The Nature of Covenants
The first question of this section is “What is a covenant?” (p. 81) I like the following from Joseph Fielding Smith:
The Gospel covenant is the promise of God to grant to man, through man’s obedience and acceptance of the ordinances and principles of the Gospel, the glory and exaltation of eternal life. (Church News)
The next question is “Why are Latter-day Saints called a covenant people?” (p. 81). I also like what President Marion G. Romney had to say in a conference talk entitled “Gospel Covenants”:
In saying to William E. McLellin, “Blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel” (D&C 66:2), the Lord identified the gospel as the great and all-embracing covenant. (Ensign, May 1981, 43)
It is important that we realize that, as taught in this section, “God…sets the terms” (p. 81) of true covenants. In a strict sense, we can set the terms of any promise, a goal, a resolution, etc. with God, but these are not true covenants. As taught in the Bible Dictionary:
God in his good pleasure fixes the terms, which man accepts. (p. 651)
In a wonderful resource for a discussion of covenants, a conference talk entitled “The Power of Covenants,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained:
A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God (see Bible Dictionary, “Covenant,” 651). In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments. (Ensign, May 2009, 19)
If you have not yet discovered Encyclopedia of Mormonism, do not delay. This wonderful work was published by the Church through Macmillan so that the world could have accurate information about the Church, written by many of the best in the Church, edited by the Church and even reviewed by general authorities. To find it, you can either Google “Encyclopedia of Mormonism” or go online at “lib.byu.edu/Macmillan.” This reference is a great one to add to your “Favorites” on your computer.
From this terrific resource, two great quotes:
The Lord’s covenants essentially cover the whole Plan of Salvation. (p. 332)
A covenant is fulfilled when people keep their promises and endure to the end in faith, with the Lord giving blessings during life, and salvation and exaltation upon completion. (p. 333)
Concerning covenant keeping, I really like this phrase from Jacob:
“…cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you.” (Jacob 6:5)
God’s Covenant with Abraham and His Descendants
In the February 2006 Ensign was a wonderful article, along with some terrific artwork (not usually included online) entitled “Abraham: Father of the Faithful.” Here is a quote from that article:
In the Old Testament, Abraham is regarded as the head of the covenant line, which is personified in the house of Israel. He is often called the “father of the faithful.” Abraham received the gospel through baptism, or the covenant of salvation. The higher priesthood was conferred upon him, and he entered into celestial marriage, the covenant of exaltation, gaining assurance that he would have eternal increase. He received a promise that these same blessings would be offered to his mortal posterity. The divine promises to Abraham assured that Christ would come through his lineage and that Abraham’s posterity would receive certain lands as an eternal inheritance. These promises are called the Abrahamic covenant.
Heavenly Father’s children who are of non-Israelite lineage can be adopted into the house of Israel, becoming heirs of the covenant and the seed of Abraham through the ordinances of the gospel. (See Bible Dictionary, “Abraham,” 601; and “Abraham, Covenant of,” 602.) (p. 38)
As before stated in this blog, a terrific resource is the LDS Scripture Citation Index, where you can click on any scripture and pull up all times that scripture was used in a conference talk. Just Google that title and it is the first item that comes up. You can also put “scriptures.byu.edu” in your address bar to pull it up. The following great quote from a conference talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks was found this way looking under “Galatians 3:29”:
The Bible tells us how God made a covenant with Abraham and promised him that through him all “families” or “nations” of the earth would be blessed (see Gen. 12:3 Gen. 22:18). What we call the Abrahamic covenant opens the door for God’s choicest blessings to all of His children everywhere. (Ensign, May 2006, 77)
If you want a good outline of the “blessings” promised to Abraham (discussed in the second paragraph of this section—after the beginning question), Paul K. Browning, did a good job in an Ensign article:
In brief, the covenant promises Abraham the following blessings if he is faithful:
1. Both his literal posterity and all those who accept the gospel will be counted as Abraham’s seed (see Abr. 2:10-11).
2. His seed will be as numerous as the stars of heaven (see Gen. 15:5).
3. His seed will be inheritors of a land that will be theirs as an everlasting possession (see Abr. 2:6; Gen. 17:7-8).
4. His seed will be the means of spreading the gospel and the priesthood to all the world (see Abr. 2:9). (Ensign, Jul 1998, 54)
The title “Father Abraham” is most appropriate, since Jesus Christ so declared him to be an important “Father” at least three times:
And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; (Abraham 2:10)
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)
And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word and according to my law, it shall be visited with blessings and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth and in heaven.
For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father. (D&C 132:48-49)
As to why Abraham was chosen for such a wonderful covenant and his title, perhaps only God knows. But there are two interesting and very unique events in Abraham’s life. You may want to ask, “What were the two most traumatic events in Abraham’s life?” The answers may very well be:
ONE: Abraham’s near sacrifice on the altar (see Facsimile No. 1 and Abraham 1:7-16)
TWO: Abraham’s near sacrifice of his birthright son, Isaac (see Genesis 22:1-8)
Perhaps more than any man who has ever lived, Abraham came closest to understanding, if even only just slightly, in ONE, the feelings of Jesus Christ and his unjust sacrifice and TWO, the feelings of God the Father in allowing His Only Begotten Son’s sacrifice.
It may be important to understand that the Abrahamic Covenant was not unique with Abraham. Robert J. Matthews, in a wonderful article entitled, “Our Covenants with the Lord,” explains:
The covenant to Abraham and his seed is the most extensive of the covenants mentioned in the Bible, but thanks to the additional revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith we know that the Lord covenanted first with Adam and that the same covenant was then extended to Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah (see D&C 107:42-52).
Later, Melchizedek and Abraham received the same gospel with the same covenants that the Lord had made with Enoch. (See JST, Gen. 8:22–23; JST, Gen. 9:15–25; JST, Gen. 13:13; JST, Gen. 14:26–34.) Isaac and Jacob also received the gospel covenant and other special covenants; and “great were the covenants of the Lord … unto Joseph” (2 Ne. 3:4). Abraham, then, was not the first of the covenant people, though he is an indispensable link in a long succession of patriarchs before and after him who covenanted with the Lord not only for their individual salvation but also on behalf of their posterity. The promises made to the fathers extend all the way back to father Adam and all the way forward to his posterity, or all mankind. (Ensign, Dec 1980, 33)
That this lesson is so timely for us today and for our future was explained by Elder Russell M. Nelson:
Anciently, the Lord blessed Father Abraham with a promise to make his posterity a chosen people. References to this covenant occur throughout the scriptures. Included were promises that the Son of God would come through Abraham’s lineage, that certain lands would be inherited, that nations and kindreds of the earth would be blessed through his seed, and more. While some aspects of that covenant have already been fulfilled, the Book of Mormon teaches that this Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled only in these latter days! It also emphasizes that we are among the covenant people of the Lord. Ours is the privilege to participate personally in the fulfillment of these promises. What an exciting time to live! (Ensign, Nov 2006, 79)
Members of the Church Are a Covenant People
I love this quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley about LDS being a covenant people. It also beautifully parallels the three covenants discussed in the first section of this lesson (pp. 81-82):
We are a covenant people. I have had the feeling that if we could just encourage our people to live by three or four covenants everything else would take care of itself. …
The first of these is the covenant of the sacrament, in which we take upon ourselves the name of the Savior and agree to keep His commandments with the promise in His covenant that He will bless us with His spirit. …
Second, the covenant of tithing. … The promise … is that He will stay the destroyer and open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them. …
Three, the covenants of the temple: Sacrifice, the willingness to sacrifice for this the Lord’s work—and inherent in that law of sacrifice is the very essence of the Atonement. … Consecration, which is associated with it, a willingness to give everything, if need be, to help in the on-rolling of this great work. And a covenant of love and loyalty one to another in the bonds of marriage, fidelity, chastity, morality.
If our people could only learn to live by these covenants, everything else would take care of itself, I am satisfied. (quoted by Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Ensign, May 2001, 61)
It may be important to understand that covenants did not begin in mortality, as discussed in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:
Latter-day Saints hold that the first personal covenants were made in premortal life, later to be taken again on earth. (p. 333)
Concerning covenants made in premortality, Elder Dallin Oaks explained in conference: All of the myriads of mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it. Many of us also made covenants with the Father concerning what we would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality. (Ensign, Nov 1993, 72)
In Conference, President Harold B. Lee also stated:
Now then, to make a summary of what I have just read, may I ask each of you again the question, “Who are you?” You are all the sons and daughters of God. Your spirits were created and lived as organized intelligences before the world was. You have been blessed to have a physical body because of your obedience to certain commandments in that premortal state. You are now born into a family to which you have come, into the nations through which you have come, as a reward for the kind of lives you lived before you came here and at a time in the world’s history, as the apostle Paul taught the men of Athens and as the Lord revealed to Moses, determined by the faithfulness of each of those who lived before this world was created.
All these rewards were seemingly promised, or foreordained, before the world was. Surely these matters must have been determined by the kind of lives we had lived in that premortal spirit world. Some may question these assumptions, but at the same time they will accept without any question the belief that each one of us will be judged when we leave this earth according to his or her deeds during our lives here in mortality. Isn’t it just as reasonable to believe that what we have received here in this earth life was given to each of us according to the merits of our conduct before we came here? (Ensign, Jan 1974, 2)
In this same conference talk, President Harold B. Lee also declared that although we have now in mortality renewed covenants we made in premortality, this life becomes crucial in the keeping of these covenants:
…even though we have our free agency here, there are many who were foreordained before the world was, to a greater state than they have prepared themselves for here. Even though they might have been among the noble and great, from among whom the Father declared he would make his chosen leaders, they may fail of that calling here in mortality. (Ensign, Jan 1974, 2)
The following is a quote from this section of the lesson:
Along with the blessings we receive as the Lord’s covenant people, we have great responsibilities. The Lord promised Abraham that through his descendants the gospel would be taken to all the earth. We are fulfilling this responsibility through the full-time missionary program of the Church and the missionary work done by the members. This opportunity to preach the gospel to all the world belongs only to the Lord’s Church and His covenant people. (p. 84)
Regarding missionary work as our responsibility as a covenant people, there is a concept introduced by the Lord about “salt.” In an Ensign article entitled, “I Have a Question,” What does it mean to be the “salt of the earth “? LeGrand L. Baker answered:
It is clear that under the new covenant the followers of Christ, as “salt,” are responsible for extending gospel blessings to the whole earth. “When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant,” the Lord explains, “they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men” (D&C 101:39). It is our privilege and blessing to lovingly lead our brothers and sisters to Christ, helping them receive their covenant blessings. As we do so, we become the figurative salt that makes it possible for them to offer the acceptable sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In addition, our own covenant sacrifice of time, talents, and means is pleasing to the Lord. (Ensign, Apr. 1999, 53)
In a conference talk entitled, “Salt of the Earth: Savor of Men and Saviors of Men,” Elder Carlos E. Asay elaborated:
A world-renowned chemist told me that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination. (Ensign, May 1980, 42)
The first paragraph (after the question) of this section discusses a less-well-known principle of “adoption.” From the Bible Dictionary, under “Adoption” comes the following explanation:
There are two types of adoption spoken of in the scriptures. A person who is of non-Israelite lineage becomes a member of the house of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ when it is accompanied by baptism in water and the reception of the Holy Ghost.
Again, from that great resource, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism comes the following on adoption:
Today, members of the Church—latter-day Israel, largely Joseph’s descendants, either by blood or adoption—are to seek out the other descendants of Israel and those who would become Israelites through adoption by baptism. The Prophet Joseph Smith observed that “as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene;…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. (p. 706)
The New and Everlasting Covenant
Also from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism comes the following:
The new and everlasting covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The sum of all gospel covenants that God makes with mankind is called “the new and everlasting covenant” and consists of several individual covenants, each of which is called “a new and everlasting covenant.” It is “new” when given to a person or a people for the first time, and “everlasting” because the gospel of Jesus Christ and plan of salvation existed before the world was formed and will exist forever.
All covenants between God and mankind are part of the new and everlasting covenant (D&C 22; 132:6-7). (p. 1008)
As members of the Church, we have great need for this covenant. From his wonderful talk, “The Mediator,” Elder Boyd K. Packer declares:
The extension of mercy will not be automatic. It will be through covenant with Him. It will be on His terms, His generous terms… (Ensign, May 1977, 54)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Chapter 14: Priesthood Organization
The Priesthood Is on the Earth Today
Tremendous resources for this lesson, as was true for Chapter 13, “The Priesthood” can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Joseph Smith, Chapter 8, Brigham Young, chapters 18 & 20, John Taylor, Chapters 13 & 14, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 4, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 16, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 11, David O. McKay, Chapter 12, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 10. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page. Following are some ideas on “What is the Priesthood?” from these sources:
Brigham Young expanded on the extent of the priesthood:
If anybody wants to know what the Priesthood of the Son of God is, it is the law by which the worlds are, were, and will continue for ever and ever. It is that system which brings worlds into existence and peoples them, gives them their revolutions… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
Wilford Woodruff clarified the power of the priesthood:
By the power of [the] Priesthood, God, our Eternal Father, has organized all worlds, and redeemed all worlds that have ever been redeemed. By that same Priesthood men have administered on the earth in the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 38)
Two Divisions of Priesthood
It may be important to note that, according to the Bible Dictionary, “The Aaronic Priesthood is not a different priesthood, it is the lesser portion of the true priesthood” (p. 730).
Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, well stated:
The first contains a lesser portion which prepares; thereafter comes the greater portion which fulfills. (Ensign, Nov 1997, 40)
In this section is explained the reason for the higher priesthood to be named Melchizedek. An interesting question has been asked by scholars, “Is it possible that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person?” An Ensign article by that name appeared in the “I Have a Question” installment, answered by Alma E. Gygi in Ensign, Nov. 1973, 15–16. It is possible. If this is used in teaching, you may want to examine two verses in Moses 8. Verse 12 lists the order of birth for Noah’s sons, Japeth, Shem, then Ham. Later, verse 27 lists Noah’s “three sons” as “Shem, Ham, and Japeth.” It appears that like with Jacob, Ephriam, and Nephi, Shem may have inherited the birthright after his older brother lost it, even though we are not given the reason for this.
Since Noah was the second Adam of this earth, his son Shem, who carries on the birthright lineage, was also an important individual in the kingdom.
President John Taylor proclaimed:
When both of these Priesthoods are carried out and united in their purity, the glory of the Lord will be manifested upon Mount Zion, in the Lord’s house, both operating according to their callings, position and authority. (quoted by Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Ensign, Nov 1997, 40)
Keys of the Priesthood
This section discusses the difference between priesthood and keys of the priesthood. President Brigham Young taught:
The keys of the eternal priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, is comprehended by being an apostle. All the priesthood, all the keys, all the gifts, all the endowments and everything preparatory to entering back into the presence of the Father and of the Son, is composed of, circumscribed by, or I might say incorporated within the circumference of the apostleship. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 138)
The last paragraph in this section discusses the various priesthood offices which need keys for presiding. Elder Russell M. Nelson summarizes this nicely:
Temple presidents, mission presidents, stake presidents, district presidents, bishops, branch presidents, and quorum presidents hold priesthood keys of presidency. Their keys control the power of their unit of the Church. (Ensign, Oct 2005, 40)
The concept of keys was forcefully and wonderfully developed near the end of Joseph’s death. First, Joseph Smith understood the importance of these keys:
One of the most pointed and poignant of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom prophecies was made to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the spring of 1844. Orson Hyde remembered the account: “We were in council with Brother Joseph almost every day for weeks. Says Brother Joseph in one of those councils, there is something going to happen; I don’t know what it is, but the Lord bids me to hasten and give you your endowment before the temple is finished. He conducted us through every ordinance of the holy priesthood, and when he had gone through with all the ordinances he rejoiced very much, and said, now if they kill me you have got all the keys and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will be able to build it up.” (Church History in the Fulness of Times Institute Student Manual, 273-4)
Then Brigham Young came to understand the importance of these keys:
In Boston rumors of Joseph Smith’s death began on 9 July. During the week before confirmation came from family letters and more complete newspaper accounts, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and Orson Pratt struggled within themselves about what the terrible news meant. Brigham recorded in his journal, “The first thing which I thought of was, whether Joseph had taken the keys of the kingdom with him from the earth; brother Orson Pratt sat on my left; we were both leaning back on our chairs. Bringing my hand down on my knee, I said the keys of the kingdom are right here with the Church.” (Church History in the Fulness of Times Institute Student Manual, 289)
President Brigham Young later wrote about the importance of apostles holding all of the keys when the president of the Church dies:
The Priesthood is given to the people and the keys thereof, and, when properly understood, they may actually unlock the treasury of the Lord…
Did they destroy it when they took the life of Joseph? No. “Mormonism” is here, the Priesthood is here, the keys of the Kingdom are here on the earth; and when Joseph went, they did not go. And if the wicked should succeed in taking my life, the keys of the Kingdom will remain with the Church (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 126-7)
The Offices and Duties of the Aaronic Priesthood
Joseph Smith taught that a priest has a role comparable to that of the prophets:
If a Priest understands his duty, his calling, and ministry, and preaches by the Holy Ghost, his enjoyment is as great as if he were one of the Presidency; and his services are necessary in the body, as are also those of Teachers and Deacons. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 111)
Indeed, both priesthoods are crucial to Our Heavenly Father’s plan. The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys to baptism and the sacrament. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the keys to the Gift of the Holy Ghost and temple ordinances.
It may be beneficial at this point to discuss the idea of how the Lord prepares priests for the Melchizedek priesthood. A priest is given the exact words to say, directly from revelation for the baptismal and sacramental prayers. This hopefully prepares them for when they receive the Melchizedek priesthood and are required to add words “as the spirit directs” to blessings and healing ordinances.
The Offices and Duties of the Melchizedek Priesthood
Concerning the office of elder:
In the October 1904 General Conference, President Joseph F. Smith said that the elders are to be “standing ministers at home; to be ready at the call of the presiding officers of the Church and the stakes, to labor in the ministry at home, and to officiate in any calling that may be required of them, whether it be to work in the temples, or to labor in the ministry at home, or whether it be to go out into the world, along with the Seventies to preach the Gospel” (CR [Oct. 1904]:4). (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 447)
You may want to ask: “What is the most common assignment for all priesthood holders?” (If you want to give a hint, you could add, “except for deacons”)
Among the duties under the heading of “Teacher” is “help Church members live the commandments” (p.75). Among the duties under the heading of “Elder” is “teach, expound, exhort” (p. 76). Teachers and elders (priests are still teachers and all other offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood are still elders) are assigned as Home Teachers.
This may be an excellent time to ask, “How important is Home Teaching in the Church?” The Prophet Joseph Smith gave high priority to home teaching. President James E. Faust illustrated this in a conference address:
A Brother Oakley was the Prophet’s home teacher, and whenever Brother Oakley went home teaching to the Smith home, “the Prophet called his family together and gave his own chair to Oakley, telling his family” to listen carefully to Brother Oakley. (Ensign, May 2006, 50)
President David O. McKay added his evaluation of home teaching:
… Some of [the home teachers] feel that their calling is of little importance, that there is not much dignity attached to it, when the fact is, that there is no more important work in the Church. We can not say of any one calling in the Church, that it is of more importance than another, because all are devoted to the development, to the instruction, to the salvation of God’s children. So it is with the calling of teacher; but if there be any preference given, because of superior advantages in winning these people to salvation, it will go to those men holding the priesthood of God, who come in direct contact with the individual members of the Church. … (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 121)
President David O. McKay also added:
I believe that in [home] teaching there is one of the greatest opportunities in all the world to awaken in those who are negligent, discouraged, downhearted, and sad, renewed life and a desire to re-enter into activity in the Church of Jesus Christ. By such activity they will be led back into the spiritual atmosphere which will lift their souls and give them power to overcome weaknesses which are now shackling them.
To give help, encouragement, and inspiration to every individual is the great responsibility and privilege of [home] teachers. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 122)
From the old priesthood/relief society manual on President John Taylor:
President Taylor also recognized and appreciated the authority of those who used their priesthood to serve him and his family. His humble respect for priesthood authority was exemplified by a story that his son Moses W. Taylor once related regarding an evening in the Taylor home when the family was visited by the home teachers. “One of the two was a boy sixteen years of age,” the younger Taylor recalled, “and that night it was his turn to preside. Father called the family together and informed the teachers that we were all there and said: ‘We are in your hands and await your instructions.’ ”
The boy then asked President Taylor if they prayed as a family and privately, if they treated their neighbors well, attended church regularly, and supported the authorities of the Church. “These questions were answered one after another by my father just as humbly as the youngest member of the family would have answered them. After the teachers had concluded their labors, they then requested my father to give them some instructions.
“He told them that he was pleased with them for their faithfulness and thanked them for calling and urged them to call on the family as often as they could for he realized the great good that a man holding the priesthood—which is the power of God—could do his family, and told them that there was no office in the church where greater good could be done than in that of a teacher. He told them to pay particular attention to his children and counsel them as a father.
“ ‘I am not often home,’ said he, ‘for my church duties call me away so much and I fear if my children do not frequently get good counsel, they may be led astray.’ (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 117-8)
The Quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood
I love this story told by President Henry B. Eyring about a deacons quorum presidency:
It is painful to imagine a shepherd feeding himself and letting the sheep go hungry. Yet I have seen many shepherds who feed their flocks. One was the president of a deacons quorum. One of his quorum members lived near my home. That neighbor boy had never attended a quorum meeting nor done anything with the members of his quorum. His stepfather was not a member, and his mother did not attend church.
The presidency of his deacons quorum met in council one Sunday morning. Each week they were fed the good word of God by the fine adviser and teacher. In their presidency meeting, those 13-year-old shepherds remembered the boy who never came. They talked about how much he needed what they received. The president assigned his counselor to go after that wandering sheep.
I knew the counselor, and I knew he was shy, and I knew the difficulty of the assignment, so I watched with wonder through my front window as the counselor trudged by my house, going up the road to the home of the boy who never came to church. The shepherd had his hands in his pockets. His eyes were on the ground. He walked slowly, the way you would if you weren’t sure you wanted to get where you were headed. In 20 minutes or so, he came back down the road with the lost deacon walking by his side. That scene was repeated for a few more Sundays. Then the boy who had been lost and was found moved away.
Now, that story seems unremarkable. It was just three boys sitting in a room around a small table. Then it was a boy walking up a road and coming back with another boy. But years later, I was in a stake conference, a continent away from the room in which that presidency had met in council. A gray-haired man came up to me and said quietly, “My grandson lived in your ward years ago.” With tenderness, he told me of that boy’s life. And then he asked if I could find that deacon who walked slowly up that road. And he wondered if I could thank him and tell him that his grandson, now grown to be a man, still remembered.
He remembered because in those few weeks he had been, for the first time in his life that he recognized, watched over by the shepherds of Israel. He had been warned by hearing eternal truth from people who cared about him. He had been offered the bread of life. And young shepherds had been true to their trust from the Lord. (Ensign, May 2001, 38)
President Monson relates his experience in a deacons quorum presidency:
I recall that when I was the second counselor in our deacons quorum presidency, I was considered a ward officer. At ward conference, when we sat on the front row of our ward officer’s meeting, I remember the stake president saying, “We will now call on Thomas Monson, the second counselor in the presidency of the deacons quorum of this ward, to give an account of his stewardship before the priesthood leadership of this ward.” Twelve years old, shaking like a leaf, I had to go forward to the same pulpit and give an account of my stewardship as the second counselor in the deacons quorum. We were taught responsibility, dependability, and accountability. We have not tapped that resource to a sufficient degree. Let us harness the energy of the deacons quorum presidency, the teachers quorum presidency, and the priests quorum youth leadership. (Ensign, Feb 1985, 22)
The Quorums of the Melchizedek Priesthood
The Ensign ran a series of articles about “priesthood quorums and their purposes.” In the fourth article, President Stephen L Richards, of the First Presidency, was quoted:
A quorum is three things: first, a class; second, a fraternity; and third, a service unit. Within it the men of the Priesthood learn of the principles of the Gospel, establish true brotherhood, and carry forward the work of Christ. It is a God-given association from which they derive more of lasting advantage than from any other fraternal organization in our society. Its prime purpose is to encourage and safeguard the individual. (Ensign, Apr 2005, 30)
President David O. McKay also added:
These groups meet together, first, to instruct and to edify, to improve in knowledge generally, and particularly to instruct in moral and religious knowledge, in faith, in holiness, but also to obtain mutual strength, to act uprightly. These groups supply a need that is felt among mankind generally. … Priesthood quorums … will supply every yearning for fellowship, fraternity, and service if men will but do their duty. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 116)
Importance of Priesthood Quorums
Concerning the importance of quorums, President Gordon B. Hinckley explained:
It will be a marvelous day, my brethren … when our priesthood quorums become an anchor of strength to every man belonging thereto, when each such man may appropriately be able to say, ‘I am a member of a priesthood quorum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I stand ready to assist my brethren in all of their needs, as I am confident they stand ready to assist me in mine. Working together, we shall grow spiritually as covenant sons of God. Working together, we can stand, without embarrassment and without fear, against every wind of adversity that might blow, be it economic, social, or spiritual.’ (Ensign, Nov. 1977, 86)
President David O. McKay also added:
Strictly speaking, priesthood as delegated power is an individual acquirement. However, by divine decree men who are appointed to serve in particular offices in the priesthood unite in quorums. Thus, this power finds expression through groups as well as in individuals. The quorum is the opportunity for men of like aspirations to know, to love, and to aid one another.
If priesthood meant only personal honor, blessing, or individual elevation, there would be no need of groups or quorums. The very existence of such groups established by divine authorization proclaims our dependence upon one another, the indispensable need of mutual help and assistance. We are, by divine right, social beings. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 116)
Auxiliaries to the Priesthood
Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a wonderful conference talk entitled “Strength in Counsel.” In it, he explained how stake and ward councils utilize auxiliaries to help individuals and the family:
God called a grand council in the premortal world to present His glorious plan for our eternal welfare. The Lord’s church is organized with councils at every level, beginning with the Council of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and extending to stake, ward, quorum, auxiliary, and family councils.
In many respects, general Church councils function much the same as stake and ward councils. All councils in the Church should encourage free and open discussion by conferring with one another and striving to have clear, concise communication. Councils should discuss objectives and concerns, with mutual understanding being the ultimate goal. Stake and ward councils are ideal settings for leaders of all organizations to converse together and strengthen one another. The primary focus of stake and ward council meetings should be coordinating activities and stewardship, not calendaring. In these meetings, priesthood and auxiliary leaders should review together their responsibilities and find ways for Church programs to help members live the gospel in the home. Today, individuals and families need wise and inspired help from the Church to combat the evils of the world. (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 76)
Later, Elder M. Russell Ballard also reminded us how auxiliaries are not only auxiliary to the priesthood, but to something even more important:
Teach the gospel and basic values in your home. Establish a love for reading the scriptures together. Too many of our parents are abdicating this responsibility to the Church. While seminary, auxiliaries, and priesthood quorums are important as a supplement to parental gospel instruction, the main responsibility rests in the home. (Ensign, Nov 2005, 41)
Tremendous resources for this lesson, as was true for Chapter 13, “The Priesthood” can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Joseph Smith, Chapter 8, Brigham Young, chapters 18 & 20, John Taylor, Chapters 13 & 14, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 4, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 16, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 11, David O. McKay, Chapter 12, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 10. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page. Following are some ideas on “What is the Priesthood?” from these sources:
Brigham Young expanded on the extent of the priesthood:
If anybody wants to know what the Priesthood of the Son of God is, it is the law by which the worlds are, were, and will continue for ever and ever. It is that system which brings worlds into existence and peoples them, gives them their revolutions… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
Wilford Woodruff clarified the power of the priesthood:
By the power of [the] Priesthood, God, our Eternal Father, has organized all worlds, and redeemed all worlds that have ever been redeemed. By that same Priesthood men have administered on the earth in the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 38)
Two Divisions of Priesthood
It may be important to note that, according to the Bible Dictionary, “The Aaronic Priesthood is not a different priesthood, it is the lesser portion of the true priesthood” (p. 730).
Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, well stated:
The first contains a lesser portion which prepares; thereafter comes the greater portion which fulfills. (Ensign, Nov 1997, 40)
In this section is explained the reason for the higher priesthood to be named Melchizedek. An interesting question has been asked by scholars, “Is it possible that Shem and Melchizedek are the same person?” An Ensign article by that name appeared in the “I Have a Question” installment, answered by Alma E. Gygi in Ensign, Nov. 1973, 15–16. It is possible. If this is used in teaching, you may want to examine two verses in Moses 8. Verse 12 lists the order of birth for Noah’s sons, Japeth, Shem, then Ham. Later, verse 27 lists Noah’s “three sons” as “Shem, Ham, and Japeth.” It appears that like with Jacob, Ephriam, and Nephi, Shem may have inherited the birthright after his older brother lost it, even though we are not given the reason for this.
Since Noah was the second Adam of this earth, his son Shem, who carries on the birthright lineage, was also an important individual in the kingdom.
President John Taylor proclaimed:
When both of these Priesthoods are carried out and united in their purity, the glory of the Lord will be manifested upon Mount Zion, in the Lord’s house, both operating according to their callings, position and authority. (quoted by Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Ensign, Nov 1997, 40)
Keys of the Priesthood
This section discusses the difference between priesthood and keys of the priesthood. President Brigham Young taught:
The keys of the eternal priesthood, which is after the order of the Son of God, is comprehended by being an apostle. All the priesthood, all the keys, all the gifts, all the endowments and everything preparatory to entering back into the presence of the Father and of the Son, is composed of, circumscribed by, or I might say incorporated within the circumference of the apostleship. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 138)
The last paragraph in this section discusses the various priesthood offices which need keys for presiding. Elder Russell M. Nelson summarizes this nicely:
Temple presidents, mission presidents, stake presidents, district presidents, bishops, branch presidents, and quorum presidents hold priesthood keys of presidency. Their keys control the power of their unit of the Church. (Ensign, Oct 2005, 40)
The concept of keys was forcefully and wonderfully developed near the end of Joseph’s death. First, Joseph Smith understood the importance of these keys:
One of the most pointed and poignant of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom prophecies was made to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the spring of 1844. Orson Hyde remembered the account: “We were in council with Brother Joseph almost every day for weeks. Says Brother Joseph in one of those councils, there is something going to happen; I don’t know what it is, but the Lord bids me to hasten and give you your endowment before the temple is finished. He conducted us through every ordinance of the holy priesthood, and when he had gone through with all the ordinances he rejoiced very much, and said, now if they kill me you have got all the keys and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will be able to build it up.” (Church History in the Fulness of Times Institute Student Manual, 273-4)
Then Brigham Young came to understand the importance of these keys:
In Boston rumors of Joseph Smith’s death began on 9 July. During the week before confirmation came from family letters and more complete newspaper accounts, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and Orson Pratt struggled within themselves about what the terrible news meant. Brigham recorded in his journal, “The first thing which I thought of was, whether Joseph had taken the keys of the kingdom with him from the earth; brother Orson Pratt sat on my left; we were both leaning back on our chairs. Bringing my hand down on my knee, I said the keys of the kingdom are right here with the Church.” (Church History in the Fulness of Times Institute Student Manual, 289)
President Brigham Young later wrote about the importance of apostles holding all of the keys when the president of the Church dies:
The Priesthood is given to the people and the keys thereof, and, when properly understood, they may actually unlock the treasury of the Lord…
Did they destroy it when they took the life of Joseph? No. “Mormonism” is here, the Priesthood is here, the keys of the Kingdom are here on the earth; and when Joseph went, they did not go. And if the wicked should succeed in taking my life, the keys of the Kingdom will remain with the Church (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 126-7)
The Offices and Duties of the Aaronic Priesthood
Joseph Smith taught that a priest has a role comparable to that of the prophets:
If a Priest understands his duty, his calling, and ministry, and preaches by the Holy Ghost, his enjoyment is as great as if he were one of the Presidency; and his services are necessary in the body, as are also those of Teachers and Deacons. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 111)
Indeed, both priesthoods are crucial to Our Heavenly Father’s plan. The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys to baptism and the sacrament. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the keys to the Gift of the Holy Ghost and temple ordinances.
It may be beneficial at this point to discuss the idea of how the Lord prepares priests for the Melchizedek priesthood. A priest is given the exact words to say, directly from revelation for the baptismal and sacramental prayers. This hopefully prepares them for when they receive the Melchizedek priesthood and are required to add words “as the spirit directs” to blessings and healing ordinances.
The Offices and Duties of the Melchizedek Priesthood
Concerning the office of elder:
In the October 1904 General Conference, President Joseph F. Smith said that the elders are to be “standing ministers at home; to be ready at the call of the presiding officers of the Church and the stakes, to labor in the ministry at home, and to officiate in any calling that may be required of them, whether it be to work in the temples, or to labor in the ministry at home, or whether it be to go out into the world, along with the Seventies to preach the Gospel” (CR [Oct. 1904]:4). (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 447)
You may want to ask: “What is the most common assignment for all priesthood holders?” (If you want to give a hint, you could add, “except for deacons”)
Among the duties under the heading of “Teacher” is “help Church members live the commandments” (p.75). Among the duties under the heading of “Elder” is “teach, expound, exhort” (p. 76). Teachers and elders (priests are still teachers and all other offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood are still elders) are assigned as Home Teachers.
This may be an excellent time to ask, “How important is Home Teaching in the Church?” The Prophet Joseph Smith gave high priority to home teaching. President James E. Faust illustrated this in a conference address:
A Brother Oakley was the Prophet’s home teacher, and whenever Brother Oakley went home teaching to the Smith home, “the Prophet called his family together and gave his own chair to Oakley, telling his family” to listen carefully to Brother Oakley. (Ensign, May 2006, 50)
President David O. McKay added his evaluation of home teaching:
… Some of [the home teachers] feel that their calling is of little importance, that there is not much dignity attached to it, when the fact is, that there is no more important work in the Church. We can not say of any one calling in the Church, that it is of more importance than another, because all are devoted to the development, to the instruction, to the salvation of God’s children. So it is with the calling of teacher; but if there be any preference given, because of superior advantages in winning these people to salvation, it will go to those men holding the priesthood of God, who come in direct contact with the individual members of the Church. … (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 121)
President David O. McKay also added:
I believe that in [home] teaching there is one of the greatest opportunities in all the world to awaken in those who are negligent, discouraged, downhearted, and sad, renewed life and a desire to re-enter into activity in the Church of Jesus Christ. By such activity they will be led back into the spiritual atmosphere which will lift their souls and give them power to overcome weaknesses which are now shackling them.
To give help, encouragement, and inspiration to every individual is the great responsibility and privilege of [home] teachers. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 122)
From the old priesthood/relief society manual on President John Taylor:
President Taylor also recognized and appreciated the authority of those who used their priesthood to serve him and his family. His humble respect for priesthood authority was exemplified by a story that his son Moses W. Taylor once related regarding an evening in the Taylor home when the family was visited by the home teachers. “One of the two was a boy sixteen years of age,” the younger Taylor recalled, “and that night it was his turn to preside. Father called the family together and informed the teachers that we were all there and said: ‘We are in your hands and await your instructions.’ ”
The boy then asked President Taylor if they prayed as a family and privately, if they treated their neighbors well, attended church regularly, and supported the authorities of the Church. “These questions were answered one after another by my father just as humbly as the youngest member of the family would have answered them. After the teachers had concluded their labors, they then requested my father to give them some instructions.
“He told them that he was pleased with them for their faithfulness and thanked them for calling and urged them to call on the family as often as they could for he realized the great good that a man holding the priesthood—which is the power of God—could do his family, and told them that there was no office in the church where greater good could be done than in that of a teacher. He told them to pay particular attention to his children and counsel them as a father.
“ ‘I am not often home,’ said he, ‘for my church duties call me away so much and I fear if my children do not frequently get good counsel, they may be led astray.’ (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 117-8)
The Quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood
I love this story told by President Henry B. Eyring about a deacons quorum presidency:
It is painful to imagine a shepherd feeding himself and letting the sheep go hungry. Yet I have seen many shepherds who feed their flocks. One was the president of a deacons quorum. One of his quorum members lived near my home. That neighbor boy had never attended a quorum meeting nor done anything with the members of his quorum. His stepfather was not a member, and his mother did not attend church.
The presidency of his deacons quorum met in council one Sunday morning. Each week they were fed the good word of God by the fine adviser and teacher. In their presidency meeting, those 13-year-old shepherds remembered the boy who never came. They talked about how much he needed what they received. The president assigned his counselor to go after that wandering sheep.
I knew the counselor, and I knew he was shy, and I knew the difficulty of the assignment, so I watched with wonder through my front window as the counselor trudged by my house, going up the road to the home of the boy who never came to church. The shepherd had his hands in his pockets. His eyes were on the ground. He walked slowly, the way you would if you weren’t sure you wanted to get where you were headed. In 20 minutes or so, he came back down the road with the lost deacon walking by his side. That scene was repeated for a few more Sundays. Then the boy who had been lost and was found moved away.
Now, that story seems unremarkable. It was just three boys sitting in a room around a small table. Then it was a boy walking up a road and coming back with another boy. But years later, I was in a stake conference, a continent away from the room in which that presidency had met in council. A gray-haired man came up to me and said quietly, “My grandson lived in your ward years ago.” With tenderness, he told me of that boy’s life. And then he asked if I could find that deacon who walked slowly up that road. And he wondered if I could thank him and tell him that his grandson, now grown to be a man, still remembered.
He remembered because in those few weeks he had been, for the first time in his life that he recognized, watched over by the shepherds of Israel. He had been warned by hearing eternal truth from people who cared about him. He had been offered the bread of life. And young shepherds had been true to their trust from the Lord. (Ensign, May 2001, 38)
President Monson relates his experience in a deacons quorum presidency:
I recall that when I was the second counselor in our deacons quorum presidency, I was considered a ward officer. At ward conference, when we sat on the front row of our ward officer’s meeting, I remember the stake president saying, “We will now call on Thomas Monson, the second counselor in the presidency of the deacons quorum of this ward, to give an account of his stewardship before the priesthood leadership of this ward.” Twelve years old, shaking like a leaf, I had to go forward to the same pulpit and give an account of my stewardship as the second counselor in the deacons quorum. We were taught responsibility, dependability, and accountability. We have not tapped that resource to a sufficient degree. Let us harness the energy of the deacons quorum presidency, the teachers quorum presidency, and the priests quorum youth leadership. (Ensign, Feb 1985, 22)
The Quorums of the Melchizedek Priesthood
The Ensign ran a series of articles about “priesthood quorums and their purposes.” In the fourth article, President Stephen L Richards, of the First Presidency, was quoted:
A quorum is three things: first, a class; second, a fraternity; and third, a service unit. Within it the men of the Priesthood learn of the principles of the Gospel, establish true brotherhood, and carry forward the work of Christ. It is a God-given association from which they derive more of lasting advantage than from any other fraternal organization in our society. Its prime purpose is to encourage and safeguard the individual. (Ensign, Apr 2005, 30)
President David O. McKay also added:
These groups meet together, first, to instruct and to edify, to improve in knowledge generally, and particularly to instruct in moral and religious knowledge, in faith, in holiness, but also to obtain mutual strength, to act uprightly. These groups supply a need that is felt among mankind generally. … Priesthood quorums … will supply every yearning for fellowship, fraternity, and service if men will but do their duty. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 116)
Importance of Priesthood Quorums
Concerning the importance of quorums, President Gordon B. Hinckley explained:
It will be a marvelous day, my brethren … when our priesthood quorums become an anchor of strength to every man belonging thereto, when each such man may appropriately be able to say, ‘I am a member of a priesthood quorum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I stand ready to assist my brethren in all of their needs, as I am confident they stand ready to assist me in mine. Working together, we shall grow spiritually as covenant sons of God. Working together, we can stand, without embarrassment and without fear, against every wind of adversity that might blow, be it economic, social, or spiritual.’ (Ensign, Nov. 1977, 86)
President David O. McKay also added:
Strictly speaking, priesthood as delegated power is an individual acquirement. However, by divine decree men who are appointed to serve in particular offices in the priesthood unite in quorums. Thus, this power finds expression through groups as well as in individuals. The quorum is the opportunity for men of like aspirations to know, to love, and to aid one another.
If priesthood meant only personal honor, blessing, or individual elevation, there would be no need of groups or quorums. The very existence of such groups established by divine authorization proclaims our dependence upon one another, the indispensable need of mutual help and assistance. We are, by divine right, social beings. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 116)
Auxiliaries to the Priesthood
Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a wonderful conference talk entitled “Strength in Counsel.” In it, he explained how stake and ward councils utilize auxiliaries to help individuals and the family:
God called a grand council in the premortal world to present His glorious plan for our eternal welfare. The Lord’s church is organized with councils at every level, beginning with the Council of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and extending to stake, ward, quorum, auxiliary, and family councils.
In many respects, general Church councils function much the same as stake and ward councils. All councils in the Church should encourage free and open discussion by conferring with one another and striving to have clear, concise communication. Councils should discuss objectives and concerns, with mutual understanding being the ultimate goal. Stake and ward councils are ideal settings for leaders of all organizations to converse together and strengthen one another. The primary focus of stake and ward council meetings should be coordinating activities and stewardship, not calendaring. In these meetings, priesthood and auxiliary leaders should review together their responsibilities and find ways for Church programs to help members live the gospel in the home. Today, individuals and families need wise and inspired help from the Church to combat the evils of the world. (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 76)
Later, Elder M. Russell Ballard also reminded us how auxiliaries are not only auxiliary to the priesthood, but to something even more important:
Teach the gospel and basic values in your home. Establish a love for reading the scriptures together. Too many of our parents are abdicating this responsibility to the Church. While seminary, auxiliaries, and priesthood quorums are important as a supplement to parental gospel instruction, the main responsibility rests in the home. (Ensign, Nov 2005, 41)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Chapter 13: The Priesthood
What Is the Priesthood?
Teachers who teach this lesson need to review the next chapter, “Priesthood Organization - - Chapter 14” to make sure material from that one is not taught in this lesson.
Tremendous resources for this lesson can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Joseph Smith, Chapter 8, Brigham Young, chapter 18, John Taylor, Chapter 13, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 4, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 16, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 11, David O. McKay, Chapter 12, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 10. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page. Following are some ideas on “What is the Priesthood?” from these sources:
Joseph Smith explained the eternal nature of the priesthood:
The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years [see Joseph Smith Translation, Hebrews 7:3]. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 105)
Brigham Young also elucidated the duration of priesthood:
When the faithful Elders, holding this Priesthood, go into the spirit world they carry with them the same power and Priesthood that they had while in the mortal tabernacle. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 126)
Joseph F. Smith detailed the Godliness of the priesthood:
…when a man who holds the Priesthood does that which is righteous, God is bound to acknowledge it as though He had done it Himself. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 139
David O. McKay enlightened the source of the priesthood:
Priesthood is inherent in the Godhead. It is authority and power which has its source only in the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 115)
As Joseph Smith taught concerning the concept of receiving revelation:
One great privilege of the Priesthood is to obtain revelations of the mind and will of God. It is also the privilege of the Melchizedek Priesthood to reprove, rebuke, and admonish, as well as to receive revelation. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 109)
Why do we need the Priesthood on the Earth?
John Taylor discussed some of the reasons we need priesthood on earth:
The priesthood is placed in the church for this purpose, to dig, to plant, to nourish, to teach correct principles, and to develop the order of the kingdom of God, to fight the devils, and maintain and support the authorities of the church of Christ upon the earth. It is our duty all to act together to form one great unit—one great united phalanx [or organized body], having sworn allegiance to the kingdom of God; then everything will move on quietly, peaceably, and easily, and then there will be very little trouble. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 123)
President Harold B. Lee tells a wonderful story about how encompassing is the priesthood:
I had a lesson years ago as to the greatness of priesthood. It had to do with the call of the First Presidency for me to come to their office on a day that I shall never forget—April 20, 1935. I was city commissioner in Salt Lake City. I was a stake president.
We had been wrestling with this question of welfare. There were few government work programs; the finances of the Church were low; we were told that there wasn’t much that could be done so far as the finances of the Church were concerned. And here we were with 4,800 of our 7,300 people who were wholly or partially dependent. We had only one place to go, and that was to apply the Lord’s program as set forth in the revelations.
It was from our humble efforts that the First Presidency, knowing that we had had some experience, called me one morning asking if I would come to their office. It was Saturday morning; there were no calls on their calendar, and for hours in that forenoon they talked with me and told me that they wanted me to resign from the city commission, and they would release me from being stake president; that they wished me now to head up the welfare movement to turn the tide from government relief, direct relief, and help to put the Church in a position where it could take care of its own needy.
After that morning I rode in my car (spring was just breaking) up to the head of City Creek Canyon into what was then called Rotary Park; and there, all by myself, I offered one of the most humble prayers of my life.
There I was, just a young man in my thirties. My experience had been limited. I was born in a little country town in Idaho. I had hardly been outside the boundaries of the states of Utah and Idaho. And now to put me in a position where I was to reach out to the entire membership of the Church, worldwide, was one of the most staggering contemplations that I could imagine. How could I do it with my limited understanding?
As I kneeled down, my petition was, “What kind of an organization should be set up in order to accomplish what the Presidency has assigned?” And there came to me on that glorious morning one of the most heavenly realizations of the power of the priesthood of God. It was as though something were saying to me, “There is no new organization necessary to take care of the needs of this people. All that is necessary is to put the priesthood of God to work. There is nothing else that you need as a substitute.” (Ensign, Jan 1973, 104)
What President Lee found out for himself was what President John Taylor had stated many years before:
What is priesthood? … it is the government of God, whether on the earth or in the heavens, for it is by that power, agency, or principle that all things are governed on the earth and in the heavens, and by that power that all things are upheld and sustained. It governs all things—it directs all things—it sustains all things (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 119)
Harold B. Lee focuses on a main purpose of the priesthood:
In all our priesthood callings we must never forget that the business of the church and kingdom of God is to save souls, and that all over whom we preside are our Father’s children, and He will aid us in our endeavors to save every one. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 91)
How Do Men Receive the Priesthood?
In this section there is a story from the New Testament about Simon and money and priesthood. President Harold B. Lee taught a powerful lesson utilizing another New Testament story concerning money and priesthood:
There is a classic example of how our Lord would have us minister to those who need our aid. When Peter and John, as recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, approached a man who had never walked and who was at the gates of the temple begging alms, instead of giving him money, the apostle Peter, you will remember, said to him, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
Then followed a significant statement in the record of that incident. Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up. [See Acts 3:7] Remember that it wasn’t enough for Peter to command him to walk; he then took him by the hand and lifted him up.
So must we, in dealing with our faltering saints, not be merely priesthood holders who criticize, scold, and condemn. We must, like the apostle Peter, take them by the arm, encourage them, and give them a sense of security and respect for themselves until they can rise above their difficulties and can stand on their own feet.
That is the way the priesthood of God can bring salvation and fellowship to those who are weak, that they may become strong.
Our success … will be measured in part by our capacity to love those whom we seek to lead and to serve. When we truly love others it can eliminate the bad motives that often prevail in human relationships. When we truly love others we will act in their eternal interests and not to meet our own ego needs. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 91-2)
How Do Men Properly Use the Priesthood?
The first paragraph of this section refers to D&C 121:36 and states:
“…the power of the priesthood cannot be controlled except in righteousness” 9p. 70)
Concerning this, President Gordon B. Hinckley emphatically pronounced:
Any man in this Church who abuses his wife, who demeans her, who insults her, who exercises unrighteous dominion over her is unworthy to hold the priesthood. Though he may have been ordained, the heavens will withdraw, the Spirit of the Lord will be grieved, and it will be amen to the authority of the priesthood of that man. (Ensign, May 2002, 52)
Brigham Young also encouraged:
Men who are vessels of the holy Priesthood, who are charged with words of eternal life to the world, should strive continually in their words and actions and daily deportment to do honor to the great dignity of their calling and office as ministers and representatives of the Most High. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
David O. McKay expanded on this idea:
No member of this Church, no husband or father, has the right to utter an oath in his home, or ever to express a cross word to his wife or to his children. By your ordination and your responsibility, you cannot do it as a man who holds the priesthood and be true to the spirit within you. You contribute to an ideal home by your character, controlling your passion, your temper, guarding your speech, because those things will make your home what it is, and what it will radiate to the neighborhood. You do what you can to produce peace and harmony, no matter what you may suffer. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 119)
Two talks in the past April conference beautifully dealt with this section concerning the giving of priesthood blessings. The first was by President Boyd K. Packer entitled, “The Power of the Priesthood” (especially concerning fathers), Saturday morning, and the second by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Healing the Sick,” Priesthood session. Another terrific resource is Elder John H. Groberg, “Priesthood Power” in Ensign, May 2001, 43. This story was portrayed in the film, Other Side of Heaven.
Heber J. Grant related the following about a priesthood blessing:
“I shall never forget the occasion,” said President Heber J. Grant, “when a friend appealed to me, upon learning that the doctor had announced that his daughter, stricken with diphtheria, would die before morning. He asked me to pray for that daughter, and after leaving his office I prayed with all the earnestness of my soul that God would heal that girl. While praying, the inspiration came to me: ‘The power of the living God is here on the earth. The Priesthood is here. Hurry! Hurry! … Go and rebuke the power of the destroyer, and the girl shall live.’
“The doctor waiting upon that girl, said she could not live till morning; but when morning came he explained that he could not comprehend it, and that he believed the girl was going to get well. He could not refrain from expressing his surprise at the change in the girl’s condition over night. The power of the living God rebuked the destroyer.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 101)
To prepare for giving such blessings, Harold B. Lee counseled:
Brethren, in your hands is given a sacred trust not only to have the authority to act in the name of the Lord, but to so prepare yourselves as clean and pure vessels so that the power of Almighty God may be manifested through you as you officiate in the sacred ordinances of the priesthood. Never take your priesthood into places where you would be ashamed to have the President of the Church see you. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 95)
Elder Thomas S. Monson beautifully illustrated the principle of service by the priesthood:
At a nursing home in our valley, two young men prepared the sacrament. While doing so, an elderly patient in a wheelchair spoke aloud the words, “I’m cold.” Without a moment’s hesitation, one of the young men walked over to her, removed his own jacket, placed it about the patient’s shoulders, gave her a loving pat on the arm, and then returned to the sacrament table. The sacred emblems were then blessed and passed to the assembled patients.
Following the meeting, I said to the young man, “What you did here today I shall long remember.”
He replied, “I worried that without my jacket I would not be properly dressed to bless the sacrament.”
I responded, “Never was one more properly dressed for such an occasion than were you.” (Ensign, May 1983, 55)
President Thomas S. Monson also expressed:
The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others. (Ensign, May 2006, 54)
What Blessings Come When We Use the Priesthood Properly?
There is a wonderful story about a priesthood blessing which miraculously restored David O. McKay’s face after an accident in Ogden Canyon in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, pp. 114-115.
Brigham Young discussed a powerful blessing of properly ministered priesthood:
The Priesthood of the Son of God, which we have in our midst, is a perfect order and system of government, and this alone can deliver the human family from all the evils which now afflict its members, and insure them happiness and felicity hereafter. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
Wilford Woodruff also explained extended the time of priesthood blessings:
When an apostle or president, bishop or any man holding the priesthood officiates, he administers by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ; then that priesthood has effect, and all the blessings that a servant of God bestows upon the children of men, will take effect both in this life and in that which is to come. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 42-3)
Wilford Woodruff taught God’s goals for priesthood:
[after quoting D&C 84:33-40] Now, I sometimes ask myself the question, Do we comprehend these things? Do we comprehend that if we abide the laws of the Priesthood we shall become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ? (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 43)
Joseph F. Smith taught a powerful principle of men and women and the priesthood:
Whatever honors, privileges, or glory are attained by the man through the Priesthood, are those shared with and enjoyed by the wife. She being one with him in Christ, all his honors are her honors, his blessings are her blessings, his glory is her glory, for they are one—inseparably. … As Paul said, “The man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord.” [See 1 Corinthians 11:11] In other words, the man cannot attain to glory, honor or exaltation without the woman, nor the woman without the man. They are but two complements of one whole. … The Priesthood of the Son of God is bestowed upon the man, that attaining to the same eminence and perfection, he may act as Christ and God act. … While man … is the direct object on whom the power and honor of the Priesthood are bestowed, and he is the active medium of its operations, she partakes of its benefits, its blessings, its powers, its rights and privileges, with him as the complement of himself. … The power is not given to the woman to act independent of the man, nor is it given to the man to act independent of Christ.
Furthermore, when we speak of the men, we speak of the women, too, for the women are included with the men and are an inseparable part of mankind. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 140)
David O. McKay declared wonderful blessings of priesthood:
We can conceive of the power of the priesthood as being potentially existent as an impounded reservoir of water. Such power becomes dynamic and productive of good only when the liberated force becomes active in valleys, fields, gardens, and happy homes. So the priesthood, as related to humanity, is a principle of power only as it becomes active in the lives of men, turning their hearts and desires toward God and prompting service to their fellowmen.
Our lives are wrapped up with the lives of others. We are happiest as we contribute to the lives of others. I say that because the priesthood you hold means that you are to serve others. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 120)
Teachers who teach this lesson need to review the next chapter, “Priesthood Organization - - Chapter 14” to make sure material from that one is not taught in this lesson.
Tremendous resources for this lesson can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Joseph Smith, Chapter 8, Brigham Young, chapter 18, John Taylor, Chapter 13, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 4, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 16, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 11, David O. McKay, Chapter 12, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 10. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page. Following are some ideas on “What is the Priesthood?” from these sources:
Joseph Smith explained the eternal nature of the priesthood:
The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years [see Joseph Smith Translation, Hebrews 7:3]. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 105)
Brigham Young also elucidated the duration of priesthood:
When the faithful Elders, holding this Priesthood, go into the spirit world they carry with them the same power and Priesthood that they had while in the mortal tabernacle. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 126)
Joseph F. Smith detailed the Godliness of the priesthood:
…when a man who holds the Priesthood does that which is righteous, God is bound to acknowledge it as though He had done it Himself. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 139
David O. McKay enlightened the source of the priesthood:
Priesthood is inherent in the Godhead. It is authority and power which has its source only in the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 115)
As Joseph Smith taught concerning the concept of receiving revelation:
One great privilege of the Priesthood is to obtain revelations of the mind and will of God. It is also the privilege of the Melchizedek Priesthood to reprove, rebuke, and admonish, as well as to receive revelation. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 109)
Why do we need the Priesthood on the Earth?
John Taylor discussed some of the reasons we need priesthood on earth:
The priesthood is placed in the church for this purpose, to dig, to plant, to nourish, to teach correct principles, and to develop the order of the kingdom of God, to fight the devils, and maintain and support the authorities of the church of Christ upon the earth. It is our duty all to act together to form one great unit—one great united phalanx [or organized body], having sworn allegiance to the kingdom of God; then everything will move on quietly, peaceably, and easily, and then there will be very little trouble. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 123)
President Harold B. Lee tells a wonderful story about how encompassing is the priesthood:
I had a lesson years ago as to the greatness of priesthood. It had to do with the call of the First Presidency for me to come to their office on a day that I shall never forget—April 20, 1935. I was city commissioner in Salt Lake City. I was a stake president.
We had been wrestling with this question of welfare. There were few government work programs; the finances of the Church were low; we were told that there wasn’t much that could be done so far as the finances of the Church were concerned. And here we were with 4,800 of our 7,300 people who were wholly or partially dependent. We had only one place to go, and that was to apply the Lord’s program as set forth in the revelations.
It was from our humble efforts that the First Presidency, knowing that we had had some experience, called me one morning asking if I would come to their office. It was Saturday morning; there were no calls on their calendar, and for hours in that forenoon they talked with me and told me that they wanted me to resign from the city commission, and they would release me from being stake president; that they wished me now to head up the welfare movement to turn the tide from government relief, direct relief, and help to put the Church in a position where it could take care of its own needy.
After that morning I rode in my car (spring was just breaking) up to the head of City Creek Canyon into what was then called Rotary Park; and there, all by myself, I offered one of the most humble prayers of my life.
There I was, just a young man in my thirties. My experience had been limited. I was born in a little country town in Idaho. I had hardly been outside the boundaries of the states of Utah and Idaho. And now to put me in a position where I was to reach out to the entire membership of the Church, worldwide, was one of the most staggering contemplations that I could imagine. How could I do it with my limited understanding?
As I kneeled down, my petition was, “What kind of an organization should be set up in order to accomplish what the Presidency has assigned?” And there came to me on that glorious morning one of the most heavenly realizations of the power of the priesthood of God. It was as though something were saying to me, “There is no new organization necessary to take care of the needs of this people. All that is necessary is to put the priesthood of God to work. There is nothing else that you need as a substitute.” (Ensign, Jan 1973, 104)
What President Lee found out for himself was what President John Taylor had stated many years before:
What is priesthood? … it is the government of God, whether on the earth or in the heavens, for it is by that power, agency, or principle that all things are governed on the earth and in the heavens, and by that power that all things are upheld and sustained. It governs all things—it directs all things—it sustains all things (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 119)
Harold B. Lee focuses on a main purpose of the priesthood:
In all our priesthood callings we must never forget that the business of the church and kingdom of God is to save souls, and that all over whom we preside are our Father’s children, and He will aid us in our endeavors to save every one. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 91)
How Do Men Receive the Priesthood?
In this section there is a story from the New Testament about Simon and money and priesthood. President Harold B. Lee taught a powerful lesson utilizing another New Testament story concerning money and priesthood:
There is a classic example of how our Lord would have us minister to those who need our aid. When Peter and John, as recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, approached a man who had never walked and who was at the gates of the temple begging alms, instead of giving him money, the apostle Peter, you will remember, said to him, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
Then followed a significant statement in the record of that incident. Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up. [See Acts 3:7] Remember that it wasn’t enough for Peter to command him to walk; he then took him by the hand and lifted him up.
So must we, in dealing with our faltering saints, not be merely priesthood holders who criticize, scold, and condemn. We must, like the apostle Peter, take them by the arm, encourage them, and give them a sense of security and respect for themselves until they can rise above their difficulties and can stand on their own feet.
That is the way the priesthood of God can bring salvation and fellowship to those who are weak, that they may become strong.
Our success … will be measured in part by our capacity to love those whom we seek to lead and to serve. When we truly love others it can eliminate the bad motives that often prevail in human relationships. When we truly love others we will act in their eternal interests and not to meet our own ego needs. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 91-2)
How Do Men Properly Use the Priesthood?
The first paragraph of this section refers to D&C 121:36 and states:
“…the power of the priesthood cannot be controlled except in righteousness” 9p. 70)
Concerning this, President Gordon B. Hinckley emphatically pronounced:
Any man in this Church who abuses his wife, who demeans her, who insults her, who exercises unrighteous dominion over her is unworthy to hold the priesthood. Though he may have been ordained, the heavens will withdraw, the Spirit of the Lord will be grieved, and it will be amen to the authority of the priesthood of that man. (Ensign, May 2002, 52)
Brigham Young also encouraged:
Men who are vessels of the holy Priesthood, who are charged with words of eternal life to the world, should strive continually in their words and actions and daily deportment to do honor to the great dignity of their calling and office as ministers and representatives of the Most High. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
David O. McKay expanded on this idea:
No member of this Church, no husband or father, has the right to utter an oath in his home, or ever to express a cross word to his wife or to his children. By your ordination and your responsibility, you cannot do it as a man who holds the priesthood and be true to the spirit within you. You contribute to an ideal home by your character, controlling your passion, your temper, guarding your speech, because those things will make your home what it is, and what it will radiate to the neighborhood. You do what you can to produce peace and harmony, no matter what you may suffer. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 119)
Two talks in the past April conference beautifully dealt with this section concerning the giving of priesthood blessings. The first was by President Boyd K. Packer entitled, “The Power of the Priesthood” (especially concerning fathers), Saturday morning, and the second by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Healing the Sick,” Priesthood session. Another terrific resource is Elder John H. Groberg, “Priesthood Power” in Ensign, May 2001, 43. This story was portrayed in the film, Other Side of Heaven.
Heber J. Grant related the following about a priesthood blessing:
“I shall never forget the occasion,” said President Heber J. Grant, “when a friend appealed to me, upon learning that the doctor had announced that his daughter, stricken with diphtheria, would die before morning. He asked me to pray for that daughter, and after leaving his office I prayed with all the earnestness of my soul that God would heal that girl. While praying, the inspiration came to me: ‘The power of the living God is here on the earth. The Priesthood is here. Hurry! Hurry! … Go and rebuke the power of the destroyer, and the girl shall live.’
“The doctor waiting upon that girl, said she could not live till morning; but when morning came he explained that he could not comprehend it, and that he believed the girl was going to get well. He could not refrain from expressing his surprise at the change in the girl’s condition over night. The power of the living God rebuked the destroyer.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 101)
To prepare for giving such blessings, Harold B. Lee counseled:
Brethren, in your hands is given a sacred trust not only to have the authority to act in the name of the Lord, but to so prepare yourselves as clean and pure vessels so that the power of Almighty God may be manifested through you as you officiate in the sacred ordinances of the priesthood. Never take your priesthood into places where you would be ashamed to have the President of the Church see you. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 95)
Elder Thomas S. Monson beautifully illustrated the principle of service by the priesthood:
At a nursing home in our valley, two young men prepared the sacrament. While doing so, an elderly patient in a wheelchair spoke aloud the words, “I’m cold.” Without a moment’s hesitation, one of the young men walked over to her, removed his own jacket, placed it about the patient’s shoulders, gave her a loving pat on the arm, and then returned to the sacrament table. The sacred emblems were then blessed and passed to the assembled patients.
Following the meeting, I said to the young man, “What you did here today I shall long remember.”
He replied, “I worried that without my jacket I would not be properly dressed to bless the sacrament.”
I responded, “Never was one more properly dressed for such an occasion than were you.” (Ensign, May 1983, 55)
President Thomas S. Monson also expressed:
The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others. (Ensign, May 2006, 54)
What Blessings Come When We Use the Priesthood Properly?
There is a wonderful story about a priesthood blessing which miraculously restored David O. McKay’s face after an accident in Ogden Canyon in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, pp. 114-115.
Brigham Young discussed a powerful blessing of properly ministered priesthood:
The Priesthood of the Son of God, which we have in our midst, is a perfect order and system of government, and this alone can deliver the human family from all the evils which now afflict its members, and insure them happiness and felicity hereafter. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 125)
Wilford Woodruff also explained extended the time of priesthood blessings:
When an apostle or president, bishop or any man holding the priesthood officiates, he administers by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ; then that priesthood has effect, and all the blessings that a servant of God bestows upon the children of men, will take effect both in this life and in that which is to come. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 42-3)
Wilford Woodruff taught God’s goals for priesthood:
[after quoting D&C 84:33-40] Now, I sometimes ask myself the question, Do we comprehend these things? Do we comprehend that if we abide the laws of the Priesthood we shall become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ? (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 43)
Joseph F. Smith taught a powerful principle of men and women and the priesthood:
Whatever honors, privileges, or glory are attained by the man through the Priesthood, are those shared with and enjoyed by the wife. She being one with him in Christ, all his honors are her honors, his blessings are her blessings, his glory is her glory, for they are one—inseparably. … As Paul said, “The man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord.” [See 1 Corinthians 11:11] In other words, the man cannot attain to glory, honor or exaltation without the woman, nor the woman without the man. They are but two complements of one whole. … The Priesthood of the Son of God is bestowed upon the man, that attaining to the same eminence and perfection, he may act as Christ and God act. … While man … is the direct object on whom the power and honor of the Priesthood are bestowed, and he is the active medium of its operations, she partakes of its benefits, its blessings, its powers, its rights and privileges, with him as the complement of himself. … The power is not given to the woman to act independent of the man, nor is it given to the man to act independent of Christ.
Furthermore, when we speak of the men, we speak of the women, too, for the women are included with the men and are an inseparable part of mankind. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 140)
David O. McKay declared wonderful blessings of priesthood:
We can conceive of the power of the priesthood as being potentially existent as an impounded reservoir of water. Such power becomes dynamic and productive of good only when the liberated force becomes active in valleys, fields, gardens, and happy homes. So the priesthood, as related to humanity, is a principle of power only as it becomes active in the lives of men, turning their hearts and desires toward God and prompting service to their fellowmen.
Our lives are wrapped up with the lives of others. We are happiest as we contribute to the lives of others. I say that because the priesthood you hold means that you are to serve others. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 120)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Chapter 12: The Atonement
The Atonement is Necessary for Our Salvation
Tremendous resources for this lesson can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Brigham Young, chapter 5, John Taylor, Chapter 5, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 7, Joseph F. Smith, Chapters 10 and 11, Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 3, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 3. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page.
As with most lessons, there is a wonderful resource for this lesson, Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (found at “institute.lds.org), Chapter 9. As an example from this manual, concerning the importance of the Atonement, Joseph Smith proclaimed:
The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. (p. 22)
Elder Boyd K. Packer, in the same conference talk in which he gave the parable quoted in this lesson (pp. 63-65), stated at the end of that parable:
This truth [Jesus was the Mediator of the Atonement] is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them. (Ensign, May 1977, 54)
Elder James E. Talmage explains concerning the word Atonement:
The structure of the word in its present form is suggestive of the true meaning; it is literally at-one-ment, denoting reconciliation, or the bringing into agreement of those who have been estranged. (Articles of Faith, 75)
The faithful LDS scholar, Dr. Hugh Nibley stated:
The law [Atonement] leads us back home; the at-one-ment takes place when we get there. (The Infinite Atonement, by Elder Tad R. Callister, Deseret Book, 24)
President Harold B. Lee made clear the connection between the Fall and the Atonement:
How vital … it is to understand the Fall, making necessary the Atonement—hence the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 18)
So the Fall of Adam and Eve took us away from God and the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us with the opportunity to return to God.
So now, a very crucial sentence in this section of the lesson is:
“The Fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: physical death and spiritual death.” (p. 59)
President Spencer W. Kimball elucidated:
When Adam intentionally and wisely partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, he brought upon all of us, his descendants, two deaths—the physical or “mortal death,” and the spiritual death or the banishment from the presence of the Lord. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 26)
It is then important for us to understand first the Fall, which brought two kinds of death into the world and second the Atonement, which brought about a way to overcome these two deaths.
So, either for review or as a resource to be used in teaching these ideas for the first time, copied below are some selections from this blog, Chapter 6, “The Fall of Adam and Eve”:
Adam and Eve, and as a result, all of mankind, actually died in two ways.
The first death Adam and Eve experienced was “spiritual death,” which happened immediately when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and out of God’s presence.
President Joseph F. Smith avowed that this is the more serious death:
I want to speak a word or two in relation to another death, which is a more terrible death than that of the body. When Adam, our first parent, partook of the forbidden fruit, transgressed the law of God, and became subject unto Satan, he was banished from the presence of God. … This was the first death. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 96)
The second death experienced by Adam and Eve was “physical death,” which was the consequence given by the Lord for partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Remember, in this consequence, God gave a time table for their “death”:
…for in the day (“time” in Abraham) thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17, Moses 3:17, and Abraham 5:13)
Interestingly, there is an important addition in Abraham 5:13, which was translated by Joseph Smith later than was Moses:
…for in the time that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Now I, Abraham, saw that it was after the Lord's time, which was after the time of Kolob; for as yet the Gods had not appointed unto Adam his reckoning.
The location of where this promise was first given is apparently important. Joseph Fielding Smith explained:
When this earth was created, it was not according to our present time, but it was created according to Kolob’s time, for the Lord has said it was created on celestial time which is Kolob’s time. (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, 41)
The definition of time given in 2 Peter 3:8 may help a bit:
…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
So the day/time God referred to for when the physical death of Adam and Eve was to take place was later in mortality and maybe within 1,000 years after the Garden. Adam did die at the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5) - - well within the “day/time” limit.
Now another very important question is asked at the very beginning of this section:
“Why is the Atonement necessary for our salvation?” (p. 59)
Simply stated, The Father (and we) needed a Savior to complete the Atonement because of the two deaths brought about because of the Fall.
For us, the first death (“spiritual death”) is caused by our own sins. Mortals who are accountable apparently have no control over spiritual death.
As President Wilford Woodruff explained:
All the children of men who [have arrived] at the years of accountability are guilty of sin… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 72)
The scriptures teach clearly that all of us are subject to sin:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
…yea, even all of you have sinned… (D&C 82:2)
…as all men sin… (D&C 109:34)
The scriptures are also clear that sins would keep us from God’s presence:
…the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45:16)
For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; (D&C 1:31)
Even one sin, of which all members of the Church who are accountable have in plurality, would then forever keep us from the presence of God - - which is the definition of spiritual death.
For us, the second death (“physical death”) is inevitable. Mortals also have no control over physical death, as President Joseph F. Smith acknowledged:
Death came upon us without the exercise of our agency; we had no hand in bringing it originally upon ourselves; it came because of the transgression of our first parents. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 89)
As Elder Bruce R. McConkie was quoted in an Ensign article:
Man cannot resurrect himself… (Ensign, Jul 1989, 59)
This is also implied in two of the phrases in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22:
For since by man came death…For as in Adam all die…
We need the Atonement because we mortals are helpless, by our selves, to return to Our Father in Heaven.
Indeed, as Brigham Young stated, Jesus is the only way back:
Joseph [Smith] told us that Jesus was the Christ—the Mediator between God and man—and the Savior of the world. He told us that there was no other name in the heavens nor under the heavens, neither could there be, by which mankind could be saved in the presence of the Father, but by and through the name and ministry of Jesus Christ, and the atonement he made on Mount Calvary. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 37)
John Taylor taught:
If it were not for the atonement of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice he made, all the human family would have to lie in the grave throughout eternity without any hope. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 42)
By the way, concerning “hope” see President Monson’s conference talk on Sunday morning, April 2010.
How the Atonement brought about a way to overcome these two deaths will be discussed in sections 4 and 5 of this lesson.
Jesus Christ Was the Only One Who Could Atone for Our Sins
As the title indicates, this section deals with why Jesus Christ was the only one ever born who could complete the Atonement. So, either for review or for resource in teaching these ideas for the first time, copied below is a selection from this blog, Chapter 3, “Jesus Christ Our Chosen Leader & Savior”:
It seems that there are at least three reasons why God the Father could not have performed the Atonement.
ONE: The Father could not die. He was a resurrected being over whom death had no power (Romans 6:9, Alma 11:45)
TWO: The Father could not be tempted (James 1:13)
THREE: The Father could not suffer physical pain.
Joseph Smith explained: “…the great Eloheem will deliver you & if not before the resurrection will set you eternally free from all these things from pain sorrow & death.” (The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, 197-198)
President Wilford Woodruff taught, “When the resurrection comes, we shall come forth clothed with immortal bodies; and the persecutions, suffering, sorrow, pain and death, incident to mortality, will be done away forever.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 81)
ALL THREE of these were crucial to the completion of the Atonement. Jesus Christ (or Son of Man as He is called 33 times in Matthew alone) could do ALL THREE of these things only because He was born the son of mortal Mary.
But the only way Jesus Christ could possibly complete the Atonement was because of what He inherited from His immortal Father in Heaven in ALL THREE of these areas.
ONE: He did not have to die, but gave his life (John 10:11).
TWO: He overcame temptation (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Nephi 17:16 or Isaiah 7:16).
THREE: He suffered every kind of physical (and every other kind of) pain (Mosiah 3:7, Alma 7:11, D&C 19:18-19).
Alma 7:10 indicates both aspects of Christ’s birth:
And behold, he shall be born of Mary…she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed…and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
President Joseph F. Smith affirmed:
He came into the world … clothed with double power—power to die, which He derived from His mother; and power to resist death, if He had so willed it, which He had inherited from His Father. Thus He had power both to live forever and also power to pass through the ordeal of death… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 90)
To summarize, Jesus was born of a mortal mother, as were all of us. Because of His mortal mother, Mary, He could die, could be tempted and could suffer physical pain. All of these things were necessary to complete the Atonement. However, all of us could do these things as well.
What qualified Jesus as the “only one who could atone” (title of this section) was that He was the Only Begotten of the Father. This means that Jesus was the only one to be born into mortality of a Father from whom He had genetic help with immortality (He did not have to die), resistance of unfathomable temptation and the ability to suffer incomprehensibly immense physical pain. Only because God the Father was the Father of His earthly body, could He complete what was necessary for the Atonement.
As Jesus Himself exclaimed:
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (D&C 19:19)
In addition, or at least in conjunction with the above, the Atonement was infinite, something beyond mankind. In Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, the chapter on the Atonement is appropriately entitled “The Infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Although we cannot really understand an infinite Atonement, President Gordon B. Hinckley gives us good counsel about it in the following two quotes:
I can’t comprehend the full meaning of the Atonement, but I know that through His sacrifice He has made it possible for you and for me to live eternal lives of growth and knowledge and understanding and work… (Ensign, Aug 1996, 60)
I sense in a measure the meaning of his atonement. I cannot comprehend it all. It is so vast in its reach and yet so intimate in its effect that it defies comprehension. (Ensign, Feb. 1995, 77)
President Ezra Taft Benson made the following important point:
We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how He accomplished what He did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did. All that He did was prompted by His unselfish infinite love for us. (Teachings of President Ezra Taft Benson, 15)
Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for Our Sins
This section would seem incomplete without a good discussion about the suffering the Savior did as described in Isaiah 53:3-5, Luke 22:39-46, 2 Nephi 9:21-22, Alma 7:11-12, and D&C 19:15-20.
President Harold B. Lee proclaimed:
I think there is no place where we have a finer discussion of the plan of the Atonement than in the writings of Jacob, as found in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi, the 9th chapter. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 22)
Elder Marion G. Romney explained:
The suffering he undertook to endure, and which he did endure, equaled the combined suffering of all men. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 25)
An insight by Elder Neal A. Maxwell helps us better understand Christ’s suffering:
Have you ever thought that there was no way that Jesus could know the suffering which we undergo as a result of our stupidity and sin (because he was sinless) except he bear those sins of ours in what I call the awful arithmetic of the Atonement? And according to this prophet, Jesus now knows, according to the flesh, how to succor us and how to help us as a result of that suffering, which knowledge could have come in no other way. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 25)
Elder Jeffery R. Holland helps us understand “succor” in the following:
Elder Talmage used the word succor. Do you know its meaning? It is used often in the scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means literally “to run to.” What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent effort in our behalf! Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is unfailingly running to help us. (Ensign, Apr 1998, 16)
Perhaps the most difficult trial Jesus Christ suffered was the following as described by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in conference:
Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually—that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 14:26)
The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, “Behold, the hour … is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” and “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”? (John 16:32; 8:29)
With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. (Ensign, May 2009, 86–88)
As President Gordon B. Hinckley testified:
The suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, just a few hundred meters from Gethsemane, included both physical and spiritual “temptations, … pain, … hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer,” said King Benjamin, “except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). (Ensign, Mar 2008, 4)
The Atonement and Resurrection Bring Resurrection to All
This section deals with how the Atonement provides a way to overcome physical death, the second of the two deaths brought into the world by the Fall.
1 Cor. 15:21-22 is cited (p. 62) but not quoted. It may be important to read and discuss this wonderful scripture:
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The “For teachers” note at the bottom of page 62 suggests a hand & glove demonstration of death. This comes from a conference talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer wherein he addressed little children. Here are some excerpts from this talk:
Pretend, my little friends, that my hand represents your spirit. It is alive. It can move by itself. Suppose that this glove represents your mortal body. It cannot move. When the spirit enters into your mortal body, then it can move and act and live. Now you are a person—a spirit with a body, living on the earth.
Someday, because of old age, or perhaps a disease, or an accident, the spirit and the body will be separated. We then say a person has died. Death is a separation. All of this was according to a plan.
Remember my hand represents your spirit and the glove represents your body. While you are alive the spirit inside the body can cause it to work and to act and to live.
When I separate them, the glove, which represents your body, is taken away from your spirit; it cannot move anymore. It just falls down and is dead. But your spirit is still alive.
It is important that you get in your mind what death is. Death is a separation. (Ensign, Jul 1973, 51)
The Atonement Makes It Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to Be Saved from Their Sins
This section deals with how the Atonement provides a way to overcome spiritual death, the first of the two deaths brought into the world by the Fall.
Since the title contains the word “saved” and there are many misunderstandings of just what “saved” means, it may be beneficial to review a terrific resource on the subject. It is a conference talk by Dallin H. Oaks entitled, “Have You Been Saved?” and is found in Ensign, May 1998, p. 55.
The second paragraph in this section can also be summarized by Article of Faith # 4. There is one addition which the Savior gave when He delivered what He called “my gospel” in 3 Nephi 27:13-21. Verses 13 thru 15 are a wonderful summary of the Atonement. One thing Jesus Christ added, however, was the principle of “endurance” (verses 16 and 17).
There is a beautiful video of the parable by President Boyd K. Packer found on pages 63 to 65. It is called “The Mediator” and is found in Book of Mormon DVD Presentations 1-19 (number 15). It is available at Distribution Center for $4.50.
I really like what Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained about the Savior’s acceptance of the Atonement:
In that premortal council wherein Jesus meekly volunteered to aid the Father’s plan, He said, “Here am I, send me.” (Abr. 3:27) It was one of those special moments when a few words are preferred to many. Never has one individual offered, in so few words, to do so much for so many, as did Jesus… (Ensign, Mar 1983, 70)
President Spencer W. Kimball declared:
This is the message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the most important message in the world today. Jesus Christ is the son of God. He was chosen by the Father as the Savior of this world. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 26)
There is a great message for this lesson found in 2 Nephi 22:3 (Isaiah 12:3):
Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Tremendous resources for this lesson can be found in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:... (the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals). Especially helpful will be the manuals for Brigham Young, chapter 5, John Taylor, Chapter 5, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 7, Joseph F. Smith, Chapters 10 and 11, Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 3, and Harold B. Lee, Chapter 3. Remember, these can all be found on “lds.org” by clicking on “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.” All of the manuals are listed at the bottom of this page.
As with most lessons, there is a wonderful resource for this lesson, Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (found at “institute.lds.org), Chapter 9. As an example from this manual, concerning the importance of the Atonement, Joseph Smith proclaimed:
The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. (p. 22)
Elder Boyd K. Packer, in the same conference talk in which he gave the parable quoted in this lesson (pp. 63-65), stated at the end of that parable:
This truth [Jesus was the Mediator of the Atonement] is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them. (Ensign, May 1977, 54)
Elder James E. Talmage explains concerning the word Atonement:
The structure of the word in its present form is suggestive of the true meaning; it is literally at-one-ment, denoting reconciliation, or the bringing into agreement of those who have been estranged. (Articles of Faith, 75)
The faithful LDS scholar, Dr. Hugh Nibley stated:
The law [Atonement] leads us back home; the at-one-ment takes place when we get there. (The Infinite Atonement, by Elder Tad R. Callister, Deseret Book, 24)
President Harold B. Lee made clear the connection between the Fall and the Atonement:
How vital … it is to understand the Fall, making necessary the Atonement—hence the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 18)
So the Fall of Adam and Eve took us away from God and the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us with the opportunity to return to God.
So now, a very crucial sentence in this section of the lesson is:
“The Fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: physical death and spiritual death.” (p. 59)
President Spencer W. Kimball elucidated:
When Adam intentionally and wisely partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, he brought upon all of us, his descendants, two deaths—the physical or “mortal death,” and the spiritual death or the banishment from the presence of the Lord. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 26)
It is then important for us to understand first the Fall, which brought two kinds of death into the world and second the Atonement, which brought about a way to overcome these two deaths.
So, either for review or as a resource to be used in teaching these ideas for the first time, copied below are some selections from this blog, Chapter 6, “The Fall of Adam and Eve”:
Adam and Eve, and as a result, all of mankind, actually died in two ways.
The first death Adam and Eve experienced was “spiritual death,” which happened immediately when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and out of God’s presence.
President Joseph F. Smith avowed that this is the more serious death:
I want to speak a word or two in relation to another death, which is a more terrible death than that of the body. When Adam, our first parent, partook of the forbidden fruit, transgressed the law of God, and became subject unto Satan, he was banished from the presence of God. … This was the first death. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 96)
The second death experienced by Adam and Eve was “physical death,” which was the consequence given by the Lord for partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Remember, in this consequence, God gave a time table for their “death”:
…for in the day (“time” in Abraham) thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17, Moses 3:17, and Abraham 5:13)
Interestingly, there is an important addition in Abraham 5:13, which was translated by Joseph Smith later than was Moses:
…for in the time that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Now I, Abraham, saw that it was after the Lord's time, which was after the time of Kolob; for as yet the Gods had not appointed unto Adam his reckoning.
The location of where this promise was first given is apparently important. Joseph Fielding Smith explained:
When this earth was created, it was not according to our present time, but it was created according to Kolob’s time, for the Lord has said it was created on celestial time which is Kolob’s time. (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, 41)
The definition of time given in 2 Peter 3:8 may help a bit:
…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
So the day/time God referred to for when the physical death of Adam and Eve was to take place was later in mortality and maybe within 1,000 years after the Garden. Adam did die at the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5) - - well within the “day/time” limit.
Now another very important question is asked at the very beginning of this section:
“Why is the Atonement necessary for our salvation?” (p. 59)
Simply stated, The Father (and we) needed a Savior to complete the Atonement because of the two deaths brought about because of the Fall.
For us, the first death (“spiritual death”) is caused by our own sins. Mortals who are accountable apparently have no control over spiritual death.
As President Wilford Woodruff explained:
All the children of men who [have arrived] at the years of accountability are guilty of sin… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 72)
The scriptures teach clearly that all of us are subject to sin:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
…yea, even all of you have sinned… (D&C 82:2)
…as all men sin… (D&C 109:34)
The scriptures are also clear that sins would keep us from God’s presence:
…the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45:16)
For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; (D&C 1:31)
Even one sin, of which all members of the Church who are accountable have in plurality, would then forever keep us from the presence of God - - which is the definition of spiritual death.
For us, the second death (“physical death”) is inevitable. Mortals also have no control over physical death, as President Joseph F. Smith acknowledged:
Death came upon us without the exercise of our agency; we had no hand in bringing it originally upon ourselves; it came because of the transgression of our first parents. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 89)
As Elder Bruce R. McConkie was quoted in an Ensign article:
Man cannot resurrect himself… (Ensign, Jul 1989, 59)
This is also implied in two of the phrases in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22:
For since by man came death…For as in Adam all die…
We need the Atonement because we mortals are helpless, by our selves, to return to Our Father in Heaven.
Indeed, as Brigham Young stated, Jesus is the only way back:
Joseph [Smith] told us that Jesus was the Christ—the Mediator between God and man—and the Savior of the world. He told us that there was no other name in the heavens nor under the heavens, neither could there be, by which mankind could be saved in the presence of the Father, but by and through the name and ministry of Jesus Christ, and the atonement he made on Mount Calvary. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 37)
John Taylor taught:
If it were not for the atonement of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice he made, all the human family would have to lie in the grave throughout eternity without any hope. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 42)
By the way, concerning “hope” see President Monson’s conference talk on Sunday morning, April 2010.
How the Atonement brought about a way to overcome these two deaths will be discussed in sections 4 and 5 of this lesson.
Jesus Christ Was the Only One Who Could Atone for Our Sins
As the title indicates, this section deals with why Jesus Christ was the only one ever born who could complete the Atonement. So, either for review or for resource in teaching these ideas for the first time, copied below is a selection from this blog, Chapter 3, “Jesus Christ Our Chosen Leader & Savior”:
It seems that there are at least three reasons why God the Father could not have performed the Atonement.
ONE: The Father could not die. He was a resurrected being over whom death had no power (Romans 6:9, Alma 11:45)
TWO: The Father could not be tempted (James 1:13)
THREE: The Father could not suffer physical pain.
Joseph Smith explained: “…the great Eloheem will deliver you & if not before the resurrection will set you eternally free from all these things from pain sorrow & death.” (The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, 197-198)
President Wilford Woodruff taught, “When the resurrection comes, we shall come forth clothed with immortal bodies; and the persecutions, suffering, sorrow, pain and death, incident to mortality, will be done away forever.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 81)
ALL THREE of these were crucial to the completion of the Atonement. Jesus Christ (or Son of Man as He is called 33 times in Matthew alone) could do ALL THREE of these things only because He was born the son of mortal Mary.
But the only way Jesus Christ could possibly complete the Atonement was because of what He inherited from His immortal Father in Heaven in ALL THREE of these areas.
ONE: He did not have to die, but gave his life (John 10:11).
TWO: He overcame temptation (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Nephi 17:16 or Isaiah 7:16).
THREE: He suffered every kind of physical (and every other kind of) pain (Mosiah 3:7, Alma 7:11, D&C 19:18-19).
Alma 7:10 indicates both aspects of Christ’s birth:
And behold, he shall be born of Mary…she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed…and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
President Joseph F. Smith affirmed:
He came into the world … clothed with double power—power to die, which He derived from His mother; and power to resist death, if He had so willed it, which He had inherited from His Father. Thus He had power both to live forever and also power to pass through the ordeal of death… (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 90)
To summarize, Jesus was born of a mortal mother, as were all of us. Because of His mortal mother, Mary, He could die, could be tempted and could suffer physical pain. All of these things were necessary to complete the Atonement. However, all of us could do these things as well.
What qualified Jesus as the “only one who could atone” (title of this section) was that He was the Only Begotten of the Father. This means that Jesus was the only one to be born into mortality of a Father from whom He had genetic help with immortality (He did not have to die), resistance of unfathomable temptation and the ability to suffer incomprehensibly immense physical pain. Only because God the Father was the Father of His earthly body, could He complete what was necessary for the Atonement.
As Jesus Himself exclaimed:
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (D&C 19:19)
In addition, or at least in conjunction with the above, the Atonement was infinite, something beyond mankind. In Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, the chapter on the Atonement is appropriately entitled “The Infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Although we cannot really understand an infinite Atonement, President Gordon B. Hinckley gives us good counsel about it in the following two quotes:
I can’t comprehend the full meaning of the Atonement, but I know that through His sacrifice He has made it possible for you and for me to live eternal lives of growth and knowledge and understanding and work… (Ensign, Aug 1996, 60)
I sense in a measure the meaning of his atonement. I cannot comprehend it all. It is so vast in its reach and yet so intimate in its effect that it defies comprehension. (Ensign, Feb. 1995, 77)
President Ezra Taft Benson made the following important point:
We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how He accomplished what He did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did. All that He did was prompted by His unselfish infinite love for us. (Teachings of President Ezra Taft Benson, 15)
Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for Our Sins
This section would seem incomplete without a good discussion about the suffering the Savior did as described in Isaiah 53:3-5, Luke 22:39-46, 2 Nephi 9:21-22, Alma 7:11-12, and D&C 19:15-20.
President Harold B. Lee proclaimed:
I think there is no place where we have a finer discussion of the plan of the Atonement than in the writings of Jacob, as found in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi, the 9th chapter. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, 22)
Elder Marion G. Romney explained:
The suffering he undertook to endure, and which he did endure, equaled the combined suffering of all men. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 25)
An insight by Elder Neal A. Maxwell helps us better understand Christ’s suffering:
Have you ever thought that there was no way that Jesus could know the suffering which we undergo as a result of our stupidity and sin (because he was sinless) except he bear those sins of ours in what I call the awful arithmetic of the Atonement? And according to this prophet, Jesus now knows, according to the flesh, how to succor us and how to help us as a result of that suffering, which knowledge could have come in no other way. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 25)
Elder Jeffery R. Holland helps us understand “succor” in the following:
Elder Talmage used the word succor. Do you know its meaning? It is used often in the scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means literally “to run to.” What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent effort in our behalf! Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is unfailingly running to help us. (Ensign, Apr 1998, 16)
Perhaps the most difficult trial Jesus Christ suffered was the following as described by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in conference:
Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually—that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 14:26)
The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, “Behold, the hour … is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” and “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”? (John 16:32; 8:29)
With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. (Ensign, May 2009, 86–88)
As President Gordon B. Hinckley testified:
The suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary, just a few hundred meters from Gethsemane, included both physical and spiritual “temptations, … pain, … hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer,” said King Benjamin, “except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). (Ensign, Mar 2008, 4)
The Atonement and Resurrection Bring Resurrection to All
This section deals with how the Atonement provides a way to overcome physical death, the second of the two deaths brought into the world by the Fall.
1 Cor. 15:21-22 is cited (p. 62) but not quoted. It may be important to read and discuss this wonderful scripture:
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The “For teachers” note at the bottom of page 62 suggests a hand & glove demonstration of death. This comes from a conference talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer wherein he addressed little children. Here are some excerpts from this talk:
Pretend, my little friends, that my hand represents your spirit. It is alive. It can move by itself. Suppose that this glove represents your mortal body. It cannot move. When the spirit enters into your mortal body, then it can move and act and live. Now you are a person—a spirit with a body, living on the earth.
Someday, because of old age, or perhaps a disease, or an accident, the spirit and the body will be separated. We then say a person has died. Death is a separation. All of this was according to a plan.
Remember my hand represents your spirit and the glove represents your body. While you are alive the spirit inside the body can cause it to work and to act and to live.
When I separate them, the glove, which represents your body, is taken away from your spirit; it cannot move anymore. It just falls down and is dead. But your spirit is still alive.
It is important that you get in your mind what death is. Death is a separation. (Ensign, Jul 1973, 51)
The Atonement Makes It Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to Be Saved from Their Sins
This section deals with how the Atonement provides a way to overcome spiritual death, the first of the two deaths brought into the world by the Fall.
Since the title contains the word “saved” and there are many misunderstandings of just what “saved” means, it may be beneficial to review a terrific resource on the subject. It is a conference talk by Dallin H. Oaks entitled, “Have You Been Saved?” and is found in Ensign, May 1998, p. 55.
The second paragraph in this section can also be summarized by Article of Faith # 4. There is one addition which the Savior gave when He delivered what He called “my gospel” in 3 Nephi 27:13-21. Verses 13 thru 15 are a wonderful summary of the Atonement. One thing Jesus Christ added, however, was the principle of “endurance” (verses 16 and 17).
There is a beautiful video of the parable by President Boyd K. Packer found on pages 63 to 65. It is called “The Mediator” and is found in Book of Mormon DVD Presentations 1-19 (number 15). It is available at Distribution Center for $4.50.
I really like what Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained about the Savior’s acceptance of the Atonement:
In that premortal council wherein Jesus meekly volunteered to aid the Father’s plan, He said, “Here am I, send me.” (Abr. 3:27) It was one of those special moments when a few words are preferred to many. Never has one individual offered, in so few words, to do so much for so many, as did Jesus… (Ensign, Mar 1983, 70)
President Spencer W. Kimball declared:
This is the message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the most important message in the world today. Jesus Christ is the son of God. He was chosen by the Father as the Savior of this world. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 26)
There is a great message for this lesson found in 2 Nephi 22:3 (Isaiah 12:3):
Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
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