Like the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord gives us this week His law that defines the way His gospel is to operate in the last dispensation.
Don’t get me wrong, the sermon on the mount principles still apply to us just as much as they did to Christ’s disciples in the original church. In that sermon Jesus outlined the basic belief system of how his gospel operates in the lives of his people. In the sections in this week’s lessons God gives us the basic principles we use to govern the church in this dispensation. I’ll explain this and give examples along the way.
Basic starter principle
In Doctrine and Covenants 41:1 Christ gives us a basic principle that we need to examine to make sure we understand it. Let’s look at what it says then talk about what it means.
1 Hearken and , O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all , ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I , that have my , with the heaviest of all cursings.
The currency of heaven is knowledge. Those whose lives are happiest, who receive the greatest glory, and have the greatest power, are those who receive the most knowledge. The greatest blessing God can give us is the knowledge of eternity, that knowledge, that when lived, brings us joy and gives us power to do things we otherwise couldn’t do. Those who reject His knowledge or claim to receive it, but are complacent about it will have that knowledge stripped away so they no longer understand it.
I can only surmise why the lord takes away His knowledge from us. I am guessing that it is because of His merciful nature. If we know a thing then we are held accountable for it, and it will be used to judge us in the day of judgment. If God has taken away that knowledge then we can no longer be held accountable for the full weight of that knowledge, only for the rejection of it. That is my perspective. It seems the merciful way.
When the Lord says He wants to bless His people with “the greatest of all blessings,” what else can He be referring to but the knowledge of God? This knowledge is only given to those who “hear me.” The opposite of receiving this greatest of all blessings would be to have this knowledge taken away, so this would logically qualify as “the heaviest of all cursings.” In my mind the heaviest of all cursings would be to be left bereft of the knowledge of God, for it is the knowledge of Him and His ways that bring us the greatest joy. Knowledge of God brings with it light, truth, and Spirit. Absence of that knowledge brings only spiritual darkness and ignorance, the opposite of all that God is.
God says that only those who hear Him will receive His greatest of blessings. To hear Him means to listen to His commandments, whether from the scriptures, the prophet, or from the Spirit, and then go and obey them. If we don’t include the obedience in this equation then we haven’t really listened to any purpose. Hearing His words must include doing His words in order for those words to benefit our lives.
Universal missionary work
I have always wondered where the directive came from that the prophets refer to all the time that says it is a priesthood responsibility of ALL male members of the church to serve a mission. Below are the verses. The Saints had come together for a Church conference, as directed by God, to learn the law of the Lord He promised to give them for this dispensation. Here God is speaking directly to the Elders of the Church. Note that there is nothing in what God says here that limits His directives to only a few years during Joseph Smith’s day (Doctrine and Covenants 42:3-4, 15).
3 For verily I say, as ye have assembled yourselves together according to the wherewith I commanded you, and are agreed as this one thing, and have asked the Father in my name, even so ye shall receive.
4 Behold, verily I say unto you, I give unto you this first commandment, that ye shall in my name, every one of you, excepting my servants Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon.
15 And all this ye shall observe to do as I have concerning your teaching, until the fulness of my is given.
Verse 3 tells us that God will answer our prayers when we come together to petition Him according to His commandments. When we ask together in faith He promises to reveal His will to us.
Verse 4 specifically tells us that the first commandment God gives to His Church in the latter days is that “every one of you” is to go on a mission. Remember He is talking directly to the body of the Melchizedek priesthood here.
Verse 15 tells us that we will observe this commandment “until the fulness of my scriptures is given.” He may have been referring to a different set of scriptures than what I am thinking about, but as far as I can tell we still haven’t received all of God’s scriptures, so this commandment is still in force today. If I am out in left field, I welcome all the references you can provide that will set me straight on this matter. This seems pretty clear to me, but that doesn’t necessarily make me right. How does this sound to you?
Living the law of Consecration
The manual mentions that living the law of Consecration is something we all covenant to do when we worship in the temple. The Saints at the time of this revelation were trying to live their lives as the New Testament describes how the Saints back then lived, having all things in common. The Saints were sincere in their efforts and desires to duplicate what they read about in their scriptures. Unfortunately, there were misconceptions about how this is supposed to be done, and some confusion arose when they tried to put it into practice, for they were practicing the law by hearsay, not by direct commandment. In Section 42 the Lord somewhat clarifies this law and how it is to be lived. The law is described in Doctrine and Covenants 42:30-31.
Since we are not currently tasked with fully implementing the law of Consecration, is there a way we can prepare ourselves to live this law when that day comes? I believe we can live the spirit of the law even if we aren’t required to implement it in an official way. The description of the law that sends so many of us into a panic is the phrase about having “all things common.” Instantly people start questioning to what extent that applies, and how can that happen, etc. Let’s just look at the basic principle behind this phrase to see why it is actually a very simple concept in principle, if not in practice.
The reality in life is that when each of us shares willingly with those around us who may not have as much as we do, all of us have sufficient for our needs, and all of us prosper as a people. It is when we are not willing to share, but keep what we have, because we are afraid we won’t have enough, or for some other reason, that everyone suffers. There are always poor among us. That has never and will never change. As long as the earth stands in its mortal state we are commanded to care for the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, etc. In other words, anyone who stands in need of help.
Only when we learn there is joy in caring for others will we also learn that God provides for us when we share with others. Giving to others and caring for the needs of others is the Celestial way of living. It is the way of happiness, but it takes faith and trust in God and His plan and promises in order for us to live that way.
We can live the law of Consecration in principle today just by being free with our substance, our time, energies, and resources. We have already made the covenant to live the law, but if we can’t live it voluntarily on our own first, how difficult will it be for us to live it by way of commandment in the future. God has always commanded those who claim to follow Him to care for those in need. The question is, are we only dipping our toe into the waters of service and sacrifice or are we willingly jumping in with both feet?
Follow the Prophet
I was struck by the words of this verse (Doctrine and Covenants 43:12).
12 And if ye desire the glories of the kingdom, ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and uphold him before me by the prayer of faith.
I have heard people over the pulpit in general Conference tell us to pray for the prophet, but I never noticed that God specifically states that if we will pray for His prophet and uphold his efforts to serve us with the prayer of faith, God will give us the “glories of the kingdom.” Okay then.
Nature of missionary work to the world
When it comes to the Bible, most of us are babes in the woods. Those in Christendom who have been studying nothing but the Bible for generations can quote us under the table. But God has a message for each of us, and it is found in Doctrine and Covenants 42:15-16.
15 Again I say, hearken ye elders of my , whom I have appointed: Ye are not sent forth to be , but to the children of men the things which I have put into your hands by the power of my ;
16 And ye are to be from on high. yourselves and ye shall be with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken.
Why are we sent to teach and not to be taught? It is because we have been given truth through revelation. We have God’s priesthood authority to represent Him to His other children. We have been commissioned to be His mouthpiece to those we come into contact with. It is our responsibility to carry with us the Spirit whose responsibility it is to touch their hearts and teach them the truth of what we testify of. We don’t convert the people, the Spirit does. This is why God says in other verses that if we don’t have the spirit we cannot teach, for the Spirit will not be there to bear testimony to them. We can’t teach without Him.
To teach Christ’s gospel message with the Spirit as our companion is a big responsibility. But it is also the only way for a person to be converted to the truth permanently. Our personal inadequacies are not as important as our ability to testify with purity of heart and with faith in Christ. When we testify in faith God will honor our witness and the Holy Spirit will bear the truth of our testimony to the hearts of those who hear us. Their personal knowledge gained to this point in their life becomes irrelevant when the Spirit enters in and testifies of the eternal truth of the message we bear. It is then up to them to adjust their perceptions and knowledge to the truth they have just experienced.
Personal revelation
The world can never know the mysteries of God’s kingdom, for they are given by revelation. Those who make covenants, and keep them, have the right to receive revelation in their personal lives. This applies in ways not applicable to those who haven’t made covenants with God. The gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift of revelation, for He is the great revelator. The Spirit teaches us through revelation how to understand the ways of God. This privilege is not available to the world in general. This is one of the purposes of making and keeping sacred covenants (Doctrine and Covenants 42:65-68).
65 Behold, thou shalt observe all these things, and great shall be thy ; for unto you it is given to know the of the kingdom, but unto the world it is not given to know them.
66 Ye shall observe the laws which ye have received and be faithful.
67 And ye shall hereafter receive church , such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem.
68 Therefore, he that lacketh , let him ask of me, and I will give him liberally and upbraid him not.
Just like Joseph Smith read in the book of James in the New Testament, the Lord promises in verse 68 that when we ask Him (presumably in faith) He will answer us liberally and not chide us or punish us for asking the question. He is more interested in giving us answers.
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So good ~ The currency of heaven is knowledge!!!
Mike dropped!! Thank you for another great article!