The Peace Offering—Part I

This series of posts will focus on Leviticus 3, which sets forth the requirements of the peace offering in the law of Moses. However, this post, specifically, will not immediately dive into that chapter.

And for full disclosure, I don’t even know if I will address everything found in Leviticus 3 in this series. One funny thing that the Lord has had me do in preparing to write-up this series is to arrange an appointment to observe an animal being butchered, which won’t happen until later this week, and who knows what I will learn from that experience or what the Lord will have me share as a consequence. But I feel comfortable writing up a few things in the meantime, reserving the right (as always) to change my opinions about things as the Lord leads me to new and better ideas. I feel like my thoughts on this topic are pretty solid, but the Lord has also changed enough things up in my life at various times for to me to know that “you never know.” :)

So let’s start with a few questions. First question:

Why are there so many, and so many different types of, sacrifices in the law of Moses?

This has been a very important question of mine while studying the law of Moses, and it was always very dissatisfying to me when people would answer it by saying that all of the sacrifices were a type and shadow of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. I could easily believe that about the Passover sacrifice, and I later learned about how the other Spring feasts mirror specific events of the life and mission of Jesus Christ. However, because the many other sacrifices do not mirror his life or his mission as well (to me, anyway), I had to conclude that there was something more to them. Were I to believe as others did, I felt it also necessary to believe in a God who was either inefficient in his teaching, at best, or bloodthirsty, at worst. I could believe neither, especially in light of both my experiences with him and the Lord’s own self-proclaimed feelings about the observances prescribed in the law. Let’s turn to Isaiah 1:

10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 1)

The Lord doesn’t delight in bloodshed, and he isn’t an inefficient teacher. He is not even duplicitous in giving the law of Moses and then calling the observances in it “vain oblations,” “abomination,” and “iniquity.”

Why was the Lord “full” of sacrifices? After commanding the people to perform sacrifices, why would the Lord then accuse them of having their hands “full of blood?”

The answer is simple: the people did not understand the Lord’s purposes in giving them the law.

The particulars of Christ’s mission and atoning sacrifice are satisfactorily foreshadowed in the Passover and other Spring feasts. The Fall feasts foreshadow other events that I won’t address at this time (though, I have addressed them, somewhat, in other posts). The remaining observances symbolize other aspects of the gospel with which we are less familiar, owing (like the Israelites) to our misunderstandings of reality and the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity.

It is not incorrect to say that, to the degree we have those misunderstandings, we are enemies to God because we are not able to fully comprehend and, therefore, engage in his work, which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man—not the least of which is your own (see Moses 1:39; Mosiah 3:19; and Mosiah 16:5, 27-35).

Verse 16, above, is a call to repentance, and repentance is how we reconcile ourselves to God. It is how we align ourselves to him and his purposes. It is how we cease being an enemy to God—a peace treaty, of sorts…

…which brings us to Leviticus 3.

Leviticus, chapter 3, is all about repentance. The sacrifices prescribed in that chapter are called “peace offerings” because they serve as analogs to the correct principle and performance of repentance, which initiates a state of peace between God and a repentant sinner-turned-saint. 

Symbolism in the Sacrifices of the Law of Moses—A Nice Companion Video

Just this past week, I was telling someone how, in the past, the Lord has prompted me to put up preliminary blogposts that introduce a main topic that I think he wants me to write about in a subsequent blogpost, only to teach me more in the process of writing, to the point where what I learn is very different from what I originally thought I would write. There have even been times when I have been prompted to say nothing about my original thoughts. And then last night, I told the same person how my last post kind of followed that pattern and that I could totally see the same thing happening again in writing about the sacrifices in the law of Moses, even though I hoped it wouldn’t because I feel so strongly about the importance of what I was going to share and about how it could help people in their understanding of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Well, guess what. :)

I still plan on writing up many (if not, all) of my thoughts, but it might take a bit to integrate new thoughts I am having. And they may or may not be in the next blogpost. We will see.

In the meantime, a new video dropped last night on Rob Smith’s UpwardThought YouTube channel that I thought would make a great “extra credit” video to my last blogpost. Understanding the sacrifices found in the law of Moses really requires us to have a better idea of what the experience of participating in those ordinances was really like for the people who lived at that time, and Rob does a great job of communicating aspects of that.

And as an addendum to my last post, I should also say that another thing that keeps us from understanding the sacrifices of the law of Moses is an incorrect understanding of reality and the gospel of Jesus Christ. There shouldn’t be any surprise there, really. If the law of Moses was intended to be a schoolmaster, how can one accurately see the value in any aspect of it when you have inaccurate ideas regarding both reality and the process that governs and facilitates all improvement within that reality such that you are unable to see the intended analogous relationships between all of those things clearly?

And, with that, I’ll just close with a recommendation, once again, to checkout the rest of Rob’s UpwardThought YouTube channel, his blog, and his books (which can be found in different formats on his blog and on Amazon). The instruction gained from many of the materials he produces will help individuals gain a more accurate understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will, consequently, help them more clearly see the symbolism in many aspects of the law of Moses—not just the sacrifices. 

Symbolism in the Sacrifices of the Law of Moses

I had planned for my next post to be a dive into a certain type of sacrifice in the law of Moses, but I think that there are a few things that should be said about the sacrifices in the law of Moses, in general, first.

Many modern Christians incorrectly value what we find in the law of Moses, and there are many reasons why that is the case. Some things are so misunderstood that any value that was meant to be found in them is completely misplaced, and it is easy to have those misunderstandings. We are far removed from the time and circumstances of the ancient Hebrews, and so our lack of familiarity with things that would have been part of a Hebrew’s life, and culture, and, consequently, understanding is an automatic stumbling block. In addition, and with respect to the sacrifices in particular, there are modern sensibilities regarding death that color our opinions about them and their relevance to us.

Death, by itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. Death has its place in God’s plan. That is an important thing to learn and accept if one is to move forward in their understanding of these things.

So, why did God command various animal sacrifices? Well, that depends on which specific sacrifice you’re talking about.

Some of the biggest assumptions that modern Christians make about the sacrifices are: (1) that the sacrifices are only to teach us about the law of sacrifice, in general, and its application in other areas of our lives; (2) that all of them were types and shadows of Christ’s atoning sacrifice; and (3) as a consequence of #2, they were mainly to express gratitude to God for his goodness and mercy in the lives of the human family or as recognition of such in supplicating for further demonstrations of his goodness and mercy. To the degree that any of these assumptions may be true, they are also not the main reasons why God commanded them.

God doesn’t do anything without a reason or purpose. Even the smallest details of what he gives us can have massive implications.

Here are some questions worth asking:

Why are there so many types of sacrifices? What significance is there in burnt offerings? In meal offerings? In peace offerings? In sin offerings? In trespass offerings? Why are there so many different types of acceptable items to use? Are they essentially all the same or is there symbolic significance in each thing? What are the requirements of each sacrifice and why are they what they are? Why are the performances of certain sacrifices the way they are? Why are they different? Are those differences important? Why or why not? Where are the sacrifices conducted? Who participates in each sacrifice and what are the roles of each participant?

That’s just a list for starters.

We should realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been the same from the days of Adam and Eve. It drives me nuts when people say that a “new” covenant was offered at the time of Christ’s mortal ministry and in his death and resurrection, as if it had never been offered before that. God always uses ordinances to teach people about aspects of the everlasting gospel, and it was no different in Old Testament times.

I’m not going to go through all of the different types of sacrifices and expound upon them on my blog. I don’t believe it’s my place to do that. At least, not yet. But I have felt strongly to say a few things about one, specifically, so that will be the focus of my next blogpost. 

Resignation

Resignation, n.

1. The act of resigning or giving up, as a crown or possession; as the resignation of a crown or commission.

2. Submission; unresisting acquiescence; as a blind submission to the authority of other men’s opinions.

3.  Quiet submission to the will of Providence; submission without discontent, and with entire acquiescence in the divine dispensations. This is Christian resignation.

About a decade ago, I was sitting outside an LDS temple, looking up at the words “Holiness to the Lord—The House of the Lord” on the exterior of the building when the Lord asked me a question.

“If I asked you to give up your membership in the church, would you do that?”

For the next few seconds, my mind laid hold on every good thing I had learned and experienced as a result of my membership in the LDS church over the course of my life, both directly and indirectly. What started as a quick recollection and appreciation of all of those things, at one point, turned into an almost imperceptible feeling of adoration and devotion directed towards the LDS church. I caught myself feeling a tinge of sadness at the thought of leaving, and the realization of that sadness caused me to instantly snap out of those moments of remembrance. I felt remarkably stupid for not immediately answering the Lord with a whole-hearted “Yes, absolutely!”

I told him how my relationship with him was the most important thing in my life and how I would, of course, leave the LDS church if he ever asked me to.

Then, six and a half years ago, I spent several hours talking to my friend and bishop about beliefs I held that were not in line with the official doctrines of the LDS church. A decision he would make after that meeting would determine whether or not I would be allowed to stay in a teaching position in the church. I wasn’t worried about losing that position. I had already discussed with the Lord the possibility of him having me teach, in class, things that would not align with the organization and the consequences of that. He told me months before that meeting with my bishop that, when my time as a teacher in the church came to an end, I was to stop attending church so that I could stay at home and teach my children. And so, as I stood up to leave that meeting—knowing that my church attendance was very likely about to drop dramatically—I asked the Lord, “Should I just go ahead and turn in a letter of resignation?”

He sternly replied, “No.”

It wasn’t until much later that I came to understand the reasons why he told me not to resign at that time. There was purpose in it. However, that purpose eventually came to an end, and I officially resigned from the LDS church earlier this year. Not only had the reasons to stay in the church become moot, but I also found God placing inside of me a strong desire to disassociate myself from an organization that increasingly stands in opposition to what I understand about him.

As I read through the three definitions for “resignation” listed above, my heart and mind resonate the most with the third. In all of my life’s experiences, God has shown me how specific actions are “good” in certain circumstances and “bad” in others and how one’s “quiet submission” to his will at all times yields the best outcomes—the timing of my resignation not being an exception.

 

Times and Seasons

My posts might seem a little cryptic sometimes, and I would be telling a half-truth if I said that I don’t intend for them to be. The truth is that I love discovering things, and I love giving other people the opportunity to discover things on their own, too—to have lightbulb moments. I love those. And so, this post is just going to be kind of like a dot-to-dot—a bunch of little data points that, whether by themselves or altogether, might help someone discover (or reinforce) some truth, just as they did for me.

The Hebrew Fall Holy Days concluded recently, and, as usual, my mind has been filled with thoughts. I might even say that there are more than usual after taking a break from my blog to focus on and study autumn’s high holy days appointed in Leviticus. Every true and correct ordinance is intended to teach us many things about God and his work and glory, and the Fall holy days don’t disappoint.

Something that I find interesting about Yom Teruah, in particular, is the fact that many Jews celebrate it as the Hebrew New Year, when, in scripture, we find that it is ordained to be on the first day of the seventh month. There are also other non-scriptural traditions that some Jews believe about Yom Teruah that I find interesting, but I find it particularly odd that the New Year is celebrated in the seventh month and not the first. It is said that that started while the Jews were in Babylonian exile, but I wonder if there is more to it than that.

Tied closely to these holy days are thoughts I had a few weeks back while reading the book of Abraham. There has been a lot of controversy and skepticism surrounding the origins of the book of Abraham. Many of its contents have also been the subject of ridicule—a sad reflection of the people doing the ridiculing. It’s pretty sad how people have a tendency to focus on things that are superficial and of little value when things of much greater and deeper meaning are available if they would just dig a little deeper.

When you read chapter 3 of Abraham, it might be easy to think that it is little more than an astronomy lesson or a lesson about how many earth years comprise a day in God’s time. As important as that information may be, the Lord is using those things to teach Abraham principles that matter far more than the names of planets and stars.

While reading the book of Abraham, the words “times and seasons” stood out to me. It was actually in the footnotes, referring to the publication named Times and Seasons, and it only stood out enough for me to just quickly make a mental note of it. Continuing, I came across those words again in chapter 3, verse 4. 

And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob. (Abraham 3:4)

“Reckoning” is used quite a few times in this chapter, so I thought I would look it up. The first two definitions for this word in Noah Webster’s dictionary were interesting:

Reckoning: 1. The act of counting or computing; calculation.  2. An account of time.

I also looked up the word “reckon” and found the etymology of the word interesting, too:

Reckon: [L. rego, rectus, whence regnum, regno, Eng. to reign and right.]

After reading these two entries, my mind raced through the scriptures and recalled how periods of time are demarcated in them. It is generally done by making mention of the individuals (or groups of individuals) who govern. In the Bible, we see periods of time when the Israelites were ruled by the Pharaohs of the Egyptians, when Moses was leader of the Israelites, and when judges ruled in Israel. When kings ruled, time was measured from the time their reigns began to the time they ended, and the birth of an heir was noted as occurring in a year relative to the king’s reign. In the Book of Mormon, Nephi tells us about how and when he came to reign; a large section of that book falls under the reign of the judges; and it is easily seen that the decline of their civilization runs concurrently with an increasing lack of good governance—the breakdown of good governance and the separation of society into tribes. Examples of people using governance as a way to delineate periods of time can be seen outside of scripture as well—in everything from Chinese dynasties to the use of BC and AD in the way we number years (BCE and CE essentially meaning the same things, respectively).

So, there is this relationship that exists between periods of time and the governance that takes place during that period of time. With respect to time, governance is defining and specifying.

Now, let’s go back and look at the etymology and first definition of “time.”

Time: [L. tempus, tempora, the falls of the head, also tempest, &c. See Tempest. Time is primarily equivalent to season; to the Gr.wpa in its original sense, opportunity, occasion, a fall, an event, that which comes.]

1. A particular portion or part of duration, whether past, present, or future.

We are encouraged to look up “tempest,” and I’m not about to pass that up.

Tempest: [L. Tempestas, tempus, time, season. The primary sense of tempus, time, is a falling, or that which falls, comes, or happens, from some verb which signifies to fall or come suddenly, or rather to drive, to rush. Time is properly a coming, a season, that which presents itself, or is present. The sense of tempest is from the sense of rushing or driving. See Temerity and Temerarious.]

1. An extensive current of wind, rushing with great velocity and violence; a storm of extreme violence.

***Extra credit for looking up “temerity” and “temerarious.” :)

Finally, let’s look at “season.”

Season: Season literally signifies that which comes or arrives; and, in this general sense, is synonymous with time.

1. A fit or suitable time; the convenient time; the usual or appointed time.

I’ve written a lot about “names” on my blog. They are important and meaningful. And if Joseph Smith was the kind of person I think he was, names probably meant a lot to him, too. I think that the name of the publication, Times and Seasons, has great meaning. Something was afoot, and Joseph knew it.

D&C 121 is a great read in its entirety, but verse 12 mentions “… that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons…”. What does that mean, do you suppose? Do you think he is just talking about the marching on of time itself or the procession of the seasons through spring, summer, autumn, and winter? I don’t think so. If you read the rest of the section, you realize that the Lord is speaking about things that are much more meaningful in response to the initial prayers Joseph offered in a time of great suffering found at the beginning of the section.

Lastly, I’ll jump back over to the book of Abraham.

We are not to be oblivious to the idea that there are greater and lesser things. The Lord shows this to Abraham by way of the heavenly bodies:

5 And the Lord said unto me: The planet which is the lesser light, lesser than that which is to rule the day, even the night, is above or greater than that upon which thou standest in point of reckoning, for it moveth in order more slow; this is in order because it standeth above the earth upon which thou standest, therefore the reckoning of its time is not so many as to its number of days, and of months, and of years.

6 And the Lord said unto me: Now, Abraham, these two facts exist, behold thine eyes see it; it is given unto thee to know the times of reckoning, and the set time, yea, the set time of the earth upon which thou standest, and the set time of the greater light which is set to rule the day, and the set time of the lesser light which is set to rule the night.

7 Now the set time of the lesser light is a longer time as to its reckoning than the reckoning of the time of the earth upon which thou standest.

8 And where these two facts exist, there shall be another fact above them, that is, there shall be another planet whose reckoning of time shall be longer still;

9 And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.

10 And it is given unto thee to know the set time of all the stars that are set to give light, until thou come near unto the throne of God. (Abraham 3)

There is a lot more to these verses than what I am addressing in this post, but the things to which this principle applies are innumerable:

11 Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;

12 And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof.

13 And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.

14 And it was in the night time when the Lord spake these words unto me: I will multiply thee, and thy seed after thee, like unto these; and if thou canst count the number of sands, so shall be the number of thy seeds. (Abraham 3)

And spirits are not exempt:

15 And the Lord said unto me: Abraham, I show these things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare all these words.

16 If two things exist, and there be one above the other, there shall be greater things above them; therefore Kolob is the greatest of all the Kokaubeam that thou hast seen, because it is nearest unto me.

17 Now, if there be two things, one above the other, and the moon be above the earth, then it may be that a planet or a star may exist above it; and there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.

18 Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.

19 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all. (Abraham 3)

The remainder of chapter 3 is also suggested for study. 

 

“I Will…Raise Up Seed Unto Me”

29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.

30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. (Jacob 2)

Can I just say that I’ve about had it with debates on plural marriage? Seriously! What a topic of never-ending discussion—a veritable enigma in LDS culture! Maybe there’s a reason for that.

May I propose that, perhaps, “[raising] up ‘seed’ unto [the Lord of Hosts]” doesn’t mean what most people think it means. Remember, God’s ways are higher than our ways, and what a word means to us is probably not going to be the same as what it means to him.

What is “seed?” What does it mean to “raise up seed?” Who constitutes “seed” in the practice?

Things to study and ponder. 

The Sacrifice of the Red Heifer

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

2 This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:

3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face:

4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:

5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:

6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.

9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.

10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. (Numbers 19)

There is more significance in this ordinance than people realize. 

 

Guilt and Remorse Are Not The Same As Contrition

I’ve had several conversations with people on the topic of repentance. My opinions on the subject are rarely the same as anyone else’s. Most of the people I talk to have a definition for repentance that differs from mine, and, because they “repent” according to their definition, they think they have repented, when I don’t believe they have.

I’ve shared my beliefs about repentance in other posts, so I won’t go into a ton of detail about it here, but, in a nutshell, repentance consists of forsaking ALL sin with an honest and sincere commitment to be completely obedient to God all the remaining days of your life. It is only in doing this that God can forgive you of your sin. This commitment on your part and forgiveness on God’s part is what constitutes justification, and the resulting state of sinlessness is meant to continue as long as you live.

A sinless state causes you to become a clean vessel capable of experiencing a greater part and portion of God’s spirit. That spirit will constantly teach you more about God, to whose image you must immediately conform in order to continue experiencing even greater levels of light and truth. That process constitutes sanctification. Ignoring, resisting, or rejecting what is taught will cause you to immediately become unrepentant, and you will lose a part and portion of his Spirit—even what you had before.

True repentance always yields a state of sinlessness, and if you would overcome the world and be saved, you are required to maintain that state of sinlessness, even and especially as God teaches you more and more about himself. You conform everything about yourself to everything he teaches you about himself. 

This is a very hard truth for people who love sin to accept. Most conversations I have with people never get past the point where we agree on the idea of repentance—even if I point out numerous scriptures that support the principle as laid out above or share a book that does the same and then goes further to detail its practical application. 

Every once in a great while, I will have a conversation with someone who seems to be genuinely frustrated by the fact that they still struggle with sin. They are correct in their realization that they are not living the way they believe God would live in their place, but, because their definition of repentance is off, they don’t see themselves becoming the “new creature in Christ” that the scriptures testify is a fruit of living the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are generally pretty frustrated by that. They will say things like “I keep giving into this temptation” or “I know it’s wrong to (fill in the blank), but it’s just so hard to do what I know is right in a weak moment.” It’s always something like that, anyway, and then they wonder why they can’t claim experiences like those of King Lamoni or Alma the Younger as their own.

What they don’t realize is that what they are feeling is not what the Lord requires of us when we repent. Guilt is not enough. Guilt is just a recognition that we have broken a law:

Guilt:  Criminality; that state of a moral agent which results from his actual commission of a crime or offense, knowing it to be a crime, or violation of law. To constitute guilt there must be a moral agent enjoying freedom of will, and capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and a wilful or intentional violation of a known law, or rule of duty. The guilt of a person exists, as soon as the crime is committed; but to evince it to others, it must be proved by confession, or conviction in due course of law. Guilt renders a person a debtor to the law, as it binds him to pay a penalty in money or suffering. Guilt therefore implies both criminality and liableness to punishment. Guilt may proceed either from a positive act or breach of law, or from voluntary neglect of known duty.

Even remorse is not enough. To have remorse is just to feel badly about your criminality:

Remorse:  The keen pain or sense of anguish excited by a sense of guilt; compunction of conscience for a crime committed.

“Compunction” is a good word to look up, too, by the way, if you don’t already know the definition. :)

But what the Lord requires is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

Before we get to the definition for “contrite,” let’s take a little scripture trivia quiz:

Q: How many times does the word “contrite” appear in the Bible?

Q: How many times does the word “contrite” appear in the Book of Mormon?

Q: How many times does the word “contrite” appear in the Doctrine and Covenants?

Q: What is the definition of “contrite”?

The word “contrite” appears only five times in the entire Bible—twice in the Psalms and three times in Isaiah. It appears nine times in the Book of Mormon and 13 times in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Now, twenty-two occurrences of the word in the LDS canon may not sound like a lot, but it is more than four times what you will find in the entire Bible. Talk about a plain and precious truth being lost! People who revere the teachings of Joseph Smith should be the last people on the planet who wonder why they are not experiencing the fruits of repentance.

It need not be so.

Definitions are always helpful, so let’s move on. :)

Contrite, a. [L., to break or bruise; to rub or wear. See Trite.] Literally, worn or bruised. Hence, broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent; as a contrite sinner.

Kinda sounds like remorse, right? Oh, but it is so much more! Let’s dive just a little deeper and look at the definition of “contrition”:

CONTRITION, n. [L.]

1. The act of grinding or rubbing to powder.

2. Penitence; deep sorrow for sin; grief of heart for having offended an infinitely holy and benevolent God. The word is usually understood to mean genuine penitence, accompanied with a deep sense of ingratitude in the sinner, and sincere resolution to live in obedience to the divine law.

I. Love. This.

It is SO accurate!!

The ONLY way you can offer up a “contrite heart” is to first have God’s love manifested to you. Repentance is ALL about changing your relationship and standing before God, because all of us start out as fallen sinners. Because he is love, it is through the manifestation of his love to you that you get an initial sense of his holiness and benevolence. You become immediately aware of your ingratitude towards him and your sinful state. You taste his justice, and the “good” things you thought you were doing in your life become not only completely insignificant, but also absolutely ineffectual in bridging the distance between you and him. Worst of all, you feel the sorrow he feels in your separation from him that is a direct result of your unwillingness to be obedient to the light and truth that emanates from him to you. You feel the broken heart of a perfect and holy being, who has done nothing to deserve that broken heart, and it breaks yours to pieces.

Everything about his character CRUSHES you. You feel as if your spirit is, in reality, being ground to powder.

With this broken heart and contrite spirit, the ONLY thing you can think to do is to offer your heart, might, mind, and strength in total submission and obedience to him for the rest of your life. You have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2)

Do you see the differences between guilt, remorse, and contrition? Is it any wonder why people who only feel guilt and remorse never experience that “mighty change of heart?” Guilt and remorse are not “meet for repentance.” They never have been, and they never will be. They are meant to introduce us to the idea that there are laws which, when broken, result in misery, but only contrition is experienced when you interact directly with the lawgiver.

I am going to put up a YouTube video to go along with this blogpost. When I do, I will provide a link here. I hope that this post and the video are of help those who truly desire to repent.

Velleity

I have a son who is an extremely talented musician and songwriter. The other day, he told me that he was writing a song and looking up a bunch of vocabulary that was new to him to come up with the lyrics.

I asked him to share some of the words he had come across, and I knew most of them, but there was one I didn’t know—velleity.

How have I not known this word?!? It is a fantastic word and well worth looking up! Totally relates to my next blogpost. :)

Psalm 141:5

This is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture, and so it’s a little surprising to me that I have never noticed that there is a revision of this verse in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, but the subtle differences have been both a blessing to me this morning and an echo of things that I have felt in my heart recently, so I’m dropping a quick post to share.

Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. (Psalm 141:5)

When the righteous smite me with the word of the LORD, it is a kindness; and when they reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, and shall not destroy my faith; for yet my prayer shall also be for them. I delight not in their calamities. (JST 141:5)

P.S.—I think that there is a lot of significance in the fact that the “breaking of one’s head” has something to do with the “destruction of faith,” and that that also relates to the Adversary’s ability to “bruise our heel” and to our ability to “crush his head.” Things to think about. :)

Dew Point

I think that this blogpost will be just a slight interruption to my thoughts on the kingdom of God.

My blog might have seemed to be a little depressing to some people as of late. It is true that my life has been unbelievably difficult recently. However, my life has been filled with some of the most incredible experiences, too, and, for that, I am inexpressibly grateful.

This morning, I woke up with this scripture on my mind:

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. (D&C 121:45)

I couldn’t get the “dews from heaven” part out of my waking thoughts—probably because of the miserable weather we’ve been having recently. Yesterday, we had humidity at almost 100%, the dew point was at 81 degrees, and the heat index was over 120 degrees! And there have been similar days several times this summer.  Step outside, and you start sweating bullets. Even the evenings provide little relief. I’m writing this at almost 4 AM, and the humidity is at 84%, the dew point is 75 degrees, and the heat index is 87 degrees. The day ahead is slated to be worse than yesterday.

But as miserable as these conditions might seem, they are really good for producing dew, if dew is what you are after.

Some people think that being in the presence of God is an enjoyable thing, and it can be, but I am here to tell you that it is not—not for most people. If it were, why would our confidence need to “wax strong?”

In what conditions would it be the most difficult to let our “bowels…be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith?” What does it mean to “let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly,” and in what conditions might it be difficult for us to do that? These are important questions, because it is only when we do these things that our confidence waxes strong, and how can you have confidence in the most difficult circumstances if you do not do these things in the most difficult circumstances?

If you not only want the “doctrine of the priesthood [to] distill upon thy soul as the dew from heaven,” but you also want that dew to distill as quickly as possible, you should expect (and even ask) God to bring about the intense circumstances in your life that are precisely calculated to do just that.

Discovering and then maintaining Christ-like character in challenging situations is key. If you are able to keep your soul “cool” in the hottest, most humid, and most miserable conditions, the dew will naturally condense.

The Kingdom of God

I’m not sure if this will be a series of posts or not. I just felt impressed to drop a few questions on this topic, and maybe it will spur others to ponder further.

What is a kingdom?

Ok, I’ll provide Noah Webster’s answer on this one:

The territory or country subject to a king; an undivided territory under the dominion of a king or a monarch.

So, when the scriptures talk about the “kingdom of God,” what are they talking about, and in what contexts? Are there different “kingdoms” over which God has dominion? If there are, do they relate to each other? If so, how? How can the “kingdom of God” be inside of us? How is the “kingdom of God” brought about here on earth? How is the “kingdom of God” like the many things to which it is compared in the scriptures? How does it increase?

Greater Love

There’s this cheesy video that the LDS church put out in the early 80s that has come to my mind many times in the last several weeks. What I felt and understood the first time I saw it, I cannot put into words. It was so familiar to me. “Familiar” is an apt word. That experience is permanently etched into my memory—and for good reason.

I share it here, at this link, with the hope that there are others who can relate to and appreciate its message in the way I did way back when.

Tears of Joy—Part IV

Now let’s go to 3 Nephi 17 and talk about tears.

14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.

16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. (3 Nephi 17)

Again, there is a lot going on here that is not explicit in the text, but let’s focus on the tears.

Why does Jesus say, “And now behold, my joy is full?” What causes him to have not just joy, but a fulness of joy? Why then? And why does he weep? He wept in the New Testament (see John 11:35). Were those tears brought on by the same experiences, thoughts, and feelings? No. He has wept (and weeps) both tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

Could Jesus have had a fulness of joy in the faithfulness of the Nephites without first experiencing the faithlessness of the people in Israel? I don’t think so.

I had an interesting experience a while ago. I found myself in an unbelievably difficult situation that lasted for months, and the darkness in that situation had been extremely taxing. One morning, I woke up feeling much “lighter”—so much so that it was weird, and I asked the Lord what had happened to bring about such a drastic change. Without being explicitly directed to do so, but feeling undeniably prompted to do so, just the same, I tried to look back on some priceless memories from my life—memories that were dear to me and that I should have easily recollected. It was one of the strangest feelings I’ve ever had in my life—not being able to fully recall things that were, somehow, still faint in my mind and which (I had the clear understanding) I could have recalled perfectly before going to bed the night before. Highly surreal.

I asked the Lord again, “What is happening?”

His answer was slightly tongue-in-cheek, but so tender and genuine that I immediately felt his love in the lesson he was teaching. He said, “I’m wiping away your tears. Don’t you want me to wipe away your tears?”

And in a split second, I understood that all of the suffering I was experiencing was intertwined with the love I had towards him and others. There was no way to separate the two, and if I wanted relief from suffering, he would have to make me forget about the ways in which I had lived in his love and the ways in which I had demonstrated that love to others.

Tears welled up, as all I could whisper in response was “no,” and in my heart, I begged him to give the memories back to me, which he did, and I found myself, once again, in unfathomable suffering.

That experience has had me thinking a lot about these two passages of scripture:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?

29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? (Moses 7)

Does God weep? Who wipes his tears away?

Do you want to become like him? Do you want to live as he does? If you did, who would wipe your tears away?

I’m not trying to paint heaven as a sad and hopeless place. Quite the contrary, actually. And if you want some extra credit on why that is, I suggest a continued, serious study of Moses 7.

As I have applied more and more of the gospel in my life, I have found that my tears have…hmmm, what’s the best word? “Integrated.” I have shed tears of incomprehensible sorrow for the treatment I have received at the hands of others who neither understand my love for them, nor how that love has motivated my actions toward them, and I have shed tears of joy for the increased understanding of how much God loves us and feels the same way. And those two types of tears used to be separate. I would cry them at different times. But I find that to be less and less the case. Anymore, in difficult moments, when I pour out my soul to God and share with him my thoughts and feelings about the afflictions I’m going through, I find myself expressing a concurrent combination of understanding, gratitude, and joy because the things he has seen fit to put me through have always led me closer to him.

It is necessary for us to experience contrast in order for us to comprehend the degree of opposition that exists in all things. And if you are unwilling to experience the greatest sorrow in the service of God and for the benefit of others, you can also never fully experience—much less, appreciate—the greatest joy.

Tears of Joy—Part III

When I started teaching Sunday School back in 2012, the course of study was the Book of Mormon, and while studying 3 Nephi, the Lord gave me yet another reason to appreciate that amazing book when he pointed out the similarities and differences between his experience with his disciples in the Holy Land and his experience with the Nephites after his resurrection. He did that as I was reading in chapter 19:

16 And it came to pass that he spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth.

17 And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray.

18 And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said:

20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.

21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.

22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.

23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.

24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.

25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.

26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.

27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying:

28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.

29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.

30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.

31 And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father;

32 And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed.

33 And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed.

34 Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man.

35 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: So great faith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles, because of their unbelief.

36 Verily I say unto you, there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard. (3 Nephi 19)

Now, there is a LOT going on here, and that is an understatement! So! Much! Good! Stuff! And if you don’t see all of it, perhaps it would help to point out how this experience stands in stark contrast to the Savior’s experience in the garden of Gethsemane. Let’s jump over to Matthew 26:

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. (Matthew 26)

The account in Mark is similar. I’m including the JST here:

36 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden; and the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.

37 And Jesus knowing their hearts, said to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

38 And he taketh with him, Peter, and James, and John, and rebuked them, and said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch. (Mark 14, JST)

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. (Mark 9)

The account we find in Luke differs from the previous two, in that it tells us that Jesus found his disciples sleeping once (and not three times), but it does give us some rich, additional insights. The italicized portion is from the JST:

39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. (Luke 22, JST)

As I read those verses in 3 Nephi, I noticed that, in both situations, Jesus tells his disciples to pray, then he goes a short distance away to pray on his own, but he comes back to check on his disciples three times. And, though we don’t have a lot of detail about what he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, you can easily draw the conclusion that what he might have said there was very different from what he said while praying in 3 Nephi. The fact is that all of his interactions with the Nephites were entirely different from the ones he had with his disciples in the Holy Land, and comparing and contrasting those accounts is an extremely productive exercise. From the passage from 3 Nephi, alone, one can learn more about the Holy Ghost, the intercessory prayer and being “one,” to whom we should address our prayers and why, being “chosen,” countenances, and many other things.

But as much as you can learn about specific topics by studying the details in these different accounts, there is something to be learned about contrast itself. While reading that account in 3 Nephi, I felt what Jesus felt in both situations—the heartache, disappointment, discouragement, and abject loneliness of Gethsemane, as well as the joy, satisfaction, hope, and fellowship with the Nephites—and I understood that he could not have fully appreciated the latter without the former. 

Tears of Joy—Part II

1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother.

2 For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels.

3 And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

4 And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them. (Ether 6)

What do you think it would have been like to travel in those barges? I’m sure that, without the belief that the Lord was leading them along, most people would probably consider those travel conditions pretty miserable.

And yet, the Lord was with them all along the way.

Even before the Jaredites loaded up into the barges, the Lord provided stones that gave them light. He designed the barges to be “tight like unto a dish” and “like unto the ark of Noah” so that they could descend into deep waters without being harmed. They encountered fierce winds and waves, but “the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land.” No beast in the waters could harm them. What would it have taken for them to come to know that? Most likely, they had encounters that stood as a witness to the Lord’s protection. And all the while, “they did sing praises unto the Lord” and “they did not cease the praise the Lord.” The brother of Jared, in particular, “did thank and praise the Lord all the day long.”

The journey took almost a year.

When the Jaredites disembarked, “they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.”

Do you think that their gratitude, humility, and joy would have been nearly as profound if they had traversed the seas in something more like a modern-day cruise ship? Doubt it.

Do you think that anyone on the outside looking in could have understood why the Jaredites praised the Lord all along the way, if they didn’t also have an intimate awareness of the Lord’s hand in their travels? I doubt that, too. Even with irrefutable evidence of the Lord’s hand in their own lives, most people are extremely ungrateful.

Tears of joy have a depth of meaning behind them that is borne of suffering and sacrifice. Suffering and sacrificing for the best of eternal outcomes produces tears of joy that none but God, or those like Him, can truly understand. 

Tears of Joy—Part I

I’ve cried a lot over the last several months. Someday, I hope to have the opportunity to share the detailed reasons why with anyone willing to listen. For now, allow me to turn to scripture to share, in this next series of blogposts, a very small snippet of things I’ve learned recently.

1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother.

2 For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels.

3 And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

4 And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them. (Ether 6)

These verses will be the subject of a future YouTube video, for sure, because there are just so many good take-aways embedded in them.

However, for the purposes of this series of blogposts, I want to point out that the phrase “tears of joy” is found only once in scripture, and it’s there in verse 12. Now, that’s not to say that there weren’t times in scripture when individuals shed tears of joy—it’s just that that exact phrase is only used once to describe such an occurrence. The account of Jesus praying with the Nephites in 3 Nephi 17 is one that comes immediately to my mind and will be discussed in subsequent posts in this series.

But what does it take to get there? If we analyze what is happening to the brother of Jared and his company in those verses, it is easily seen. And, more importantly, we should be able to draw comparisons to events in our own lives that resemble the account found in these verses. Perhaps, most importantly, we should actually ask for and seek after the types of experiences that yield the tears that come with a fulness of joy.

Prosperity Gospel

Every once in a while, a certain word will come to the forefront of my thoughts and stay there, and it will become the focus of my study time. About two and a half months ago, it was the word “feet.” It’s a word that has popped up in my study every now and then for the last couple of years, and that morning, many ideas came together in an avalanche of thought about the topic. Another series of blogposts, perhaps. Or maybe some YouTube videos. I’ve been working on some ideas for that.

But, anyway, while studying Ephesians 6:15 that morning, I looked at the translation of the Greek word for “peace” and saw that it implies “prosperity,” and my mind immediately recalled the promise that we find so often in the Book of Mormon:

Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Alma 9:13)

So many people have a pre-conceived idea about what “prosperity” looks like. Most of the time, it has something to do with one’s material wealth or temporal situation. But the definition for “prosperity” leaves the context of that prosperity pretty vague:

Prosperity: Advance or gain in any thing good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; success; attainment of the object desired; as the prosperity of arts; agricultural or commercial prosperity; national prosperity.

Prosperity can be had in any endeavor that is good. It is the object of our desire and the focus of our pursuit that is what will determine what “prosperity” looks like.

Scriptures like the one quoted from Alma, above, give us a hint about what our desire and pursuit should be. It says that if we do not keep God’s commandments, we will “be cut off from the presence of the Lord.” We are supposed to understand that being “cut off from the presence of the Lord” is a negative outcome—something that is the opposite of our pursuit. Consequently, it follows that “being in the presence of the Lord” is the best pursuit and that that is the context through which we will experience the greatest prosperity.

What do you expect that prosperity to look like—both to you and to others? What do you expect to experience—both internally and externally? What did it look like for men and women of God in the scriptures? What did it look like for Jesus himself?

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a “prosperity gospel,” albeit not in the way that most people think, and that prosperity brings peace—a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

Uncommon Consent

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. (Matthew 26)

A long, long time ago, as I was going through an LDS temple endowment session, the Lord encouraged me to think on the significance of “cups.” I immediately thought of the cup that “runs over” mentioned in Psalm 23 and of the many ways in which the Lord had blessed me in “goodness and mercy” thus far in my life.

Following that session, I entered the temple’s celestial room and picked up a copy of the scriptures to see what they had to say on the subject. If I recall correctly, it was a triple combination that I picked up—a volume that included the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. I looked up “cup” in the index and was shocked by the fact that every scripture reference for that word had a negative connotation—a cup of fury, a cup of wrath, a cup of indignation, a bitter cup—and that was a key to a subsequent flood of understanding about other aspects of the gospel. There are two “cups.” And interestingly, I wasn’t scared of the idea of having to encounter a bitter cup in the process of ascent. There was just a solemn realization of a point of fact: To the degree that I wanted to know Christ, I would need to experience the same kind of unmerited suffering that he does, and the Lord was preparing me for that.

Anyone who has been through an LDS endowment should reflect on what is offered to them, through symbols, at various stages of the endowment and on the importance of consent in receiving what is offered.

Fast forward. Years later, the Lord instructed me to take the sacrament, on my own and with unleavened bread and wine. On many levels, that experience provided many poignant lessons to me. One of them came as I brought the glass of wine to my lips. For reasons that I’m not going to get into right now, I have an aversion to alcohol—not the idea of drinking alcohol, but the alcohol itself—and the smell of the alcohol in the wine put my mind and heart in a place where the last thing, in the entire world, that I wanted to do was to drink that wine. It triggered a physical response, and my stomach turned. More than once. To say that I was “reluctant” to drink would be too strong a description for what I felt. “Hesitant” would be better. I imagine Nephi feeling much the same way in those moments before he slew Laban—not unwilling to do as the Lord commanded, but carefully evaluating and integrating the benefit of doing such a thing because of a willingness to search out, in the light of Christ, those things that are good and to do them.

From that singular lesson, many realizations were made. In the few seconds between the moment that I got a strong whiff of the wine and the moment when I finally drank it, the Lord showed me the benefit of being obedient to his direction to partake of the sacrament in that manner. In doing as he directed, he gave me a glimpse of how and what he felt as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.

Now let me rewind for a minute.

When I was young, I was taught about the law of “common consent.” It’s not talked about very much anymore in the LDS church, I don’t think. I think if you were to bring it up to young people in the LDS church today, most wouldn’t have any idea of what you were talking about.

But it is an interesting thing to think about—what paths most people are willing (and then asked) to consent to and what they are not. And herein lies a great key to both recognizing others who have great light and becoming a person with greater light. Having the greatest measure of light, Christ becomes a standard by which we can gauge our own as we compare our mortal (and immortal) experiences with his. He consented to the greatest amount of unmerited suffering that any mortal could. Christ’s level of consent was extremely uncommon, and as you become like him, your level of consent will need to become the same.

Fast forward again. The Lord gave me a dream in which he foreshadowed things that he would soon bring into my life.

Then, through a set of relatively recent circumstances, the Lord gave me the opportunity to consent to a task that I, most assuredly, would have turned away from had he not shown me the necessity of engaging in it for the benefit of another. I knew that, in accepting the task, there would be a measure of unmerited suffering that I would be required to go through, but I had no idea what it would actually be like.

Looking back, I can honestly say that what I learned about him, about heaven and hell, and about reality was absolutely worth it.

In saying all of this, I am NOT saying that you should go out looking for ways in which to “consent” to things that God has not asked for. However, if you ever have a dream or any other type of foreshadowing in which the Lord shows you the depths of hell, steel your mind and heart to trust in God, submit to whatever he eventually does ask of you, and then hang on tight as he takes you into those depths in real life. He doesn’t leave you there. He takes you there so that you can be of service to Him and others and thereby enjoy the heights of heaven. And that is not bitter. It is sweet.

Make your level of consent uncommon.

The Holy Order of God—Part VII

Perhaps now would be a good time for me to explain why (at least, in part) I started a series of blogposts on this topic in the first place. 

I started it because I have long had a fascination with Alma 13. It’s one of those chapters that makes your head spin when you first read it. It did for me, anyway. I remember feeling like there was so much I needed to understand but couldn’t, and, though I don’t think I could have put this into words at the time, I had a deep realization that, in order to come to a more correct understanding of what I was reading, some of my beliefs were going to have to change. And I don’t know that this is the best way to put this, even now, but I remember feeling like whatever I would learn would help me “come home.” Somehow, I knew that what I didn’t yet consciously know was, in actuality, something very familiar to me.

Hmm…I’m not totally happy with those last two sentences, but I’ll go with that for now. :/

It’s taken me a long time to put up this last post because there is so much to say about “the holy order of God,” and I’ve debated what I should say and what I shouldn’t. If you haven’t noticed already, there are many implications in what I’ve presented so far, and there are many more in what I haven’t, so I think that I will just wrap up this series with a few parting thoughts.

A study of God’s “order”—his arrangement of individuals into ranks and classes, in addition to the ranks and classes themselves—can provide us with some very important information about how we are to progress towards God. What do those ranks and classes look like? What is ordination? How is one “ordained” to a certain order? What does that look like? What qualities and characteristics separate individuals of one “order” from another? Why is it important to understand any of this? I think the answer to this question is three-fold.

1 And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.

2 And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. (Alma 13)

Similar language is found in verse 16:

Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord. (Alma 13)

In these verses, we see that there are things about “the holy order of God” that are meant to help people “look forward to [God’s] son for redemption” and “for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.” These things are meant to help us recognize the Son and others who belong to orders higher than the one we are currently in. Moreover, they are meant to teach us about, and bring us to, those higher orders.

I highly encourage the reader to make “the holy order of God” and God’s “order” the focus of some intense, personal study and contemplation. A greater understanding of these things will enable us to become more capable participants in the accomplishment of God’s purposes—in terms of both this temporal existence and eternity.

 

The Holy Order of God—Part VI and a Half

It’s really too bad that Roman numerals don’t have decimals. :)

As I was wrapping up the last post, I had some thoughts that fit quite nicely in between that post and the next one, which will probably be the last one of this series.

I mentioned in the introductory post to this series that the phrase, “the holy order of God,” is found, in scripture, almost exclusively in Alma. However, the order itself is found all over scripture, if you know what to look for.

Case in point:

6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things. (Jacob 4)

Do you see “the holy order of God?” In what other passages of scripture can you see the holy order of God (even when certain key words are missing), what can you glean from those passages, and how might what you glean apply to your present and future circumstances?

Good things to think about. :)

The Holy Order of God—Part VI

If you want a very rewarding study of the scriptures, compare and contrast the sermon that Alma delivers in Zarahemla with the one that he delivers in Gideon. There are so many great nuggets of truth and understanding to be had in that exercise. Then go on and compare and contrast those sermons with the sermon that he delivers to the people in Ammonihah. Actually, don’t stop at analyzing the sermons. Analyze the entire experiences. There is a lot of contrast there. At the very least least, it’s a great study in approaches and tactics used in preaching the gospel that will necessarily differ when audiences are different.

Alma the Younger gives us a little kickstart to that exercise in his opening words to the people in Gideon:

1 Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment-seat, having had much business that I could not come unto you.

2 And even I could not have come now at this time were it not that the judgment-seat hath been given to another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you.

3 And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him, that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla.

4 But blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness.

5 And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow.

6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come. (Alma 7)

Alma sees differences between the people of Zarahemla and the people of Gideon, and those differences not only cause Alma to change his approach in teaching, but they also cause Alma to experience different levels of joy and sorrow as a result of their response.

While he still preaches repentance, his preaching has an entirely different flavor, and he says things in Gideon according to the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy that he doesn’t say in Zarahemla.¹ Some of the things Alma teaches the people in Gideon are so great that they cannot be written (see Alma 8:1).

After a period of rest at his home in Zarahemla, Alma teaches “the people in the land of Melek according to the holy order of God.” (Alma 8:4) We are not given any portion of what the people were taught in that city, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that the reason for that is the diligence of the people there, evidenced by the fact that “the people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the wilderness side.” (Alma 8:5)

Following his time in Melek, Alma travels to Ammonihah. His reception there is less than favorable, even after “… Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.” (Alma 8:10) The people cast him out of their city, and Alma starts to head toward the city of Aaron, but God has other plans. An angel is sent to command Alma to return to Ammonihah and preach that “…except they repent the Lord God will destroy them.” (Alma 8:16)

Upon returning to Ammonihah, Alma meets Amulek and is taken in by him. Alma explains to Amulek that he has “been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy” and that, after being determined to leave Ammonihah, he had been commanded to “turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities.” (Alma 8:24-25) The record says that Alma “tarried many days with Amulek” (Alma 8:27), while “the people did wax more gross in their iniquities.” (Alma 8:28) Through Alma, God calls Amulek to accompany Alma in preaching repentance.

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. (Alma 8:30)

It is at this point that Mormon makes particular mention of another characteristic of those who are part of “the holy order of God.”

And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them. (Alma 8:31)

Now, Alma and Amulek preach and prophesy “according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them.”

And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them. (Alma 8:32)

And if it wasn’t enough for Mormon to mention that fact in those two verses at the end of chapter 8, he interrupts the narrative to highlight it again before continuing the story in chapter 9:

The words of Alma, and also the words of Amulek, which were declared unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah. And also they are cast into prison, and delivered by the miraculous power of God which was in them, according to the record of Alma. (Preface to Alma 9)

This series of events should cause one to ponder on the role of “the miraculous power of God” in the preaching the gospel and on the circumstances that result in God giving that power to his servants. One could make a strong argument (and, here, I add my personal witness) that God gives this power to his servants as they encounter rejection and resistance from those to whom they are called to preach repentance. Alma and Amulek’s later experiences in the city of Ammonihah demonstrate that, being filled with the Holy Ghost, his servants know when and in what circumstances to use this power for the furthering of God’s purposes.

The Holy Order of God—Part V

While studying the topic of “the holy order of God,” the Lord gave me a visual representation of what I was learning.

He showed me a set of matryoshka dolls. Most people don’t know them by that name. Most people call them “Russian nesting dolls” or “tea dolls.” He showed me how progress through his “orders” can be represented by those dolls.

When you have a set of those dolls that is completely taken apart and disordered, there is only one way in which the pieces can be brought together and ordered to form a complete whole. You start with the smallest, singular doll, you encase that doll with the two pieces of the doll of the next larger size, and you repeat until you make the largest doll possible.

The smallest singular doll is like someone in their natural, fallen, sinful condition. When a person is in this state, that person is not part of God’s order¹.

When someone repents, it is like that person is encased in the doll of the next larger size. They “level up.” A change is wrought in their heart. Not only are they forgiven of their past sins, but they also become a new creature in Christ, with “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) Steadfast continuance in this state results in a perpetual state of sinlessness because that person yields to the word of the Lord in all situations and circumstances.

This state of sinlessness allows the Spirit of the Lord to flow more abundantly to individuals who have attained it. As they seek to know the Lord better, they are endowed with greater measures of his Spirit, which gives light and understanding—new information, to which an individual in this state must continuously conform.

It is inevitable that individuals who progress in this state will be called out of this one and into another. Having received information through the Spirit, and having completely conformed their lives to the information they have received, they qualify, and are called, to teach others who have not yet done so to do the same. Those who accept that call “level up” again. It is as if they are encased by the doll of the next larger size.

Individuals in this next state preach true repentance. The Lord only calls individuals who have practiced true repentance to this state—this “order”² —because anyone who has not truly repented would be a hypocrite in preaching the principle. Not having experienced that “mighty change,” they wouldn’t know what it is like and, therefore, could not teach it to others. This is one of the reasons why Jesus was so vocal in calling the Pharisees out on their hypocrisy:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)

Alma calls this “order”—this class of individuals—“the holy order of God.” They are distinguished from those who “walk after the holy order of God.” (Alma 5:54, Alma 7:22) Those who “walk after the holy order of God” are those who believe in the words of those who belong to “the holy order of God.” They are those who actually repent and who continue in God’s word. They are part of “the order of God,” but they are not part of “the holy order of God” because they have not yet qualified themselves to testify according to the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy.

The Holy Order of God—Part IV

Let’s get back on topic.

I’m going to jump around in the book of Alma a little bit in order to point out three specific characteristics of those who belong to “the holy order of God.” Mormon first makes an initially obvious mention of these three characteristics at the end of chapter 4:

And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy. (Alma 4)

The testimony of the word, the spirit of revelation, and the spirit of prophecy—three characteristics of this order that are repeatedly mentioned by both Alma the Younger and Mormon, though they’re not quite as obvious when mentioned later. These characteristics work interdependently, and all three will always be found working the same way in any individual belonging to this order.

Individuals who belong to this order are called—commanded, actually—to testify:

43 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God.

44 For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come. (Alma 5)

We see this call and command coming to Alma with some more specificity when an angel tells Alma to return to Ammonihah to preach repentance to the people in that city and when the word of the Lord directs Alma to take Amulek with him:

14 And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:

15 Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.

16 And behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. Yea, say unto them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them.

25 But behold, I have been commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities.

29 And the word came to Alma, saying: Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, go forth and prophesy unto this people, saying—Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord, except ye repent I will visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away. (Alma 8)

1 And again, I, Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying: (Alma 9)

Of what do they testify?

45 For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.

Sounds a lot like prophecy, doesn’t it? But of what things, specifically, do people who belong to this “order” testify? This is important because…well, I think that most people expect someone who has the spirit of prophecy to come along making fantastic claims about every little detail of the future. I mean, so many people have itching ears, you know? They want to hear all about the minutia of the future, so that’s what they look for. And, just to be clear, members of this “order” have been known to accurately foretell events that later came to pass. They can, and sometimes do, make many prophecies. But I find it fascinating (and very disheartening, quite honestly) that, most of the time, people completely miss these individuals because they dismiss the most important prophecy that all members of “the holy order of God” are called to declare to the people.

Members of this “order” preach repentance. Like, actual repentance. Not some watered-down version of repentance where all you have to do to repent is profess a belief that Christ has “saved” you or one where you “try your best” to stop sinning but you actually don’t.

True repentance requires you to live in a state of sinlessness, and for more information on how to reach and maintain that state, I will, once again, recommend the book, “Repentance: Making Straight the Way of God.” Actually, I highly recommend both the book and the state. Both are very good. :)

Why do they preach repentance? What does repentance have to do with prophecy? Well, they actually go hand-in-hand.

Members of “the holy order of God” preach repentance because they can accurately predict what will happen if people do not repent. They preach against sinfulness and wickedness because, without repentance, those things will inevitably be testified of at some point:

22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

23 Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness? (Alma 5)

In order to correctly preach repentance, members of “the holy order of God” also testify of Christ, through whom a state of redemption and sinlessness is made possible:

48 I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. (Alma 5)

How was Alma able to testify of Christ? How did he know of these things himself?

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. (Alma 5)

This knowledge of Christ’s coming was not a result of his previous repentance. Verse 46 tells us that this knowledge came “by the Holy Spirit of God” as a result of his fasting and prayer. To have the spirit of revelation is to have the Lord manifest things to us so that we know of ourselves that certain things are true, and members of “the holy order of God” will always have this spirit because it is what enables them to testify.

Alma corroborates all prior prophecy regarding these things because he has had these things revealed to him, directly, through the Spirit of the Lord:

And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God. (Alma 5:47)

I think that I will stop discussing these characteristics here for now. I need to move on to the next post. Even though this post has focused on Alma 5, testimony, the spirit of revelation, and the spirit of prophecy are mentioned plainly in other chapters of the book of Alma and not-so-plainly all throughout scripture. I’ll leave it to the reader to get some extra credit by studying these things further, independently.