Chapter 9: Prophets of God

PROPHETS ARE GOD’S REPRESENTATIVES ON THE EARTH

As with all lessons, be sure to check out the former Priesthood/Relief Society manuals, Teachings of President of the Church… including Joseph Smith (Chapter 16), Wilford Woodruff (Chapter 19), Joseph F. Smith (Chapter 24), Heber J. Grant (Chapter 8) and Spencer W. Kimball (Chapter 23).

Another terrific resource for this lesson is the Teachings of the Living Prophet Institute Student Manual. If you glance thru the index, you will see much that is relevant to this lesson. It can be found at “institute.lds.org” then “Institute Courses and Manuals.” I know what you are thinking, “Brother Bair just can’t leave those institute manuals alone.” You are right. They are simply the best the Church has ever produced.

From this manual, here is an excerpt from President John Taylor which reinforces the idea in this section of how important is revelation:

…the principle of present revelation . . . is the very foundation of our religion.” (3-1)

The relationship between God and His prophets through revelation is well stated by President Harold B. Lee:

God said, defining the relationship that he, Moses, would have to God, and that Aaron would have to Moses: ‘And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his [Aaron’s] mouth: and I will be with thy mouth . . . and will teach you what ye shall do. . . . and he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.’ (Exodus 4:15-16)
I think that is as clear a relationship as you can find anywhere—the relationship of the prophet of the Lord and the President of the Church, the prophet, seer, and revelator, to others of us to whom he may delegate authority. (Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual, 13)

This section mentions:

Many people live in darkness, unsure of God’s will. They believe that the heavens are closed and that people must face the world’s perils alone. (p. 39)

Reverend Billy Graham, perhaps one of the most listened-to ministers of the past 50 years, expressed what most Christians believe about the idea that heavens are closed when he answered a question in the Charlotte Observer:

Question: Do you believe God has prophets that can deliver new truth to us today?

Answer: God’s revelation is complete, because "in these last days he has spoken to us by his son...." (Hebrews 1:2).

Interesting that he would refer to this scripture, since it was written by Paul, who was a prophet after the death of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:1). Especially when Paul was one of those who were “the foundation” of Christ’s Church after He died? (see Ephesians 2:20)

Reverend Graham continues:Don’t be misled by those who claim God speaks to them and gives them new truth. He has given us all we need to know in the pages of the Bible. This is why the final verses of the Bible include a warning against adding or subtracting from God’s word (see Revelation 22:18).

First, a very similar warning is given in Deuteronomy 4:2: Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it…If we interpret this verse as Reverend Graham interpreted Revelation 22:18, it would seem that we then should all be Jews.

Second, the Book of Revelation was not originally “the final verses of the Bible. Of course, at the time when John wrote the Book of Revelation, there would not be a Bible for another hundreds of years. According to the Oxford Companion to the Bible, scholars are quite sure that the Book of Revelation was written before 2 Peter, Jude, and John (written by the same author of Revelation). The scholars aslo think that the Book of Revelation was possibly written before Luke, Acts, James, and 2 John and 3 John (the latter two also by the same author of Revelation). If Reverend Graham’s interpretation is correct, it would mean that John likely broke his own rule three times.

Third, check out 1 Nephi 14:20-27, where Nephi sees the same vision as did John and is commanded not to write about it because John will be the one to do so.

Concerning all of this, in conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained:

One of the arguments often used in any defense of a closed canon is the New Testament passage recorded in Revelation 22:18: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of … this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” However, there is now overwhelming consensus among virtually all biblical scholars that this verse applies only to the book of Revelation, not the whole Bible. Those scholars of our day acknowledge a number of New Testament “books” that were almost certainly written after John’s revelation on the Isle of Patmos was received. Included in this category are at least the books of Jude, the three Epistles of John, and probably the entire Gospel of John itself. Perhaps there are even more than these.
But there is a simpler answer as to why that passage in the final book of the current New Testament cannot apply to the whole Bible. That is because the whole Bible as we know it—one collection of texts bound in a single volume—did not exist when that verse was written. For centuries after John produced his writing, the individual books of the New Testament were in circulation singly or perhaps in combinations with a few other texts but almost never as a complete collection. (Ensign, May 2008, 91)

Well did Joseph Smith state the problem with the abominable idea that “the heavens are closed” when he stated:

[Question] Nineteenth—"Is not the canon of the Scriptures full?“If it is, there is a great defect in the book, or else it would have said so. (History of The Church, 3:29-30)

As demonstrated by Reverend Graham, the best scriptures they have to use fall pitifully short of the idea that the heavens will be closed. The Bible, as Joseph Smith declares, makes no such statement.

As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland declared in the same conference talk as above:

One Protestant scholar has inquired tellingly into the erroneous doctrine of a closed canon. He writes: “On what biblical or historical grounds has the inspiration of God been limited to the written documents that the church now calls its Bible? … If the Spirit inspired only the written documents of the first century, does that mean that the same Spirit does not speak today in the church about matters that are of significant concern?” We humbly ask those same questions. (Ensign, May 2008, 91)
This section mentions the various professions of Presidents of the latter days. It might be fun for class members to tell what they know about what professions each president had. A good resource for this is Presidents of the Church Institute Student Manual at “institute.lds.org” website.


THROUGH THE AGES GOD HAS CALLED PROPHETS TO LEAD MANKIND

Again, from the Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual Mark E. Petersen taught:

God simply does not work except through prophets. There has never been a period in the history of the Church from Adam down through all the dispensations when he has labored with the people that he did not so labor through prophets. That is one of the fundamental principles of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: God will work only through prophets. (3-1)


WE HAVE A LIVING PROPHET ON THE EARTH TODAY

This section mentions “keys of the kingdom” and references Matthew 16:19. In Matthew 16:18 we read;

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Catholic Church interprets the “rock” as Peter. Joseph Smith had this to say about that:

Jesus in His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ [Matthew 16:18] What rock? Revelation. (Teachings of President of the Church: Joseph Smith, p. 195)

This concept of revelation is closely tied to the “keys” next given to Peter in verse 19:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Next, Jesus gave all of the apostles (see Matthew 18:1) keys in Matthew 18:18

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Finally, as the manual quotes:

“There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred” (D&C 132:7).

In Encyclopedia of Mormonism (a great resource for this lesson which can be found at “lib.byu.edu/macmillan”) under the article “Keys of the Priesthood” is found the following summation:

The keys of the kingdom of God on earth are held by the apostles. The President of the Church, who is the senior apostle, holds all the keys presently on earth and presides over all the organizational and ordinance work of the Church (D&C 107:8-9, 91-92). He delegates authority by giving the keys of specific offices to others (D&C 124:123). (p. 780)

Seventies, who now do a great deal of the work in the kingdom, including selecting and ordaining new stake presidents, have no keys, but are delegated the keys to do their work each weekend that they travel on assignment.

Elder M. Russell Ballard explained:

…President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He, and only he, holds and exercises in their fulness all of the keys of God’s kingdom on earth. (Ensign, Nov 1999, 62)

So all of the apostles (15 today) hold the keys of the kingdom jointly, but only the President “exercises them in their fullness.”

Early in the history of Church this doctrine was developed;

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 and the Fulness of Times, 273-4)

The following details how Brigham Young came to grasp the doctrine:

In Boston rumors of Joseph Smith’s death began on 9 July.10 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 and the Fulness of Times, 289)

Church History and the Fulness of Times is one of those on the “institute.lds.org” website.

Wilford Woodruff taught:

[Joseph Smith] lived until he received every key, ordinance and law ever given to any man on the earth, from Father Adam down, touching this dispensation. (Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, 68)

From Church History and the Fulness of Times, also comes the following explanation of how these keys are passed on at the death of a President of the Church:

Elder Spencer W. Kimball, in a general conference address in 1970, explained the process: “The moment life passes from a President of the Church, a body of men become the composite leader—these men already seasoned with experience and training. The appointments have long been made, the authority given, the keys delivered. . . . the kingdom moves forward under this already authorized council. No ‘running’ for position, no electioneering, no stump speeches. What a divine plan! How wise our Lord, to organize so perfectly beyond the weakness of frail, grasping humans.” (p. 295-6)

In Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual, how the Lord controls this is detailed by President Spencer W. Kimball, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve:

Full provision has been made by our Lord for changes. Today there are fourteen apostles holding the keys in suspension, the twelve and the two counselors to the President, to be brought into use if and when circumstances allow, all ordained to leadership in their turn as they move forward in seniority.
There have been some eighty apostles so endowed since Joseph Smith, though only eleven have occupied the place of the President of the Church, death having intervened; and since the death of his servants is in the power and control of the Lord, he permits to come to the first place only the one who is destined to take that leadership. Death and life become the controlling factors. Each new apostle in turn is chosen by the Lord and revealed to the then living prophet who ordains him.
The matter of seniority is basic in the first quorums of the Church. All the apostles understand this perfectly, and all well-trained members of the Church are conversant with this perfect succession program. (7-1)


So God is solely responsible for His own prophets, as explained by President Heber J. Grant:

You need have no fear, my dear brothers and sisters, that any man will ever stand at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ unless our Heavenly Father wants him to be there. (Teachings of President of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 74)

The next-to-last sentence of the next section states:

The Lord will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray. (p. 42)

This makes sense from the above and is verified by this quote from President Wilford Woodruff:

The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place. (Teachings of President of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 199)

The above statement is also found under “Excerpts from three addresses by President Wilford Woodruff regarding the Manifesto” after “Official Declaration—1” at the end of the Doctrine and Covenants.


WE SHOULD SUSTAIN THE LORD’S PROPHETS

Sustaining and praying for our prophet is discussed in this section. President Heber J. Grant pleaded:

Pray for the authorities of the Church, and then sustain them in every labor and in all that they undertake to do. (Teachings of President of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 74)

What is the alternative? President Kimball declared:

When the world has followed prophets, it has moved forward; when it has ignored them, the results have been stagnation, servitude, death. (Teachings of President of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 255)

President Joseph F. Smith warned:

It is a serious wrong in the presence of the Almighty for one to vote to sustain the authorities of the Church and then to go away and oppose them and trample under foot the counsels that they give; and we will be judged of the Lord for it. (Teachings of President of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 211)

The following is from Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual:

Elder Harold B. Lee related the following incident from Church history which makes clear the consequences of opposing the prophet:

“The story is told in the early days of the Church—particularly, I think, at Kirtland—where some of the leading brethren in the presiding councils of the Church met secretly and tried to scheme as to how they could get rid of the Prophet Joseph’s leadership. They made the mistake of inviting Brigham Young to one of these secret meetings. He rebuked them, after he had heard the purpose of their meeting. This is part of what he said: ‘You cannot destroy the appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds you to the prophet of God and sink yourselves to hell.” (11-3)

A great way to illustrate the idea of going against a prophet of God is found in the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Video found in most ward libraries (#17. “If They Harden Not Their Hearts”). The above event is excellently dramatized. A good discussion could be generated by asking, “What controversies in recent times have found members of the Church taking issue against the Prophet or the Church?”

An interesting comment on obeying prophets is made by President Marion G. Romney:

I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President [Heber J.] Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting, I drove him home. . . . When we got to his home I got out of the car and went up on the porch with him. Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: ‘My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.’ Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, ‘But you don’t need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray. (Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual, 15)


GREAT BLESSINGS FOLLOW OBEDIENCE TO THE PROPHET

From the manual:

We should follow his inspired teachings completely. We should not choose to follow part of his inspired counsel and discard that which is unpleasant or difficult. (p. 42)

Harold B. Lee recounted a great example of what we can do about this, as found in the Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual:

In the political field where so much pressure is exerted on men to compromise ideals and principles for expediency, party workers early learned to admire Marion G. Romney’s intense loyalty to his own conscience as well as to the advice of his Church leaders whose pronouncements on vital issues affecting the welfare of the nation he accepted as divinely inspired even though it frequently brought him into sharp conflict with leaders of his own political party. On one such occasion when church leaders in a tersely-worded editorial had denounced the trends of the political administration then in power, he confided in me something which it might be well if all loyal Church members in public life could emulate: ‘When I read that editorial,’ he told me, “I knew what I should do—but that wasn’t enough. I knew that I must feel right about following the counsel of the Church leaders and know that they were right. That took a whole night on my knees to accomplish.” I submit in that statement the difference between “intelligent” and “blind” obedience. Marion G. Romney, while never disloyal to authority over him, could never be rightfully accused of being “blindly obedient.” (p. 47)

The problem of believing in “past” prophets and not “living” ones is as old as the days of Adam and Eve. It is dangerous to us today. President Kimball explained:

Even in the Church many are prone to garnish the sepulchres of yesterday’s prophets and mentally stone the living ones [see Matthew 23:29-30, 34]. (Teachings of President of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 255)

Speaking of “conference addresses” mentioned in this section (p. 42), President Spencer W. Kimball proclaimed:

I can imagine that if the Lord himself were standing on the Mount of Olives and if he were instructing the people, he would say much the same things that have been said and will be said [in our conferences]. I can imagine that if he were standing on the Sea of Galilee with the boats in the water and the people standing around him, that he would say very much the same things… (Teachings of President of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 253)

From Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Student Manual, Spencer W. Kimball stated:

“In the seven two-hour sessions [of general conference] and in the several satellite meetings, truths were taught, doctrines expounded, exhortations given, enough to save the whole world from all its ills—and I mean from ALL its ills.” (1-2)

If we do “Sustain the Lord’s Prophet” as the title of this section proposes, we will be blessed as President Kimball stated:

The membership of the Church will always be safe if they follow closely the instructions and admonitions and the leadership of the authorities of the Church. (Teachings of President of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 255)

Chapter 8: Praying to our Heavenly Father

WHAT IS PRAYER?

When I think of this question, I think of the story the President of the Ogden Utah Mission told in a Saturday session of the Ben Lomond Stake Conference in 2009. He told about asking one of his Elders how he was doing in an interview. The Elder said, “Sometimes I get homesick.” He was about to begin his long-practiced spiel about “How to prevent/overcome…” when the Elder finished, “Now don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I just feel so close to the Lord in this work, I just miss being with Him all the time.”

In my opinion, that is what prayer should be. It can be a reconnection to Our Father who sent us to “do our work” on this mortal earth to prepare to return to be “with Him all the time.”

Every one of the old Priesthood/Relief Society manuals has wonderful material on prayer. Here where to look. Joseph Smith (Chapter 10), Brigham Young (pp. 44-46), John Taylor, (pp. 147-149), Wilford Woodruff, (Chapter 11), Joseph F. Smith (Chapter 3), Heber J. Grant (Chapter 19), David O. McKay (Chapter 8), Spencer W. Kimball, (Chapter 5), Harold B. Lee (pp. 52-57). All of these (found in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:… series) can be found at “lds.org” then “Gospel Library” then “Lessons” then “Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society.”

That prayers should be “sincere” and “heartfelt” is an important point made in this section. President Heber J. Grant proposed:

Earnest, honest, and sincere prayer to God is worth more to you than all I can say or write. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 177)

President Monson observed;

We learn to pray by praying. One can devote countless hours to examining the experiences of others, but nothing penetrates the human heart as does a personal, fervent prayer and its heaven-sent response. (Ensign, Nov. 1997, 17)

The concept of “daily” prayer can be emphasized with the old modern proverb:

“Seven days without prayer makes one weak.”

President Monson recently counseled:

When we remember that each of us is literally a spirit son or daughter of God, we will not find it difficult to approach our Heavenly Father in prayer. (Ensign, Jan 2006, 2)

It is important to note that for most of the quotes in this blog, the rest of the talk also has lots of good stuff for this lesson.

WHY DO WE PRAY?

A simple answer to this question is the standard (as taught in the first paragraph), “God said to - - it is a commandment.” Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:

You have your agency, and inspiration does not—perhaps cannot—flow unless you ask for it, or someone asks for you.
No message in scripture is repeated more often than the invitation, even the command, to pray—to ask.
Prayer is so essential a part of revelation that without it the veil may remain closed to you. Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. (New Era, Jan 1995, 4)

In addition to Moses 5:8 (from the manual), in Moses 1:11-22 (especially 17 & 18) are some wonderful ideas to discuss.

One answer to the question posed in the heading for this section is “to help us draw closer to God.” President Heber J. Grant, who spent a lot of time in the home of President Brigham Young, reflected:

“Upon more than one occasion, because of the inspiration of the Lord to Brigham Young while he was supplicating God for guidance, I have lifted my head, turned and looked at the place where Brigham Young was praying, to see if the Lord was not there. It seemed to me that he talked to the Lord as one man would talk to another.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 173)

That seems to capture what we would want in our prayers.

Another answer comes from that terrific resource, Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:

This course [prayer] is essential if men are to be saved; there is no salvation without prayer. How could a man set his heart on righteousness, so as to work out his salvation, without communing by prayer with him who is the author of righteousness?” (p. 33)

WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY?

It may seem strange to some, but sometimes we forget to pray. Brigham Young had a simple solution to that problem. Elder W. Eugene Hansen explained:

Years ago I read about Brigham Young following a practice of never taking any food or drink in the morning before he had his personal prayer…I commend that practice to you and I guarantee you won’t forget your prayers. (BYU Speeches of the Year, 30 June 1998)

From 2 Nephi 32:8 (listed in this section) we read:

For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray…

We found it interesting that before we left our mission in Charlotte, North Carolina, members and missionaries told us that ministers had started warning their congregations, “What ever you do, do not pray with Mormon missionaries!”

An important concept of missionary work is:

“We don’t ask you to believe us. We only ask that you ask.”

In a recent seminal talk given at Harvard, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a wonderful answer dealing with this idea:

Ben DeVan, a student at the Harvard Divinity School, asked Elder Oaks what made Mormon revelation different from revelation received by Muslim founder Muhammad and Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science movement.
"Why should we believe that what Joseph Smith said is true as opposed to these others?" said DeVan, a Christian from Atlanta.
"If you want to know, go to the ultimate source," Oaks replied. "The answer to that question can only come from God himself. That's what I encourage anyone who asks me about it. ... I can't promise when it will happen with anyone, but I can promise it will happen." (Deseret News, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010)

Some have wondered about Joseph Smith’s declaration that the First Vision was his first vocal prayer. He said of that occasion:

It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. (Joseph Smith-History 1:14)

The training he received from his family, however, did include prayer:

My father’s religious habits were strictly pious and moral. … I was called upon to listen to prayers both night and morning. … My parents, father and mother, poured out their souls to God, the donor of all blessings, to keep and guard their children and keep them from sin and from all evil works. Such was the strict piety of my parents.”1 William also said: “We always had family prayers since I can remember. I well remember father used to carry his spectacles in his vest pocket, … and when us boys saw him feel for his specs, we knew that was a signal to get ready for prayer, and if we did not notice it mother would say, ‘William,’ or whoever was the negligent one, ‘get ready for prayer.’ (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007), 37)

As Joseph said, he was “called upon to listen to prayers.” Perhaps only parents were expected to pray.

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

The first line in this section, which contains the phrase, “whether we stand or kneel” reminded me of the following poem by Sam Walter Foss:

"The proper way for a man to pray," Said Deacon Lemuel Keys,"And the only proper attitude Is down upon his knees.""No, I should say the way to pray," Said Reverend Doctor Wise,"Is standing straight with outstretched arms And rapt and upturned eyes.""Oh, no, no, no!" said Elder Slow, "Such posture is too proud.A man should pray with eyes fast closed And head contritely bowed.""It seems to me his hands should be Austerely clasped in frontWith both thumbs pointing toward the ground," Said Reverend Doctor Blunt."Last year I fell in Hidgkin's well Head first," said Cyrus Brown,"With both my heels a-stickin' up And my head a-pointin' down.And I made a prayer right then and there, The best prayer I ever said,The prayingest prayer I ever prayed A-standin' on my head!"

Much of what is taught in this section can be wonderfully supplemented and clarified in the Bible Dictionary under “Prayer” (p. 752-3), especially the last third.

Two of my favorite quotes on the idea from the Bible Dictionary of making sure “the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other” are as follows. First, from Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

Moreover, our prayers should allow for three more special words: “And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.” (3 Ne. 18:20; italics added)
It is only by yielding to God that we can begin to realize His will for us. And if we truly trust God, why not yield to His loving omniscience? After all, He knows us and our possibilities much better than do we. (Ensign, May 1985, 70)

The second is from Marion G. Romney:

This principle we learned in our home through a rather impressive experience. During the early years of our married life, my wife and I intensely desired what we considered to be a particular blessing. We set about through fasting and prayer to obtain it. We considered many of the scriptures which seemed to make a blanket promise that ". . . Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22). We asked, we believed, we thought we had faith, but though we fasted often and prayed fervently, the years rolled by without bringing us the desired answer to our prayers. Finally we concluded that we had not fully understood; that we were not giving proper consideration to the will of the Lord. Rather were we concentrating our faith and prayers upon receiving the particular thing which by predetermination we had set our hearts upon. We had to reconsider the conditions of the promise. We found that Jesus had stated them in full to the Nephites as follows: ". . . Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you" (3 Ne. 18:20), and to this generation thus, "Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you" (D&C 88:64). We had to learn to be as earnest in praying, "If it be thy will" as we were when presenting our personal appeals. (Conference Report, October 1944, 53)

Concerning this principle, in conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained:

Similarly, the Savior taught the Nephites that they must always pray to the Father in his name, adding: “And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Ne. 18:20).
Here the Savior reminds us that faith, no matter how strong it is, cannot produce a result contrary to the will of him whose power it is. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. That is why we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security in our lives. (Ensign, May 1994, 98)

Most of us know that closing our eyes when we pray helps us to shut out the world and focus on praying. However, Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone talked about a possible exception:

A ward mutual was having a swimming party. The bishopric attended, dressed in suits. Many of the youth had already been in swimming. Everything stopped while a great old high priest gave an opening prayer. During the prayer there was a splashing in the pool. The counselor in the bishopric said: “I think I have always been practical enough, so I opened one eye to see who it was that was so irreverent as to swim during the prayer. A twelve-year-old Spanish boy, who could not swim, had somehow gotten into the deep end of the pool and was drowning. His eyes reflected fear and terror. I took two steps, dove into the pool, suit, shoes and all, pulled the young man to the side and helped him out. He sat on the edge of the pool and I waited in the pool. The good old high priest prayed on and on.”
The counselor continued, “I think the young man would have drowned if we had waited for the prayer to end to save him.” Then he concluded by saying, “I think we have to keep an eye open and be ready to do whatever is necessary to save our youth. And by the way, the bishop never did open his eyes, even when I dove in.” (Ensign, Nov 1983, 36)

This may also lead to an effective discussion about always being alert to receiving answers to our prayers.

Finally, a suggestion from Elder Russell M. Nelson:

In our prayers we use the respectful pronouns Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine instead of You, Your, and Yours. Doing so helps us to be humble. That can also enhance our prayers. (Ensign, May 2009, 46)

Someone, not LDS, once challenged the idea that in our Church we had public prayers and quoted the following from Matthew 6:5-6 to document his stand;

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

He did not notice that the caution in this scripture was concerning hypocrites, not where they preyed. However, thru modern temples and sacred prayers in our temples we learn at least three things are important in prayer:

1. Group prayers out loud are important.
2. We should be grateful for our Prophet.
3. We need to pray for others.

HOW ARE PRAYERS ANSWERED?

The first principle taught in this section is that “sincere prayers are always answered” but “sometimes the answer is no.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained why:

God cannot, brothers and sisters, respond affirmatively to all of our petitions with an unbroken chain of “yeses.” This would assume that all of our petitions are for that “which is right” and are spiritually “expedient.” (3 Ne. 18:20; D&C 18:18; D&C 88:64-65). No petitioner is so wise! (Ensign, May 1991, 88)

President Hinckley said some interesting things on a TV interview with Larry King:

KING: When you pray, what is that? What's occurring? Are you talking to God? You're a prophet, so God talks to you.
HINCKLEY: I'm talking to God, yes. I do pray. Of course I do.
KING: What do you do when they're not answered?
HINCKLEY: Well, they are answered, but not always just the way you'd want them.
KING: Sometimes it's no.
HINCKLEY: Sometimes it's no.
KING: And when it's no, how do you explain that to yourself?
HINCKLEY: You accept it and go forward with faith.
KING: Isn't that hard?
HINCKLEY: Oh, it may be. But after all, that's the challenge of life.Sure. (CNN, Larry King Live, aired December 26, 2004)

This section states that “Sometimes the answer is to “wait a while.” Brigham Young

All I have to do is keep my spirit, feelings and conscience like a sheet of blank paper, and let the Spirit and power of God write upon it what He pleases. When He writes, I will read; but if I read before He writes, I am very likely to be wrong. (Deseret News, Apr. 19, 1871, 125)

I was surprised to find that this quote comes from “lds.org” then “About the Church” (Church History) then “History of the Church” then “Presidents of the Church” then “Brigham Young” then “Quotes.” Amazing what I still don’t know about the Church website!

Richard G. Scott (in another great conference talk on prayer) stated:

When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight. (Ensign, Nov 1989, 30)

Boyd K. Packer also explained a little bit more about this process:

When you have a problem, work it out in your own mind first. Ponder on it and analyze it and meditate on it. Read the scriptures. Pray about it. I’ve come to learn that major decisions can’t be forced. (Ensign, Aug 1975, 85)

Concerning the idea in this section that “Sometimes the Lord answers our prayers through other people” is explained by President Spencer W. Kimball:

God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another mortal that he meets our needs. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 252)

There are many great talks about prayer to draw on for resource, but in my opinion, there are few better than “Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer” given by Elder Richard G. Scott in April Conference, 2007. I wanted to put twelve quotes from this talk into this blog, but refrained. Here is the one I could not resist:

Some misunderstandings about prayer can be clarified by realizing that the scriptures define principles for effective prayer, but they do not assure when a response will be given. Actually, He will reply in one of three ways. First, you can feel the peace, comfort, and assurance that confirm that your decision is right. Or second, you can sense that unsettled feeling, the stupor of thought, indicating that your choice is wrong. Or third—and this is the difficult one—you can feel no response.
What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust. When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. (Ensign, May 2007, 8–11)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell made a good summary statement about praying;

Petitioning in prayer has taught me, again and again, that the vault of heaven with all its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock. One tumbler falls when there is faith; a second when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is, in God’s judgment—not ours—right for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want very much and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father. (New Era, Apr. 1978, 6)

This was in a great article with other quotes about prayer in “Prayer: The Soul’s Sincere Desire” found in Ensign, Aug 2002, 52–59.

Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost

THE HOLY GHOST CAME TO ADAM AND EVE

One important thing to keep in mind with this lesson is that later, Chapter 21 is “The Gift of the Holy Ghost.” With this in mind, following the Spirit, sort through what you think ought to be taught here and what should be taught later.

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, p. 33, John Taylor, Chapter 17, Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 5, Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 8, Heber J. Grant, Chapter 20, Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 70-72, Harold B. Lee, pp. 32-33. 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.

Again, one of the greatest resources for this lesson is Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual. It can be found at the website “institute.lds.org” then click on “Institute Courses and Manuals.”

The principles of obedience and endurance could better understood in this section by discussing the idea that they were grandparents and had sacrificed for many long years before learning of the Atonement as discussed on p. 31 of this lesson (Moses 5:1-3).

The two verses (Moses 5:10-11) quoted in this section of the lesson are among the most beautiful scriptures we have concerning the blessings of the Fall.

Another terrific resource for any lesson is the “Scriptural Index to the Latter-day Prophets.” It is found at the website “scriptures.byu.edu.” A group of BYU professors have linked every scripture ever used in a conference addresses all the way back to Joseph Smith. Just go there and choose a scripture and then click on a speaker. The portion of the talk wherein that speaker used that scripture then pops up. Commenting on the above scripture (Moses 5:10-11) Elder Richard G. Scott comments:

(verse 10): Adam was thinking about his responsibilities. He was trying to align his performance with the desires of the Lord.

(verse 11): Eve’s response was characteristic of a woman. She embraced all, wanted to make sure that everyone was considered. One response was not more correct than the other. The two perspectives resulted from the traits inherent in men and women. The Lord intends that we use those differences to fulfill His plan for happiness, personal growth, and development. By counseling together they arrived at a broader, more correct understanding of truth. (Ensign, Nov 1996, 73)

The LDS Seminaries and Institutes not only have some of the finest manuals ever created in the Church, they are all on line at “institute.lds.org.” Among the best of these are the manuals for each of the Standard Works. From the Student Manual for The Pearl of Great Price comes the following from Joseph Smith concerning the Kingdom of God in Adam’s time:

Some say the kingdom of God was not set up on the earth until the day of Pentecost, and that John [the Baptist] did not preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. But I say, in the name of the Lord, that the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to the present time, whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in His name. (p. 16)


ATTRIBUTES OF THE HOLY GHOST

The first question asked in this section is:

“How does the Holy Ghost differ from the Father and the Son? Why is that difference important to us?”

From “Additional Scriptures” at the end of the lesson come some of the best scriptures which can be used in discussion of the answer to that question. My favorites for this would be 1 Nephi 33:1; D&C 8:2-3; and D&C 130:22.

From D&C 130:22 we learn that:

“…the Holy Ghost can…dwell in us.”

In 1 Nephi 33:1 we are taught that:

…when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

And in D&C 8:2 Jesus Christ says:

Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

These ideas would be good to discuss as to how the Holy Ghost differs from the Father and the Son and why that difference is important to us.

Concerning D&C 8:2, President Boyd K. Packer states simply that:

This guidance comes as thoughts, as feelings through promptings and impressions. (Ensign, Nov 2009, 43)

I found the above quote by looking in “Scriptural Index to the Latter-day Prophets” referred to above, under “D&C 8:2” and then clicked on the first one there. It is (09—O, 46, BKP), which is short for 2009—October (conference), p. 46 (in Ensign) and Boyd K. Packer.

Those of us who tend more to the brain side and put more trust in thoughts than in feelings probably need to pay more attention to the heart and vice versa.

In John 14:26 the Savior teaches that the Holy Ghost:

…shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance…

While Jesus finished that sentence with “…whatsoever I have said unto you” the Holy Ghost apparently can bring other things to our remembrance from premortal existence, as taught by Elder Glenn L. Pace:

We first learned the gospel in our heavenly home. We have come to this earth with a veil of forgetfulness. And yet lingering in each of our spirits are those dormant memories.
The Holy Ghost can part the veil and bring those things out of their dormancy. Often my reaction to a supposedly newfound truth is, “Oh, I remember that!” [he then quotes John 14:26]. (Ensign, May 2007, 79)

President Marion G. Romney, of the First Presidency, quotes an interesting insight to the Holy Ghost as given by Elder James E. Talmage:

That the [Holy Ghost] is capable of manifesting Himself in the form and figure of man is indicated by the wonderful interview between the Spirit and Nephi, in which He revealed Himself to the prophet, questioned him concerning his desires and belief, instructed him in the things of God, speaking face to face with the man [then Elder Talmage quotes 1 Nephi 11:11]. (Ensign, May 1974, 90)

So the Holy Ghost would look like a man. When He does get His body, it will look like His Spirit. This doctrine is in accordance with D&C 77:2 which explains that our spirit is like our body:

…the spirit of man in the likeness of his person…

From Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, Joseph Fielding Smith explains about the influence of the Holy Ghost:

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a Spirit, in the form of a man. . . . The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit, and has a spirit body only. His mission is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of all truth.
As a Spirit personage the Holy Ghost has size and dimensions. He does not fill the immensity of space, and cannot be everywhere present in person at the same time. He is also called the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth, and the Comforter. (p. 11)


THE MISSION OF THE HOLY GHOST

This is an exciting section of the lesson to understand. In the current Ensign, Elder David A. Bednar proclaims.

We are assisted in learning of and listening to the words of Christ by the Holy Ghost, even the third member of the Godhead. The Holy Ghost reveals and witnesses the truth of all things and brings all things to our remembrance (see John 14:26, 16:13; Moroni 10:5; D&C 39:6). The Holy Ghost is the teacher who kindles within us an abiding love of and for learning. (Ensign, Feb 2010, 26)

Hopefully we can learn and teach this material with that “abiding love.”

This section of the lesson quotes 1 Corinthians 12:3 as:

No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Turning to the New Testament Institute Student Manual at “institute.lds.org” we find the following:

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that 1 Corinthians 12:3 should be translated “no man can know that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” (Teachings, p. 223. Italics added.)

How grateful we should to be, that through the Holy Ghost we can “know” instead of just “say” that Jesus is the Christ. Christ is the center of the Father’s plan and we only can know Christ through the mission of the Holy Ghost.

The New Testament Institute Student Manual is the hardest one to navigate. You need to first click on the “Appendix Section” and then click on “Scripture Index” to scroll down to locate the scripture you are studying and then click on the section of the manual where it is found. For this verse, you need to click on the second one listed for 1 Corinthians 12:3 (36 -1) to locate this quote. Yeah, it is extra trouble, but in this case, easily see to be worth it.

An important principle for us to understand about the fact that one of the most important missions of the Holy Ghost is to lead us to a knowledge of Jesus Christ is the following from Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual. Joseph Smith explained:

Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized.
Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him. (p. 44)

So apparently, the Holy Ghost leads, if we choose, to the Gift of the Holy Ghost. But if we do not choose, the Holy Ghost will leave us.

P. 33 of this section has two powerful quotes concerning the power of the witness of the Holy Ghost. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin adds his testimony:

He is a revelator and teacher who conveys information to our spirits with far more certainty than is possible by our natural senses. (Ensign, Nov 1994, 75)

President James E. Faust takes it one step further:

…every person must have a spiritual confirmation by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is more powerful than all the senses combined. (Ensign, Nov 2003, 19)

Brigham Young struggled for two years as to whether or not Mormonism was true. In the heading of chapter 43 in the old Priesthood/Relief Society manual is recorded:

President Brigham Young’s search for the truth of God was finally resolved by the sincere and simple testimony of a “man without eloquence…who could only say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord.’ ” Said President Young, “The Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality were before me. (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 315)

An optional part of this lesson could be a discussion about what President McKay calls “The Dual Nature of Man” in Chapter 2 of Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay. A great scripture to preface this discussion is Galations 5:16-17.

Concerning this, Joseph Smith declared:

All things whatsoever God in his infinite wisdom has seen fit and proper to reveal to us, while we are dwelling in mortality, in regard to our mortal bodies, are revealed to us in the abstract, and independent of affinity of this mortal tabernacle, but are revealed to our spirits precisely as though we had no bodies at all; and those revelations which will save our spirits will save our bodies. God reveals them to us in view of no eternal dissolution of the body, or tabernacle (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6: 312 - 313).

So the Holy Ghost speaks to our spirits, not our bodies.

Brigham Young then stated:

You are aware that many think that the devil has rule and power over both body and spirit. Now, I want to tell you that he does not hold any power over man, only so far as the body overcomes the spirit that is in a man, through yielding to the spirit of evil. The spirit that the Lord puts into a tabernacle of flesh is under the dictation of the Lord Almighty; but the spirit and body are united in order that the spirit may have a tabernacle, and be exalted; and the spirit is influenced by the body, and the body by the spirit.
In the first place the spirit is pure, and under the special control and influence of the Lord, but the body is of the earth, and is subject to the power of the devil, and is under the mighty influence of that fallen nature that is of the earth. If the spirit yields to the body, the devil then has power to overcome both the body and spirit of that man, and he loses both.
Recollect, brethren and sisters, every one of you, that when evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts, it is through the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently: when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body, and are overcome and destroyed.
The influence of the enemy has power over all such. Those who overcome every passion, and every evil, will be sanctified, and be prepared to enjoy eternity with the blessed. If you have never thought of this before, try to realize it now. Let it rest upon your minds, and see if you can discover in yourselves the operations of the spirit and the body, which constitute the man. Continually and righteously watch the spirit that the Lord has put in you, and I will promise you to be led into righteousness, holiness, peace, and good order.
But let the body rise up with its passions, with the fallen nature pertaining to it, and let the spirit yield to it, your destruction is sure. On the other hand, let the spirit take the lead, and bring the body and its passions into subjection, and you are safe (Journal of Discourses, 2: 256).

David O. McKay also taught in Conference:

Man has a dual nature—one, related to the earthly or animal life—the other the spiritual life, akin to the divine. Man's body is but the tabernacle in which his spirit dwells. Too many, far too many, are prone to regard the body as the man and consequently, to direct their efforts to the gratifying of the body's pleasures, its appetites, its desires, its passions. Too few recognize that the real man is an immortal spirit which "intelligence or light of truth" was animated as an individual entity, with all its distinguishing traits, will continue after the body ceases to respond to its earthly environment.
Whether a man remains satisfied within what we designate the animal world, satisfied with what the animal world will give him, yielding without effort to the whim of his appetites and passions, and slipping further and further into the realm of indulgence or whether, through self-mastery, he rises toward intellectual, moral, and spiritual enjoyments depends upon the kind of choice he makes every day—nay, every hour of his life (Conference Report, April 1967).

The following chart illustrates what Elder William R. Bradford taught my brother Byron when he served as my brother’s Mission President (you can complete the circles when you draw the diagram on the board):

God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ have spoken to prophets, but rarely talk face-to-face with mortal man. Fallen man generally communes with the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost (see D&C 130:22-23, Moroni 10:17, D&C 50:13-14). Satan also tempts man (see Moses 5:13, 2 Nephi 28:21, and Alma 30:53). Since both are spirits, they speak “by the spirit” (one a good spirit, one an evil one) to man. There is a gate, which shuts one or the other out. The handle is on our side. If we shut the Holy Ghost out, then we automatically open the door to Satan’s temptations. If we shut Satan out, then the Holy Ghost can commune with us. There is something that President Bradford did not show in his diagram that my brother and I think should be added. We think that for fallen man, there is a spring on the gate, making it harder to shut Satan out than to keep it open to the Holy Ghost. However, shutting Satan out and listening to the Holy Ghost is crucial to progressing and becoming like God.

Chapter 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve

ADAM AND EVE WERE THE FIRST TO COME TO EARTH

Again, as with so many topics in this manual, a terrific resource for this lesson is Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, found at the “institute.lds.org” website. Another great resource is an article “The Fulness of the Gospel: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” in the Ensign, June 2006, pages 48–49.

One thing important in this section may be to establish the gospel fact that Adam and Eve really were the first to come to earth as mortals created in the image of our Heavenly Parents. In the famous First Presidency statement of 1909 we read;

It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declared that Adam was “the first man of all men” (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. (“The Origin of Man,” [first in 1909] Ensign, Feb 2002)

Another important principle for this section of the lesson may be to dispel myths that Satan has authored to discredit Adam and Eve. Remember this is personal between Satan and Adam. It was Adam, who, as is mentioned in this section, was Michael the archangel (D&C 27:11) who led the battle against Satan’s hosts in premortality (Revelation 12:7-9).

Many in the world, lacking in knowledge of the restoration, characterize our first human parents as crude cavemen, who first communicated with grunting sounds which conveyed rudimentary essentials, then drew childlike pictures on cave walls, and much later in our history developed the first alphabet. As the apostle Elder Mark E. Petersen commented on Adam and Eve:

They were highly intelligent people, not at all like either the hominids or the cavemen some claim the first humans to have been. They were well educated, having been taught by the Lord himself. What an education! What an instructor! (Ensign, Nov 1980, 16)

Some great ideas about how "advanced" Adam and Eve were can be understood by discussing Moses 6:5-8.

A good discussion could come from listing the titles or designations Adam is given as found in the scriptures and in this section and their meaning. Included should be

An important title for Adam was mentioned by Joseph Smith in an earlier Priesthood/Relief Society manual:

The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 104)

In Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott discussed another important roll played by Adam:

Adam was Michael who helped create the earth—a glorious, superb individual. (Ensign, Nov 1996, 73)

Of course, we can learn more about this in the temple. After this discussion about Adam, it should come as no surprise that President Thomas S. Monson would exclaim:

I nominate to the Hall of Fame the name of Adam, the first man to live upon the earth. (Ensign, Jul 1991, 2)

A great article about Adam, “The Man Adam” by Robert L. Millet, includes the following:

Adam’s role in the eternal plan of God began in our premortal first estate. There he was known as Michael, a name which means “who is like God.” Indeed, “by his diligence and obedience there, as one of the spirit sons of God, he attained a stature and power second only to that of Christ, the Firstborn.”
The Prophet Joseph Smith thus taught that “the Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Genesis 1:26, 27, 28.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157)
When it came time to begin our second estate, mortality, it was appropriate for God our Father to call upon Michael to receive a tabernacle of flesh and become earth’s first inhabitant. Luke’s genealogy of Jesus ends with a noble description of Adam, “the son of God” (Luke 3:38; see Moses 6:22). Adam’s name means “man” or “mankind,” and his position as the “first man of all men” (Moses 1:34) suggests the eminence of his premortal status. (Ensign, Jan 1994, 8)

Eve also a wonderful woman we need to learn more about. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism states:

Eve, first woman of earthly creation, companion of Adam, and mother and matriarch of the human race, is honored by Latter-day Saints as one of the most important, righteous, and heroic of all the human family. (see “Eve”)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie summarizes:

…there is no language that could do credit to our glorious mother Eve. (Woman, 69)

Indeed, perhaps we need go no further than canonized scripture which describes her as:

“…our glorious Mother Eve” (D&C 138:39)

President Gordon B. Hinckley painted a wonderful word picture of Eve:

And so Eve became God’s final creation, the grand summation of all of the marvelous work that had gone before. (Ensign, 2002, 82)


One of the scriptures suggested in this section (Moses 1:34) states:

And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

One way of reading this is that there are “many” Adams. That Eve (and thus possibly Adam) are titles, as well as real people who were our first parents, is suggested by Brigham Young in one of the previous Priesthood/Relief Society manuals:

Eve was a name or title conferred upon our first mother, because she was actually to be the mother of all the human beings who should live upon this earth. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 131)

The next-to-last sentence in this section quotes from Moses 3:18. In the rest of that verse it declares:

…wherefore, I will make an help meet for him.

In the past there has been misunderstanding about the role of husband and wife. Some have felt that since Adam was the patriarch and held the priesthood and Eve was the “helpmeet,” there was not an equal balance in this “sacred…responsibility.” For some “helpmeet” seems to connote a wife that “helps” the husband and “meets” his needs. The word “helpmeet” is actually a mistranslation.

In her book Eve and the Choice Made in Eden (an excellent resource) on, Beverly Campbell notes an article by David Freedman in Biblical Archeological Review where he writes that King James got it wrong and all other translations seemed to have followed. The two words in Hebrew translated into “helpmeet” should have been rendered (as they were dozens of other times in the Old Testament) “a power (or strength) equal to him” (p. 24).

Interestingly enough, that correction fits with what latter day prophets have counseled concerning marriage. The last sentence in this section mentions:

She [Eve] shared Adam’s responsibility and will also share his eternal blessings (p. 27).

The principle of true “sharing” is crucial to a marriage if it is to become exalted. President Marion G. Romney, of the First Presidency, declared:

They [husbands and wives] should be one in harmony, respect, and mutual consideration. Neither should plan or follow an independent course of action. They should consult, pray, and decide together.
In the management of their homes and families, husbands and wives should counsel with each other in kindness, love, patience, and understanding. (Ensign, Mar 1978, 2)

President Howard W. Hunter also stated in Conference:

The Lord intended that the wife be a helpmeet for man (meet means equal)—that is, a companion equal and necessary in full partnership. (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 49)

More recently, A Proclamation to the World declared:

In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.


THE GARDEN OF EDEN

This section is important because it helps us understand the Father’s perfect plan. As the first paragraph explains, as long as Adam and Eve remained in the Garden they could have no children and would not die. Without these two necessary things, we could have been born, much less progress. In addition, Adam and Eve were “innocent” as to things necessary to the test of mortality. From Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, Joseph Fielding Smith said:

…under the conditions in which he was living at that time it was impossible for him [Adam] to visualize or understand the power of good and evil. He did not know what pain was. He did not know what sorrow was; and a thousand other things that have come to us in this life that Adam did not know in the Garden of Eden and could not understand and would not have known had he remained there” (p. 20).

In the Garden, God actually gave Adam and Eve three “commandments.” All are indeed commandments, but some were more than that. The first commandment discussed is “multiply and replenish the earth.” In footnote “c” to Genesis 1:28 it explains that the Hebrew translation for “replenish” should have been “fill” as was done in verse 22. This commandment has never been rescinded by the Lord.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained:

This commandment was first in sequence and first in importance. It was essential that God’s spirit children have mortal birth and an opportunity to progress toward eternal life. (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 72)

There is no need of further explanation of this commandment.

Next discussed is the commandment not to eat of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” This idea has produced much worrying by LDS about “two conflicting commandments.” Indeed, Adam and Eve could not have kept the first commandment (having children) unless they broke the second, as discussed in the first paragraph of this section. However, there are two things about this “commandment” which are very unique. First, God used a phrase found in no other commandment. In Moses 3:17, concerning this charge, God tells Adam and Eve:

…nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee…

Concerning that phrase, in Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, Joseph Fielding Smith stated:

…it is the only place in all the history where we read that the Lord forbade something and yet said, ‘Nevertheless thou mayest choose for thyself.’ He never said that of any sin. (p. 20)

The second unique thing about this commandment is the phrase:

…for in the day (“time” in Abraham) thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17, Moses 3:17, and Abraham 5:13)

Very few times in scriptures does the Lord accompany a commandment with its consequence (murder, Sabbath Day, etc).

Elder John A. Widstoe explained:

The eternal power of choice was respected by the Lord himself...it really converts the command into a warning, as much as if to say, if you do this thing, you will bring upon yourself a certain punishment, but do it if you choose.. The Lord had warned Adam and Eve of the hard battle with earth conditions if they chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He would not subject his son and daughter to hardship and the death of their bodies unless it be of their own choice. They must choose for themselves. (Evidences and Reconciliations, 193)

It may have been that God needed Adam and Eve to make this most important decision for themselves - - to bring evil into their world. We still make that decision every day of our lives.

Concerning commandment # 2, Joseph Fielding Smith taught:

Now this is the way I interpret that: The Lord said to Adam, here is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you want to stay here, then you cannot eat of that fruit. If you want to stay here, then I forbid you to eat it. But you may act for yourself, and you may eat of it if you want to. And if you eat it, you will die.
I see a great difference between transgressing the law and committing a sin. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 20)

Rather than just a commandment, I like to think of commandment # 2 rather as a “consequence.”

Now, what the “third commandment”? The last paragraph in this section states, “God brought Adam and Eve together in marriage…” (p. 27).

Scriptural basis for this idea can be found in the heading to Genesis Chapter 2:

Adam and Eve are married by the Lord.

In Moses 4:18, concerning his decision to eat of the forbidden fruit, Adam said:

The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me…

Adam may have been referring to the following charge from God:
Therefore shall a man…cleave unto his wife… (Genesis 2:24, Moses 3:24, and Abraham 5:18)

President Spencer W. Kimball stated:

Now, this man and this woman were sealed for eternity, God being the sealer. He gave to Adam his wife, Eve. (Ensign, Oct 1975, 2)

Much more than just a “commandment,” this was also the first “covenant.

We even know when the marriage took place. It was a summer marriage - - since it was before the Fall. Just a little seminary humor. I can already hear the reply out there - - “Yeah, little is right!”

In the manual it states next, “Eve yielded to the temptation and ate the fruit. When Adam learned what had happened, he chose to partake also.” (p. 28)

As explained in “Lesson 6: The Fall of Adam,” Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3:

Many religions accuse Adam and Eve of being sinful, wicked people. (p. 19)

In the wonderful article mentioned at the very top of this chapter of the blog, “The Fulness of the Gospel: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” it explains:

Most Christian churches teach that the Fall was a tragedy, that if Adam and Eve had not partaken of the forbidden fruit, they and all their posterity could now be living in immortal bliss in the Garden of Eden. (Ensign, June 2006, 48)

The blame is carried further by many Christians and the world in general, to Eve, who was the first to partake of the forbidden fruit. Elder Dallin H. Oaks commented:

Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. (Ensign, Nov. 1993)

It is my personal opinion that all of the terrible discrimination laws against women (such ownership of land, voting rights, rights to abuse, etc.), when records become available, could be traced back to Satan’s efforts to discredit Eve and all of her daughters.

Eve, for whatever reasons, chose to eat of the forbidden fruit. Prophets or scripture, as far as I know, do not give a reason for this. President James E. Faust came closest:

Spiritual intuition has its roots in the Garden of Eden. Mother Eve was caught in a dilemma. (CES Satellite Broadcast, Jan. 7, 1996)

The bottom line is we are glad ate the fruit. If there was closed circuit broadcast to the premortal world, I am sure we cheered when she partook.

Joseph Fielding Smith said it this way:

One of these days, if I ever get to where I can speak to Mother Eve, I want to thank her for tempting Adam to partake of the fruit...And when I kneel in prayer, I feel to thank Mother Eve, for if she hadn't had that influence over Adam, and if Adam had done according to the commandment first given to him, they would still be in the Garden of Eden and we would not be here at all. (Conference Report, October 1967, 122)

Elder Dallin H. Oaks commented:

It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. (Ensign, Nov. 1993)

Next, of courts, Adam partook. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:

Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and "Adam fell that men might be" (2 Ne. 2:25). (Ensign, Nov. 1993)

It seems clear that no matter how much Adam knew or didn’t know about how to fulfill commandment # 1 and no matter how reluctant Adam was about breaking commandment # 2 or even if he saw any “conflict” between # 1 and # 2, keeping a covenant (# 3 commandment) to “cleave” unto and “remain with” his wife when his wife would be leaving the Garden was not really a tough choice. Adam did what he saw he had to do.

As stated in “Lesson 6: The Fall of Adam,” Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3, 19 this question is asked and answered:

Because we understand their transgression in its true light, how should we feel about them? (We should be deeply grateful for their willingness to make mortality possible. We see them as two of the greatest and most righteous people the earth has known.)


ADAM AND EVE’S SEPARATION FROM GOD

This section states that “Their physical condition changed as a result of their eating the forbidden fruit.” In regards to that, Joseph Fielding Smith taught:

…there had to come a change in his [Adam’s] body through the partaking of this element—whatever you want to call it, fruit—that brought blood into his body; and blood became the life of the body instead of spirit. And blood has in it the seeds of death, some mortal element. Mortality was created through the eating of the forbidden fruit. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 20-21)

As a result of partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve did indeed “die” as promised by God in “commandment” # 3. They actually died in two ways.

First, the “physical death” of Adam and Eve is discussed in this section. As mentioned previously, the seeds of death were sowed in the bodies of Adam and Eve as a result of the fruit.

Remember, a time table for their “death” was given by God with commandment # 2:

…for in the day (“time” in Abraham) thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17, Moses 3:17, and Abraham 5:13)

The location of where this promise was 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)

This means that the definition of time given in 2 Peter 3:8 may help us understand. It reads:

…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

So the day/time God referred to may have been 1,000 years. And Adam did die at the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5) - - well within the “day/time” limit.

Secondly, this section discusses their “spiritual death.” This did happen immediately when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and out of God’s presence.


GREAT BLESSINGS FROM THE TRANSGRESSION

In all LDS Bibles before 1978, when the Church received permission to publish a King James Bible with changes to the headings, the heading to Genesis 3 read, “Man’s Shameful Fall.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say about that phrase:

So the commentators made a great mistake when they put in the Bible at the top of page 3, as I think it is (it may not be the same page in every Bible), the statement "Man's shameful fall." (Conference Report, October 1967, 122)

At another time, President Joseph Fielding Smith said:

Well, it wasn't a shameful fall. What did Adam do? The very thing the Lord wanted him to do, and I hate to hear anybody call it a sin, for it wasn't a sin. (LDS Institute of Religion Address to Seminary and Institute Personnel, Salt Lake City, Jan. 1961

However, “shameful” pretty much sums up how most of the Christian world feels about the Fall. Therefore, this section of the lesson is very important because it teaches us that the Fall was designed by a just Father as a crucial part of His Plan.

Joseph Smith stated:

I believe in the fall of man…He [God] foreordained the fall of man…He foreordained at the same time, a plan of redemption for all mankind. (History of the Church, 4:78)

Elder Russell M. Nelson tied these two ideas together:

But before one can comprehend the atonement of Christ, one must first understand the fall of Adam. And before one can comprehend the fall of Adam, one must first understand the Creation.
These three pillars of eternity relate to one another.
The Fall was a necessary part of Heavenly Father’s plan for His children. (Ensign, Aug 1991, 5)

In Conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:

Elder Orson F. Whitney described the Fall as having “a twofold direction—downward, yet forward. It brought man into the world and set his feet upon progression’s highway. (Ensign, Nov 1993, 21)

President Joseph Fielding Smith also gave his testimony about the blessings of the Fall:

When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, the Lord passed a sentence upon him. Some people have looked upon that sentence as being a dreadful thing. It was not; it was a blessing. I do not know that it can truthfully be considered even as a punishment in disguise. …
The fall of man came as a blessing in disguise, and was the means of furthering the purposes of the Lord in the progress of man, rather than a means of hindering them. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:113–14).

Another time Joseph Fielding Smith proclaimed:

The “fall” of Adam and Eve was not a sin but an essential act upon which mortality depends. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:15)

More than semantics, there seems to be a vast difference in explaining Adam and Eve’s partaking of the forbidden fruit as a transgression and not as a sin.

From the article mentioned at the top of the blog, President Joseph Fielding Smith said:

I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. … This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin … for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do! (Ensign, Jun 2006, 48)

This seemed apparent to Joseph Smith when he composed Article of Faith #2:

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

Also from the article mentioned at the top of the blog Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a lawyer well versed in the legalities of semantics, observed:

This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’ (emphasis added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.
(Ensign, 1993, 72)

Brigham Young further explained:

How did Adam and Eve sin? Did they come out in direct opposition to God and to his government? No. But they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world. The Lord knew they would do this, and he had designed that they should. (Discourses of Brigham Young, 103)

Elder Russell M. Nelson helps us understand a scriptural comment concerning this:

Happily for them, "the Lord said unto Adam [and Eve 26]: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden" (Moses 6:53). (Ensign, Nov. 1993)

That the Fall was indeed a great blessing is explained by Elder Russell M. Nelson:

We and all mankind are forever blessed because of Eve's great courage and wisdom. By partaking of the fruit first, she did what needed to be done. Adam was wise enough to do likewise. Accordingly, we could speak of the fall of Adam in terms of a mortal creation, because "Adam fell that men might be" (2 Ne. 2:25). (Ensign, Nov. 1993)

A discussion of Moses 5:10-11 should leave little doubt as to the blessings Adam and Eve saw in looking backward to the Fall.

It may be important to better understand the power Adam and Eve had in being together. Together they were the lone couple in the Garden of Eden and together they were cast out to begin this earth.

President Spencer W. Kimball explained:

He [God] intended that all men should live worthy to have performed this ordinance of marriage for time and all eternity. The Lord has said that in order to obtain the highest of the three heavens or degrees of glory in the celestial kingdom, “a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];(D&C 131:2). (Ensign, Oct 1975, 2)

Note that President Kimball tied together two very important principles, everlasting marriage and Godhood.

Genesis 5:2 (Moses 6:9) reads:

…and [God] called their name Adam…

The important principle of unity of the Godhead is very closely related to the unity required of a husband and wife sealed for eternity. Elder Erastus Snow, an apostle, after quoting the above scripture, explained:

I sometimes illustrate this matter by taking up a pair of shears, if I have one, but then you all know they are composed of two halves, but they are necessarily parts, one of another, and to perform their work for each other, as designed, they belong together, and neither one of them is fitted for the accomplishment of their works alone. And for this reason says St. Paul, "the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord." In other words, there can be no God except he is composed of the man and woman united, and there is not in all the eternities that exist, nor ever will be, a God in any other way. I have another description: There never was a God, and there never will be in all eternities, except they are made of these two component parts; a man and a woman; the male and the female. (Journal of Discourses, 19:271-2)

So not only are husbands and wives to be united as Zion should be:

…of one heart and one mind… (Moses 7:18)

and as disciples of Jesus Christ are commanded to be:

I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. (D&C 38:27)

but even more so in an intimate, wonderful eternal way as are Our Father and Mother in Heaven.

Class members could certainly now be encouraged to attend the temple and learn more about this lesson.

Chapter 5: The Creation

GOD’S PLAN FOR US

To help us grasp the importance of the creation, Elder Burce R. McConkie declared:

God himself, the Father of us all, ordained and established a plan of salvation whereby his spirit children might advance and progress and become like him. It is the gospel of God, the plan of Eternal Elohim, the system that saves and exalts, and it consists of three things. These three are the very pillars of eternity itself. They are the most important events that ever have or will occur in all eternity. They are the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. (Ensign, June 1982, 9)

As with so many important gospel subjects, a wonderful resource here is Chapter 7, “The Creation” in the Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (found at the web site “institute.lds.org”). There is found this quote from Joseph Fielding Smith:

In the pre-existence we dwelt in the presence of God our Father. When the time arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason for such an existence. In the former life we were spirits. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 14)

Effective discussion may center with the questions, “Since we were only spirits, and did not have a body and all that would accompany that body, what could we be taught and what could we not yet be taught?”

JESUS CREATED THE EARTH

The plan for this earth was the Father’s, as taught in the previous section. However, as this section teaches, Jesus Christ created this earth. This is taught so very well in the scriptures in this section, as well as those “Additional Scriptures” at the end of the lesson.

The term “divine investiture” is important to understand as to how Jesus acted in the role of creator. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains:

He [Jesus Christ] is the Father by what has aptly been termed divine investiture of authority. That is, since he is one with the Father in all of the attributes of perfection, and since he exercises the power and authority of the Father, it follows that everything he says or does is and would be exactly and precisely what the Father would say and do under the same circumstances. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 10)

A great discussion on the idea if divine investiture, as well as how the Father and the Son are “one” is found in the article, “I Have a Question,” (Ensign, Dec 1989, 52–53).

This section quotes from D&C 76:24 (also found in the document The Living Christ) that Jesus created “worlds.” This is clarified a bit further in Moses 1:33 in which the Father declares:

And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

The concept of “worlds without number” and the potential we have to become like God and create as well was powerfully illustrated for us by a guide at the museum at NASA Ames Research Center near Palo Alto, California.

He showed a slide of one of the latest photos from the Hubble telescope on a wall about 6 feet by 10 feet and asked the audience how many stars they could see. Guesses were taken until he helped arrive at the “answer” of 10,000. But then he told us that it was a trick question. There was not a star in the bunch. Each point of light was in fact a galaxy.

The guide then explained about a theory originated by Dr. Frank Drake which postulated that our galaxy (the Milky Way) has the potential to contain about 10,000 planets that could be other “earths” (capable of supporting life). Thus we were looking at a potential of one hundred million earths in that slide.

As if the above was not mind-blowing enough, the guide then explained that what we saw on the screen would be blotted out by a grain of sand held between the finger and thumb held arms length away from our eye.

CARRYING OUT THE CREATION

Both scriptures quoted in this section concerning the creation of man (Abraham 3:24 and Moses 2:26) mention a plurality of Gods involved in the creation. Two of the Gods are named in Moses 2:26 - - God the Father and God the Only Begotten. That another God is involved can be found in pondering Genesis 1:26-27:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

In this verse, as with many other verses about God in the Old Testament, King James’ scholars apparently caved in to political correctness to agree with the false doctrine of the Trinity. The Hebrew word for God here, translated to Elohim, is plural. We also use this word for the name of God the Father (Bible Dictionary, 681). Those scholars rendered an English translation for the plural noun for “Gods” into the singular “God.” Some of the struggle these translators had can be seen in the fact that they translated the pronouns (“us” and “our”) to be plural.

So a correct translation of this verse would be something like:

“So the Gods created man in their own image…male and female…”

Now the question can be asked, “In whose image were women created?” Two prophets help us with that question:

God made man in his own image and certainly he made woman in the image of his wife-partner. (Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 25)

Is it not feasible to believe that female spirits were created in the image of a “Mother in Heaven”? (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:144)

We do sing of Mother in Heaven in verse 3 of Hymn 292, “O My Father.”

When The First Presidency issued a statement on the origin of man in 1909, they stated:

…man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents…

All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 961)

As President of the Church, President Harold B. Lee said:

We forget that we have a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who are even more concerned, probably, than our earthly father and mother, and that influences from beyond are constantly working to try to help us when we do all we can. (Ensign, Feb 1974, 77)

However, we really do know so very little about Mother in Heaven. Since the prophets seldom mention Her, it is therefore wise that we do not mention Her very often. In conjunction with this scripture may be one of the very few times it is appropriate.

It is interesting to note that Joseph Smith may have not yet understood about the role of Mother in Heaven in the creation of man when he translated the Book of Moses, since Moses 2:27 (quoted in this section of the lesson) also uses a singular “God.” But later, when the prophet Joseph translated Abraham 4:27, this verse reads:

So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them.

This brings up another principle Joseph taught about the creation. In this verse he changed the verb “create’ (found in Genesis and Moses) to “organize.” In Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (p. 16) is found the following quote by Joseph Smith:

Now, the word create came from the word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 350–52)

Also from Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (p.14) comes a quote by Joseph Smith:

In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 349)

Joseph’s use of the word “concoct” seems confusing today. However, in the American Dictionary of the English Language by Daniel Webster in 1828, the second meaning of the word is “To purify or sublime; to refine…”

All of this helps us understand wonderful words Joseph Smith used in Abraham 4-5 (“Additional Scriptures’ at the end of this lesson) to describe the creation.

There is a terrific principle taught in this section - - “…the greatest creation of all—mankind” - - that should not be overlooked.

Concerning this, Joseph F. Smith proclaimed:
...man, the crowning work of God, on this earth, the masterpiece, if you please...
(Journal of Discourses, 15:326)

In a past Priesthood/Relief Society manual, President David O. McKay taught:

Although God has created the universe and all therein, “man is the jewel of God.” This is just another way of saying that the earth was created for man and not man for the earth.
Yet, God’s greatest creation—man—often is content to grovel on the animal plane. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 205

Elder Russell M. Nelson explained:

…after the earth had been created, divided, beautified, and inhabited with plant and animal life, the crowning achievement of the Creation was to be man—the human being. (Ensign, Nov 1987, 86)

President Gordon B. Hinckley said it this way:

You are a child of God, His crowning creation. (Ensign, Mar 1997, 58)

From Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (p.17), here is how the First Presidency stated it in their wonderful statement on the origin of man in 1909:

He (God) made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence.

Not the banana, not the baboon, but only man and woman did the Gods create in their own image.

Since the false doctrine of the Trinity includes the concept that God does not have a body, there is much confusion about what “image” means. Most of those who believe in the Trinity believe that “image” is really more like the “reflection” behind a mirror. Man is no more like God than a reflection is not really like the tangible object in front of the mirror.

In a Hebrew class for seminary and institute teachers I attended in the summer of 1981 at BYU, Dr. David Noel Friedman taught the scholarly truth about this idea. At that time, Dr. Friedman was one of the very top Biblical Hebrew scholars in the world. He told us he was Jewish by tradition and agnostic by faith. Because of friends at BYU, he took a sabbatical to teach this class to amateurs in Biblical Hebrew. We spent eight hours a day for eight weeks studying every detail about the Biblical Hebrew translation of Genesis and never made it all the way through chapter one. I am so glad we made it to the word “image” in verse 26. I will never forget that day. Dr. Friedman obviously knew we were all LDS, but did not have an LDS agenda. When he came to the word “image” he said something like the following:

I know that there are many who want this word to translate to something akin to the reflection of a real object in a mirror, or something like that. But I am here to tell you that the writer of this verse used a Hebrew word that has corporeal, physical, tangible and three-dimensional characteristics in its meaning. The writer who used this Hebrew word in this verse to describe Adam being made in the image of God also used exactly the same Hebrew word in Genesis 5:3 to describe Seth being made in the image of Adam. Dr. Friedman went on and on for what seemed like fifteen minutes saying the same things in different ways. Then he concluded with, “But I know you Mormons know all about that” and went on to another subject.

As Brigham Young emphatically stated:
:
When Moses wrote and said that man was formed precisely in the image of God he wrote the truth. We are the children of our father,—his offspring, of the same family; we belong to him by birthright, and we are his children and Jesus is our brother. Does the Bible tell all this? Just as plain as words can tell anything. (Journal of Discourses, 14:280)

There are many misconceptions about the creation which arise from the so-called “conflict” between science and religion. This conflict had historical roots in the stand taken by the Catholic Church which interpreted the Bible to show that the sun must revolve around the earth. Nickolaus Copernicus presented findings opposite to that belief. Galileo Galilei (Galileo for short) supported Copernicus and was tried by the Catholic Church and found guilty of heresy. Ever since then a gap has widened to where today many scientists cannot tolerate religion and many religious people will not trust scientists. First, think how silly all of this must have seemed to the second Nephi, supposing he was able to view all of this from the spirit world, who wrote some 1,640 years earlier in Helaman 12:15:

…and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.

Some of the problems in this supposed conflict (there is no conflict if real facts and theories are kept separate) come from misinterpretations of the Bible. James E. Talmage (another first-rate scientist) stated:

The opening chapters of Genesis, and scriptures related thereto, were never intended as a textbook of geology, archaeology, earth-science, or man-science. Holy Scripture will endure, while the conceptions of men change with new discoveries. We do not show reverence for the scriptures when we misapply them through faulty interpretation. (The Talmage Story: Life of James E. Talmage--Educator, Scientist, Apostle, 232)

One such “faulty interpretation” of the Bible is that the six “days” of creation should be taken literally. An important change Joseph Smith was made as he translated the Book of Abraham. There, instead of using the word “day,” as he did in Moses, he changed the word to “time” (Abraham 4:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31). The word “time” is a much more indefinite measure than is “day.”

In conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson taught:

Whether termed a day, a time, or an age, each phase was a period between two identifiable events -- a division of eternity. (Ensign, May 2000, 85)

Brigham Young stated:

How long it [the earth] has been organized it is not for me to say, and I do not care anything about it. whether he [God] made it in six days or in as many millions of years, is and will remain a matter of speculation in the minds of men unless he give revelation on the subject. (Journal of Discourses, 14:116)

Elder Russell M. Nelson, who, before he was called to the Apostleship, was a physician and a first-rate scientist, counseled us on two points:

Compared with the omniscience of our Creator, we know relatively little about dinosaurs or the details of the Creation, for example (footnote 39). (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 33)

Whether truth comes from a laboratory of science or directly by revelation, truth is embraced by the gospel. (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 35)

First, there is so much we do not know but hope to learn. President Kimball explained:

It is obvious that before one can take of the materials in existence and develop them into a world like our own, he must be master of geology, zoology, physiology, psychology, and all the others. It is obvious, also, that no soul can in his short mortal life acquire all this knowledge and master all these sciences, but he can make a beginning and with the foundation of spiritual life and controls and mastery, and with the authorities and powers received through the gospel of Christ, he is in a position to begin this almost limitless study of the secular. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 53)

Second, as LDS, we should never fight with truth. Elder James E. Talmage taught:

Evolution is true so far as it means development of and progress and advancement in all the works of God; but many of the vagaries that have been made to do duty under that name are so vague as to be unacceptable to the scientific mind. (“Earth and Man” Salt Lake Tabernacle, August 9, 1931)

Many of these “vagaries” have to do with theories which have without merit become labeled as “facts.”

Concerning this, Brigham Young explained:

You may take geology, for instance, and it is a true science; not that I would say for a moment that all the conclusions and deductions of its professors are true, but its leading principles are; they are facts—they are eternal. (Journal of Discourses, 14: 116)

It is interesting to note that the Theory of Evolution has become one of the most explosive and divisive wedges in the science/religion conflict. In 1909, some 50 years after Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species, in 1859 and 17 years before this battle would explode in the famous “Scopes Monkey Trial” in Tennessee (to determine whether evolution could be taught in public schools) in 1926, the First Presidency, well aware of the swirling evolution controversy, published a statement as follows:

Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. (Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual, 17)

Note their use of the word “evolving.”

One thing is certain. The Church teaches without reservation that Adam did not evolve from animals. The previously mentioned statement by the First Presidency was repeated by a different First Presidency in 1925. Then in 1931, amidst further discussion and cussin’ of evolution, still another First Presidency proclaimed:

Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world. Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church…

Upon one thing we should all be able to agree, namely, that Presidents Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund were right when they said: “Adam is the primal parent of our race” [First Presidency Minutes, Apr. 7, 1931]. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 478)

President Boyd K. Packer also stated this well when he said:

What application the evolutionary theory had to animals gives me no concern. That is another question entirely, one to be pursued by science (Fourth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium at BYU, 1988)

Evolution is indeed “evil”ution if the following occurs, as stated by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

Now, here are some doctrines that weaken faith and may damn. It depends on how inured a person gets to them, and how much emphasis he puts on them, and how much the doctrine begins to govern the affairs of his life. Evolution is one of them. Somebody can get so wrapped up in so-called organic evolution that he ends up not believing in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Such a course leads to damnation (Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, 338.)

Personally, I like the stand taken by President Hinckley:

People ask me every now and again if I believe in evolution. I tell them I am not concerned with organic evolution. I do not worry about it. I passed through that argument long ago. (Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, 379)

The list which follows may help to summarize some of what we have covered.

First a quote from Elder Bruce R. McConkie as found in Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (p.16) to set the stage.

“The Lord expects us to believe and understand the true doctrine of the Creation—the creation of this earth, of man, and of all forms of life” (Ensign, June 1982, 9).

Many problems come from TLI’s (Too Little Information) from both science and religion. Too many scientists as well as religious people do not know or accept the truths of the restoration.

The “WHAT” for this list is the Creation.



TLI*s & TRUE DOCTRINE OF CREATION
(* Too Little Information)

FIRST - - WHO

RELIGION WITH TLI

“Trinity” - - the universal “false” god

SCIENCE WITH TLI

For Atheistic Scientists: There is no God

TRUE DOCTRINE

“…they (the Gods)…” (Abraham 4:3)


SECOND - - WHEN

RELIGION WITH TLI

6 days - - each 24 hours long

SCIENCE WITH TLI

Empirical Only - - geological record & scientific discovery

TRUE DOCTRINE

“…time…” (Abraham 4)


THIRD - - HOW

RELIGION WITH TLI

“ex nihilo” (meaning “from nothing”) creation

SCIENCE WITH TLI

Theory of Evolution no longer a “theory” - - now a FACT

TRUE DOCTRINE

Planned - - spiritual then physical. Plants & animals organized
“…after…kind…” (9 times in 5 verses)


FOURTH - - WHY

RELIGION WITH TLI

False concept of “image” - - just a “reflection”

SCIENCE WITH TLI

Theory of Evolution no longer a “theory” - - now a FACT

TRUE DOCTRINE

Literal “image” Moses 1:39


GOD’S CREATIONS SHOW HIS LOVE

That the love of God is from within Him is illustrated by the quote by Heber C. Kimball:

Often when I have been in the presence of brother Brigham, we would feel such a buoyant spirit that when we began to talk we could not express our feelings, and so, "Hallelujah," says Brigham, "Glory to God," says I. I feel it and say it.

Some of the brethren kind of turn their noses on one side at me when I make such expressions, but they would not do it if they knew God. Such ones do not even know brothers Brigham and Heber; if they did they would not turn a wry face at us. I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my God is a cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured Being. Why? Because I am cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured when I have His Spirit. That is one reason why I know; and another is--the Lord said, through Joseph Smith, "I delight in a glad heart and a cheerful countenance." That arises from the perfection of His attributes; He is a jovial, lively person, and a beautiful man. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.4, p.222)

Perhaps a great example we have in this lesson to illustrate how God shows His love for us is the following scripture chain (remembering promises made in the temple):

Abraham 3:22 (see “Additional Scriptures”)

Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

Revelation 1:6

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father…

D&C 75:56

They [celestial] are they who are priests and kings…

D&C 138:53-56

[list of prophets]

…temples and the performance of ordinances…

I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.

Moses 1:39 (see “Additional Scriptures”)

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

From Doctrines of the Gospel Institute Student Manual (p.16-17):

. . . It is true that Adam helped to form this earth. He labored with our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a strong view or conviction that there were others also who assisted them. Perhaps Noah and Enoch; and why not Joseph Smith and those who were appointed to be rulers before the earth was formed? . . .