [are] wrought," Mormon says. It is "by his word" that he commanded that "the heaven and the earth should be" and "by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth." And so we see the brother of Jared experiencing the miraculous because of what God had said to him.

We see the same with every man who received God's power. Enoch was given God's word which enabled him to conduct many of the actions that are locked by default from mankind.

The language of God-the words of God-is the authority of God. As described above, the individual receiving it acts on the same principle as the engineer works on the effect of gravity or the metallurgist works on the laws of thermodynamics.

It is of worth to note that there are uncommon experiences that are seen as supernatural that ought not be uncommon. In addition to ordaining his power to every man to do things like write or speak or breathe, God has also ordained that several actions-what we would call miracles-might be done without any further communication on his part. He has said this of those who believe.

Although the Lord does not say that every time they attempt these things they will be done (in fact he explicitly mentions at least one time when the sick will not be healed-when they are ordained to death), he does not condition any of these occasional miracles on priesthood. His word, in this case, has already been ordained to man, just as he doesn't need to reveal to a skydiver that he will fall out of the sky for him to be subject to gravity.

Since priesthood power is only to be found in the revelation of God's word, the Holy Ghost has a critical role in its exercise. First, the spirit of God that is in all things and through all things is the not only the source of the command that preceeds the action, but it is also the means by which the action takes effect. Christ demonstrated this principle when he healed those he could not see and who could not hear him simply by speaking. And thus we see that God's word is effective at any distance.

Beyond the exercise of the priesthood, the Holy Ghost has a critical role even in the conferral of priesthood. We are told in several locations in scripture that priesthood was ordained "by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in" those who conferred it.

In conclusion, we must admit that Joseph knew what he was doing when he said: "The Savior has the words of eternal life. Nothing else can profit us. A man can do nothing for himself unless God direct him in the right way; and the Priesthood is for that purpose."

God's Name in Vain

"Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm top and reed, in a single day; the elders or notables are the head, the prophets who teach falsehoods, the tail. The leaders of these people have misled them, and those who are led are confused." - Isaiah 9:14-16.

Ancient Israel was plagued by false prophets and false elders. Heeding their lying words is what led to the loss of God's blessings among them. Just as heeding the word of God leads to him, heeding the words of men and devils leads away from God. Israel never learned how to differentiate between the word of God and the word of men. Surely, there is a difference. The words of God emanate from God's throne and carry with them power. The words of men are hollow. They not only do not lead a man to eternal life, but they often distract him with performances that keep him from seeking and keeping God's word.

The devil tempts men as far as he can. When he can't get men to commit grave sins, he tries to convince them to spend their time in benign pursuits to keep them away from those things that will save them. Jesus taught plainly and frequently against the commandments of men, noting that they almost always prevent the observer from approaching God.

Those who honor the commandments of men honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. Those who are most righteous according to the law of men are almost always the furthest from God. Exceptions, of course, exist, such as Paul when he was known as Saul, who was.

By and large, however, these men are forced to set aside God's commandments in order to obey the contradictory commandments of men.

The commandments of men come from false messengers-those who pretend to be sent from God but have not been given his words to speak, "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God:" For example, the pretended prophets in Jeremiah's day prophesied against the truth-that God was angry with the people-and instead preached what they wanted to hear. "Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they proph-esy a lie unto you." This is a hallmark of the fodder of false prophets. They preach that all is well in Zion. If all were well in Zion, the Lord would frequently appear to all citizens of Zion. It's a self-evident situation. Instead, false prophets must announce that all is well in Zion in order to assuage the fears of the people, who are surrounded by evidences of God's displeasure. God's words are almost always a call to repentance, and his true messengers deliver these words, which are hardly ever well-received and never pleasing to the world. Samuel the Lamanite preached how we have a tendency to reject true prophets' hard messages.

According to Samuel the Lamanite, we not only are prone to reject true prophets, but we throw treasure and glory to false prophets who satisfy our vanity and sinful desires by telling us how great we are.

False prophets have not been given the true word of God, so they must preach something else to the people. Many times, their substituted message is whatever the people want to hear. Vain men want to dictate to God what message he has for them. However, it doesn't work that way, as evidenced with Balak, who wanted Balaam, a prophet, to prophesy good things for his people against God's will. "And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak." Other times, instead of preaching the powerful word of God, which can be pleasing but is hardly entertaining, they preach entertaining fables and stories. Nephi quoted Isaiah's account of how the false prophets were channeling familiar spirits instead of preaching God's word.

False prophets will resort to any text to avoid speaking of the law and the testimony-God's word through scripture and personal experience-because they do not know the scriptures and have not had personal experiences with God.

It is a mistake to assume that all false prophets are wicked liars. Many are, in fact, well-intentioned. These teach words which they assume are God's through accepting the false traditions of their fathers without establishing a relationship with God themselves in order to expose them as such. These are just as detrimental to the people as those who are liars, despite the fact that their motives are good, because the end result for the people is the same-damnation. Mormon had strong words for such.

The Lord himself said this about those who ignore God's word.

You cannot be saved in ignorance. Without the living water of God's word, the vine withers and dies. Brigham Young taught that the only way to counteract false traditions is to get revelation about it and assume ourselves fools before God.

Such an approach is sure to earn the wrath of the masses, who would rather keep their hope in the false traditions of their fathers.

Taking a position of devotion to God's word is always an unpopular move. Through the scriptures we encounter individuals who were always alone: hiding in caves, living in the wilderness, or hunted from place to place because they refused to hearken to the commandments of men. They were cast into fiery furnaces, thrown into dens of lions, kicked out of the synagogue, and stoned for the sake of holding to God's word despite contrary popular opinion.

Joseph, who himself died because he refused to recant God's unpopular word, said.

Yet, despite the guarantee of rejection from the world, believers are commanded to fear God more than men: "For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words."

Preaching the commandments of men, we learn from Joseph, happens as much in modern times as it did anciently, and is just as much of an abomination in God's sight as it ever was.

God said that this condition of apostasy-as all apostasy-occurred because men took his word lightly, hearkening unto their own thoughts and opinions instead of seeking to live by what God had told them, which he has commanded us to obey word for word: "For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God." He gave a witness that the time Joseph Smith was raised up would be a time when men would esteem his words as naught.

Ignoring God's word results in a lack of power, because God's word is the vehicle for his power. Without God's word, there is none of God's power.

Note that God considers the claim of his power when his word is not present to be taking his name in vain. Vanity means something without effect. When we invent words that we claim came from God, they are powerless. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Jesus said that everything in this world that is not by his name shall be thrown down and destroyed. This includes all things that are established by using his name in vain.

Though the details are outside the scope of this book, it is worth noting that thrones, principalities, and powers refer to classes of angels. Do you realize what God is saying here? Not even angels are authorized to speak outside of what God tells them. If they do, it is of naught. If angels have the capacity to speak words other than God's words, how much more so men? As God said, "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."

God said that acting with the forms but without the power is a sin that has occurred in our day: In our search for the word of God, we have to be constantly on the lookout for the commandments of men. The Lord taught us to do so by asking God that we might know the source of what we hear.

And again.

Yet, we are promised again and again that if we keep his word, his words will abide in us, and we will be given power to do what he says. "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Note that the individual's oneness with God ("abide in me") and the presence of God's word to that individual are prerequisites to "asking what ye will" and having it done, which necessarily limits "what ye will" by what is God's will, which is always manifest by his word. We see this explicitly in Moroni 7:33: "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."

Anxiously Engaged

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;" - D&C 58:27.

The Lord said, "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward." We are told that we are independent agents and we ought to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause" of our "own free will" to "bring to pass much righteousness." That notion, in and of itself, is correct. However, far too many seek to implement it by leaving God out of the equation. They interpret the Lord's instruction to mean that we ought to have two parallel channels of action: One channel where we consistently await any impromptu revelation to do good, and one channel where we go about doing what we think we ought to do to bring to pass much righteousness.

This is not the intent of the scripture, and following this path will always lead to far fewer interactions with heaven than God would have us receive.

God is not telling us that we ought not to seek to be dictated in all things. Those who do not desire more of God's direction in life are those of whom Nephi spoke when he said, "Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!" What he is saying is that we should not rely on his impromptu revelations to guide us in all things. Those who do so are slothful. Rather, life is not a passive existence, and we ought to seek out God and be proactive in seeking his guidance. Nephi taught.

This is hardly a message to go about doing things without involving God. We ought to be observing the world, seeking to do good, and asking him all sorts of questions to know the best way to go about it. The Lord told us that "all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;" Moroni said, "see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God." How can we do something in the name of Christ if Christ has not told us to do it? Asking him, it turns out, is a key to receiving God's word for us: Personal revelation to dictate us in all things.

The holy men of the scriptures are great examples of this principle. They sought revelation on what to do, and they followed it in God's power, having received his word. Joseph Smith said, Abraham was guided in all his family affairs by the Lord; was conversed with by angels, and by the Lord; was told where to go, and when to stop; and prospered exceedingly in all that he put his hand unto; it was because he and his family obeyed the counsel of the Lord. (TPJS, pp. 252-253)

If father Abraham was guided in all his affairs, including the temporal ones, ought we not to seek the same? Was Jesus Christ himself not commanded in all things? He said.

Brigham Young frequently preached that we ought to seek revelation from God that we may be dictated in all matters. On one occasion, he taught.

Seeking to be dictated is much more than a passive waiting process. Isaiah wrote "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." The promise here is that if you are already moving, God will speak to you and guide your paths. The sons of Mosiah lived this principle when they decided to go serve a mission among the Lamanites. The confirmation from God for their trip did not come until they were already many days into their journey.

The best example of what it means is given to us by the Savior. In the premortal councils, he did not wait for the Father to announce a plan. He suggested one that best fit what he under-stood about the Father's will and character. The Father accepted it, dispensing his word to empower Christ to accomplish it. Obedience is not just agreeing to what God tells us. It means actively searching-with all our faculties-to learn God's will, while seeking his word on it prior to our accomplishing it.

Faith on His Word

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17.

What is faith? It is nothing more and nothing less than receiving God's word and acting in full belief that it is true. This definition expands our understanding of events as laid out in the scriptures as examples of faith. Moroni teaches us that "it is by faith that miracles are wrought," since without a dispensation of God's word, God's power is not present, and it is God's power that works miracles. He continues by saying that "it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men," "For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness." Noah received God's word that a flood was coming. He believed God, and acted on the instructions he received to build the ark.

It was by faith that "Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come." He knew of those things to come because God had told him, and he believed God that they would actually happen. The miraculous appearance to the brother of Jared came first by God giving him his word and second by the brother of Jared believing it.

Holy men of all times have worked miracles by faith, first obtaining God's word to them authorizing them to do certain things, and second acting in belief that God was true to his word.

Finally, and most important, it is by faith in Christ's name that men are saved and become sons of God. This is because the pathway to salvation consists of God's word (his commandments or instructions), which the voyager must seek and heed in order to obtain divine sonship and redemption from the fall. To sum up: "Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the Spirit of prophecy and revelation."

What isn't faith? You cannot have faith in something that isn't God's word. As an example of this, in Lecture 2 of "Lectures on Faith," Joseph teaches the difference between Abel's sacrifice, which God accepted, and Cain's sacrifice, which he did not. Both Abel and Cain were taught by God how to make sacrifices (see TPJS, p. 58). However, Cain decided to modify the instructions he received. Instead of sacrificing an animal, he sacrificed crops. God did not accept this sacrifice which he had not ordained. Cain changed the ordinance, and it was not acceptable to God. "Without faith no man pleaseth God;" Without God's word to you, and your belief in it to heed it, you cannot please God. If any part of that equation is changed, the connection with God is broken. If you do not receive God's word, or if you change what he has told you, or if you don't believe what he has told you, or if you don't do what he told you, you cannot have faith.

It is not possible to have faith in a false principle. You can only obtain a blessing by obeying the law it is predicated upon. Is there no blessing for those who are zealous about what they have been beguiled to think is God's word, but is truly the word of man? They are always given an opportunity to accept the truth as a result of their zealousness for what they believe is God's word. Consider some proofs from the scriptures. We read of Alma Jr., who went about convincing church members to fight against the church. If the angel of repentance visited Alma Jr. as a result of the prayers of Alma Sr. and the congregation, we would expect this sort of thing to occur anytime a righteous parent and their congregation prays for a wayward soul-after all, God is no respecter of persons. Because we don't see that, we should look for another cause. Alma Jr., like Saul of old, was doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons. Saul (later Paul) boasted that he was perfect with respect to the law of Moses.

Paul and Alma Jr. were doing the best they could with the light that they had. Still, they could not have faith in false principles. Saul could not have faith in the stoning of Stephen according to the law of Moses, for it was, in that instance, a false principle. Alma Jr. could not have faith in turning his friends away from the gospel of Christ. However, God mercifully recognized their zeal. They were honest men, although wicked. He condescended to provide further light to them, in both cases sending heavenly messengers to provide extra light and truth.

Interestingly, we do not know whether Abel and Cain were taught directly by God how to make sacrifices, or (more likely) if Adam was taught by an angel, and Adam taught Cain and Abel. If this latter arrangement is correct, it gives us an example of how God's revealed word stays in force as long as men follow it. In other words, the sacrifice of Abel was just as recognized as Adam's sacrifice, because he had not changed the ordinance. It was no Cain's lack of authority that invalidated his sacrifice, but his deviation from the revealed ordinance. This is reminiscent of an event that occurs many years later.

God tells Alma.

Do you realize what things Alma did based alone on the words (the knowledge he received) from Abinadi? These include extensive teaching, baptizing, and forming a church.

The word of God was revealed to Abinadi and preached to Alma (once). Then Abinadi was killed. Even though Abinadi was dead, God's word which had been given to Alma through Abinadi was just as valid as if Abinadi had been alive. According to God, Abinadi's words delivered to the priests (including Alma) were God's words and the source of all of Alma's preaching, teaching, baptizing, and church formation. It was sufficient and valid. Alma did not need a new dispensation of God's word in order to preach, teach, baptize, or even form a church. What God gave him through Abinadi was enough for all of that. He had faith in God by hearing God's word through Abinadi and believing it. "Behold, I can tell you-did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?"

Another example of faith on God's word is found in the sons of Helaman, who were miraculously protected from the Lamanite armies. Since a miracle was performed, and since miracles only occur through faith, and since faith is receiving God's word and acting in belief on it, we can search the story for when these boys received God's word. We find the answer in their mothers. The miracle occurred because.

The miracle would not have occurred if the mothers had said whatever they pleased-if they had made up these words. The author would not have cited this as an example of faith unless God's word predicated the event. And so these mothers obtained a promise from God for the protection of their boys, just as King Mosiah had for his sons. Following the commands of Helaman with exactness would not have bought them anything had God not proclaimed this as a precondition for their blessing. The word of God produced faith for the sons of Helaman despite the time and space that separated the young men from the promise that God gave to their mothers.

Faith is not bound by time nor space. Alma attained power from God to baptize and start a church based on the word of God through Abinadi, who was then dead. Likewise, Abel was able to practice sacrifice through the instructions of his father, who wasn't around when he did it (which we assume since he certainly was not around for Cain's sacrifice, as he would have forestalled it).

Additionally, we see that all men who are saved are saved because they believed the words of prophets, most of whom are dead, who prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord.

The validity of the word of God preached through those dead prophets has nothing to do at all with their life or death. It has everything to do with whether their words were from God or not. God's words never fail. The conditions of salvation never change. A man today who listens to the principles upon which Abraham was saved will find himself with the salvation of Abraham. And, should he choose to remove from, add to, or transfigure the word of God, he will find himself without the salvation of Abraham.

A Fullness of His Word

"...all thy words will I justify..." - Moses 6:34.

From time to time throughout the history of the earth, men have lived to whom God has given the fullness of the priesthood. One such man was Enoch. To him God said.

In God's word to Enoch, we can dispel several common misconceptions about the fullness. First, God does not give his power to men with no strings attached. It is not a delegation of his power. Instead, as we see above, the qualification for this blessing is that his Spirit (his word, his light, his truth) are upon Enoch. Enoch has absorbed the words of God to such a degree that his words are like unto God's. For that reason, God is able to announce that creation will respond to Enoch as it responds to God. As God dwells in Enoch through the dispensation of his word to Enoch's soul, Enoch dwells in God through the same mechanism. Both personages are tied to each other through the word of God, which they both have absorbed into themselves and heeded to the point of it being the sole actuating force of them both.

God gives us another example of the requirement for the recipient to have sought, obtained, and absorbed the word of God into his very being in the person of Nephi, son of Helaman. He tells Nephi, "all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will." As with Enoch, God indicates that Nephi has obtained and absorbed enough of God's word that his personality and character have come to be like Christ's. Therefore, he will not ask for that which is contrary to the nature and will of God. Even when God gives his word to someone conveying the fullness of the priesthood, there is no blank check of authority transmitted. We see this over and over again with characters to whom God gives a fullness: they still pray and ask God what to do.

They are still subject to his will. Not by force, but because they choose to be. Their power is not autonomous. It is always derived from God through his word, and is always subject to his word and his law.

We may wonder how to obtain this blessing. Jesus taught us how. He said that all who consistently seek and heed his word will also attain the character of God and will be given the fullness. "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." This pattern is further explained in D&C 84.

This description invites us to continually seek and heed the word of God, which is the voice of the Spirit, which is light and truth. All those who do this come to Christ and the Father. This is the process by which the fullness is received.

The fullness is not an object that can be received, wielded according to the desires of the recipient, and passed to whoever the recipient desires. The only way the fullness can be received is through seeking, obtaining, and heeding the words of God until they become a part of you sufficient to change your very nature. No man can force you to attain the character of God. Not even God will force you to do that. Only the individual has the power to create the environment for this heavenly experience to occur. It is not externally governed. It is an internal process that is punctuated by recognition from heaven via a special dispensation of God's word.

Covenants are nothing more nor less than God giving promises-his word-to men. God's promise to Nephi and to Enoch were covenants with them. We find no one in scripture-not one individual-who exercised the powers God gave to Enoch without them first having the same experience with God that Enoch had.

Joseph said.

Because we cannot dictate the words of God, we cannot initiate a covenant. We can, however, respond to God's invitation to live a certain way, and by so doing come to the point where he makes a covenant with us by declaring his word to us.

God restored the priesthood through Joseph Smith. He did so in two ways: first, he restored to Joseph the authority to ordain to the lower and higher priesthoods. These priesthoods authorize the bearer to organize churches, baptize, etc, but they do not automatically bring you back into the presence of God. For this reason, the second more important restoration of the priesthood through Joseph was the restoration of the knowledge of the covenants God has made with his children. Consider that every account we have of the fullness of the priesthood being conferred from God occurs in scriptures restored by (in the case of the Pearl of Great Price and the Bible translation) or delivered through (in the case of the D&C) Joseph Smith. These covenants are exceedingly important. They are what differentiate our church from the greater restoration movement that was pervasive in Joseph's day.

The Campbellite Christianity of 1830 Kirtland sought to restore the New Testament doctrines of faith, repentance, and baptism. When Joseph arrived, he offered something different. Joseph was not restoring the New Testament church-his mission was to restore the covenant of God with Israel, which covenant was not that a certain genealogical lineage had hope for eternal life, but that God would make a covenant of eternal life with all those who obtained and lived by God's word to them. As God said, "I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment-that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord." Interestingly, the Campbellites did not believe that the Holy Ghost was an essential element of salvation. However, it is impossible to receive revelation-and thus covenants-by any other means.

Through Joseph's instrumentality, God restored to us a knowledge of the many covenants he has made with the fathers-those saved beings who sought for and obtained promises on our behalf.

With Noah, God covenanted that Zion would come again as soon as men kept his commandments.

To Joseph of Egypt, God promised that he would raise up a righteous branch from his loins and that Moses would deliver that branch both in the former day and (by another figure like Moses) in the latter day.

Through Joseph Smith, we are told of the promise God made to Melchizedek that would apply equally to all who received a fullness of the priesthood, showing not only the manner in which it is received, but the powers conveyed upon receipt.

We learn, through Joseph, of the covenant God made with Abraham promising him posterity and priesthood.

In the Book of Mormon, translated by Joseph, we find many of God's promises to the seed of Lehi. Truly Joseph was an instrument for restoring God's covenants.

Our status as a covenant people is a lot more tenuous than we would like to believe. Paul taught plainly that status as children of the covenant God made with Abraham means that we have exercised faith in Jesus: we have obtained the word of Christ and we have lived the word of Christ.

Nephi stresses this same teaching: covenant status is available to all who will repent.

And again.

Over and over we are taught how straightforward the process of becoming Israel is. However, we are also taught plainly that we can choose to reject our opportunity to become a covenant people. Paul tried to convince the Hebrews that their covenant status was not guaranteed to continue despite their wickedness. He said.

Paul taught that it was the root (the covenant connection to God through his word) that empowered the blessings of the people, not the branch (the people themselves). Paul's discourse conveys the same ideas as Jacob 5, which describes the constant process of tying in people to covenant blessings, and removing people from those blessings because of their failure to engender the works of righteousness despite the opportunity for a connection with heaven.

In our day, we choose whether we will accept the words of God, and allow ourselves to thus be grafted into the true vine, and bear choice fruit, or whether we will cut ourselves off from the true vine by stifling or refusing God's word.

Always More Word

"...for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease." - Moses 1:4.

In our struggle to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is a constant temptation to "stick to the basics." After all, everyone struggles from time to time with those basics. Some, in fact, may be tempted to think that we have already been taught everything needed for salvation. What need is there for something more? That this attitude is antithetical to the gospel is evident in Nephi's declaration: "Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!"

An examination of the scriptures makes clear that we do not, in fact, have everything needed for salvation. This is due to the fact that salvation cannot be offered congregationally. It always requires a personal link to God, and is predicated upon personal revelation and heed of God's word to the individual.

The capstone of Nephi's teaching of faith, repentance, and baptism by water and fire is given in the end of his portion of the Book of Mormon. He says.

If faith, repentence, and baptism were sufficient to save us, then why are we told that it is the Holy Ghost's individual teachings that will tell us what we should do? If we already know about faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism by water and fire, then what else is there to learn? Nephi is telling us that God has a lot to teach us that can only be received through the medium of individual revelation-through the Holy Ghost. Expanded personal knowledge of the doctrines of Christ are not the exception to but in fact are the very path to salvation.

Thus, receiving more of God's word is the key to gaining knowledge which, in turn, is the key to salvation. Consequently, he said, "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." If the mysteries of God are simply tenets of doctrine that are yet unknown to the individual, and if an individual cannot be saved in ignorance, how important it is for us to seek God to learn his mysteries!

The mysteries of God-also known as the "peaceable things of the kingdom," the mysteries of God, things which cannot be written, greater things, things known by the Spirit, etc-are all the things that can be learned only directly from God. They are, in essence, the knowledge communicated to man every time God gives a dispensation of his word to an individual. Paul said these things can only be learned by the Spirit.

Mystery, as it is used in the scriptures, simply means anything which remains unknown to an individual. Brigham Young said, "In reality, however, there is no such thing as a mystery but to the ignorant." In other words, what makes these items a mystery is not that they are unknowable, but simply that someone somewhere does not know them. Clearly, God can reveal anything to you, andwhen he does, whatever he reveals ceases to be a mystery to you. At the same time, if he does not reveal that knowledge to me, it continues to be a mystery to me. There is nothing that God knows that he will not reveal to a person who seeks to know it just as soon as they are ready. "God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them." There is nothing off limits. God taught very clearly that.

So we see that what you can know in this life has nothing to do with your natural level of spirituality or the church office you may attain in this life, but everything to do with your diligence and obedience to that portion of the word of God that you have already received. God is no respecter of persons. Because of this, we should expect every person on this earth can know things that very few, if any, other people know.

It should not be a rare event that certain men know things that other men do not. In fact, God promises it as a function of the Melchizedek priesthood. Therefore, everyone with the higher priesthood ought to know mysteries.

God even promises the knowledge of mysteries to those without the priesthood. Here he says that all the penitent will receive mysteries that have never before been revealed, and that it will be their function and office to share those with others.

Because not everyone is equally penitent, we ought to expect variation in who knows what mysteries from God. We ought to expect that these mysteries are being revealed, not according to church office, but according to the humility and diligence and obedience of the individual. Humility is a real concern. Pride is when individuals insist that they know more about a subject than God does. You can always pinpoint these people from their conversation: "God would never..." or "that's not possible." Joseph wisely said, "I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief." He said that when we box up God to our preconceptions, we limit what he can reveal to us, damning ourselves in the process.

Who is most likely to box God up in preconcieved notions? Who is least likely? Amongst the latter we ought to expect greater knowledge of the mysteries. Thus, we read that God.

And how are these mysteries made known to men? Always by a dispensation of God's word, e.g. revelation.

And again.

The word of God is a fitting application for the parable of the talents told by Jesus. Each servant receives some stewardship of the word of God-his mysteries. Some bury theirs in the earth. They teach no one, they ponder not on what they've been taught, they simply ignore it. Some use what they have, exchange it with others, and obtain more to a greater or lesser degree. It is to those who use what they have and gain the most besides that the Master rewards most amply.

This same lesson is repeated in the Book of Mormon. "And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." This blessing is not received by those who claim they already have enough of God's word, and have no need or desire to learn his mysteries. God's mysteries are not some esoteric trivia about the orbit of Kolob. They are the explanation of exactly what happened in Gethsamane; they are glimpses of Jesus' life not contained in the New Testament; they are a more useful understanding of the details of certain commandments, and so on-all of which are essential for salvation. All of these mysteries are part of the codex of heaven-that which is necessary to learn in order to know God.

Our reluctance to know God is explained in some cases by a false understanding of spiritual truth. Any man will readily admit that there is enough to learn about temporal subjects that it is doubtful that any one man can know everything there is to know about a certain topic. However, we glumly assume that we can somehow master the science of God-which subsumes all temporal subjects-with one day per week of casual study. This is hardly convincing.

So how do we move away from hiding the mysteries in a napkin and toward the wise and faithful steward? Brigham Young said, "Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Those that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts." We certainly will not get to the mysteries by repeating the basics. What I am proposing is not a question of topics, mind you, but depth. There is enough to know about faith that an entire life could be consumed learning about it without reaching an end of the topic. Questions always precede instruction. A mystery is rarely revealed until after you realize you don't know it. This because God usually spends his time revealing to us the answers to our questions, and what question will you have if you feel you know everything there is to know about something? God commands us to ask questions, specifically about his mysteries.

And again.

The Lord told Oliver Cowdery, "if thou wilt inquire, thou shalt know mysteries which are great and marvelous." We have to have questions, and we have to petition the Lord through prayer and our own study for answers to those questions. The Lord said, "If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things-that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal." One scriptural example of this process is Alma, who wanted to know more about the resurrection of the dead. Said he to his son, "I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know-that is concerning the resurrection." Perhaps we will come up with questions to ask on our own. If not, the Spirit will prompt us to ask the right questions. Studying the questions which prompted the revelations received by scriptural personalities and modern church figures will help us to learn what to ask. Studying examples of mysteries being explained in the scriptures will further our understanding of what sorts of things will be revealed to us. For example, in D&C 19, the Lord explains the mystery of his suffering in Gethsamane and the torment of the damned.

The scriptures can be a tremendous source of questions. If we trust in what others have said about certain verses, we will not have questions. However, if we toss what others have said out the window, and engage in a lively internal debate over what certain verses do or don't mean, we will find the scriptures to contain a lot more information than we previously thought. Bruce McConkie said, "Each pronouncement in the holy scriptures...is so written as to reveal little or much, depending on the spiritual capacity of the student." Another mystery-killing tendency is to automatically skip over passages or phrases that do not make sense. Neal Maxwell said, "Those doctrines which may seem the most puzzling or the least attractive may well be those now most needed by us." With few exceptions, it is all in there for a reason.

If we don't get it, or don't get why the passage was included since, in our estimation, the passage doesn't have much worth, we ought to pause and pray and go over it again. Joseph Smith said.

Questioning is how we obtain the word of God, and questioning is, therefore, the key to increasing one's faith. Remember that it was Laman and Lemuel who refused to ask questions about their father's new found religious fervor. Their implicit trust in their father was insufficient to guide them through hard times. Nephi, however, asked God. He questioned.

When we make the effort to set aside our preconceived notions about what the word of God says and does not say, we will find new gems every time we read. The unbiased eyes of a convert automatically read the scriptures literally, which is how Joseph said they were intended to be read. The scriptures are full of mysteries hidden in plain sight. For example, the doctrine of the Second Comforter, a doctrine that is treated as secret by some, sacred by others, and non-existent by still others, jumps from the pages of all the standard works when we read the verses plainly. This is why Book of Mormon personalities said that the brass plates helped them to know the mysteries of God.

Plain reading of God's word also dispels the negative effects of the false traditions we inherit from whatever culture we live in.

The men of God in the Book of Mormon were not bashful about God's mysteries. As indicated in the preceding quotes, it is obvious that they considered one of the prime reasons for the scriptures to be the revelation of God's mysteries to the reader. These men, like King Benjamin, frequently attempted to teach these mysteries to the audiences of their sermons.

Alma likewise taught the mysteries of God.

Joseph did the same, as do all men of God.

To these men, mysteries were not arbitrary trivia, but better understood doctrine, applicable to real life. King Benjamin would have considered his nugget about being in the service of your fellowman as service to your God a mystery. Clearly, that is a useful thing to know. Clearly, it brings us closer to Christ to practice that tenet. If we believe in a God whose words never cease, we ought to never run out of novel material to preach and teach about him, because he is always telling us something we didn't know before.

Our eventual return to the presence of God is incumbent upon our ability to receive and remain true to a greater portion of God's word direct from the heavens.

This private dispensation of God's word always begins through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Eventually, however, if we remain true to what God teaches us via the First Comforter, the Holy Ghost, he will send us the Second Comforter, the presence of Christ.

The Book of Mormon contains several occurrences when Jesus fulfills the process Nephi is describing. He appears to men and teaches them things not contained in the scriptures. These are the teachings that Mormon was about to write in 3 Nephi 26:9-12, but was forbidden. These are the things that the brother of Jared saw in Ether 3:21-22 and Ether 4:1, but was forbidden to write. These teachings are described in the scriptures as "unlawful to utter." These things include, but are not limited to, a vision of all things to the end of the world, and were seen by Nephi, John, the brother of Jared., and Joseph Smith.

Joseph explained this knowledge conveyed through the Second Comforter's visit thus.

We must have a desire to know the mysteries of God.

Nephi enjoyed many visions and revelations. Before the visions came he had "great desires to know of the mysteries of God" One reason to desire to know the mysteries of God is to gain eternal life, for a knowledge of God's mysteries are essential to eternal life. "Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich."

Besides having a desire, asking and seeking, we must be steadfast in keeping the commandments, including those "custom commandments" which the Lord has given us through revelation. These are they whom God delights to honor with further light and truth.

And again, "But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life." The key to obtaining the mysteries of God is heeding the word of God which you have already received, and seeking more.

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.

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." 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 living 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. 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. God's unity is only achieved when men freely adopt the same fount of truth; when they choose to obey God.

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.

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.

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.

And again.

And again.

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

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.

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." Seeking and heeding his word brings us closer to Him because it makes us one with him.

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."

God told Alma that his church was composed of "he that will hear my voice." 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.

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.

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.

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." If all men took the word of God as their guide, we would have unity indeed.

Like Unto Moses

"Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things." - 1 Nephi 15:25.

1 Nephi 17 provides a case study to the importance of seeking, obtaining, and following God's word.

The chapter begins describing their sojourn in the wilderness.

Note that Nephi is explicit in identifying that their journey in the wilderness was prescribed by God's word. It is also interesting that the presence of God's power is completely linked to the accomplishment of his command. In other words, one might wonder, would God had given them nourishment, strength, and means if they were not in the process of fulfilling his instructions? So often we consider "keeping the commandments" as a sidebar status to everyday life-an addendum to business as usual. If we are maintaining the Lord's standards, he will infuse his blessings and power into our life, with our being emphasized. This is not how it works. Nephi had to seek for God to dictate instruction to him. Then, he sought to live the instruction. Power was not infused into Nephi's life-Nephi course corrected his life into the stream of God's work, where his power dwells.

Nephi is given instruction here without even asking. By following it, he receives more. Light cleaves to light. Instruction to instruction. What if Nephi had ignored this invitation to go to the mountain? He surely would not have had the following experience. The word of the Lord is always dispensed in waves, with greater light and truth given to those who heed the previous instructions.

Again we see that the proportion of revelation handily increases as individuals shift into the Lord's service. By following a simple and brief instruction to go pray, Nephi received great instruction to build a ship and had the opportunity to ask God questions about the task he had been given and receive a response. It it interesting to consider whether Nephi would have been so readily answered by the Lord in his prayers if he had shirked the Lord's invitation to accept a special mission. In other words, it is almost surely the case that Nephi's prayers while on the Lord's errand were much more conversational with the Lord than those while on his own errand. And so it is.

And thus we see the implicit passage of time in these verses. God can reveal tremendous things to a person, and then stay mostly quiet for a long time. We are given enough instructions to keep us moving forward, and there really isn't much need of follow up until we have accomplished what he has told us to do.

There is opposition in all things. The opposition to the mission Nephi had been given came, notably, after much time had passed from when Nephi received God's word on the subject. When we are first told something by God, it is the most important thing in our mind. However, with the passage of time, it can be choked out by the cares of the world. As Jesus taught, "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." This is why it is always a good idea to keep a journal of the Lord's dealings with you.

When we are tried in our faithfulness to God's instruction to us, we are apt to recognize our own weakness and inadequacy to the assigned task. However, like Nephi, we will gain strength in the Lord when we consider and remember the examples of God's servants before us, who, notwithstanding their weakness, were made strong inasmuch as they humbled themselves and did what God told them to do.

Would Nephi have received God's power of protection if his brothers were not about to attempt to kill him? Suppose his sermon on remembering their fathers had been successful. Would there have been a need? God's power is always reserved for God's purposes. It is not to be used, even by those who have it, haphazardly.

In perhaps the best explanation of priesthood power, Nephi explains that a person encounters God's power when that person encounter's God's invitation. Whatever the individual is asked to do, he receives power to do.

Whereas God's voice is absent from this encounter from the moment of rebellion until now, God now intercedes to instruct Nephi on how he will be merciful to them and how he will exercise his power on Nephi's behalf. It is interesting that God allows Nephi to say and do what he has done to this point based upon his knowledge of the mind and will of God.

The Words of Eternal Life

"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." - John 6:68.

The Lord Jesus Christ has been empowered by the Father to seal individuals up to eternal life. This process is called having your calling and election made sure. Peter was, in one sense, referring to the Savior's promise of eternal life when he said that the Savior had the words of eternal life. That his statement is also true in a broader sense is evident when you consider that the only way an individual obtains and fulfills that promise is by following the other words of Christ. The Lord said that "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

The Lord revealed to us the process of obtaining the words of eternal life.

The Father is the one who possesses the words of eternal life. That collection of his word is delivered through Jesus Christ (and optionally through angels and men) to us line upon line to the degree that we receive it. As we infuse those words into our spirit by receiving them, and then subdue our bodies to obey them, we rise to another plane of existence. When followed to the end, this process always ends with eternal life.

The word of God is not a divine quote book of things that God happens to have said by chance. The course of God is one eternal round. What does this mean? Our phase of the plan of salvation, beginning with the fall of Adam and ending with Christ turning over the subdued creation to Heavenly Father, is a set of circumstances that can be viewed as a station in an automated factory. Every widget that comes across the belt is subjected to the same exact process. In this case, the robot is God, and the current Heavenly Father will be replaced by his successor, Jesus Christ, at the end of this round, who will do exactly what his Father did before him. Consider the following verses. "Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever." Why is "he" the same today, yesterday, and forever? Well, whoever is in his role does the same thing in our course (our phase of the plan of salvation) without deviation. There is no other way to bring matter in a pre-existent state of organization to matter in the state of exaltation. As we are told, the plan is pre-defined.

And again.

Nephi explains this process duplisitically.

Nephi's reasoning fits ancient times of old in the earthy scope as well as pre-existent times, and times to come on earth as well as times to come after earth.

The ascent of Gods is iterative. Each iteration of what we know as the creation is the same. Jesus said that "...the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." Joseph, remarking about this verse, said.

So the Son treads the path of the Father. This is why Jesus could be told everything he would have to do as the Savior. This is how Satan knew ahead of time that Adam and Eve had to partake of the fruit as "on other worlds." Having proven that future iterations are repetitive, we must still show that past ones were as well. Abraham wrote.

Commenting on this verse, Joseph remarked.

He explained.

This is why the Lord's course is one eternal round.

With this definition of "one eternal round" in mind, it becomes clear that the word of God is a finite set of words that compose God's law in our present scope of existence. They are not only non-arbitrary, but they are pre-defined, like an instruction manual for this phase of the creation. The words that the Father speaks and that the son is given to speak are exactly the same in every iteration of creation. This is why Joseph could speak of the revelations being a "transcript from the records of the eternal world." The record of the eternal world is the codex of the word of God for our phase of this iteration of creation. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost is the record of heaven. God's word to us consists of excerpts from that record.

Besides the scriptural references to the eternal round, we have another evidence for the heavenly codex concept in a teaching from Joseph Smith. He taught that God had the foreknowledge to know exactly what to reveal to men.

A strong witness to this principle is found in observations about the words of both angels and prophets. We find that angels, whenever they appear, speak scripture. Why is that? Why does God choose to repeat himself? Why does Christ himself quote scripture when he appears, as he did to Joseph, the Nephites, and all through his mortal ministry to the Jews? It is because the scriptures are not the work of the writers. Inasmuch as they are the word of God, they are merely quotes from the record of heaven. In other words, Jesus, angels, and prophets are all citing the same "book." For this reason, we get almost identical scriptures given by prophets who never interacted with each other. Jesus gives the same sermon to both the Jews and the Nephites. Micah and Isaiah speak of the "mountain of the Lord's house." Mormon and Paul give almost the exact same observations about faith. This pattern goes on and on.

Opponents would claim that these scriptures are examples of plagiarism. They are right, but not in the way they intend. The words are all taken from the same source-the record of heaven.

The idea that God's word consists of an explicit codex that is the same from eternal round to eternal round and consists of everything necessary for salvation ought to give us pause. It ought to add to the significance of what God has already said to us, say, in the scriptures. It ought to add to the distinction that we can make between the words of God and the words of men, and show that they are not interchangable or even comparable due, if for no other reason, to their genesis.

However, there is a deeper difference, which makes more significant the need for God to know what words are necessary for us to secure eternal life. Let us consider the effects of the word of God on the soul.

Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Jesus did not say that the words bring life. He said they are life. He also said they are spirit. That which is spirit is light and truth. "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ." When we seek, obtain, and absorb the light and truth that is the word of God, our being undergoes a change. It is infused with light and truth. It is infused with the spirit of Christ. It becomes the oracle of God in us. It allows us to become part of God and God part of us.

Our spirit is an access point for supernatural influence, whether good or evil. God's influence comes through the Holy Ghost. Satan's comes through the flesh. The access point for both is our spirit. When we hearken to the word of God, our spirits become Holy, and this can sanctify the flesh. When we hearken to the devil, our spirits become sullied and are overcome by our flesh. Hence Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

Quickening is the effect of God's spirit through our spirit on our flesh. The purpose of this life is for us to subdue our bodies to the influence of God's word through our spirit.

The spirit can exalt the body if the body is subdued to the spirit by bringing the flesh to the level of glory enjoyed by the spirit prior to this life. The spirit, beginning life as more refined matter, can serve as an injection point for the word of God into the flesh, which is made of fallen material and is of a lower glory than the spirit. Death is the effect of the devil's influence through our bodies on our spirits. When we succumb to the devil's temptations to our flesh, we bring down our spirits to the fallen degree of our bodies. This process is illustrated in those disembodied spirits who, during life, embraced their carnal addictions and thus find themselves, in spirit, suffering from the carnal desires that plagued them in the flesh. There are only two types of beings: the quick and the dead. The quick are those who are actuated by God's word. The dead are those who are not. Thus, "to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Spirits good and bad infuse their qualities upon us when we embrace them. Evil spirits act upon our flesh to imprint their devilish desires upon our spirits, which exercise control upon our bodies. The medium of this effect is the word of the evil one or his imps. The spirit of God acts upon our spirits to imprint the mind and will of God upon us, empowering us to use our spirits to do the same to our bodies. The medium for this effect is the word of God. The word of God sanctifies us as we infuse it into our soul. These two warring influences provide us opposition in all things. To win the war, we must hearken to God's word.

Jesus asked the Father to "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." He also declared the apostles "clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Jesus described how his word purifies us as we have faith in it.

Quickening and sanctification, two synonyms for the same process, is gradual. Two analogies used in scripture to describe this process are leavening and grafting. God's word is like leaven in dough. The bacteria infused in leavened dough multiply and take over the whole lump of dough. Despite the initial paucity of leaven, if the process is continued under the right conditions, it will eventually take over the entire lump. Grafting occurs when God imbues in us a portion of his word. The hope is that the graft will change the entire tree to produce the same type of fruit as the graft produces. The graft changes the tree into itself. Christ is the true vine, and in order to be saved we must be grafted into him. No one can be saved until and unless they become like Christ. They must be able to say, as Christ did, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. When we are grafted into him, his word flows through us and is found in us. We bear fruit. The juice of grapes is the color of blood. We drink the blood of Christ symbolically in the sacrament. Blood flows through the umbilical cord to a baby. As the word flows through us and is found in us, we are sanctified by the blood of Jesus. While justification is the forgiveness of our sins, sanctification is the process of becoming like God in heart, mind, and strength.

The way we allow the leaven to spread throughout us, or the graft to change the kind of fruit we produce, is to seek and hearked to the word of God. The process progresses to the degree that we seek and accept his word. The more we accept and do, the more we get.

This process occurs as individuals seek and declare the word of God: "And Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost." The Lord himself followed this process during his mortal ministry. Being born as devoid of God's word as any man, he followed the word he received line upon line and precept upon precept until it could be said of him: "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." Those who faithfully seek, obtain, and heed God's word will be visited by the Father and the Son.

Though this scripture indicates a physical visit from these two beings, it also conveys the sanctification process that occurs as the mind and will of God, which is a fullness of his word, become infused in his spirit. This enables him to say, as did Jesus, that he is in the Father, and the Father in him.

In order to achieve Zion, the word must be found in us. We have to have become like God. Thus, "when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." The lack of seeking, heeding, and living God's word is cited by God as the reason that Zion has not yet come again.

Rejecting God's word, which includes not seeking it in the first place, brings penalties. The most harmful of these is that, while embracing God's word makes our spirits (and by association, our flesh) holy, rejecting it "quenches" that connection with God, severing us from his sanctifying process.

Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you? (Jacob 6:8)

Those who reject God's word lose the light and truth that they previously acquired, until the spirit of God is not found at all within them. We see that those who are in this state of spiritual atrophy are capable of the grossest sin. King Noah, for example, not only rejected a true messenger of God, but murdered him by fire. Jesus said that the reason that some sought to kill him was that his word was not found in them. "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." Thus Alma tells us that.

The sheep hear the voice of the true shepard. However, if the word does not abide in us.

We will not recognize true messengers: "And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not."

We will not understand the scriptures: "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word."
We will not hear the voice of the Spirit to us: "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."
We will not heed the word of God: "Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma."

The word may not abide in us because we do not seek it. Perhaps it does not abide in us because we have replaced his word with the words of men, or some other idol. Maybe it has fled from us because we have refused to heed it. Sometimes, we avoid God's word because we know we are acting contrary to the light and truth we have received, and we do not trust that he knows better than us what will bring us happiness.

When we do seek and heed the word of God, we can count on several things.

We will see God's hand in their life: "And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name."
We will be asked to do hard things.

We will work miracles in God's name: "And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men; and in nothing did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus."
We will have power in their preaching: "And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence."
We will be hated by the world: "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

We need to let God's word "sink down into [our] ears." We need to obey God's command to cleave to his word: "And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God." When we do so, we will find the words of eternal life in ourselves.

The Two-Edged Sword

"...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..." 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.

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. 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.

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

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?

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." This doctrine offends many, but it ought not be offensive. After all.

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

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.

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.