Doctrine and Covenants 1

 D&C 1:20 Four Reasons for the Restoration

1.    that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;

2.    That faith also might increase in the earth;

3.    That mine everlasting covenant might be established;

4.    That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.

DC 1:20 that every man might speak in the name of God

And, behold, and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth-
And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.
Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. (DC 68:2-4, italics added)

"It is an awesome responsibility. We must seek to think and speak and act as though we were the One whose blessed name we bear, so that our words and acts may become his words and acts." (Robert L. Millet, "Honoring His Holy Name," Ensign, Mar. 1994, 8)

DC 1:24 commandments...were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language

DC 1:24 commandments...were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language

"Although the elders who attended this conference testified that the revelations were true, some of them recommended that the language of certain revelations be improved prior to their publication." (Milton V. Backman, Jr., The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830-1838 [Salt Lake City: Desert Book Co., 1983], 91.)

"Those assembled quickly demonstrated that they had minds of their own, and in essence they confronted the twenty-five year old prophet with the challenge: 'How do we know that the revelations are of God? The language sounds so very much like the language of Joseph Smith.'

"Here is an excellent opportunity to view historically another incident that gives insight to what Joseph Smith was like. He did not appear to be offended. He took the question in stride. I feel he was honestly perplexed. He knew the revelations were from God. I have wondered if he truly ever thought of why they sounded as they sounded. He did not become defensive. He did not rebuke them for questioning a prophet of God. But he very simply suggested an approach to the problem which he had utilized numerous times before. In essence his reply to the question was a candid 'I don't know' followed by the words, 'Let's ask the Lord.' They knelt with him and he petitioned God for the answer. The answer was received in an effective, forceful, but most unpretentious way. No angel appeared; no audible voice was heard. The Prophet simply said to his scribe, 'Please record the following.' And then, speaking in measured sentences slow enough for a man to record the revelation in longhand, Joseph dictated the revelation as given to him by the Lord. But the answer sought is part of a comprehensive revelation of both warning and hope to the whole earth-a revelation which was to be known as the preface to the Book of Commandments and today is Section One of the Doctrine and Covenants. Verses 24-27 are the verses that directly answer the question Joseph asked of God:

Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.
And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known;
And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;
And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent. . . . (D&C 1:24-27)

"One would think that this amazing demonstration of the receiving of such a reasonable and satisfying answer would have silenced his questioners. But it did not, at least not all. William E. McLellan had had more formal education than any of the others. He was an impressive man. He continued to question Joseph. Again the Prophet sought the help of God. The revelation he received is a classic example of the principle stated by the Lord in the first revelation given that day to his servant. The Lord is interested in communicating with his children so they can understand and, if necessary, change their ways. The second revelation of the day (DC 67) is also in the Doctrine and Covenants and says rather simply:

Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and his language you have known; and his imperfections you have known; and you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his language; this you also know.
Now, seek ye out of the Book of Commandments, even the least that is among them, and appoint him that is the most wise among you;
Or, if there be any among you that shall make one like unto it, then ye are justified in saying that ye do not know that they are true;
But if ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true. (D&C 67:5-8)

"William E. McLellan was selected as being, by the standards of the world, the wisest in the group, and his assignment was to write a revelation that would sound as good and make a contribution equal to the 'least' revelation presented by Joseph Smith. Brother McLellan was a complete failure; he could not write anything that sounded like a revelation. The next day he manifested an attitude of meekness as he offered his sustaining vote and his apologies to the youthful prophet. Now, with the approval of the body of the priesthood, plans were quickly made and put into action for the publication of the new book of scripture." (Leon R. Hartshorn, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970], 76-77.)

DC 1:31 I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance

"This seems a harsh scripture, for it clearly states that God cannot tolerate sin or sinfulness in any degree. He can't wink at it, or ignore it, or turn and look the other way. He won't sweep it under the rug or say, 'Well, it's just a little sin. It'll be all right.' God's standard, the celestial standard, is absolute, and it allows no exceptions. There is no wiggle room.

"Many people seem to have the idea that the Judgment will somehow involve weighing or balancing, with their good deeds on one side of the scales and their bad deeds on the other. If their good deeds outweigh their bad, or if their hearts are basically good and outweigh their sins, then they can be admitted into the presence of God. This notion is false.

"As Doctrine and Covenants 1:31 and other scriptures illustrate, God cannot, will not, allow moral or ethical imperfection in any degree whatsoever to dwell in his presence. He cannot tolerate sin 'with the least degree of allowance.' It is not a question of whether our good deeds outweigh our sins. If there is even one sin on our record, we are finished. The celestial standard is complete innocence, pure and simple, and nothing less than complete innocence will be tolerated in the kingdom of God.

"...the solution to the Great Dilemma, to the alienation of imperfect humans from their perfect God, is precisely what all the scriptures bear witness of in one way or another. And that solution is called the atonement of Jesus Christ." (Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 1-7.)

DC 1:32 he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven

Spencer W. Kimball

What a farce it would be to call people to repentance if there were no forgiveness, and what a waste of the life of Christ if it failed to bring the opportunity for salvation and exaltation!

Sometimes a guilt consciousness overpowers a person with such a heaviness that when a repentant one looks back and sees the ugliness, the loathsomeness of the transgression, he is almost overwhelmed and wonders, "Can the Lord ever forgive me? Can I ever forgive myself?" But when one reaches the depths of despondency and feels the hopelessness of his position, and when he cries out to God for mercy in helplessness but in faith, there comes a still, small, but penetrating voice whispering to his soul, "Thy sins are forgiven thee."

The image of a loving, forgiving God comes through clearly to those who read and understand the scriptures. Since he is our Father, he naturally desires to raise us up, not to push us down, to help us live, not to bring about our spiritual death. ("God Will Forgive," Ensign, Mar. 1982, 4)

DC 1:38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself

Gordon B. Hinckley

When critics mock, when enemies deride, when cynics belittle this work, there comes into my mind this tremendous statement of the Almighty. The Lord does not excuse Himself for what He has said or done. Every promise shall be kept, every prophecy fulfilled, "and the truth abideth forever and ever." ("The Order and Will of God," Ensign, Jan. 1989, 4)

 

RS Lesson, President Nelson's Talk, Embrace the Future with Faith

In her book, No Doubt About it, Sheri Dew tells the following story. Before a routine drive home from college with a friend her father encouraged her to get snow chains.  She casually listened as her dad explained how to use them.  Later, while driving, the roads got very icy and slippery so she and her friend ended up pulling over and spending hours putting them on.  It was tedious.  Even after putting the chains on, they noticed a clinking sound every time the wheels turned.  After all that work, the weather soon improved and the chains weren’t even needed.  However, a few hours later at the very last mountain pass before reaching their destination, there was a blizzard.  It was around midnight, and the weather was ten times as bad as it had been when they had first put the chains on.  This time, she and her friend knew what they were doing so getting the chains on in the freezing cold wasn’t nearly the ordeal it had been just a few hours earlier.  “There is no way we could have installed those chains in the dark of night in a blinding blizzard with three feet of snow already on the ground if we hadn’t had a practice run earlier that day.”  We may not know when or how preparation will be needed but we can follow our prophet’s guidance now.      

 

Principle Number One: Create Places of Security

Just as Captain Moroni prepared Nephite cities for attack, we need to create places of physical and spiritual safety. Homes, stakes and temples can each serve as a refuge. They are places where you can teach truth (even unpopular truth) and ponder in “an environment of revelation.” Please note that President Nelson renewed invitations to “increase understandings of priesthood power and of temple covenants and blessings.”

 

·      Moroni was assertive (Alma 43:26, 46:16,20).  He took covenants and sacred ordinances seriously.  Elder Hales said, “As Christians today, we have the opportunity to act straightway, immediately, and decisively, just as Peter and Andrew did, “they forsook their nets, and followed him.”  In the book, Becoming Bulletproof, Evy Poumpouras, a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service, wrote about an experience where she was preparing for a flight.  When offering her a seat, the ticket agent, truly contrite, apologized that of the two seats still available one was on an exit row.  She asked herself, “Did I hear him right?  There were only two seats left and one of them was the exit seat next to the emergency door, which had a window and extra leg room?  Obvious no-brainer. ‘Yes, thank you.  I’ll take the exit row, please.’”  The ticket agent explained that most people don’t want the responsibility of being in that seat.  She wrote, “There are times in our lives where we are quick to surrender power to someone or something else, to avoid the burden of responsibility.  But by physically and mentally preparing yourself for a potential crisis, there is no reason why you can’t be equipped and capable in an emergency.”  The principle can be applied spiritually as well.  If we are consistently repenting and recommitting to our covenants we can act with confidence because we will have the Spirit guiding us (D&C 84:88).

 

·      Moroni had a strategy (Alma 43:30).  We too can have a strategy to defend what we hold most dear (Alma 44:5).  Moroni fortified forts and cities with banks of earth, timbers and walls of stone (Alma 48:8-9, 49:14, Alma 50:6,10).  He made sure his armies were adequately protected with breastplates, arm shields and head-plates (Alma 43:37,38).  Let’s build strong defenses, doing all within our power to go into battle prepared.

 

Principle Number Two: Prepare Your Mind to Be Faithful to God

“Spiritual foundations must be solid” founded on faith in the Savior Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon is our latter-day survival guide. 

 

·      Moroni armed and taught his people.  He always pointed them to Christ and, like the sons of Mosiah, nourished them with things pertaining to righteousness (Alma 43:18, Alma 48:11-13, 17-18, Mosiah 23:18). “Most often it is the sacrifices we make to keep our covenants that sanctify us and make us holy” Elder D. Todd Christofferson quoting Sister Carol F. McConkie

 

·      Moroni was willing to sacrifice for the safety his people (Alma 43:45-50).  I confess that neither my dogs nor my horses are very well trained.  I pay them little attention until they become intolerable.  The truth is, I just don’t care enough about them to spend the time needed.  They just aren’t worth the inconvenience.  “He that hath ears to hear…”. Michael Peral in No Greater Joy  On a day-to-day basis, what gets our attention?  Are we “all in” in our covenants, our commitments, our callings?  Sometimes we are in a situation where we are trying to help someone in our stewardship and can see clearly that they are in a dangerous situation.  We need to recognize that especially if they don’t have the Spirit strongly with them, their minds may be muddled.  In these situations, we may need to correct kindly and lovingly to lead them to safety. M. Joseph Brough from the YM General Presidency said, “Tolerating improper behavior (and I’m going to add in ourselves or others) without loving correction is false compassion and reinforces the common notion that wickedness might in fact be happiness.”  Moroni held himself to a higher standard than what he expected of his people.  We too should set clear, firm boundaries for ourselves and not do, listen to or watch anything we wouldn’t be comfortable having emulated by those we care for.  When encountering especially difficult trials or temptation, we can take advantage of our monthly fast for added strength (Alma 45:1, Isa. 58:6).  

 

·      Moroni intervened early (Alma 50:32) when he first noticed seemingly small things that would “lay a foundation for that which would lead to the overthrow of their liberty.”  

 

·      Moroni was aware of both the intent and strongholds of the enemy (Alma 43:29,48). Who is the enemy?  The scriptures teach, those who “come to us in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves”.  There’s an incorrect message in our society that allure, money, looks, popularity and prestige will give us power.  However, true strength comes from keeping God’s laws.  The scriptures warn of false prophets and churches built up to get gain.  A church could be seen as any location where people gather to worship.  These “churches” could be interpreted as online forums, articles we read, videos we watch.  Anyone or anything encouraging us to worship ideas, object or people other than The True and Living God.  We can avoid deception by being aware of what we are allowing into our lives (Isaiah 5:20).   

 

Principle Number Three: Never Stop Preparing

Captain Moroni even prepared when attacks were not happening.  The future is glorious for people who prepare to be instruments in God’s hands, despite challenges.

 

·      Moroni’s consistency exemplified his complete loyalty to God and devotion to God’s children (Alma 44:5). He lived what President Monson taught, “We serve God by serving his people.”  If you want to read about an amazing experience of the power of preparation to serve in time of need, take a look at Elder Eyring’s experience with the Teton Dam Flood.

 

·      Moroni knew that the people needed reminders of God and what He had done for them.  In making the Title of Liberty he took an object considered ordinary and made it into a powerful symbol.  I love this woman’s unspoken testimony of love, sacrifice and devotion.  Video of Sister Holland (start video at 3:45 and end at 6:35)

 

We may feel we are weak or insignificant in our limited sphere of influence but can be reminded that God uses the weak things of the earth to bring about His marvelous work.  He can use us.  D&C 124:1