LDS Jobs.org

I am sending out a message to all the readers of this blog who are interested in finding work.  The Church has established an incredible resource where job seekers and employers can network and find each other.  This is by no means an official announcement by the Church (far from it), but I was encouraged to spread the word so I will.

Here's the link to the site.  When you click on the link the first webpage will open; then click on the "BETA" option and follow the prompts to fill in the registration information.  Once confirmed as a user, a person can enter their profile, and employers can see qualified applicants throughout the site by searching for specific skills and qualifications they are looking for.

Many of you know people in your families, neighborhoods and wards who are looking for help.  This new website is a powerful resource.  Please spread the word and encourage everyone you know who is looking for employment to visit this site immediately and have them register. 

The site welcomes everyone, whether a member of the Church or not.  If a member, the only requirement to access the resources is one's membership number (found on the temple recommend or available from the ward clerk).  If not a member, the applicant follows a different protocol, but the result is the same -- equal access to all.

The Church plans on rolling this out in January with the official announcement, but in the meantime we are being encouraged to share this information with everyone who can benefit in the run-up to the official roll-out.  The site is already populated with employers who are looking for potential employees.  It's going to be the best marketplace in the world to link employers with job seekers, and will be available in three languages at launch.

In addition, the Employment Resource Centers throughout the world offer assistance to any and all who seek it.  The training received in the career workshops is outstanding, staffed by volunteer missionary couples with years of experience and a desire to teach and share their wisdom.  This service is freely given and costs the participants nothing.  Nowhere in any outplacement service is the training equalled for displaced employees whose jobs have been downsized.

The phenomenal success of the Church's self-sustaining welfare plan is due to its foundation in the correct principle of work, which teaches people to govern themselves temporally and spiritually.  In the words of President Joseph F. Smith, "It has always been a cardinal teaching with the Latter-day Saints that a religion which has not the power to save people temporally and make them prosperous and happy here, cannot be depended upon to save them spiritually, to exalt them in the life to come."  (Leonard Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience [New York: Vintage, 1979], 262).  The mission of the Church welfare program is to help us now in our temporal existence so we can become strong, independent, helpful, and happy members of God's celestial society.

In both cases -- temporal salvation and spiritual exaltation -- the Lord's true Church in 2009 in the aftermath of a worldwide economic meltdown has made ample provision. 

Please share this information freely as you feel inspired to do so. 

Chapter Twelve: The Spiritual Keys of Power

Chapter Twelve



The Spiritual Keys of Power

The other dimension in which this grand set of priesthood keys operates is in the spiritual realm of personal power. We have already discussed the distinctions between power and authority, now we will examine these distinctions in their context as personal priesthood keys. We will call these “the spiritual keys of power,” because they are the keys to all the spiritual blessings of the Church. (D&C 107:18-19). These keys give all the children of God access to the things of the spirit.

The English language sometimes uses the two terms “power” and “authority” interchangeably or synonymously, but the two terms are not true synonyms in the gospel context. Though the keys of the priesthood are the same, their use in Church administration (authority) and personal revelation (power) are very different in the scope of their influence. On the general administrative level they provide inspiration and revelation to direct, organize, call, ordain, set apart and administer. On a personal level, however, they operate only within the purview of an individual’s personal life and family stewardships. While revelation is (or should be) the common denominator in the use of priesthood keys, the scope of personal revelation does not extend into another’s stewardship, one who is called to a position of authority in the Church we do not hold.

We are rather loose in our usage of the names of these priesthood keys, because we have never thought how the simple principles and ordinances of the gospel might be considered priesthood keys. What follows lies at the heart of the matter with respect to women and the professed need by some to ordain them to the various offices in the priesthood men hold. These keys of spiritual power are administered only by the authority of the priesthood to the sons and daughters of God. Men and women receive these keys only from the priesthood, and nowhere else.

These spiritual keys of power are used to obtain access to the mysteries of the kingdom of God in heaven. We will learn much more about these keys later. The keys of the oracles of God also redound to the benefit of each individual son and daughter of God. Personal revelation is a hallmark of Mormonism. We believe we are guided by the Holy Spirit and we champion the quest for personal revelation in our Church callings and our personal lives. “Oracles” are simply personal conversations with God. No one, male or female, can commune with God, receive knowledge of the mysteries of Godliness and know God except through these sacred spiritual keys.

Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood Keys

Because there are “two divisions or grand heads,” Melchizedek and Aaronic (see D&C 107:6), it will not be surprising to learn each priesthood has two specific priesthood keys associated with it. The scriptures reveal four spiritual keys of power in the priesthood: The first and second Aaronic Priesthood keys (so-called because they are administered by the Aaronic Priesthood), and the first and second Melchizedek Priesthood keys (so-called because they are administered by the Melchizedek Priesthood). These spiritual keys of power are administered to all worthy persons, male and female, in the Church regardless of position just as Joseph promised they would be. To this day we witness the keys being routinely given to even the “weakest” of saints.

The Aaronic Priesthood’s First Key

Section 13 of The Doctrine and Covenants consists of the words John the Baptist spoke, as he conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels. . .”

Those who have the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon them, we are frequently taught in the Church, thereby have right to the ministering of angels. The implication is those who do not hold this priesthood have no right to the ministering of angels. We have misunderstood, and obtaining a proper knowledge of these things is absolutely fundamental to the establishment of the latter-day Zion if we will ever be enabled to come into the presence of an “innumerable company of angels.” (See TPJS, 325).

John said the Aaronic Priesthood holds the key of the ministering of angels. However, John did not say what that key was. What is the key of the ministering of angels?

The Prophet Mormon revealed this first Aaronic Priesthood key:

. . . it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men. . . (Moroni 7:37).

The key is faith, specifically faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the key by which angels appear and minister unto men and women. It is the first spiritual key of power. Like “the Hebrew Church [we must come] to an innumerable company of angels, unto God the Father of all, and to Jesus Christ the Mediator of the new covenant.” (TPJS, 325).

Upon reflection, this makes perfect sense. Acting in his editorial role in the compilation of the records comprising The Book of Mormon, Moroni reflected on the faith of his forefathers:

I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers. . .
Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith. . .
It was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God. . .
By faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.
For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.
Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.
Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.
Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.
And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.
And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.
And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad. . . (Ether 12:6-22).

All the mighty works recorded in holy writ have come by faith without exception. Without faith nothing happens. Of course it is the first key of power! No other possibility qualifies. From the “Lectures on Faith” in Joseph’s School of the Prophets, we learn:

Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence! (Lectures On Faith, 1:24).
[Faith] is the principle of power in the Deity as well as in man. . . and without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence! (Lectures on Faith, Questions & Answers, Lecture First; also see Hebrews 11:3).

We may be given authority to act in positions in the Church, but without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we really have no power in the priesthood because without faith we can do nothing. (D&C 8:10).

The Aaronic Priesthood’s Second Key

Returning to the reference of John the Baptist’s ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, we see that he spoke of two Aaronic keys:

Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of [1] the ministering of angels, and [2] of the [preparatory] gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. . . (D&C 13).

The Aaronic Priesthood’s second key is the preparatory gospel:

And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel; which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins. . . (D&C 84:26).

The preparatory gospel of repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins is the second Aaronic Priesthood key. Our tendency, after dutifully memorizing the 4th Article of Faith in our Primary days, is to separate repentance and baptism in our minds. A thoughtful reading of all the scriptures on this subject, however, indicates the second principle of the gospel, repentance, is linked inseparably to the first ordinance of the gospel, baptism by immersion. Only repentance and baptism produce the remission of sins. It takes both to prepare a person to be born of the spirit. Hence, the reason both together comprise “the preparatory gospel.”

Baptism, the next natural step following sincere repentance, is an Aaronic Priesthood ordinance, confirmed by D&C 107:20:

The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.

Whether we say “the baptism of repentance” (D&C 107:20), or “baptized unto repentance” (Alma 7:14), it is the same. The scriptures confirm that only the effectual combination of both repentance and baptism by immersion comprises the Aaronic Priesthood’s second key known as the preparatory gospel.

The Melchizedek Priesthood’s First Key

What is the Melchizedek Priesthood’s first key of spiritual power? D&C 84:19 provides our answer:

And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

How do we learn our first lessons in knowing God? What is the first key that gives a person access to the mysteries of godliness? Nephi answers:

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (1 Nephi. 10:19).

The Melchizedek Priesthood’s first key is the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is perfectly consistent with the two Aaronic Priesthood keys we have already examined. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the next ordinance of the gospel following baptism. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the first ordinance of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the scriptures offer numerous examples to support the spirit as the medium whereby men and women begin to know the mysteries our physical eyes cannot see, nor ears hear. As Paul said:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things [mysteries] of God.
For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, except he has the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (JST 1 Corinthians 2:9-14).

Joseph Smith said:

No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator. (TPJS, 328). We never can comprehend the things of God and of heaven, but by revelation. (TPJS, 292).

The scriptural definition of a “mystery” is something that can only be known by the spirit through revelation:

Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. (Jacob 4:8).

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.
Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation. . .
Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.
Ask that you may know the mysteries of God. . . (D&C 8:2-3, 10-11).

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things -- that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal. (D&C 42:61).

But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion;
Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter;
Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him;
To whom he grants this privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves. (D&C 76:116).

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26).

Not surprisingly, then, the scriptures clearly confirm the Holy Ghost, the first Comforter from whom we begin to learn the mysteries of godliness in mortality, is the Melchizedek Priesthood’s first key of spiritual power.

The Melchizedek Priesthood’s Second Key

Just as John the Baptist provided us with both Aaronic Priesthood keys, Joseph Smith gives us both keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood:

And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth [1] the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even [2] the key of the knowledge of God. (D&C 84:19).

One is tempted to interpret the words “even the key of the knowledge of God” as merely referring to the first key of the mysteries of the kingdom, but a careful reading of these words in context reveals this is a separate second key.

And this greater [Melchizedek] priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of [1] the mysteries of the kingdom [by the power of the First Comforter], [2] even the key of the knowledge of God [by the power of the Second Comforter].
Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God. (D&C 84:19-23).

This second Melchizedek Priesthood key of spiritual power goes far beyond merely beginning to know the mysteries of the kingdom by the power of the Holy Ghost. Joseph learns in this revelation there is a key by which we may see the face of God by being sanctified and entering his rest, “which rest is the fulness of his glory.” This second key has reference to Jesus Christ, who is the Second Comforter. “The rest of God” is a scriptural allusion to those saints who are received into the church of the Firstborn as heirs to the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. (D&C 76:54, 58). If in mortality these have their “calling and election made sure,” have received “the more sure word of prophecy,” and been “sealed up to eternal life through the oath and covenant of the priesthood,” they receive this priesthood key.

The second Melchizedek Priesthood key is the “Second Comforter,” the final and grand spiritual key of power in the priesthood on the earth.

In his doctrinal commentary on John 14, Joseph Smith said:

There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost. . .
After a person has faith in Christ, [the first Aaronic key], repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins [the second Aaronic key] and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, [the first Melchizedek key], then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter [the second Melchizedek key], which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John in the 14th chapter.
. . . Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man [or woman] obtains this last Comforter, he [she] will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him [her], or appear unto him [her] from time to time, and even He will reveal the Father unto him [her], and they will take up their abode with him [her], and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him [her] face to face. . . (TPJS, 149-151).

All of us have been called and elected. We are all called to God’s kingdom and the invitation excludes none of God’s children. We are all elected to become the children of Abraham through the covenant he made with God. President Ezra Taft Benson spoke of the calling and election of women in these words:

Before the world was created, in heavenly councils the pattern and role of women were prescribed. You were elected by God to be wives and mothers in Zion. Exaltation in the celestial kingdom is predicated upon faithfulness to that calling. (Ensign, November 1981, 105).

By priesthood ordinance a man and woman may have their calling and election made sure. This is the “more sure word of prophecy” referred to in D&C 131:5:

The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s [woman’s] knowing that he [she] is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood. It is impossible for man [woman] to be saved in ignorance.

In his commentary on 2 Peter 1 Joseph said:

The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation. This principle can be comprehended by the faithful and diligent; and every one that does not obtain knowledge sufficient to be saved will be damned. The principle of salvation is given us through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (TPJS, 297).

The knowledge spoken of in these passages is not merely knowing Christ because we have obtained his presence and his company. It means knowing what Christ knows -- that we are sealed up to eternal life because Christ communicates that knowledge to us personally, face to face.

Joseph Smith also said:

There are three grand secrets lying in this chapter, [II Peter i.] which no man can dig out, unless by the light of revelation, and which unlocks the whole chapter as the things that are written are only hints of things which existed in the prophet's mind, which are not written concerning eternal glory. I am going to take up this subject by virtue of the knowledge of God in me, which I have received from heaven. (TPJS, 304).

Notwithstanding the apostle [Peter] exhorts them to add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, etc., yet he exhorts them to make their calling and election sure. And though they had heard an audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that Jesus was the Son of God, yet he says we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place. Now, wherein could they have a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of God saying, This is my beloved Son.
Now for the secret and grand key. Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that they had part with Christ, and were joint heirs with Him. They then would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Then, having this promise sealed unto them, it was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. Though the thunders might roll and lightnings flash, and earthquakes bellow, and war gather thick around, yet this hope and knowledge [through this Second Comforter] would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation. Then [this] knowledge through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [the Second Comforter telling us we are sealed] is the grand key that unlocks the glories and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. (TPJS, 298).

Many who discover this doctrine for the first time are troubled by it because it is seldom taught publicly in the Church. However, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, spoke of it constantly and wrote of it repeatedly. (For example, see fourth verses of Hymns, nos. 21; 134). He gives this added insight:

To have one’s calling and election made sure is to be sealed up unto eternal life; it is to have the unconditional guarantee of exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world; it is to receive the assurance of Godhood; it is, in effect, to have the day of judgment advanced, so that an inheritance of all the glory and honor of the Father’s kingdom is assured prior to the day when the faithful actually enter into the divine presence to sit with Christ in his throne, even as he is “set down” with his “Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:21). (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:330-31).

When we take upon ourselves all the ordinances of salvation including the blessings of the temple endowment and eternal marriage covenants then live our lives in harmony with the gospel, we may press forward with faith and mature patience waiting upon the Lord for the day when our lives will be crowned with celestial glory. In terms of our eternal opportunities it does not really matter if our calling and election is made sure here or hereafter. “But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life.” (D&C 50:5). Once again, Elder McConkie:

If we die in the faith, that is the same thing as saying that our calling and election has been made sure and that we will go on to eternal reward hereafter. As far as faithful members of the Church are concerned, they have charted a course leading to eternal life. This life is the time that is appointed as a probationary estate for men to prepare to meet God, and as far as faithful people are concerned, if they are in the line of their duty, if they are doing what they ought to do, although they may not have been perfect in this sphere, their probation is ended. Now there will be some probation for some other people hereafter. But for the faithful saints of God, now is the time and the day, and their probation is ended with their death. (Funeral Service for Elder S. Dilworth Young, July 13, 1981, typescript, 5).

Summarizing, then, the four keys of the priesthood, “the spiritual keys of power,” are: Faith (in the Lord Jesus Christ); the preparatory gospel (repentance and baptism); the First Comforter (the Holy Ghost, key to the mysteries of godliness); and the Second Comforter (Jesus Christ, key to the knowledge of God). Notice how specifically the scriptures describe these keys that have been exercised by the inhabitants of the highest celestial realm:

And again we bear record -- for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just --
They are they who received the testimony of Jesus and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given.
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
They are they who are the church of the Firstborn. (D&C 76:50-54).

When used in the administrative domains of authority in the kingdom, the keys of the priesthood are for the exclusive use of the presiding priesthood as they govern in their various positions. However, each person in the Church (male and female) accesses these priesthood keys of spiritual power in their individual lives for the purpose of growing in the gifts and powers of the spirit. In this sense the keys are inclusive regardless of position.

One common element that pertains to these keys, either administratively or individually, is they are all administered to the members of the Church by the priesthood. To preserve the order in his kingdom God does not authorize the dissemination of these keys except through the priesthood.

The priesthood holds the exclusive right to administer these keys to mankind. All four keys are obtained only from the priesthood. Every worthy man and woman of record in the Church may enjoy the blessings of these priesthood keys. In the next chapter we will consider how these keys are administered by the priesthood.

Chapter Eleven: The Presiding Keys of Authority

Section Four


The Keys of the Priesthood


Chapter Eleven


The Presiding Keys of Authority

On May 4, 1842, in a meeting above his store in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Prophet Joseph instructed his brethren

. . . in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds. (TPJS, 237).

A new day had dawned upon the world. The keys of the priesthood had been restored through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith to give us the access to the power of God and the authority (or order) of God, as neither would prove a blessing without the other. Where there is power there must be order to direct it, and where there is order there must be power to preserve it.

Every member of the Church should understand this grand set of priesthood keys operates in two dimensions -- the administrative (authority) and the spiritual (power). In this chapter and the next we will examine each dimension. This much is clear. When used administratively priesthood keys are the exclusive domain of those ordained to the priesthood and set apart to positions of authority in the vertical organization of the Church. When used to access the spiritual powers of heaven, known as the gifts of the spirit, however, these keys are the domain of all the saints who have equal claim upon them with or without priesthood ordination.

The ideal, of course, would be to live in a world where every priesthood holder in the Church appreciates and values the administrative and the spiritual aspects of the keys they hold. Confusion ensues in the implementation of priesthood-directed initiatives whenever priesthood holders are focused to extreme on either one or the other aspect of these keys. A hyper-spiritual leader with no concept of his administrative responsibilities could be just as damaging in his ministry as the hyper-manager who has never had a spiritual experience in his ministry. The truth is there is always something of the leader and the manager in each of us, and this is as it should be -- Brigham Young is a good example. This prophet leader was a spiritual giant and a consummate detail manager. The challenge is to remember which is which, and to apply the appropriate dosage of each in our duties and opportunities.

The authority dimension of the presiding keys is referred to as “the right of presidency.” (See D&C 107:8). This is the authority God gives his servants to act within certain bounds according to their positions in the Church. Only the authorized ministrations by priesthood holders operating in proper channels are legally binding and acceptable before him. (D&C 132:8-10). These keys are variously referred to in the scriptures as “the keys of the priesthood,” (see D&C 132:7; 124:34, 123), “the keys of the kingdom,” (see D&C 81:2; 128:14), and “the keys of the oracles of God,” (see D&C 90: 4-5; 124:39, 124).

The Keys of the Priesthood

These presiding keys are often called “the keys of the priesthood” for at least two reasons: First, these presiding keys of authority are exclusive to the priesthood, and are handled and controlled only by those ordained to the priesthood; secondly, the keys pertain to offices or positions in the priesthood. (D&C 107:9).

The Keys of the Kingdom

The presiding keys are also called “the keys of the kingdom.” (D&C 81:2). By virtue of these keys God’s servants preside in his kingdom on earth, have authority to officiate in all the offices or positions and perform or administer all the ordinances thereof. Because of these rights, his servants may also enjoy the wherewithal to discern all the spiritual gifts or powers operative in the lives of the members of the kingdom to ensure they are of God. (See D&C 46:27).

The Keys of the Oracles of God

Sometimes these keys of presidency are called “the keys of the oracles of God,” because they give God’s servants the right to ask and receive revelation pertaining to the direction of his Church upon the earth. (D&C 90:1-6). They also give his servants the authority to speak for God. Anciently, the holy of holies in Solomon’s Temple was called “the oracle,” or the place where conversations with God took place. (See 1 Kings 6:16, 10-23).

The full scope of these presiding priesthood keys is the absolute exclusive right given of God to preside in the priesthood, direct the kingdom, access the mind of God and speak for him in accomplishing his will in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on earth. These keys are shared (delegated) down through priesthood offices according to the various positions in the Church.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “. . .the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which. . .” God is pleased. (D&C 1:30). While he always respects and holds inviolate the eternal principle of free agency, his Church is not a democracy. It is, rather, a perfect theocracy where all things must be done in order according to the order of the priesthood he has restored.

Only those holding the presiding keys of authority can direct the affairs of the kingdom. We are required to have humility like John the Baptist to never transcend our bounds and respect the order of the priesthood. (See TPJS, 336).

The presiding keys of authority contemplate the breadth, the depth and the height of all priesthood offices. Only one man at a time on the earth holds these keys in the fullness of their ecclesiastical scope. (D&C 132:7). This man, of course, is the President of the High Priesthood, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Prophet, Seer and Revelator. Since the keys reside collectively among the Twelve Apostles, after being duly conferred upon the senior Apostle usually by the next senior Apostle among the Twelve Apostles, the President of the High Priesthood can then activate all the priesthood keys in directing the affairs of the entire kingdom under the direction of his head, the Lord Jesus Christ. He carries out his administration in council with his brethren of the Council of the First Presidency. This council, comprised of three high priests, represents the highest ecclesiastical authority of the priesthood on earth.

President Spencer W. Kimball describes how this mantle of authority passes from one prophet to another in these words when the priesthood keys are conferred upon him:

Then more recently, the day after [President Joseph Fielding Smith’s] funeral, in July 1972, there came to the Presidency of the Church, President Harold B. Lee, tried and true, educated in the program, spiritual, and above all, called of the Lord. The mantle changed its residence again. It fell on the newly ordained and set apart prophet and President, Harold B. Lee. We have seen this man, already trained and spiritual, grow and magnify his calling. As we see him make pronouncements and decisions, we recognize in them all the voice of the shepherd, the leader of men, a prophet of the Lord, the mantle bearer. (TSWK, 467).

These keys give the President the right of presidency over the entire Church. By them he has right to preside over and to officiate in all the offices or positions in the Church. (D&C 107:8-9). With these keys he watches over the Church and discerns all the spiritual gifts and operations active in the Church. (D&C 46:16, 27, 29).

The President of the Church also has the right through use of these presiding keys to delegate to others and to endow others with certain rights and authorities for the benefit of the kingdom. For example, while only he holds the sealing keys, the authority to perform sealings for and on behalf of the saints in our temples is delegated to many others. The sealing keys can only be conferred by the First Presidency upon those whom they designate.  Likewise, while he is the head as President of the Church, many others are called to preside over and shepherd various congregations of the saints. Many who have held these presiding positions can attest to the spiritual mantle accompanying and blessing their ministrations to others within their stewardships as they have served in these priesthood offices.

The next level of general authority holding presiding keys over the Church is the Quorum (or the Council) of the Twelve Apostles. These Twelve Apostles act as a governing body under their head, the Quorum (or the Council) of the First Presidency. The First and Second Quorums (or Councils) of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric are the other two general governing bodies holding presiding keys in the Church today.  There are (at this writing in 2009) an additional six Quorums of the Seventy, however these Brethren have special localized assignments and their authority is limited to the geographical boundaries in which they serve as their designation, "Area Authority Seventies," implies.  As the Church has grown numerically the Seventies have been deployed throughout the earth in Area Presidencies, regulating the affairs of the Church in large geographical areas once covered by only the Twelve Apostles. Area Authorities likewise operate with localized general authority to assist as directed by the General Authorities in the affairs of the stakes throughout the world.

Each of these governing bodies, no matter what its numerical size (3, 12, or 70), has a head. Each presiding quorum in the Church is an order, and has an order in it. This principle extends down the vertical organization chart to areas, regions, stakes, missions, wards, quorums and families. Each head at each level holds presiding keys within the scope of their callings in the kingdom. Each is limited in his authority, however, by a specific stewardship.

While we often refer to only the Prophet as “The Lord’s Anointed,” by extension all these positions of authority may constitute the Lord’s anointed. Each endowed member of the Church has covenanted not to speak evil of these servants. God has put this order in place in his kingdom for the blessing of his children, the building up of his kingdom and the establishment of Zion.

Honoring and sustaining the Lord’s anointed servants in every position from the greatest to the least is absolutely the key to the eventual perfection of God’s people. From the days of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness this has been the litmus test of Israel’s faithfulness. The test is no different today. Legions are the examples of those who could not accept counsel from the hands of the Lord’s servants.

Submitting to Priesthood Authority

Submitting to the Lord’s anointed has always been one of ancient and modern Israel’s greatest tests. Submitting requires humility and faith. It presupposes absolute trust and confidence that this order of priesthood administered through imperfect mortal men will really bless our lives.

President Kimball pled with the saints not to repeat the mistakes of the past:

Now a word of warning: Let us not make the error of the ancients. Numerous modern sectarians believe in the Abrahams, the Moseses, and the Pauls, but resist believing in today’s prophets. The ancients also could accept the prophets of an earlier day, but denounced and cursed the ones who were their contemporaries. (Ensign, May 1977, 77-8).

Each man who holds these presiding keys at whatever level in the kingdom sits in positions of leadership during mortality as an imperfect and fallen mortal. Unlike the Catholics, we have no infallibility doctrine for the Prophet. Joseph said, “A prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such.” (TPJS, 278).

He never gave allusions to his perfection, nor should we put a similar expectation on our current leaders. Joseph also said:

I told them I was but a man, and they must not expect me to be perfect; if they expected perfection from me, I should expect it from them; but if they would bear with my infirmities and the infirmities of the brethren, I would likewise bear with their infirmities. (TPJS, 268).

There was only one perfect High Priest, the Lord himself. None of these servants is omniscient. Despite the obvious, the order is not altered. Even when men dishonor their callings in the kingdom this ancient, now restored, order of priesthood continues to bless us in our imperfections. The order in God’s earthly kingdom is intended not to govern perfect men, but to facilitate our journey toward perfection. Our role is to humbly obey the Lord by sustaining the order of his anointed servants at every level despite all our imperfections.

To submit to the position in the order is not to submit to the person. The authority of God is what the position represents. The person is our imperfect equal. Submitting to the position does not make us inferior to the person serving in the position. In humbly submitting to the position we manifest charity, our love and allegiance to God and our love and respect for his called servant who fills it. This is a fundamental principle in God’s kingdom. In sustaining or rejecting the one sent we sustain or reject the One who sent them.

The Gospel of John shows Christ to be the paragon of one who is sent. Emphasis throughout the following citations is ours. Christ said:

If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. (John 8:42).

I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38).

My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (John 7:16).

The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:24).

He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which sent him. (John 5:23).

John demonstrates the extension of this same principle to all whom Christ sends. The Savior said:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20).

As my father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21).

In our dispensation the Lord said it this way:

For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth my Father. (D&C 84:36-37).

To speak evil of the Lord’s anointed, the servants he has sent to us, is to speak evil of the Lord who sent them. To reject the Lord’s anointed is to reject the Lord. While the Lord’s servants are our peers as persons, they represent him in their positions. When we interact with one of his authorized servants, for instance a quorum president, we are in a very real sense interacting with the Lord who sent them despite their mortal imperfections.

President Joseph Fielding Smith made this bold declaration and invitation to people in and out of the Church:

We are the servants of the Lord. We have received light and truth and revelation from him. He has commanded us to proclaim his truths and live his laws. And so now, in harmony with his mind and will, and as guided by his Holy Spirit, we give counsel and direction to the Saints and to the world. . .
We invite all our Father’s children, everywhere, to believe in Christ, to receive him as he is revealed by living prophets, and to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (“Counsel to the Saints and to the World,” Ensign, 2:27 [July 1972]).

We need two essential gifts if we are to righteously interact with each other in the order of the priesthood God has given us: 1) A testimony we are submitting to true representatives sent of the Lord; and 2) the charity to humbly sustain each other as imperfect peers in these vertical positions of authority.

The Church’s stated threefold mission is to build the kingdom and establish Zion by preaching the gospel, perfecting the saints, and redeeming our dead. It is the work of gathering all things in heaven and earth together in one. If we are not one, we are not his. (D&C 38:27). If we do not become one, there will be no Zion, where all are of one heart and one mind. (Moses 7:18).

The only way imperfect, ignorant mortal people like us will ever become a Zion society is to come together under our heads and submit our will to God’s will humbly and meekly at the hands of his anointed representatives. As families and couples we must become one, as quorums and wards we must become one, as stakes and missions we must become one under our heads the Lord’s anointed.

According to President Harold B. Lee, accepting and sustaining the leaders of the Church is a valid test of our true conversion:

Now I want to impress this upon you. Someone has said it this way, and I believe it to be absolutely true: “That person is not truly converted until he sees the power of God resting upon the leaders of this church, and until it goes down into his heart like fire.” Until the members of this church have that conviction that they are being led in the right way, and they have a conviction that these men of God are men who are inspired and have been properly appointed by the hand of God, they are not truly converted. (“The Strength of the Priesthood,” Ensign, 2 [July 1972]: 102-3).

President Lee also admitted that to humbly accept and follow counsel from our leaders in the Church often requires great patience and faith:

We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, “as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; . . . as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.” (D&C 21:4-5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and “the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”
. . . Let’s keep our eye on the President of the Church. (CR, October 1970, 152-3).

This test of followership is the grand key of true discipleship. Disciples are followers of their Master. Many profess to be disciples of Christ, but some are “selective” disciples. Some really do follow, while others cannot. Some will have the humility and meekness to submit, while others will be too proud to yield. These scriptural terms submit and yield recur throughout The Book of Mormon. In the mission field, in wards and stakes of the Church, some members can submit, others never will. Obedience has always required the meekness of humility.

Most members in the Church are aware of these presiding keys of the priesthood. They touch our lives at least as often as every Sunday in our ward meetings. Fewer are conversant with how priesthood keys operate as the spiritual keys of power within the dimension of personal revelation. We can learn much about these precious priesthood keys in the scriptures and in the temple.

In the same meeting cited at the opening of this chapter, Joseph said

. . . there was nothing made know to these men but what will be made known to all the Saints of the last days, so soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place is prepared to communicate them, even to the weakest of the Saints. (TPJS, 237).

The temple is the “proper place” Joseph referred to above. If the temple is the classroom, the scriptures are the textbooks. Our knowledge of one supplements the other. We learn about these precious spiritual keys line upon line, precept upon precept. In the next chapter we will discuss the spiritual use of priesthood keys.

Chapter Ten: No Power in the Law

Chapter Ten

No Power in the Law

Having examined the principle of “power in the priesthood,” and before discussing the keys of the priesthood involved in obtaining spiritual power, it is important first to review some of the false traditions that have crept in among us. If we are seeking to acquire spiritual power through zealous compliance to the long list of commandments, practices, rituals and policies in the modern Church, we are pursuing an “impossible gospel.”

Have you ever spoken to a little child about Jesus and marveled at their perfect faith in him? Children love stories about him. They believe his teachings. They trust him implicitly. The faith and humility of little children characterize the greatest folks in the kingdom of heaven. (See Matthew 18:1-5). We were all little children once, and to enter the kingdom of heaven we will each return to our childlike faith. Occasionally, prophets have to remind us of our true status when we forget who we are and where we came from. (See Mosiah 2:23-25).

“The Gospel”

We are deceived in this world as we partake of the forbidden fruit of Satan’s lies, and we are taught something called “the gospel” as the antidote. Frequently, however, we define the gospel incorrectly as a long list of commandments. We should teach compliance and observance of the commandments in the Church, but too often we witness people who have become discouraged with their quest for perfection. One slip, they think to themselves, and all is lost. Their lives enter a vortex of sin sometimes only because they misunderstood the principles of the atonement. The task before them to live this false gospel seems impossible. This assumption is just as faulty as the one that we can sin knowingly, then repent to our Church leaders at the appropriate time to get a temple recommend when needed. Only after we have gained sufficient seasoning to acknowledge our repeated failed attempts to measure up to the lofty expectations of the impossible gospel of checklists, it seems, do we learn the true gospel. (See D&C 18:11; 76:40-42).

The long list of commandments and outward ordinances is not unlike the “preparatory gospel” of the law of Moses in an earlier time -- to give Israel a “type and shadow” of the spiritual blessings inherent in the atonement of Christ. The law was never to become the salvation it typified (see Mosiah 13:30-31; 16:14-15), but as sin escalates our lists grow longer to hedge up the way. We zealously admonish one another that not one must be lost. We learn to measure performance and compare relative compliance. Instead of feeding the sheep, the danger is that we become adept at merely counting them.

The Savior reserved His most excoriating criticism for the leaders of Judaism in his day who exhibited inexhaustible zeal for long lists. (See Matthew 23). He despised those “who make yourselves appear unto men that ye would not commit the least sin, and yet ye yourselves, transgress the whole law.” (JST Matthew 23:21). They had their image to think about.

Paul told the church in Rome that living the law in and of itself will not justify us regardless of how righteous we may appear to other men. The outward sign of conformity to the law in Paul’s day was circumcision. In our day it is baptism. Speaking to modern saints Paul might say, “To be a Mormon is not just to look like a Mormon, and baptism is more than a physical ordinance. The real Mormon is the one who is inwardly a Mormon, and the real baptism is in the heart something not of the letter but of the spirit. A Mormon like that may not be praised by man, but he will be praised by God.” (See Romans 2:25-29). Not surprisingly, President Ezra Taft Benson said the same thing frequently. (See Ensign, May 1986, pp. 4-7; also Ensign, May 1988, pp. 4-6).

Receiving, Not Earning

Two valiant prophets, Nephi and Stephen, rebuked their persecutors as “uncircumcised of heart.” (See Helaman 9:21; Acts 7:51-53). Their tormentors had been circumcised, and yet remained uncircumcised of heart. The circumcision of heart, a spiritual rebirth, had eluded them even though they had complied with the physical ordinances required by the law. Abinadi agrees with Paul: “Salvation doth not come by the law alone.” (Mosiah 13:28).

Lehi tells Jacob redemption comes through the Holy Messiah to those who have a broken heart and contrite spirit, and that “by the law no flesh is justified.” (2 Nephi 2:4-9). Unto “none else,” says Lehi, can the ends of the law be answered through the “merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.” Only Jesus and little children qualify as perfect.

In our public teaching in the Church today we sometimes give the impression there are some preconditions imposed by the law before men and women can receive the Holy Spirit. However, Paul teaches it is futile to suppose the works of the law will bring the Holy Spirit of promise to the saints. Let us always remember the Holy Ghost comes to us as a gift after we exercise faith in our Savior’s atonement for our sins, and not as a reward for our good works. Paul posed the rhetorical question, “Was it because you practiced the Law that you received the Spirit, or because you believed what was preached to you?” (Galatians 3:2-5).

Paul speaks of the preparatory gospel as being insufficient to save us from our sins. The outward works of the law are of “none effect” if not linked to a spiritual conversion by faith. (Romans 4:14). Paul says, “All that law does is to tell us what is sinful,” and we must “go on unto perfection” in the doctrine of Christ without our dead works. (Hebrews 6:1).

Abinadi echoes Paul’s teachings. We often consider gifts and grace as troublesome doctrines, thinking in our Protestant ethic that we must earn everything we receive, but remember prophets speak and write to those who have already received the initial outward ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. The ordinances are essential for salvation, but “all mankind were lost” because of the fall, and would have been “endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.” (Mosiah 16:3-5). Nowhere do prophets speak of any preconditions for salvation except faith in Christ’s atonement, repentance, and baptism. Outward ordinances only typify inward spiritual realities, they guarantee nothing. Those who cannot humble themselves in repentance for their sins before their Redeemer “remain as though there had been no redemption made,” despite their empty works of compliance without the spirit.

Now examine Amulek’s teachings as another witness: “All are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.” (Alma 34:9). Through the redemption of Christ little children have escaped accountability for sin. The ordinances at age eight symbolize what happens to us later when we have partaken of the forbidden fruit and the effects of the fall are complete. That is what is meant by the baptism of the heart -- it is spiritual not physical.

How many of us assume we are saved merely by our nominal membership in the true Church? Too many of us perform closure on our spiritual progress, thinking we have all the knowledge we need in the law. Paul taught the outward ordinance of baptism has no power to save. Only faith in Jesus Christ “which worketh by love” results in the desired goal of salvation. (Galatians 5:6). This deception of focusing our efforts on outward behavioral checklists breeds self-righteousness and spiritual complacency, collective sins of the chosen people who are not yet “born again.” (Alma 5:14).

“So what becomes of our boasts?” demands Paul. “There is no room for them. On the contrary, it is the law of faith, since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do.” (See Romans 3:27-31).

Faith Like Abraham’s

Paul cites Abraham’s faith. Though it seemed Abraham’s hope for posterity could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed. Through doing so he became the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised. Nothing could shake his faith. Since God had promised it, Abraham refused either to deny it or even to doubt it, but drew strength from faith and gave glory to God, convinced that God had power to do what he had promised. There are many in the Church today whose faith and hope in an eternal posterity seems in every particular as impossible as Abraham’s. This is the faith that was “considered as justifying him.” Our faith too will be “considered” if we believe in him who was put to death for our sins and raised to life to justify us. (See Romans 4:13-25). It is easy to confess our faith in God once or twice in a lifetime. We only receive the blessings of Abraham as we live each day like Abraham.

Would Paul have us abandon the requirements under the law for the outward ordinances and commandments of salvation? Not at all. He says the law is not sufficient to save us -- he does not say the law is disposable. But the law, even if it could be lived perfectly as Paul says he lived it, does not save.

Salvation is perfect faith in Christ as our personal Savior, not perfect compliance with the checklist of commandments demanded by the law. Our doctrine is the doctrine of Christ. Once innocent children, we have all ingested the forbidden fruit of Satan’s lies. (D&C 93:37-40). Paul’s testimony was, “I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith.” (See Philippians 3:4-14).

Alma taught the same doctrine. Each had a keen awareness of his fallen condition and his need for redemption. Each knew his deliverance from the bondage of sin. They were saved in the abyss of their sin and folly by faith, not because they were living the law perfectly. Alma’s salvation came “not of any worthiness of myself.” (Alma 36:2-5). Salvation for each of us comes as a gift of grace “after all we can do,” but we are commanded to teach our children “the deadness of the law.” (2 Nephi 25:23-30).

Too often, instead, we advocate the merits of the law, insist upon compliance from our children and never teach them the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We deny the twin doctrines of the fall and the atonement when we concentrate on their outward performance, and we rate them “good” or “bad” against a false standard. Therefore, our judgment of them is faulty.

Jesus taught only God was “good.” (Mark 10:18). So did Paul. (Romans 3:10-12). Eternal life is attainable only because of our faith in Christ’s atonement. We earn nothing as fallen beings, because any good in us comes from God. Either our good works are inspired by the Holy Ghost, or our works are merely works of men inspired by Satan and they perish. (3 Nephi 27:10-12).

No advocate of the gospel was as faithful and fearless as Paul following his vision of the Lord, yet his writings disclose he continued to struggle with temptation all his life. He referred to his mortal weakness as “a thorn in the flesh,” and each of us is blessed with similar thorns. He was silenced in his thrice-repeated petition to have the thorn removed with, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” The thorn is our corruptible mortal flesh we must submit through repentance to the sanctification of the Lord’s grace. Paul finally learned there was no glory in achieving his own worthy goals under the law. Rather, he found the source of his spiritual strength in his dependence upon Christ to deliver him from his temporal infirmities. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). It is a lesson for us. Spiritless checklists and self-determined goals are powerless to save.

Moroni was weak in writing, and feared he would be mocked by the gentiles who received The Book of Mormon in the latter days. “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness,” promised the Lord. He did not mean He gives us our many mortal weaknesses and temptations. He reveals our true weakness as fallen mortals to humble us, a weakness we never overcome until death (the end of our probation if we have been faithful). His grace strengthens us in mortality, not our vain exertions to remove our own thorn. “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me,” was the sweet whispering of the Holy Spirit to Moroni, who testifies, “I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith.” (Ether 12:26-29). He lived like Abraham, and so must we.

We exchange our sins for His love, the “grace” or “charity” spoken of in the scriptures. His grace is his enabling power given as a gift to make salvation possible for the penitent. Alma reminds us, "Justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved."  (Alma 42:24).  Charity for others is obtained by our faith in Christ’s redemptive power to save us from sin and death, which gives rise to the hope that our faith will not be in vain and our sins will be forgiven. We cannot give the love we have not yet received.

Moroni tells us the gift is given only when we “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” (Moroni 7:48). That is what James meant by the necessity of good works to go with our faith. (James 2:20-24). Praying with “all the energy of heart” and acting on the answers is just the kind of good hard work James had in mind!

Every covenant we make with God condemns us, because we all fall short of perfect performance. The weight of the law if borne alone will crush us. That is the purpose of the law -- to teach us we are weak and need help shouldering the load. The real joy and peace of living the gospel lies in the infinite possibilities if we know how, what and who to worship, not in keeping score on our checklists hoping to prove ourselves worthy. (D&C 93:19).

Discipleship

Why is perfection in the law so impossible in the flesh? “All that the law does is to tell us what is sinful.” There is no salvation in living the law of carnal commandments perfectly, said Paul. Salvation consists in being perfected in Christ through our faith on him as our personal Savior. He is our only hope for perfection. (Moroni 10:32-33). Our doctrine is, “if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power,” only then are we sanctified.

Jacob taught a daily spiritual walk for the believer, not a one-time profession of belief. He said those who would claim salvation in Christ must “consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility.” (2 Nephi 9:41-42). Each day the true disciple denies himself all ungodliness and every worldly lust, takes up his cross, and follows the Savior. (JST Matthew 16:26). It becomes a way of life for the true disciple, not just a well-meaning slogan.

Nephi promised, “if ye will enter in by the way [baptism], and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show you all things what ye should do. Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ.” (2 Nephi 32:5-6). He spoke of “my doctrine,” when Jesus said, “whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved, and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child.” (3 Nephi 11:31-40).

Even the gates of hell shall not prevail against true disciples who build upon his rock. “This is my gospel,” taught Jesus when he invited us to “repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost.” (3 Nephi 27:19-21). The law, though always intended to yield a spiritual result, operates in a natural, carnal, and temporal world. The Holy Ghost is the supernatural sanctifier of the natural man. (Mosiah 3:18-21).

“This is my doctrine,” saith Christ, “whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.” (D&C 10:68). God give us the wisdom to avoid making “more” of the gospel than it is. King Benjamin taught the disciple “should put his [her] trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life. . . This is the means whereby salvation cometh,” and there is no other way. (Mosiah 4:6-8).

Paul’s teachings on grace and the futility of excelling in the works of the law are simple. The doctrine of Christ applies today, and “shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy life.” (D&C 19:29-32).

The impossible gospel of searching for power by blind adherence and faith in our checklists under the law is just another false tradition with no power to save. Jesus never taught it, “for my commandments are spiritual.” (D&C 29:34-35). Only the Holy One of Israel can supply the perfect fruit of the tree of life. (1 Nephi 11:8-36; 2 Nephi 9; 25:23-30; 31:16-21). “Mercy cometh because of the atonement, and none but the truly penitent are saved.” (Alma 42:23-24). Rather than our own perfection in mortality, our quest must be for the mercy of our Redeemer.

Little children know the doctrine of Christ. They love Jesus. They know his love for them. As we wash our garments in his blood we become like them, “holy and without spot.” (Alma 13:11; Moroni 10:33). The possible gospel, the true gospel, is a very short list. It is so simple only little children understand it.

Presidential Approval Index

This article caught my eye today, explaining the latest daily tracking numbers on the mood of the country about their President.

Rasmussen does something called the "approval index," where they take the number of those who strongly favor the president and subtract the number who strongly disapprove.  Today the "index" stands at -10.  When he was inaugurated ten short months ago the index was +30. 

The reason the number fascinates me is that it confirms my suspicions cited in an earlier post that 40% of the American electorate -- the middle between the far left and the far right -- are always the "deciders" when it comes to political fates of elected officials, particularly the POTUS. 

Today's polling data suggest to me that Obama has lost the "middle" -- it's a 40-point swing from where he was on election day.  He's governing right now from the far left spectrum of policy making and it's making the middle America dwellers nervous.  It can almost certainly be traced to staggering deficit spending, almost limitless stimulus packages, and sweeping healthcare reform at a time when the Treasury's cupboards are bare.  In other words, it's still about the economy first and foremost, that's what's on most folks' minds.

News hit today that the world's gold supply has dwindled to nothing.  The price of an ounce of gold now stands at an all-time record high of $1,118 per OUNCE!!  Why?  This article spells it all out in detail.  The dollar has lost value at an alarming rate and nations around the globe have been opting out of the once-revered U.S. dollar in favor of gold for record chunks of their reserve currencies.  When demand rises and supplies shrink, prices have only one direction they can go -- up, up, up.

That's the bad news, but lest we despair, while the $1,118 is a record dollar high, gold reached $873 in 1980, which, inflation adjusted, is the real record of around $2,300.  So there, now doesn't that give you some degree of comfort?

The real Americans -- the ones in the middle -- have reversed course since Inauguration Day.  They swept him into office on the promise of "change," but now they're not so sure this is the kind of change they had in mind.