Truth and False Expectations

One of the things the Messiah was prophesied to do when He came was to give sight to the blind, as Isaiah said:

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name (Isaiah 42:7-8).

Jesus Christ would perform this miracle frequently throughout His mortal ministry. As recorded in the gospel of John:

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from birth…he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing (John 9:1, 6-7).

As this man’s neighbors saw the results of the miracles, they wondered, eventually getting the Pharisees involved. Surely this miracle, along with so many others, should be enough evidence that the Messiah had truly come. But they got hung up on one small detail in His miracle.

And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them (John 9:14-16).

The way many of these Pharisees contented themselves with rejecting the Savior and ignoring His miracles was by using their own made-up standards of righteousness by which to measure Him. Never mind that He consistently fulfilled the Messiahnic prophesies. Never mind that the Pharisaical standards imposed on Him were not scriptural but from tradition. In this story, the real blindness was caused by false expectations.

What does this look like today? It’s easy to reject the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon or the Church of Jesus Christ when they all fail the man made standards the world puts upon them. Joseph Smith made mistakes. A true prophet would never have suffered a bank failure, or trust a scoundrel who would end up betraying him, or struggle to implement the strict commandments of God.  The Book of Mormon can’t be true because American Indians genetically came from Asia, and everyone knows horses were brought to the Americas by Europeans. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can’t be true because it invested in a billion dollar mall in downtown Salt Lake City, or it won’t allow women to be ordained priests, or it won’t sanction same-sex marriages.

The truth is that Jesus wasn’t a sinner in the eyes of God. The Sabbath day standards of the Pharisees were not God’s standards. Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God despite his weaknesses and mistakes, just as was Moses, Abraham and Noah (all of whom had personal weaknesses and mistakes recorded in the scriptural records). The Book of Mormon is true despite the limited human perception of anachronisms (all of which have plausible explanations though that’s not the point). And the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true despite societal norms and political correctness which assumes it’s own standards take the moral high ground.  Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will seek God’s expectations both in scripture and in personal revelation. Any honest seeker may discover the truth of God by the power of the Holy Ghost, otherwise, blindness prevails.

Patterns of Faithfulness: the boy Joseph Smith

We will begin our investigation of faithfulness with the first convert of the restoration, Joseph Smith, and it’s important that he be viewed as a convert. It would be a mistake to assume that once Joseph left that grove in 1820 he was a full blown, mature prophet of God. That process will take years and will be developed further in the next post. For our purposes here, we shall observe what the young boy Joseph did to learn for himself (see Joseph Smith- History 1:20). This pattern may be replicated by anybody who wishes for a personal witness of the truth.

Joseph’s inquiry begins during a great spiritual revival, known as the Second Great Awakening. Since the days of the Revolution, many Americans were becoming slothful in their religious observances. It therefore became a priority among ministers to reinvigorate the faith and bring religious observance back in the people. The scene of these revivals were the classic frontier camp meetings where ministers would set up large tents and start preaching. People could come and go as they listen to the varied messages of salvation, and chose a faith to join. Joseph would descibe this scene as “an unusual exitement” that “ created no small stir amongst the people, some crying, ‘Lo, here!’ and others, ‘Lo, there!’” (JS-H 1:5).

As these meeting progressed, the people began “ to file off, some to one party and some to another” when it became apparent “that the seemingly good feelings of both priests and the converts were more pretended than real” (JS-H 1:6) as contention and strife became common at these revivals.

It is as this point that we begin to see Joseph demonstrate a pattern for seeking answers in faith. For we, like him, live in a day where “all things [are]in commotion” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:91) and the good feelings of so many vying for our trust and belief may be more pretended than real. Indeed, there are many who want to destroy our faith in the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith, and who feel the ends justify the less than honest means.

We observe Joseph experiencing “serious reflection and great uneasiness” as he is witnessing the Second Great Awakening. Yet Joseph keeps himself unaffiliated with any group as he investigates all their meetings. He is willing to do his homework before he makes any descision that would involve what he would believe. As he does this investigation he starts to form an opinion. He begins to be “somewhat partial to the Methodist sect” and if he had to choose, that would be the one. Dispite this opinion, Joseph was still honest with himself that he hadn’t “come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong” (JS-H 1:8).

A person who wishes to emulate the young Joseph in seeking answers by faith, should recognize what he did. First, his question was a serious one. This was not a passing curiousity. Second, Joseph is willing to act, utilizing the resources he had available. He was determined to investigate all claims that applied to his question. In doing so he began to form an opinion, but was honest enough with himself to admit he didn’t know enough “to come to any certain conclusion” (JS-H 1:8). The honest in heart will always demonstrate their intent by doing what they can, and admiting where they’re limited. Without this intellectual integrity, truth will not be sought, only validation to preconceived notions.

As the young Joseph continues his investigation, he comes across (or is directed to) a particular passage of scripture that changes everything. It’s not necessarily what the verse says that is so impactful, for certainly this message is conspicuous in scripture. What changes everything is what he felt upon reading this scripture. “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power into the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again…” (JS-H 1:12).

An impression from God, it should be realized, will cause something of an imprint as the word implies. A person seeking answers in faith would be wise to recognize when an idea becomes powerful to them and they can’t get it off of their mind. This is one of the definitions of the word of God, it’s not just His word to ancient prophets, it literally is His word to us. The Lord is able to make certain passages of His word stand out more impressively to us than others.

What Joseph does following this impression is well known. It is of note to point out that following a still, small communication from God, Joseph “came to a determination” (JS-H 1:13) to act. He did not enter the grove to simply ask which church was true, he asked which church he was to join. Any honest seeker of truth must have their mind and heart made up to act upon the answer they recieve. If they do not “ask with real intent” then they will never know “by the power of the Holy Ghost… the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4-5). This pattern is available to all, and it is the beginning of faithfulness.

Do Mormons Worship Joseph Smith?

This post may be considered part II of the “Are Mormon’s Christian?” post I wrote a month ago. The goal of this post is to clear up any misconceptions there may be, and to attempt to set forth simply our prophetic premise in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As always, I’m not an official spokesman for the church and am solely responsible for this post.

Recently I came across a scripture in the Book of Mormon that I quickly realized was a very important verse, perhaps the most important scripture, at least from a missionary stand point, in the entire canon of scripture.

11 Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. (3 Nephi 21:11, emphasis added)

These are the words of the resurrected Savior to the people of ancient America. He is talking about the prophet who would bring “these things” (meaning the Book of Mormon) forth. The Savior is talking about Joseph Smith. His message is straight forward, you can’t get to the Savior without going through Joseph Smith.

This aspect of our faith has been attacked and misrepresented by anti-Mormons. The accusation is that we worship Joseph Smith, that we talk too much about him, and not enough about Jesus. Sadly, these accusations cause some members of my church to under emphasize the role of Joseph Smith in an attempt to be considered more “Christian”. But under emphasizing Joseph Smith is not something the Savior Himself is willing to do.

10 But this generation shall have my word through you; (D&C 5:10, emphasis added)

Joseph was told this early in his revelations from Jesus. But this prophetic expectation is not new. Consider what Moses was told when he spoke to Jehovah from the burning bush and was called to deliver Israel and use Aaron as a spokesman,

15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. (Exodus 4:15-16, emphasis added)

Even in the dispensation where Christ Himself was among the people, He declared to Peter:

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, emphasis added)

This is how God has always performed His work with us. He sends prophets. And occasionally there is a reset after a major period of apostasy, where a prophet restores the lost faith. This prophet will act as the head of that dispensation and will be the one through whom all people of that time period must go through to get to Jesus Christ.

I understand that this is a hard thing to believe. But when has faith ever been easy? How many struggled to follow Moses, or the ancient Apostles?

I simply challenge anyone who contests Joseph Smith’s prophetic claims to apply the test Jesus Himself prescribed for determining true prophets from false, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt 7:20). You could observe our people and our values as the fruits of Joseph Smith. But his claim centered on the Book of Mormon. By this fruit you will know him. And once you know him, you’ll be invited to join us in this important work.

God’s Love

In the Book of Mormon there is a vision recorded that is well known to Latter-day Saints. The prophet Lehi sees midsts of darkness, a strait and narrow path, a rod of iron, a great gulf, a river of filthiness, a great and spacious building, and the Tree of Life. The dream has different groups of people heading to different destinations. Only those who follow the path, hold the iron rod, and arrive at the Tree of Life, discover true happiness.

Lehi’s son, Nephi, wants to understand what his father saw. So he prays and has a vision of his own. This explanation is as valuable as the dream itself. Yet unfortunately, many have only a shallow understanding of it.

For example, when asked what the Tree of Life is, the most common answer is “the love of God”. This is understandable since Nephi himself said it. The problem is that taken out of context this answer is misleading. Too many have this misconception of God’s love which leads them to say “God loves me no matter what I do”. A natural conclusion to this misconception is a confusion of love and law. That is, since God loves me no matter what I do, it doesn’t matter what I do. Let’s look closer at what Nephi is shown in connection to his well known statement.

At the beginning of his vision, the Spirit asks Nephi what he wants. Nephi states that he wants to know the meaning of the tree. He is then shown Mary and the Christ child. He is then introduced to the idea of the condescension of God. That is that God Himself will come down. He is shown Jesus Christ among the people, teaching and healing. He is shown the Savior being taken by the people, judged of the world, and crucified for the sins of all mankind. He is then shown the Apostles of Christ being persecuted, driven and slain. He sees the formation of a great church founded by the devil. He sees the apostasy of Christianity and the dark ages. He sees the founding of America, the Revolutionary War, and the Restoration of Christ’s true church through a prophet raised up (Joseph Smith). He sees the subsequent gathering of Israel in the last days in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ in His glory. He sees that there are two churches only and in the last days people must choose which to belong to.

Nephi understands that the Tree of Life is the love of God. He understands that the purest form of God’s love is His perfect Son who came down to save us from our sins, not in our sins. He understood that God’s love gives us commandments to keep if we want to gain access to the saving power of Jesus Christ found in the ordinances of His kingdom on Earth, His church. Ours is the choice between the Tree of Life and the spacious building of the world, and it matters very much which we choose.

So you want to be a doctrinal scholar?

I think a favorite idea of some members of the church is being a doctrinal scholar. I see the appeal. If this church is the Lord’s true church (and it is), and if it’s doctrines are important, even essential to know (also yes), then why not try to be really good at knowing them? Wouldn’t being a doctrinal scholar be a blessing to your life? Wouldn’t being a doctrinal scholar bless the church? I think so. In fact, I wish more people wanted to be doctrinal scholars. But I have three suggestions.

1. Know the scriptures first.
Anybody who wants to know and understand doctrine, need to know and understand them from their revelatory source. The scriptures are the standard, that’s why we call them the standard works. Any spiritual scholarship that doesn’t first begin with a balanced understanding of what the scriptures contain is in danger of being harmless Sunday school false doctrine at best, and full blown apostasy at worst. Either way it’s doomed to be inaccurate scholarship. Also, there is a priority within the standard works themselves. Ensure restoration scripture is understood first (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price), and then view other scripture through the lens  of the restoration.

2. Know what the prophets are saying today.
There is this idea that all the really good stuff ever taught by prophets was back in the day. That today the Brethren are too careful and only give us a sanitized version of doctrine. For those who believe this, one scripture will suffice.

“For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.” (D&C 98:12)

In other words, what we know today is more than what we knew earlier in our history. The Lord gives us more as we go along. Some will feel an exception to this is Joseph Smith. The dispensation head is the one through whom the Lord establishes the doctrinal foundation for that dispensation (see D&C 5:10). This is an excellent point, and very important to understand. All prophets since Joseph Smith have echoed, and expounded on the doctrinal foundation the Lord laid through him. However this dispensation head exception still doesn’t mean every revelation was fully understood at the time it was given. One example of this is the understanding of the office of the Seventy, which has only in my lifetime started to fulfill its scriptural duty. It’s important, therefore, when we study the past prophets of this dispensation, to interpret their words through what the living prophets are teaching today.

3. Study with faithful scholars.
Now we get into other studies. I understand the desire to study the histories, the geographies, and the cultural backgrounds of the scriptural teaching. This adds insight and life to these sacred records. Much of this is found outside of the scriptures.

The reality is when you are studying imperfect humans, there will be mistakes discovered in men and women of God. Enemies of truth want to use these mistakes as a way to challenge faith. I am confident, however, that when the scriptures are a foundation and prophets are sustained, faithful saints will deal with these problems honestly and within the household of faith. There are plenty of faithful scholars who write on these issues and leave plenty of room for belief.

So remember the scriptures and the current prophets in proper priority, and have a good time figuring out the breadth and depth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Standing as a Witness

Sam, the brother of Nephi, is my hero. He was a faithful disciple, who the Lord had tremendous confidence in, but who got very little recognition. Nephi is also my hero, but whose hero list isn’t he on? This post is on witnesses, and especially the ones the Lord needs the most.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are familiar with the account of Abinadi in the Book of Mormon. He was a witness, called to preach repentance to a drifting society. He would be asked to seal his witness with his blood as he was put to death by a corrupt priesthood. He is an example of what I will call a Type I witness, the Martyr. The Savior is this type of witness, as was Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Peter, and Paul. Type I witnesses are rare, and generally are found at the beginning of a dispensation.

As we follow Abinadi’s story, we discover there was one who listened named Alma. Alma also displays a willingness to give his life as he pleads for Abinadi, but his witness will not require his blood. The Lord needs Alma to gather a people, and teach them the words of the Type I witness. Alma is an example of a Type II witness, the Leader. This type of witness often follows the first type, and picks up the mantle of leadership to gather a people unto the Lord. Joshua, Jacob, and Brigham Young serves as examples of this type. Even in our day we are led by this type of witness in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. This type of witness is more numerous then the first, but still generally small in numbers.

Finally in our story we come to the people who followed Alma as he followed Abinadi. These people covenant to stand as witnesses at all times “even until death.” Please note that their’s was “until” not “unto” death. Their witness is to be sealed by their lives, not their deaths. This type of witness covenants to mourn with and comfort those who suffer, to bear the burdens of others, and to administer to every need. This Type III witness is the faithful, rank and file of the kingdom. The Lord calls these the saints.

Which type of witness does the Lord need more of in terms of numbers? Obviously if all were Type I’s there would be no kingdom to build for all would’ve given their lives for it. All can’t belong to the Quorum of the Twelve because the Lord only needs twelve of them. The majority of the work of the kingdom is done by Type III witnesses. And the Lord needs us to be covenant keepers for life. Sometimes I fantasize about dying as a martyr, you know, going out in glory to be remembered forever. But then I think of my heroes, and how the Lord needs more Sams than He needs Nephis. My job is to put my shoulder to the wheel, to lift where I stand, and to sustain the work of the kingdom in my own personal ministery. There will be little recognition for this, except from those who really count, my family, my fellow laborers in my part of the vineyard, and my Lord.