Equality
In vs.1 the Lord addresses Emma Smith (Joseph's wife) as his "daughter", which is meaningful and unique. Then He says "for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom." All is an encompassing word and shows the Lord's willingness to adopt all people into the Family of Christ, where each is saved through the Atonement. This revelation shows in other instances the equality of women, empowering Emma and others who liken the revelation to themselves to be actors, not acted upon. Actors in the family, in the church, and in society. For example, in vs. 2 the Lord inherently gives Emma the power of choice when He says "...if thou are faithful [then promises blessings]" because "if" leaves the outcome up to her. She is not chained to any one destiny, though the Lord's will is made clear and He provides power and knowledge concerning the best path available. During this time period (around 1830) women had a very low legal status. Men could beat women for any reason. Women didn't vote, they didn't hold office, nor any type of leadership. If they couldn't bear children, they weren't an asset because children worked on the farm. Even in vs. 4 when the Lord tells Emma to stop murmuring, He implies that she is responsible and in control of her life. In vs. 6 and vs. 7 the Lord gives radical roles for Emma (considering the historical context where women had only one role in the home): as a scribe for Joseph while Oliver Cowdery is called elsewhere and as one who can expound scripture and exhort the Church, ordained under Joseph's hands. These are significant roles! Along with asserting her role as a supportive wife, the Lord gives her a variety of responsibility. Today we may not be surprised to see women at the pulpit giving sermons and testimonies, but in that day it was novel. Emma wasn't to be told by Joseph or some other man what to say, either. Just like the men, she would be given "according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit." (vs. 7) So, though her role as a mother/wife in a nuclear family is reinforced (vs. 5) the Lord doesn't limit Emma to that. Lastly in vs.11 she is given the responsibility for creating a sacred book of hymns. This is not a lesser responsibility. Consider the impact of hymns: Hymns are considered prayers unto the Lord followed by blessings from Him (vs. 12); hymns are sung at every church meeting (while sometimes you may not hear verses from the Bible, Book of Mormon, or D&C); hymns invite change and attract the Spirit powerfully and teach the doctrine for the first time to many...especially children!
As vs. 13 states, "Wherefore lift up thy heart and rejoice,” this revelation truly helps restore women to their proper role and status in the home, church, and society. It is worth noting that the first woman to vote in America was a LDS woman in SLC, the first woman to fun for legislative office was a LDS woman, and the first woman to serve as a mayor in America was a LDS woman.
All of God's children have unique roles, so equality doesn't mean you have to be doing the exact same thing. But the power of choice should be preserved in all people, and the fulness of the Gospel makes it clear that the fulness of God's blessings are equally open to all.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Importance of Articles & Covenants (D&C 20)
On February 27th, 1832, a short revelation was received for Lincoln Haskins essentially calling him on a mission, to "go forth and proclaim my gospel whithersoever I will send him..." He was to be ordained and to take with him "the articles and covenants which I have given unto you and some of the commandments.." (The Joseph Smith Papers, p. 433) This may seem fairly insignificant, but the importance of the articles and covenants to the Lord is illuminated. The articles and covenants refers to D&C section 20, a revelation received shortly before the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ on the 6th April, 1830. It is one of the more lengthy revelations, with three main parts that tie together beautifully:
1 - A historical overview
2 - A doctrinal section
3 - A handbook on Church organization
The historical overview recounts some key events in Joseph Smith's call to be a prophet including him receiving forgiveness of sins, heavenly visits, commandments, and power to translate the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is established as a true record with the fulness of the Gospel proving the Lord's unchangeable pattern of calling prophets. Those who receive this work of Joseph Smith are promised eternal life. The more doctrinal section teaches about God, the Creation, Atonement of Jesus Christ, Justification & Sanctification, and our responsibility to believe, be baptized, endure to the end, and love and serve God with all our strength. Then the handbook on Church organization and government teaches about proper baptism to join Christ's church, about the Sacramanent ordinance, and about the duties and organization of Priesthood holders in watching over and administering to the Church members.
When I look at the revelation as a whole I see a powerful synthesis between these sections. The Lord asserts the truthfulness and validity to the foundation of the Church in modern-day visions, revelations, and scripture. The doctrine in purity springs from this authorized source -- a true prohpet speaking for God. Therefore, this Chuch has the full capacity to lead people to Eternal Life through Christ. The Priesthood and revelations make it possible to administer ordinances necessary for salvation and not just guide people to Justification but also Sanctification and preparation for Eternal Life...living with God.
Essentially, this revelation was a landmark guide that Lincoln Haskins (or any missionary) could take to teach the basic Gospel principles of the Restoration and Gospel of Christ. Brother Haskins would have a clear constitution on organizing or correcting the Church wherever he went. Other references to this revelation show how highly the Lord regarded it: Even before Lincoln, in February of 1831, the revelation received in D&C 42 speaks of ordained missionaries going forth to teach the fulness of the Gospel, in the Bible and Book of Mormon, and says right after: "And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit." (vs 13) Last but not least, when the Church's orderly revelatory channels were threatened by Hiram Page receiving false revelations through some stone, the Lord said Satan was deceiving him and that "these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anyhing be apointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants." (D&C 28:12). The articles and covenants in D&C 20 are sure reference points to maintain Priesthood order and a healthy, true and living Church, with immunity to disease from without and cancers from within!
1 - A historical overview
2 - A doctrinal section
3 - A handbook on Church organization
The historical overview recounts some key events in Joseph Smith's call to be a prophet including him receiving forgiveness of sins, heavenly visits, commandments, and power to translate the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is established as a true record with the fulness of the Gospel proving the Lord's unchangeable pattern of calling prophets. Those who receive this work of Joseph Smith are promised eternal life. The more doctrinal section teaches about God, the Creation, Atonement of Jesus Christ, Justification & Sanctification, and our responsibility to believe, be baptized, endure to the end, and love and serve God with all our strength. Then the handbook on Church organization and government teaches about proper baptism to join Christ's church, about the Sacramanent ordinance, and about the duties and organization of Priesthood holders in watching over and administering to the Church members.
When I look at the revelation as a whole I see a powerful synthesis between these sections. The Lord asserts the truthfulness and validity to the foundation of the Church in modern-day visions, revelations, and scripture. The doctrine in purity springs from this authorized source -- a true prohpet speaking for God. Therefore, this Chuch has the full capacity to lead people to Eternal Life through Christ. The Priesthood and revelations make it possible to administer ordinances necessary for salvation and not just guide people to Justification but also Sanctification and preparation for Eternal Life...living with God.
Essentially, this revelation was a landmark guide that Lincoln Haskins (or any missionary) could take to teach the basic Gospel principles of the Restoration and Gospel of Christ. Brother Haskins would have a clear constitution on organizing or correcting the Church wherever he went. Other references to this revelation show how highly the Lord regarded it: Even before Lincoln, in February of 1831, the revelation received in D&C 42 speaks of ordained missionaries going forth to teach the fulness of the Gospel, in the Bible and Book of Mormon, and says right after: "And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit." (vs 13) Last but not least, when the Church's orderly revelatory channels were threatened by Hiram Page receiving false revelations through some stone, the Lord said Satan was deceiving him and that "these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anyhing be apointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants." (D&C 28:12). The articles and covenants in D&C 20 are sure reference points to maintain Priesthood order and a healthy, true and living Church, with immunity to disease from without and cancers from within!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Marvelous
Merriam Webster's online dictionary defines marvelous in these ways:
1. causing wonder; astonishing
2. miraculous; supernatural
3. of the highest kind or quality; notably superior
In multiple revelations (like D&C 4:1+6:1+12:1+14:1) the Lord Jesus Christ declares a marvelous work is about to come forth, referring generally to the Restoration of His Church and more specifically to the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. When considering the history of the Book of Mormon and the miraculous process in which it was made known to the world, this truly was and still is marvelous. Prepared by ancient prophets beginning over two millenia before Joseph Smith and then abridged and finished by Mormon and Moroni around 400 A.D., I can not fully fathom how much hard work went into preparing the record. This is besides the point that the record was compiled from spiritual accounts of prophets and full of revelations and experiences testifying of Christ. This work of translation by Joseph Smith of this caliber of record -- pure, untainted scripture -- was truly marvelous...of the highest kind or quality; notably superior. You can see how important this work is to the Lord in the first chunk of revelations (about 15 of the first 20) as he guides Joseph and invites others to participate in the work and support the cause. Today those verses have just as powerful an effect on the missionaries and members around the world with a desire to serve the Lord by spreading the Book of Mormon further among all people. The coming of the Book of Mormon along with the full Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ shows clearly how Daniel's prophecy of a stone cut out of a mountain rolling to fill the whole earth was a good analogy for the Restoration.
There was great purpose in the Lord directing Joseph to put all his efforts in bringing to light this ancient record before doing anything else. First and foremost the Book of Mormon teaches with clarity the doctrine of Christ and corrects false doctrines about the Godhead, the Plan of Salvation, and principles and ordinaces required for salvation. The veracity of the Book of Mormon also had the crucial role of establishing the truthfulness of Joseph's role as a prophet called of God along with the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Soon after the publication of the Book of Mormon, the Lord directed the organization of His Church. This didn't occur in reverse order. All the commandments the Lord gave Joseph before the rise of the Church were essentially tied to the Book of Mormon:
1. Prepare yourself for obtaining the plates (took a few years)
2. Protect the plates (as he did his part the Lord promised to keep them safe)
3. Translate the plates (easier said than done!)
4. Publish the record to the world
Marvelous with its connotations to miracles is definitely appropriate in describing a young, illiterate man being asked to publish a book in the first quarter of the 19th century. That just didn't happen. Simply purchasing the paper to record the translation was a great sacrifice. Martin Harris played an important role here, as the Lord reminds him in D&C 19:26 to not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God... If the Lord had not asked Joseph to do this great work, he probably would not have even dreamed of sending off a manuscript to the printing press. And again, this manuscript literally had the endorsement of God. In the strongest language possible (according to Hebrew tradition as far as oaths go) Christ proclaims And he [Joseph Smith] has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord your God liveth it is true. In other words, to the same level of reality that God lives does the Book of Mormon contain truth...and there is nothing more real and unchanging than the reality of a loving Heavenly Father and His perfect Son, Jesus Christ.
To close this marvelous theme, consider D&C 18:44 tying this marvelous work to repentance: And by your hands I will work a marvelous work among the children of men, unto the convincing of many of their sins, that they may come unto repentance, and that they may come unto the kingdom of my Father. This book, more than anything, brought real power into people's lives -- power to change their lives through repentance and faith in Christ. Who cares about the cost of getting the manuscript through the printing press when you start considering the effect of the Book of Mormon on the souls of men? In the same section, vs 10 and 13 the Lord says Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God...And how great is His joy in the soul that repenteth. Now is when the marvelous nature of this work cannot be disputed. Seeing people literally change for good, and being an instrument in the Lord's Hands to do His work of bringing His children back to Him in His kingdom, is accompanied by joy unparalled. All who are worthy and willing are invited to join with the Lord in this great and marvelous work!
1. causing wonder; astonishing
2. miraculous; supernatural
3. of the highest kind or quality; notably superior
In multiple revelations (like D&C 4:1+6:1+12:1+14:1) the Lord Jesus Christ declares a marvelous work is about to come forth, referring generally to the Restoration of His Church and more specifically to the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. When considering the history of the Book of Mormon and the miraculous process in which it was made known to the world, this truly was and still is marvelous. Prepared by ancient prophets beginning over two millenia before Joseph Smith and then abridged and finished by Mormon and Moroni around 400 A.D., I can not fully fathom how much hard work went into preparing the record. This is besides the point that the record was compiled from spiritual accounts of prophets and full of revelations and experiences testifying of Christ. This work of translation by Joseph Smith of this caliber of record -- pure, untainted scripture -- was truly marvelous...of the highest kind or quality; notably superior. You can see how important this work is to the Lord in the first chunk of revelations (about 15 of the first 20) as he guides Joseph and invites others to participate in the work and support the cause. Today those verses have just as powerful an effect on the missionaries and members around the world with a desire to serve the Lord by spreading the Book of Mormon further among all people. The coming of the Book of Mormon along with the full Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ shows clearly how Daniel's prophecy of a stone cut out of a mountain rolling to fill the whole earth was a good analogy for the Restoration.
There was great purpose in the Lord directing Joseph to put all his efforts in bringing to light this ancient record before doing anything else. First and foremost the Book of Mormon teaches with clarity the doctrine of Christ and corrects false doctrines about the Godhead, the Plan of Salvation, and principles and ordinaces required for salvation. The veracity of the Book of Mormon also had the crucial role of establishing the truthfulness of Joseph's role as a prophet called of God along with the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Soon after the publication of the Book of Mormon, the Lord directed the organization of His Church. This didn't occur in reverse order. All the commandments the Lord gave Joseph before the rise of the Church were essentially tied to the Book of Mormon:
1. Prepare yourself for obtaining the plates (took a few years)
2. Protect the plates (as he did his part the Lord promised to keep them safe)
3. Translate the plates (easier said than done!)
4. Publish the record to the world
Marvelous with its connotations to miracles is definitely appropriate in describing a young, illiterate man being asked to publish a book in the first quarter of the 19th century. That just didn't happen. Simply purchasing the paper to record the translation was a great sacrifice. Martin Harris played an important role here, as the Lord reminds him in D&C 19:26 to not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God... If the Lord had not asked Joseph to do this great work, he probably would not have even dreamed of sending off a manuscript to the printing press. And again, this manuscript literally had the endorsement of God. In the strongest language possible (according to Hebrew tradition as far as oaths go) Christ proclaims And he [Joseph Smith] has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord your God liveth it is true. In other words, to the same level of reality that God lives does the Book of Mormon contain truth...and there is nothing more real and unchanging than the reality of a loving Heavenly Father and His perfect Son, Jesus Christ.
To close this marvelous theme, consider D&C 18:44 tying this marvelous work to repentance: And by your hands I will work a marvelous work among the children of men, unto the convincing of many of their sins, that they may come unto repentance, and that they may come unto the kingdom of my Father. This book, more than anything, brought real power into people's lives -- power to change their lives through repentance and faith in Christ. Who cares about the cost of getting the manuscript through the printing press when you start considering the effect of the Book of Mormon on the souls of men? In the same section, vs 10 and 13 the Lord says Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God...And how great is His joy in the soul that repenteth. Now is when the marvelous nature of this work cannot be disputed. Seeing people literally change for good, and being an instrument in the Lord's Hands to do His work of bringing His children back to Him in His kingdom, is accompanied by joy unparalled. All who are worthy and willing are invited to join with the Lord in this great and marvelous work!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The 116 Pages
The foreknowledge of God
Perhaps the most amazing principle elucidated by the lost 116 pages of manuscript translated by Joseph Smith is the the wisdom and foreknowledge of God. The record of Lehi was significant and meaningful; I believe it would be intriguing to read. Surely there was laborious, tedious, and expensive work done by Lehi to create his own narrative of his family's journeys and his spiritual encounters. With the limited space in the gold plates, Mormon must have found them very important to the story of the Nephites and to the message of Christ to include them. Yet, God knew how Satan would try to frustrate his work by trying to thwart the validity of the claimed gold plates and translation by Joseph, so he prepared a back-up record by Nephi in the small plates to preserve the story and message of the Book of Mormon. Lehi's efforts were in a way sacrificed for the greater good. Although, I believe Lehi's words made a huge impact on the righteous, scripture-using Nephites for hundreds of years during their civilization's reign. Still, an incredible amount of work, foresight, and miracles were required to preserve the reality and validity of the Book of Mormon. God truly does know us better than we know ourselves and He may even find it ironic or humorous at times when we commit to do certain things or to not follow other's mistakes because he knows already that we will break those promises. The sum conclusion again points to the necessity of Our Saviour and the Atonement as part of Heavenly Father's plan. From the very beginning even before the Creation, God the Father knew we all would need the ultimate "back-up plan", the perfect way to fix our errors and make our eternal lives a reality and ratified, saved from the grasp of Satan's tricks and plans to nullify our true identity. God's foreknowledge is a reality and something that I can trust, shown clearly with this example of the lost 116 pages of manuscript that Joseph Smith worked so hard to translate. Even when our motives may be good and our efforts sincere, the natural man comes out so easily and the persuasions of Satan sneak into our rationalizing so quickly that it becomes quite easy to blow it. Martin Harris gave in to the promptings of the devil and was able to persuade Joseph to trample upon counsel he received from his Director (D&C 3:15), fearing man more than God (D&C 3:7). The consequences were sure as Satan endeavored to capatilize on any mistake of this young prophet since the Restoration would thwart Satan's work more than anything. The awesome thing is, prayers from hundreds of years before that were full of faith, offered by righteous Nephite prophets over generations, had full sway in those events to ensure that despite Joseph's weakness the plates would come forth in power to testify to their descendents along with all Jews and Gentiles that Christ came unto them and is the Saviour of the world! D&C 3:19 "And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records--that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people...that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers...that they might believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in His name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen."
As a final note, I have learned from the lost 116 pages that even though we sometimes feel like all is lost, there is a good chance that as we maintain faith (and repent if necessary) that all and more will be restored to us again. In D&C 5 the Lord makes the message clear to Joseph that He is in control and only as Joseph obeys His counsel can the promises of protection, translation, and receiving further witnesses be fulfilled. Still, the truth stands: God keeps His promises and they are powerful promises. The key is to be obedient and trust Him. We shouldn't be seeking for physical witnesses (seeing the pages of manuscript like Martin and his wife, or hoping to see the gold plates like Martin Harris later) as much as spiritual witnesses that are more sure and lasting in our hearts.
Perhaps the most amazing principle elucidated by the lost 116 pages of manuscript translated by Joseph Smith is the the wisdom and foreknowledge of God. The record of Lehi was significant and meaningful; I believe it would be intriguing to read. Surely there was laborious, tedious, and expensive work done by Lehi to create his own narrative of his family's journeys and his spiritual encounters. With the limited space in the gold plates, Mormon must have found them very important to the story of the Nephites and to the message of Christ to include them. Yet, God knew how Satan would try to frustrate his work by trying to thwart the validity of the claimed gold plates and translation by Joseph, so he prepared a back-up record by Nephi in the small plates to preserve the story and message of the Book of Mormon. Lehi's efforts were in a way sacrificed for the greater good. Although, I believe Lehi's words made a huge impact on the righteous, scripture-using Nephites for hundreds of years during their civilization's reign. Still, an incredible amount of work, foresight, and miracles were required to preserve the reality and validity of the Book of Mormon. God truly does know us better than we know ourselves and He may even find it ironic or humorous at times when we commit to do certain things or to not follow other's mistakes because he knows already that we will break those promises. The sum conclusion again points to the necessity of Our Saviour and the Atonement as part of Heavenly Father's plan. From the very beginning even before the Creation, God the Father knew we all would need the ultimate "back-up plan", the perfect way to fix our errors and make our eternal lives a reality and ratified, saved from the grasp of Satan's tricks and plans to nullify our true identity. God's foreknowledge is a reality and something that I can trust, shown clearly with this example of the lost 116 pages of manuscript that Joseph Smith worked so hard to translate. Even when our motives may be good and our efforts sincere, the natural man comes out so easily and the persuasions of Satan sneak into our rationalizing so quickly that it becomes quite easy to blow it. Martin Harris gave in to the promptings of the devil and was able to persuade Joseph to trample upon counsel he received from his Director (D&C 3:15), fearing man more than God (D&C 3:7). The consequences were sure as Satan endeavored to capatilize on any mistake of this young prophet since the Restoration would thwart Satan's work more than anything. The awesome thing is, prayers from hundreds of years before that were full of faith, offered by righteous Nephite prophets over generations, had full sway in those events to ensure that despite Joseph's weakness the plates would come forth in power to testify to their descendents along with all Jews and Gentiles that Christ came unto them and is the Saviour of the world! D&C 3:19 "And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records--that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people...that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers...that they might believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in His name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen."
As a final note, I have learned from the lost 116 pages that even though we sometimes feel like all is lost, there is a good chance that as we maintain faith (and repent if necessary) that all and more will be restored to us again. In D&C 5 the Lord makes the message clear to Joseph that He is in control and only as Joseph obeys His counsel can the promises of protection, translation, and receiving further witnesses be fulfilled. Still, the truth stands: God keeps His promises and they are powerful promises. The key is to be obedient and trust Him. We shouldn't be seeking for physical witnesses (seeing the pages of manuscript like Martin and his wife, or hoping to see the gold plates like Martin Harris later) as much as spiritual witnesses that are more sure and lasting in our hearts.
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