Establishing the Cause of Zion
“…I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion…” (D&C 6:6).
This presentation was originally delivered last fall at the “Latter-day Disciples” conference. It is one of the most important things I’ve ever put together.
There is a great work lying before us. Each must decide for him or herself whether they will rise to the occasion or be cast out as salt that has lost its savor. The world is coming apart at the seams; the Savior’s path alone will empower us to hold it together, but doing so will reorder it around His love.
I’ve lately been pondering on, studying, praying about, and discussing with a couple of friends the concept of faith. As I was meditating on several related principles, they suddenly came together in a way that sounded very much the same as things I already believed, but felt different. I’d like to share and hope you find this beneficial.
Faith begins with hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). I believe this means more than reading the scriptures, or hearing words delivered by a messenger, but it is the actual moment those words become revelation from God directly to you.
Saving faith is only ever exercised in God—not in his messengers, servants, or even the scriptures, but in Him alone. As Jesus told the Pharisees: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me, but ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:39-40).
Many people throughout the years have built up entire religions around their false interpretations of the words God spoke to someone else. Yet, until these words jump off the page and are directed towards you specifically, they are not living. The Prophet Joseph taught that “there is no salvation between the two lids of the Bible” (TPJS p. 319).To his uncle Silas, he wrote:
Perhaps you may be surprised at this assertion, that I should say for the salvation of his creatures in these last days, since we have already in our possession a vast volume of his word which he has previously given.
But you will admit that the word spoken to Noah was not sufficient for Abraham, or it was not required of him to leave the land of his nativity and seek an inheritance in a strange country upon the word spoken to Noah, but for himself he obtained promises from the hand of the Lord and walked in that perfection, that he was called the friend of God.
Isaac, the promised seed, was not required to rest his hope alone upon the promises made to his father Abraham, but was privileged with the assurance of his approbation in the sight of Heaven by the direct voice of the Lord to him.
If one man can live upon the revelations to another, might I not with propriety ask why the necessity then of the Lord’s speaking to Isaac as he did, as is recorded in the twenty-sixth chapter of Genesis? For the Lord there repeats, or rather promises again, to perform the oath which he had previously sworn to Abraham, and why this repetition to Isaac? Why was not the first promise as sure for Isaac as it was for Abraham? Was not Isaac Abraham’s son, and could he not place implicit confidence in the veracity of his father as being a man of God? …
The same might be said on the subject of Jacob’s history. Why was it that the Lord spake to him concerning the same promise, after he had made it once to Abraham and renewed it to Isaac? Why could not Jacob rest contented upon the word spoken to his Fathers? When the time of the promise drew nigh for the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, why was it necessary that the Lord should begin to speak to them?
“The promise or word to Abraham was that his seed should serve in bondage, and be afflicted four hundred years, and after that they should come out with great substance. Why did they not rely upon this promise, and when they had remained in Egypt, in bondage four hundred years, come out without waiting for further revelations, but act entirely upon the promise given to Abraham that they should come out?
Paul said to his Hebrew brethren that God might more abundantly show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel. He confirmed it by an oath. He also exhorts them, who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises.
Notwithstanding, we (said Paul) have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, yet he was careful to press upon them the necessity of continuing on until they, as well as those who then inherited the promises, might have the assurance of their salvation confirmed to them by an oath from the mouth of him who could not lie; for that seemed to be the example anciently, and Paul holds it out to his Hebrew brethren as an object attainable in his day.
And why not? I admit that by reading the scriptures, of truth, the saints in the days of Paul could learn, beyond the power of contradiction, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had the promise of eternal life confirmed to them by an oath of the Lord; but that promise or oath was no assurance to them of their salvation, but they could, by walking in the footsteps and continuing in the faith of their fathers, obtain for themselves an oath for confirmation that they were meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light.
To exercise faith in God, the word of God must first be delivered to you by direct revelation. Scriptures and messengers can frequently serve as a catalyst, but it must ultimately come from God: “for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1; cf. Moroni 7:31-32, D&C 1:38, D&C 68:4). This is why, for example, missionaries ask people to pray about the Book of Mormon. The moment the reader receives revelation, it becomes God’s word and not someone else’s.
We are all held accountable and ultimately judged according to the light we receive in this life (Moroni 7:18, Alma 12:8-15). This is a universal yet dynamic standard. Every single person—from your religious neighbor, to your agnostic co-worker, from someone living in California today to someone living in China 3,000 years ago—has some portion of God’s word, greater or lesser. It is the living voice of the living God. It’s their perception of light, and revelation. And they will all be judged according to the light and revelation they received.
As a quick note on that: if the purpose of this life was to get everyone to join the LDS church, it would be an abysmal failure. With the largest population of members to date, Latter-day Saints make up only about ~0.2% of the world’s population. Even though we frequently say work can and is being done for the dead, providing them an exception in the afterlife, what exactly was the purpose of the life they did live?
Every life is eternally significant, and divinely planned; God is at work, speaking to his children wherever they may be: “The Lord deals with this people as a tender parent with a child, communicating light and intelligence and the knowledge of his ways as they can bear it” (TPJS p. 305). “For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true” (Alma 29:8).
Faith in God’s revealed word is ultimately the principle upon which we are judged, and the only principle upon which we are saved. This is why the Prophet speaks of exercising “faith in God unto life and salvation” (Lectures on Faith 3:3). Now, it’s also worth noting that eventually all things will be revealed to all people, but we’ll come back to that at a later time.
There’s so much quibble about grace in the protestant sphere. The best way to understand grace is as knowledge. And not just facts, or acquired information, but the direct revelation of God’s word to you. It’s to have a real encounter with Him in any degree (Mosiah 18:6). And that word, delivered in any degree, is always a gift.
We are saved and sanctified by the Truth (a personal knowledge of he who is the Word of God) (John 17:17). It is by grace (or knowledge/revelation) we are saved, through faith. And that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
That grace, or knowledge, is sufficient to transform us, if we will receive it. Knowing how and why Jesus would act in any given scenario is a massive gift; we simply cannot imagine what he would do, or how he could/would do it. And when you encounter and feel that living knowledge, you encounter him in some degree—and yielding to that influence will change you. It will knock you down and rearrange you.
It’s in this way we can understand Joseph Smith’s comments that “knowledge saves a man,” and “a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge.” Our best ideas or most sincerely held beliefs are not alone sufficient to transform us: “Salvation cannot come without revelation” (TPJS p. 160). We must actually come to know God and Christ to be partakers of eternal life (John 17:3).
Peter addressed the church in his day saying, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).
Commenting on this passage, the Prophet Joseph taught:
Contend earnestly for the like precious faith with the Apostle Peter, “and add to your faith virtue,” knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity; “for if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Another point, after having all these qualifications, he lays this injunction upon the people “to make your calling and election sure.” He is emphatic upon this subject—after adding all this virtue, knowledge, etc., “Make your calling and election sure.” What is the secret—the starting point? “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” How did he obtain all things? Through the knowledge of Him who hath called him. There could not anything be given, pertaining to life and godliness, without knowledge. Woe! woe! woe to Christendom!—especially the divines and priests if this be true.
Salvation is for a man to be saved from all his enemies; for until a man can triumph over death, he is not saved. A knowledge of the priesthood [the order and manner of the Son of God] alone will do this.
TPJS p. 305
It is furthermore the case that only by acting on God’s revealed word to you can you be transformed and receive the assurance that course of life you are pursuing is agreeable to his will (for more on this, I would suggest revisiting the entirety of Lecture 6 from the Lectures on Faith). As in Alma’s analogy of planting and nourishing the seed, acting on revelation will lead to successively greater knowledge and revelation, which will in turn inspire greater faith, leading to a perfect knowledge. On another occasion, the Prophet taught:
Now for the secret and grand key. Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that they had part with Christ, and were joint heirs with Him. They then would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Then, having this promise sealed unto them, it was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. Though the thunders might roll and lightnings flash, and earthquakes bellow, and war gather thick around, yet this hope and knowledge would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation. Then knowledge through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the grand key that unlocks the glories and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Compare this principle once with Christendom at the present day, and where are they, with all their boasted religion, piety and sacredness while at the same time they are crying out against prophets, apostles, angels, revelations, prophesying and visions, etc. Why, they are just ripening for the damnation of hell. They will be damned, for they reject the most glorious principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and treat with disdain and trample under foot the key that unlocks the heavens and puts in our possession the glories of the celestial world. Yes, I say, such will be damned, with all their professed godliness. Then I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves, by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you obtain it, etc.
TPJS p. 298-299
“And if it so be that [the Nephites] rebel against me, [the Lamanites] shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance.” (1 Nephi 2:24)
“The [gentiles] shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father. And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.” (3 Nephi 20:28-29)
“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.” (D&C 84:54-58)
“But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof. And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.” (2 Nephi 27:10-11)
“Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” (3 Nephi 21:11-12)
“And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel; but they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.” (D&C 45:28-31)
“But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them…
At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel… behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them…
… if [the gentiles] will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel.” (3 Nephi 16:8-15)
“Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, you scoffers
who preside over these people in Jerusalem.
You have supposed, by taking refuge in deception
and hiding behind falsehoods,
to have covenanted with Death,
or reached an understanding with Sheol, that,
should a flooding scourge sweep through the earth,
it shall not reach you.
Therefore, thus says my Lord Jehovah:
I lay in Zion a stone, a keystone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
They who believe it will not do rashly.
I will make justice the measure,
righteousness the weight;
a hail shall sweep away your false refuge
and waters flood the hiding place.
Your covenant with Death shall prove void,
your understanding with Sheol have no effect:
when the flooding scourge sweeps through,
you shall be overrun by it.” (Isaiah 28:14-18)
After several years of working on content, Todd McLauchlin, Josh Chandler and I are launching a group podcast/YouTube channel. We’ve released a few videos already. You can check that out here.
The name of the project comes from an analogy Todd wrote to outline the Lord’s way of teaching us: You can imagine you live in a home with no windows and doors, and you’ve never been outside. The Lord comes to you and tells you there are mountains outside, which confuses you. Seeing your confusion, He then tells you that there are great big triangles outside—which is a concept you understand. However, with time, the Lord must come back and tell you that they aren’t actually triangles, but something more irregular and complex. And it’s important to understand that the Lord wasn’t lying to you in the beginning—He was framing a concept in your own understanding.
There are many true things that the Lord has to come and “shatter” to provide us something better—the next step in our learning. If we resist the change and cling to what we have, our “triangle” can also become a stumbling block (e.g. “a bible! A bible! We have got a bible”). We plan to tackle several such triangles—beliefs that are helpful on one level, but are limited on another—with the hope of increasing your faith in Lord’s way of teaching you.
You can also come join the online discussion here.
These things are still in their early stages, so there hasn’t been too much put out thus far. I hope you’ll join us!
There are two primary states of being, known by many names. In one, you are connected to the infinite and eternal source of life we call God, having totally surrendered any facet of self to become His avatar. In the other you are cut off from the source, like an unplugged phone, left to your finite and limited body. Like Christ said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
One holds the key to unending life, the other is in a constant state of decay. One is life, the other is death. One is infinite and eternal, the other is finite and time-bound. One is “saved,” the other is “damned.” One is in a state of childlike connectedness to God, with no awareness or concept for “self”; the other is self-conscious, self-aware, and self-preserving. One has been called the “true self”—that version of you through which truth flows—and the other the “false self”—the distortion you develop in a state of disconnectedness. One is in a state of justification, the other is in a state of sin. One is good, the other is evil.
In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve dwelt in a state of perfect connectedness to God. They had total childlike trust in Him, enjoyed the communion of His open presence, were at perfect peace and rest, and were in a state of unending life. When they partook of the forbidden fruit their eyes were “opened,” bringing about an acute awareness of their nakedness. In a word, they became “self-conscious,” pulling their focus away from God and towards themselves. This focus on “self” disconnected them from the source, making them finite, fearful, and subject to death.
As Alma taught, “But behold, it was appointed unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man. And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will. (Alma 42:6-7)
This then becomes the defining state of the earth and everyone in it. It is a finite sphere, like an unplugged phone. Every person on it is also finite, self-conscious, self-preserving, and in a state of atrophy. This is the fall of man. It is unwittingly the pattern Nietchze fulfilled when he concluded “God is dead,” and people would need to learn to create their own values. It is the root of focusing on self-care, self-love, self-esteem, and self-discovery. It’s our attempt to cover up our discovered nakedness with fig leaves.
Instead of being filled with life eternal, all we have learned is to consume the finite life in others. It’s the way we kill to eat, seek popularity, or demand the attention and affirmation of others. It’s what Cain called “the great secret”: “that I may murder and get gain” (Moses 5:31). This is the instinct of the natural man. It sustains us for a short period of time, but will always leave us wanting.
By default, you are born onto a branch cut off from the tree of life. Finitude and weakness is the inheritance of this mortal body. Unless we can connect to and be filled by the source of life, we will move from consuming one finite body to another trying to sustain ourselves until we eventually give way to death. We cannot pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Anything we come up with on our own, no matter how genius, is subject to the same limitations we are. It’s a tower of babel. Because we are finite and limited, “salvation” necessarily requires yielding ourselves to something beyond us.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved” (2 Nephi 10:24).
“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“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 4:7).
“All we can do” is put ourselves in a position to receive through the total surrender of self to God. As King Benjamin taught, “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). By yielding our hearts to God’s voice at all times, holding nothing back, we can receive of His Spirit and be transformed. Coming into this state of total surrender is what the scriptures call being “born again” (see Alma 22:15-18).
Life swells within us as we persist in this state of self-surrender, eventually coming to a fulness. What begins as a spiritual connection nourishes your body until in every sense you return to a state of connection with God akin to Eden; from power over temptation and moments of “flow” to “Satan is bound and time is no longer” (D&C 84:100). From the “renewing” of your body to translation and resurrection. There will be no form of death or finitude as we grow in oneness with God.
This is a pattern that applies in all things on all levels. We must properly orient ourselves to receive any form of enduring success. Just as the heavens are above the earth, so must the head be above the body; that is to say, so should the body yield to the head, and the Church to Christ. When the body (or church) tries to lead itself, it ends in disharmony and failure. When you’re riding a bike, you find the rhythm of it by looking ahead at your desired destination. Too much inward focus on maintaining your balance, pedaling, turning, breaking, etc. will keep you from ever getting too far. As you look ahead, you find the immediate concerns have a way of working themselves out. Similarly, when you’re performing or speaking, the imbalance comes when your attention turns inward.
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
When we’re properly oriented, all things flow to us (D&C 121:46). Temporal concerns are met. We’re given what we need. Weakness is resolved. Temptation subsides. Knowledge is given. We don’t come to any of these things by seeking them directly, but rather receive them as a consequence of being united in heart with God. We cannot translate ourselves; we cannot perfect ourselves; we cannot come to a knowledge of truth by our own wit, or conjure up revelation; these are the gifts of God that come as we “offer up our whole souls as an offering” (Omni 1:26). Any person who tries to seek these things as ends in and of themselves will inevitably find them just out of reach, or slipping through their fingers (Helaman 13:31).
Similarly, any person who first obtains these things as gifts from God by walking the ordained path, but then comes to believe they obtained them by their own merit, will reap the same fate. This is analogous to plucking a flower to keep it for oneself. The moment you take it away from the source to pretend it is yours, it will begin to die. This is true for purity, righteousness, knowledge, temporal welfare, and more. We must always remember that the attributes of Christ are fruits of the Spirit, not skills we developed of our own strength (Galatians 5:22-23; Jacob 4:7). Truth is not something we obtain by our own reason and deduction, it is revealed (Job 11:7; Jacob 4:8; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Though truth is certainly reasonable, understanding why it is so is a fruit of receiving it—not the other way around.
To the extent we ever sense our weakness, exhaustion, ignorance, or impurity, we are sensing the finitude that comes from being cut off from the infinite source of Life. The solution is to lift our focus up from ourselves and have an eye single to God (D&C 88:67); to stop resisting His grace but surrender entirely to it. When we do this, life swells within. Eternity swells within. Power, light, love, knowledge, glory, and joy swell within, until at last the Lord has opened our eyes to every layer of flesh we must offer up, receiving His fulness.
As I was praying this morning, seeking to be filled with a greater degree of God’s love, the imagery of running water came to mind. Nephi learned that God’s love is comparable to a “fountain of living waters.” It ever flows out from Him, and down through the rest of creation to the degree that we will receive it.
Being born into a fallen state, cut off from God, we develop a false sense of self–one that is somehow independent from God. Last week I was sitting in a Waffle House (which tends to bring in some interesting characters) and it dawned on me like never before: we’re all just different variations of cut off from God. We’ve created so much of our sense of identity in a vacuum. The unique faults, quirks, and weaknesses of all come as a result of not being connected to the One. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21).
We are intended to be agents who extend the reach of God’s love. As it flows to us, it ought to flow through us. The way we open ourselves up to both receive and give is in the total surrender of what we call “self.” It is a concept we’ve only developed in being cut off from the source of life, and holding onto it—trying to be an independent entity—keeps us from properly aligning ourselves to the stream of God’s love. It is only in this total surrender that we actually find and become our true selves—that version of us through which truth flows. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
Ego—the false self we try so hard to hold on to–impedes the flow of this love. What we find is that as we surrender this self up to God, love flows through us as a natural consequence. It’s the surrender of this self—self-identity, self-will, self-preservation—that brings us into a justified state. It’s the continual surrender of this self, as it’s revealed to us in greater degrees, that brings about our sanctification. We must be consumed in this love.
“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:47-48)
We can only be like Him to the degree that we surrender the self and allow His love to “possess” us. His purpose must become our purpose; His identity must become our identity. It is the only identity whereby we can be saved: “There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ” (Mosiah 5:8-9).
I’ve recently been thinking about the imperative we have to seek and ask before we can receive. “Draw near to me,” the Lord says, “and I will draw near to you” (D&C 88:63). “Ask and it shall be give you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
What the Lord seeks to offer us can be only be received through the medium of asking. Conversely, if we don’t ask, we don’t receive. When Lehi shared his dreams and revelations, Nephi sought to know the same things for himself—and so he received. When he returned from the grand vision outlined in 1 Nephi 11-14, he found his brothers disputing over the things their father had been teaching, because “he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought” (1 Nephi 15:3). These two responses to Lehi’s words highlight the dividing wedge that leads to Nephi’s salvation on the one hand, and Laman and Lemuel’s damnation on the other. “Have ye inquired of the Lord?” Nephi asks. “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us” (1 Nephi 15:8-9).
Nephi calls the condition of not asking—nor believing the Lord will reveal anything to them—having unbelief and a hardened heart.
There are several instances in the Book of Mormon where the Lord indicates that He has more to reveal, but that it can only be known and understood through proactively seeking it out. When Jesus appeared to the Nephites, for example, He explained, “This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto [the Jews]: That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them” (3 Nephi 15:16-18). He later emphasized that His disciples in Jerusalem would not receive more unless they asked (3 Nephi 16:4). Along this same pattern, it’s noteworthy that Christ indicated to the Nephites that He had yet other sheep, but said nothing more.
Much of the restoration and revelation brought about through Joseph Smith was precipitated by his asking. Asking the Lord about his salvation; about his standing before God; about the proper mode of baptism; about the Lord’s will regarding this and that. Frequently, it began as he was impressed by some scripture the Spirit urged him to inquire about further, as in the case of James 1:5 before the first vision, or John 5:29 and the revelation of the three degrees of glory.
On more than one occasion, Nephi was commanded to say no more, drawing the curtains and inviting the reader to make the journey their own. “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2 Nephi 32:7).
The Lord wants us to know. He commands us to ask. Our resistance to do so damns us, as knowledge is required for salvation. Joseph Smith noted that “a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge.” We bring ruin and destruction to our own souls by keeping ourselves in the dark, believing the Lord (who is so eager to share) will not open up to us.
Our problem is not that we disbelieve such things happen, but that we do not believe they will happen to us. There could be a number of reasons for this; false traditions, such as revelation of truth being restricted to church leaders, or a belief that others possess a talent for it which you do not. Unbelief is an anvil the Lord desires you set aside. God is no respecter of persons. He will do it for you as much as He will do it for anyone—of that you can be sure.
The prophet Joseph emphasized, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them” (TPJS p. 149). The smallest whisperings to the grandest visions and visitations are open to all. At the outset of the restoration, the angel Moroni recounted this prophecy to Joseph: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29).
The day will come when “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them” (Jeremiah 31:34).
This is the Lord’s desire for all, including you. He is no respecter of persons, and blesses all according to the same laws and ordinances. He will open up, but we must first believe, ask, seek, and knock.
Every now and then the Lord comes along and interrupts my understanding of what I thought I knew. For as much adjusting at that requires, I’m always grateful because it removes the inhibitions I foolishly place on the Spirit.
I hope the spirit my words carry edify and uplift you in your efforts to come closer to the Savior. To the extent that they do not do that, please set them aside. I am by no means a perfect vessel, and require teaching and correction all the time. I plan on going back and revising the parts of this blog that I don’t believe reflect that Spirit.
For as much as I don’t know, I can testify to what I do. Christ lives. He is real. More than a metaphysical ideal, He is a person as much as you or I. His grace is sufficient to heal us, to transform us, and to redeem us. The greatest joy, indeed the only real joy, is found in yielding your whole heart to Him, and allowing His Spirit to make you like He is. He desires to infuse you with light and truth such that you possess greater joy than you can possibly comprehend.
His love knows no bounds. He knows us each by name. He has born the tragedy and suffering of our individual lives, and bears us still in His flesh. The peace He offers is worth any price. “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever” (Ether 12:41).
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God” (Moroni 10:32).
Not many years ago, men could look up and behold the vast array of stars that filled the night sky. Such was heaven’s tangibility. Now, men cannot look up and see more than the works of their own hands—what lights they have created blind them to a greater, deeper reality.
Entire civilizations once grounded themselves in the stars’ placement and regular motion. We struggle to see past ourselves.
Those with eyes to see can still see the light in heaven, however unlikely such a thing may seem to those who have lost that ability.
Many have wondered: if Jesus was indeed the long awaited Messiah, why does the world still seem so unredeemed? If he embodied the greatest conceivable good, why do death and hell still prevail in this world?
The redemption of the world at large requires the transformation of every individual who will participate. Death and hell live in us. In order to establish a society or world where those things do not exist, every single person must have them rooted out of their soul.
The atonement of Jesus Christ—his life and death—planted the seed in the world that would one day grow up to its full redemption. The waves that made in human history are apparent—and when considered in the context of creative patterns, all that has transpired takes on new meaning. It is in this light that we can begin to approach “Mormonism,” including the Book of Mormon, the teachings, revelations, and ministry of Joseph Smith, and the foundation laid for the great harvest that is soon to come.
Establishing the Cause of Zion 