Precepts of the Gospel

The First Presidency Message for September 2010 that is intended to serve as a basis for the home teaching lessons presented to the families of the Church was written by President Henry B. Eyring and is entitled, “The Book of Mormon as a Personal Guide.” As a support to the home teaching efforts of our High Priests Group, the First Presidency Message is our lesson topic on the first Sunday of each month. This month’s discussion was lively and centered around a well known quote of the Prophet Joseph Smith relative to the Book of Mormon’s importance: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 64).

An attempt on my part to reconstruct the particulars of our Group’s discussion related to this quote is not germane to this writing. What is pertinent is the conclusion with which our instructor ended his lesson as well as the basis upon which President Eyring grounded his Message. The Book of Mormon’s key value that makes it “the most correct of any book on earth,” the “keystone of our religion,” and assists men to “get nearer to God . . . than by any other book” is the “precepts” that it contains. President Eyring concludes that these precepts “are the commandments of God we find in it” (Ensign, September 2010, 4). My dictionary defines a “precept” as “a commandment or direction meant as a rule of action or conduct.” Clearly, the title of his Message confirms this interpretation to be the one intended as President Eyring asks the Church’s membership to consider this book of scripture as their “Personal Guide.”

Therein is what caught my attention. The First Presidency Message and our Group’s discussion confirmed what I already knew. We ought not read and study the Book of Mormon because of our interest in expanding our present understanding of the law of consecration or the united order, the collecting and use of tithing funds, or the temple ordinances of the endowment and the sealing of families for eternity, for example. These important subjects are not topics handled by its writers. When we read the Book of Mormon, we should concentrate intently upon the precepts illustrated therein which if better inculcated into our daily living would assist us to “get nearer to God” thus improving the possibility of one day being found worthy to receive eternal life. Thousands of years ago, the Lord confirmed to the Prophet Abraham that this end was the purpose of life and of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. “And in thy seed after thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).

The next time I re-read the Book of Mormon, I will keep the Prophet’s counsel in mind and seek to better understand and apply the saving precepts it contains.

"There is a Spirit in Man"

It was Job who is quoted as having said, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8). Concerning this concept, President Joseph F. Smith taught: “There is not a man born into the world but has a portion of the Spirit of God, and it is that Spirit of God which gives to his spirit understanding. Without this, he would be but an animal like the rest of the brute creation, without understanding, without judgment, without skill, without ability, except to eat and to drink like the brute beast. But inasmuch as the Spirit of God giveth all men understanding, he is enlightened above the brute beast. He is made in the image of God Himself, so that he can reason, reflect, pray, exercise faith; he can use his energies for the accomplishment of the desires of his heart, and inasmuch as he puts forth his efforts in the proper direction, then he is entitled to an increased portion of the Spirit of the Almighty to inspire him to increased intelligence, to increased prosperity and happiness in the world; but in proportion as he prostitutes his energies for evil, the inspiration of the Almighty is withdrawn from him, until he becomes so dark and so benighted, that so far as his knowledge of God is concerned, so far as the future or hopes of eternal life are concerned, he is quite as ignorant as a dumb brute” (Journal of Discourses, 25:53-54 as quoted in Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Old Testament, 267). I sense that some pet lovers will be uncomfortable with this statement, nevertheless, it is true from at least the standpoint of the gospel.

While the spirit of man may be inspired by the Almighty through three identifiably different means, it is one of these namely, the Light of Christ to which President Smith has major reference here. The Light of Christ fills the immensity of space and is that force for good that stands in opposition to the spirit of the evil one. When we speak of the “conscience” of mankind, we speak of the most obvious effect of the Light of Christ upon our persons. If we do not seek to drown out the direction our conscience would give us, then its direction will guide us toward beliefs and actions that are good and consistent with God’s will. A conscience fettered by a repeated rejection of what is good will leave us more exposed to the temptations of the evil one and of his minions. For those who leave themselves open to the inspiration of the Light of Christ are encouraged toward ends of enlightenment, discovery, and creativity not only for themselves but also at times for the betterment and the refinement of the human family.

The Holy Ghost is a testifier of the truth. The unrepentant will at best experience a personal brush with the Holy Ghost as they have witness born to them of the truthfulness of the restored gospel and the re-establishment of the Lord’s one true Church upon the earth in these last days. If the investigator seizes upon this witness of truth and exercises faith and repentance unto baptism and confirmation, then will the convert receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift from God is the right to have the constant companionship of His Spirit to guide us, to encourage us, to warn us of impending danger, and to comfort us in times of trials. What is often not mentioned in such a discussion is that the Holy Ghost will not strive with the disobedient. It follows, therefore, that we will reap the promised benefits the Holy Ghost has to offer only if we are living worthy of those blessings.

The third way that “the inspiration of the Almighty giveth [us] understanding” is by means of the Second Comforter, the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The Savior taught: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (see John 14: 18-23). To be worthy of and receive the Second Comforter is expressed in the scriptures in several different ways. The Apostle Peter taught that we should seek to make our “calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said, “The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood” (D&C 131:5). On another occasion, the Lord taught that those “who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the church of the Firstborn” (D&C 76:53-54). Of course, the members of the church of the Firstborn are those who inherit eternal life. While speaking concerning John 14:23, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “the appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false” (D&C 130:3). For “the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us” (D&C 130:22).

There are those writers who diminish the importance of Job’s pronouncement that “there is a spirit in man” as not being an exceptional concept. I beg to differ with them. The spirits that inhabit human beings consist of two identifiably different parts and are the spirit offspring of our heavenly parents. The spirits of which I speak are not those that naturally inhabit the bodies of animals, and spirits destined for the bodies of animals can never be the life force in a human body. Thus the spirit that inhabits the human being is materially different from those inhabiting all other life forms. The spirits of which Job speaks consist of an intelligence that is co-eternal with God and that is the life force within the spirit body created by our heavenly parents. In our pre-mortal experience, we participated in a maturation process that allowed us to progress according to our Father’s desires for us to the extent we were willing to obey His dictates. The mortal probation in which we presently find ourselves is a continuation of this maturation process the object of which is to become as our parents in heaven are. The success of our earthly progression is possible in the final analysis because of “the inspiration of the Almighty” that provides to the obedient the necessary understanding of God’s prescribed course of action during this period of testing.

Gratitude

Some years ago, our ward had a bishop who displayed a Gertrude Stein quote on his office wall: “Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.”

From our early years, we were taught to say “please” and “thank you” as well as use other expressions whereby we demonstrated common courtesy to others. We were made to understand that we belonged to a larger society of men and women, and that the peace and good order of that community depended upon each member showing respect for others in ways appropriate to the ages and roles of those with whom we interacted. We were expected to demonstrate deference toward our elders and authority figures.

Another aspect of our becoming aware of our place in society was the appreciation we were taught for all those in our society who provided us benefits. We came to realize how our lives were made safer, more comfortable, more rewarding, and happier because of policemen, firemen, trash haulers, teachers, doctors, and so on. When someone did anything for us, even the smallest gesture, we were taught to show our appreciation or gratitude by at the very least saying “thank you.” If this was true of the larger society, then it was more so when considering our immediate family members. That is not to say that my brother and I did not engage in sibling rivalry, but our parents were not tolerant of it at any level. Therefore, my brother and I matured in an environment in which such conflict was minimal. Showing appreciation and respect for our parents was simply the order of the day. Rarely did the thought to do otherwise seriously enter our minds.

Now, asks the Apostle Paul, if we show respect to our parents, ought we to respect our Heavenly Father less? “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9)

King Benjamin places the matter of our thanks and gratitude to God in sharp focus: “I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another--I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another--I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:20-21).

If “actions speak louder than words,” then words alone will not suffice as the sole means of thanking God for our lives and the privilege to experience this mortal probation. As King Benjamin taught, actions in the form of service to our fellowmen are required of us, for we have no other means by which we may fulfill the covenants we made with God at the time of our baptism and confirmation “to serve Him.” Selfish inaction on our part when we are presented with an opportunity to share our blessings from God with others or to profess that God’s blessings to us are really of our own making is to heap condemnation upon our own heads.

Thus it should be clear that we have an obligation to outwardly manifest through overt expressions of appreciation and acts of service the blessings we receive from God and the favors we receive from the hands of our fellowmen. Well it would be for us that we not forget the Lord’s insight on this matter: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21).

The Abrahamic Covenant

An understanding of the covenant the Lord made with Abraham in Old Testament times is necessary in this the dispensation of the fulness of times in order that we may more fully appreciate the historic mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If we were forced to rely solely on the information contained in the Old Testament for such an understanding, we would have little clarity on this subject [Genesis 17:3-8 and 22:15-18, for example]. Thus, revelations and sacred writings made available in modern times are invaluable for this study.

In the Book of Mormon, the House of Israel is emphasized as the means by which the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant will be fulfilled. An example of this approach is found in 2 Nephi: “And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever” (2 Nephi 29:13-14).

The most complete presentation of the Abrahamic Covenant is found in the Book of Abraham. Here is a consideration of verses eight through eleven in chapter two:

Verse 8 This is a covenant between God and Abraham. As with all such covenants, God determines the conditions or particulars of the agreement.

Verse 9 Abraham’s descendants are given the exclusive right to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the “ministry,” and bear the Melchizedek Priesthood “unto all nations.” We may assume, therefore, that the Savior will be born within Abraham’s lineage, which He was.

Verse 10 “And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after they name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father.”

Those who accept the gospel and join the Kingdom of God and who are not of the literal blood of Abraham are adopted into his lineage. This fact is confirmed in Paul’s teachings to the Galatians, who were not of the House of Israel and also apparently were not numbered among Abraham’s posterity before their baptism: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught concerning the role of the Holy Ghost in this adoption process: “This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149-150).

Verse 11 The core of this verse reads as follows: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.” The portions of this verse that I have not quoted are important clarifications of this core promise. Without their possession of the Melchizedek Priesthood, this promise to Abraham and his posterity would be meaningless. Also, Abraham’s posterity is defined as being those who are his “literal seed” or the seed of his body.

The Abrahamic Covenant was reaffirmed with Isaac (Genesis 24:60; 26:1-4, 24) and with Jacob (Genesis 28; 35:9-13; 48:3-4). It might also be worth noting in passing that Abraham received the land of Canaan as an inheritance (Genesis 17:8; Abraham 2:19).

Earlier in this writing, I mentioned that the teachings of the Book of Mormon tend to emphasize the role of the House of Israel down through the ages as fulfilling the conditions of the Abrahamic Covenant. This is no less the case today when we consider our perspective of the role of Israel in the modern Church. However in light of all this, there is an important lesson to be learned concerning the role of the Covenant down through the ages. If we consider the seven major dispensations of the gospel from Adam to the present day, one of these commenced with Moses. What was Moses’ priesthood line-of-authority? While he was an Israelite, a Levite, his Priesthood came by way of a non-Israelite. Moses received the Melchizedek Priesthood from his father-in-law, Jethro, a Midianite, who was a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, Abraham’s concubine and later his wife (Genesis 25:1-2; 1 Chronicles 1:32-34). Moses’ priesthood line-of-authority is outlined in D&C 84:6-17. Clearly both Abraham and Isaac had posterity who were not of the House of Israel. Thus it would be well for us to remember that Israel is not the sole means by which the peoples of the earth have been blessed under the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant.

One further matter is worthy of reconsideration here. In a previous writing, I introduced the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teaching concerning the Kingdom of God. “I say, in the name of the Lord, that the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to the present time. Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in His name, and where there is a priest of God--a minister who has power and authority from God to administer in the ordinances of the gospel and officiate in the priesthood of God, there is the kingdom of God; . . . Where there is no kingdom of God there is no salvation” (Teachings, 271-272). If we take this statement literally, then the Kingdom of God in some form has been on the earth from the days of Adam to the beginning of this, the seventh dispensation. This position appears to be supported by the writings of Moses. “And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost. And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus it was” (Moses 5:58-59).

The possibility that the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ have had a continuing presence somewhere upon the earth from the days of Adam through to our day is a thrilling concept. If we are worthy, the time is coming when we will be shown a panoramic history of the world just as many prophets have already been privileged to see it. Until that time, we glean what understanding we can from the sacred writings in our possession and look forward to the day when the promised additional records are made available to us. For they will reveal the works of God down through the ages, and we will then understand fully how, where, and when the literal seed of Abraham and of Isaac as well as of Jacob have blessed all of the families of the earth, “even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).