Week 35 is scheduled for study Aug. 23-29, 2021. This week’s lessons can be deceiving. I think the key to appreciating this section is in day three’s lesson on putting our home in order.
Day 1
Doctrine and Covenants 93 teaches that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come”. As you study this section, look for truth and record what you learn. What are you willing to do to receive truth?
Doctrine and Covenants 93 – We worship God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The first part of today’s lesson asks us to write down what we have learned about God and Christ in section 93. What I learned is found in the following article.
I suppose I should note that what we learn from reading the scriptures isn’t always what a lesson manual wants us to learn. That is the beauty of being taught by the Spirit – the instructions can be the same for everyone, but what is learned is tailored to your personal needs. That is the nature of celestial instruction.
The second part of the lesson asks us to note what we learn about ourselves and about how we “come unto the Father”.
Did you notice from reading the manual and from reading this section that how Christ was brought to be glorified of the Father is the same path we must follow to receive the same blessings? Jesus went from grace to grace. We must advance from grace to grace. Jesus was obedient in all things, and we must learn to become obedient in all things. Jesus did the works of our Father, thus glorifying Him. We must also do the works of the Father (meaning do good however and whenever we can), thus glorifying Him.
The difference between Jesus and us is that Jesus got it all right on the first try in this life. We, on the other hand, keep making mistakes. But those mistakes don’t have to be the end of our progression. We can repent, because of Jesus, and try again, and again, and again – as often as is required to learn to do something better. We can’t become perfect in all things in this life, but we aren’t being judged on perfection. We are being judged on progress. As long as we are headed in the right direction, and are taking our personal salvation seriously, the Lord will give us the time and space required to finish the process.
Day 2
Doctrine and Covenants 93 teaches that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come”. As you study this section, look for truth and record what you learn. What are you willing to do to receive truth?
Doctrine and Covenants 93:1-39 – The glory of God is light and truth.
There is a standard chart of the elements everyone of us should have been exposed to in science class in school. We are told that all the matter in the universe is made up of these elements. It wasn’t until I read and reread section 93 that it occurred to me that there are two classes of substances in the universe that we know of, not just one. The one is made up of the elements, like our bodies, the earth, etc. The other class of substances science has no way of identifying, like light, truth, and spirit. The closest science comes to identifying what light is made of is to state that it is made of packets of energy they call photons, but there is no known element associated with a photon. Photons don’t appear on the elemental chart!
What amazed me is that Joseph Smith was revealing this scientific truth about the nature of light almost a hundred years before Einstein coined the word photon. Light, truth, and spirit are not of the same physical world as the elements, yet these are what comprises the glory of God. The following verses, 26-34, outline some of the properties and behaviors of light and truth, and how they affect a change in spirits. It can be difficult to comprehend (still working on it) because the Lord uses these words interchangeably. That makes it difficult to see what is different about them, as well as how they work with one another. Read this and I’ll catch up with you on the other end.
26 The Spirit of is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;
27 And no man receiveth a unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that his commandments receiveth and , until he is glorified in truth and all things.
29 Man was also in the with God. , or the of , was not or made, neither indeed can be.
30 All truth is independent in that in which God has placed it, to for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.
31 Behold, here is the of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is unto them, and they receive not the light.
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the is under condemnation.
33 For man is . The elements are , and and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;
34 And when , man cannot receive a fulness of joy.
In essence, what I get from these verses is that truth comes from God. Receiving the fulness of God’s truths requires that we keep the commandments He has given us. Those who keep the commandments receive more and more truth until they are glorified and know all things. We began as Intelligence, which is as eternal as God is. Truth is light, and if we sin we reject the light. Rejecting the light that comes from God puts us under condemnation according to the laws of God, for He states earlier (verse 30) that all Intelligence/truth/light is independent within the sphere God places it, and we must obey the laws He has given or be condemned. This is man’s agency, and this is what causes us to be condemned, to reject the light that comes from God, His truths.
The important part, for me at least, is found in verse 33. We are spirits, which is not an element on the periodic table. Just as all elements are eternal, so too are spirits. We must be combined with the elements in order to experience a fulness of joy. This means we must receive a body, be resurrected, making the body as eternal as the spirit and Intelligence that inhabits it. When all three are combined in a resurrected body, then and only then can we experience a fulness of joy. Without us receiving a resurrected body we simply “cannot receive a fulness of joy.”
Needless to say this section stretched my mind more than I am accustomed to having it stretched. I found it to be exciting and rewarding. We should all be excited at the potential we have, and at the process the Lord has us undergoing to be able in the near future to experience a fulness of joy. This is His work and His glory.
Day 3
Doctrine and Covenants 93 teaches that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come”. As you study this section, look for truth and record what you learn. What are you willing to do to receive truth?
Doctrine and Covenants 93:40-50 – Set in order your own house.
When I think of setting my house in order I think of picking up the living room, vacuuming, and preparing for company. This lesson may take a little mental adjustment to learn to think along the same lines as the Lord when He talks about setting things in order.
First, let’s look at some of the topics discussed in section 93. These are the things the Lord wants the Saints to think about, and He discusses them just before telling these men to get their own houses in order. This means there has to be a connection of some sort between the two subjects.
The Lord “received of the Father” during his mortal ministry and the works of God “were plainly manifest”(verse 5).
The Lord continued from grace to grace “and thus he was called the Son of God” (verses 12-14).
Once Christ received the fulness of the Father, he received all power both in heaven and on earth (verses 16-17).
The above three mentioned points all apply to us as well, as shown in the following verses. This demonstrates that we can and should be progressing in spiritual things just as the Savior did. The rewards are the same for all of God’s children who emulate the Savior’s behavior and attitudes.
19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.
20 For if you keep my you shall receive of his , and be in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive for grace.
21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the with the Father, and am the ;
22 And all those who are begotten through me are of the of the same, and are the of the Firstborn.
The fulness of the Father comes from keeping the commandments and receiving light and truth into our lives. That specifically means that we not only study to learn of God’s ways, but we then put it into practice in how we live our life.
27 And no man receiveth a unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that his commandments receiveth and , until he is glorified in truth and all things.
Here is the definition of our agency, and the explanation of why our agency either exalts us or condemns us.
30 All truth is independent in that in which God has placed it, to for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.
31 Behold, here is the of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is unto them, and they receive not the light.
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the is under condemnation.
I talked in yesterday’s lesson about the two classes of matter in the universe, elements and that matter for which we know of no elements – light/spirit/truth – all of which are measurable, discernable, and are the basis of glory. And remember that only when the two are combined eternally can a fulness of joy be achieved and experienced (33-36).
33 For man is . The elements are , and and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;
34 And when , man cannot receive a fulness of joy.
35 The are the of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even ; and whatsoever temple is , God shall destroy that temple.
36 The of God is , or, in other words, and truth.
By definition, Satan means “an adversary”. Satan’s goal is to deprive us of glory, and he does this by the following methods (39-40).
39 And that cometh and away light and truth, through , from the children of men, and because of the of their fathers.
40 But I have commanded you to bring up your in and truth.
Finally, here is where we get the context of what the Lord is referring to when He says we need to get our houses in order (41-43).
41 But verily I say unto you, my servant Frederick G. Williams, you have continued under this condemnation;
42 You have not your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your .
43 And now a commandment I give unto you—if you will be delivered you shall set in your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your house.
When we look at our family situation or even our own personal life, what do we need to set in order? Are we allowing Satan to deprive us of truth and light, hence the glory God is offering us? Are we both studying the word of God and living what we learn in practical terms? Living from grace to grace is what life is supposed to teach us. We are here to learn how to behave in a celestial or godly manner, just as our Savior has shown us how to do. We are to study his life and his teachings, his words then live by them. Only then can we progress from grace to grace until we are filled with light, knowledge, spirit, and truth, which is the glory of God, and will be our glory as well.
FHE/Personal Study
Doctrine and Covenants 93:12-13, 20 – Grace to grace
I admit up front that this explanation feels a little watered down to me, but it is all I currently understand, so please be patient with me as I continue to learn and grow in the gospel.
The key, to me, in understanding today’s topic (What does it mean to receive “grace for grace”?) is found in verse 20.
20 For if you keep my you shall receive of his , and be in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive for grace.
Okay, here is an aside, for I just have to say this. I struggle with the difference between “grace to grace” and “grace for grace”. To me, when we move from grace to grace we are receiving light and knowledge along our path of obedience. We receive here a little, there a little, as we grow in the knowledge of spiritual things. To “receive grace for grace” seems like a tit for tat kind of thing. Like I will get more grace or goodness from God, more forgiveness, more blessings, etc. as I learn to be filled with the spirit of grace to those around me. This means I am learning to be forgiving, tolerant, accepting, kind, etc.
Both phrases hold their own set of truths in them, but I don’t honestly know if they are supposed to be interchangeable in the scriptures or if they really do mean two different things. Okay, that is the end of my aside.
By the way, if you don’t know what an aside is, it is where an actor in a play steps momentarily out of character and addresses the audience directly to fill them in on what is actually going on in the play. Everyone on set freezes during the aside then when finished all the action of the play resumes.
Refer back to verse 20. Grace is not something that is a big investment or installation of righteousness, knowledge, etc. Grace is small and incremental most of the time. I keep a commandment and exercise faith in what I understand, so the Lord has the Spirit give me a little bit more knowledge or a better understanding of what I already knew. As I live with this new perspective, and am faithful to what I have been given, I receive more. In this way my wisdom, my eternal perspective, my ability to live a productive righteous life, expands and grows until I am noticeably more righteous than I was when I began the process. When the scriptures talk about receiving “here a little, there a little” I believe this is what they are referring to. Grace generally is a line upon line, precept upon precept kind of thing.
Grace is also what it means to be forgiven of our sins. It is Christ’s grace that welcomes and beckons us back into the light Satan is trying so hard to deprive us of. When we think of progressing in the gospel, yes, there are times when we seem to make monumental leaps forward, but there is always a period of time afterward that is for testing and proving us to see if we can handle living what we have been given. Once we have proven ourselves then more is given. That is the process, as I understand it, for moving from grace to grace, or receiving grace for grace.
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Week 35
Dear Kelly,
Thank you, I have enjoyed learning this lesson and understanding more of the |line-upon line”‘ concept
Kind Regards
Mei