The Love of God the Father

We learn that scripture, even though it can be written about what happened to someone else, still applies to our lives and God’s blessings described therein can be our blessings also.  I’ve just read the inspired account of Moses’ vision of God and encounter with Satan, as recorded in a modern volume of scripture known as The Pearl of Great Price: Book of Moses.

What Moses learned in his vision about God, his relationship with Him, and the blessings and strength in that relationship as a child of God, can also be applied to myself. The first part of this revelation that affects my relationship with God are the words endless, without end, and never cease. This beginning part of the revelation teaches me about the steadfastnesss of God and reminds me of the promise that our Heavenly Father is always there. God’s love, support, and power are never ceasing.

After the vision described in Moses  …..(see below Moses 1:10)  and Moses is fallen to the earth and finally regains his strength like unto a man he realizes that man is nothing, which is something he hadn’t before realized. This statement reminds me of the scripture that says you cannot serve God and mammon. It helps me to remember that we are here because of our Heavenly Father and that without Him and his gospel we are nothing.

 And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.

 

God is Our Literal Father

I like this because it is humbling and reminds me that we need to respect, love and honor our Heavenly Father above all others. My favorite part about Moses and what he learned is when he is approached by Satan. Moses’s simple answer to Satan when asked who art thou is “I am a son of God.” I love this simple and powerful statement. This reminds me about God our Heavenly Father that He is like our earthly father. He is here to guide us, give us comfort,give us reproach, to listen and love.

This strengthens my relationship with my Heavenly Father because I know He is like my own father. His hand is continually reaching out to support me, but it is my job to have faith and put my hand in his to receive his guidance. I love that Moses learns that his Heavenly Father does not abandon him. When Satan is in his presence and he feels such despair he calls upon the strength of the Holy Ghost and his Heavenly Father. It is a powerful example to me. Moses was literally face to face with Satan. I only face temptation and sometimes my faith can waiver. To surely know that God, your Heavenly Father is always there is a great faith builder to me.

God’s Irrefutable Love

The last excerpt that left an impression on me is when Heavenly Father tells Moses that his work and his glory is to “bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.” If this doesn’t tell us of  about God’s irrefutable love for his children then I don’t know what does. Our Heavenly Father’s goal is to help us make it back to Him and knowing that He is there to help me accomplish this is a great blessing in my life.

Mormon Beliefs: Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost Are Three Separate Beings

I’m so glad you asked; I remember wondering about the Godhead before I became a Mormon (member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I scratched my head every time we recited the Athanasian creed, trying earnestly to get my mind around the notion of a three-personed God of one version of  the Holy Trinity. Try as I might, I just couldn’t assimilate it. And yet I had to know. I finally determined to ask God. In the middle of a hotel room in London, I dropped everything, knelt in prayer and asked Him to please dispel my confusion about the Godhead, specifically about the Holy Trinity–how three Gods could possibly be one essence and in any way personal. As I prayed, it was as if the lights turned on immediately. I received a message, through the Spirit, like this: “It’s simple: “I’m your Father, Jesus is my Son, and the Holy Ghost bears record of both of us.” I got up from that prayer as if with a new pair of glasses. I knew for myself that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost were separate Beings. This unity is spiritual rather than physical. I now had dissolved, by revelation, the traditional notion of the Holy Trinity as I’d been taught it in the faith of my upbringing.  A unity of purpose and will makes sense among the members of the Godhead. Later, I learned that not only this concept, but all other pure and perfect truths about my relationship to God and Jesus Christ, are actually taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (errantly called by the media, The Mormon Church).

Is There a God?

I don’t know if you’re wondering if there is even a God. If so, I’ve been there. There was a time in my life when I didn’t know if God lived. I felt alone and unsure of my purpose. At one particular point in my life, I began to despair that I would never know my purpose or the answers to the questions of my heart. Without those answers, the desire to live waned. The world looked cold and senseless. Maybe it does to you, too. I wondered how I could carry on from day to day without knowing why I was even on the earth.

Lacking some key to the universe, I sat despondently on the edge of my studio bed, staring at a bottle of pills. At that time, though, I was caught by surprise-by a gently but profound strain of impressions from a loving Father through what I now recognize as His Spirit. I was told, through those welcome whisperings, that “every moment of love and discovery in my life had not been wasted” and I must have the courage to live on. I was also told, in fact, spiritually guaranteed, that I would find the purpose of life. I accepted with confidence those impressions though I didn’t quite comprehend their appearance on the screen of my soul.

I spent the next months contemplating my life. On one remarkable occasion, as I was jogging around the neighborhood under the exquisite light of a full moon, I received what I can only describe as an injection of truth-a stunning, indelible witness that God lived I recall sitting down on the curb, sobbing, tears of joy. I was changed instantly. I felt loved, and I felt an overwhelming inclination to love like never before I knew there was a God which I hadn’t known for myself just moments before. I knew, at last, I had a purpose. It was incredibly sweet.I know you can know that God lives for yourself as well.

I longed to know more about God, his plan for me and my duty and responsibility towards Him and others. For the rest of the story, please view this video clip.

Related Scriptures

Acts 17: 29: This scripture affirms that we are children of God the Father. D&C 130: 3 The Lord Himself testifies of the separateness of members of the Godhead, and dispels the notion that they will only dwell in our hearts.

John 14:23 The Father and the Son will personally appear to those who have proven faithful and through every hazard and mortal trial.

Moses 1:3-6, 39 God’s purpose is to bring about our happiness and eternal life.

Matthew 3:13-17 At Jesus’ baptism, each member of the Godhead is represented separately and distinctly.

John 14:6-10 We come to know the Father as we obey His Son, Jesus Christ. They are separate Beings.

Acts 7:55-56 Stephen sees Jesus Christ at the right hand of God the Father.

2 Nephi 31:18 This scripture specifies the role of the Holy Ghost, and distinguishes His role from that of the Father and the Son.

D&C 76:20-24 Joseph Smith sees the Savior at the right hand of the Father, and bears record of them.

Additional Resources

For official websites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visit www.mormon.org and www.lds.org.

“What Do Latter-day Saints Believe about the Godhead?” LDS FAQ Web Site, BYU Studies

Articles:

• The Holy Trinity:“Rejoice in Our Knowledge of the Godhead”

Liahona, Feb. 2005, 25; or Ensign, Feb. 2005, 65 What do we know about the nature of the Godhead? How can our knowledge of the Godhead draw us closer to Them?

• The Holy Trinity: “The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”

Gordon B. Hinckley, Liahona, Mar. 1998, 2-9; or Ensign, Mar. 1998, 2-7 It is that perfect unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost that binds these three into the oneness of the divine Godhead.

• Mormon Beliefs About Truth: “Apostasy and Restoration”

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1995, 84-87 In common with the rest of Christianity, we believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, we testify that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings.

Jesus Christ will return to Earth.

“Four matters are indisputable to Latter-day Saints: (1) The Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory to reign personally during a millennium of righteousness and peace. (2) At the time of His coming there will be a destruction of the wicked and a resurrection of the righteous. (3) No one knows the time of His coming, but (4) the faithful are taught to study the signs of it and to be prepared for it. (See Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” Liahona, May 2004, 7–10)

Let’s look first at the first and second principles Elder Oaks mentioned. Mormons believe in the Second Coming. We can over cover what will happen briefly in this article. For a more detailed explanation, read the chapter on this subject in a book called Gospel Principles, chapter 44.

Mormon beliefs outline four things that will happen when Jesus returns:

1.     The earth will be cleansed. The wicked will be destroyed, wicked things will be burned, and the earth itself will be cleansed.

2.     The people will be judged. Matthew 25 in the New Testament outlines what will happen at this stage of the Second Coming, as the righteous are separated from those who did not make wise choices or care for those in need.

3.     The Millennium will be ushered in. This is a one thousand year period when Jesus will reign on earth over people who lived good lives. Not all will be members of God’s church—they will simply be those who have lived moral lives. Missionary work will continue. During this time, Satan will have no power.

4.     The first resurrection will be completed.

5.     Jesus Christ will take his place as the King of Heaven and Earth. The church will become part of his government. He will rule here for one thousand years.

Elder Oaks reminds us we don’t know when that day will be. Matthew 25:13 says: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Mark 13 says:

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Mormons are watchful, but they believe that they should always be prepared when the time comes, so knowing the exact date is not particularly important to them. They live each day to its fullest. Willford Woodruff, a former Mormon prophet, said that he lived as if it could be tomorrow, but he was still planting cherry trees.

Mormons believe that those who are prepared have no need to fear the Second Coming. They also don’t need to do anything special to prepare because they should be living the principles of the gospel every day of their lives, not just when they think it is time. Mormons believe they should live those principles out of love for the Savior, not out of fear. So, they keep the commandments and work every day on increasing their love for Jesus Christ. When the Second Coming happens, they will be ready without any special need to wait, worry, or change their lives.

However, they are taught the signs of the Second Coming and are taught to be watchful. This does not mean quitting jobs or selling what they own. It simply means they should be alert to the things happening around them—watching, but continuing to plant cherry trees. In other words, they prepare for the long-term future even as they see the signs occurring.

Following are some of the signs of the Second Coming: See Gospel Principles, Lesson 43, for details on these signs.

1.     Wickedness, war, and turmoil: While these have been a part of nearly every time period, Daniel says it will be worse than anything the world has ever experienced.

2.     Restoration of the Gospel: Some signs of the Second Coming are happy ones. Revelations, chapter 14, tells of an angel restoring the gospel.

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

3.      The gospel will be preached to all the world. This was prophesied in Matthew 24:14.

4.      Elijah will come. This promise comes from Malachi 4:5-6. He said that in the last days Elijah would come to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. This is a reference to work done in Mormon temples and helps to explain the world-wide interest in genealogy that has arisen in recent times.

There are many other signs of the last days, and they can be fascinating to study and to watch for. They are God’s way of calling people to repentance. However, Mormons focus more on daily preparation than on watching signs.

Jesus told a parable of ten virgins invited to a wedding. When the bridegroom didn’t come as soon as expected, some people were not prepared to wait a little longer. Half of them had to rush out for more oil and ended up missing the wedding. Once the wedding began, they were not allowed in. It was too late.

Preparation is always the key to proper Christian living. Mormons are taught to repent of their sins, build strong families, study the gospel, pray regularly, read the Bible and Book of Mormon, and to generally live good lives. They are taught not to delay doing these things. They are advised to put together a temporal supply of food and supplies for the difficulties of the times ahead—a teaching proven wise by catastrophic events in Japan and other places. Spiritual preparation, however, is even more important.

What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?

If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them. (See Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” Liahona, May 2004, 7–10)

The atonement of Jesus Christ is central to Mormonism.

To understand Mormonism, you must focus on core doctrines, those things which are canonized as official doctrine and taught consistently. While church practices sometimes change, truth does not.

There are a few guidelines that can help you evaluate whether or not a teaching is a core doctrine—or even a true doctrine of Mormonism.

First, it is important to understand that every word spoken by a prophet is not necessarily doctrine, particularly in the earliest days of the church. In the beginnings, the church was run much more informally. People talked among themselves and sometimes others took notes and published those conversations or informal speculations of church leaders.

The Journal of Discourses is the usual source for speculations by people of other religions. Journal of Discourses is not an official church publication and is not used as a source of official doctrine. It was compiled by people who took notes of speeches, prayers, sermons, and other events in shorthand and then transcribed them. However, not all the transcriptions were accurate. None were evaluated by or approved by church leaders as being official pronouncements of doctrine. It was privately published in England to provide income for the owner of the journals, although Brigham Young approved the project as a way for European Mormons to find out what was going on in Utah. It was basically the equivalent of a newspaper. Today, the Mormons own Deseret News, but articles that appear in the newspaper are not considered official doctrine, and neither are articles in the Journal of Discourses. With the availability of modern technology, many errors have been officially documented.

Because the church was small, even in General Conference, today a very formal event, people were free to ask questions. Because Mormonism focuses on continuing revelation and learning “line upon line” much of the doctrine was not yet known. Therefore, leaders sometimes speculated about possible answers. These speculations did not become doctrine unless Brigham Young or other prophets prayed and received confirmation of the truthfulness of the doctrine. Otherwise, it was just personal opinion and even a prophet is allowed to have an opinion.

So how does one know if something is an official doctrine? Both official Mormon websites, Mormon.org (intended for people who are not LDS) and LDS.org (aimed more toward Mormons but open to anyone) contain official statements of doctrine. Look for official announcements there.

It is important to remember that not all doctrine is given equal weight or importance in Mormonism. It is also important to remember that in a church that does not refuse to allow God to continue to speak and to lead, doctrine is given in increasing steps, what Mormons call learning line upon line. This means Mormons have, over the years, been given doctrine suitable just for one time period or doctrine that might be considered beginner doctrine. As the church membership grew and people became more informed about the gospel, God gradually added to their knowledge. An easy way to understand how this works is to read the lesson manuals written for children. Although the same subject might be covered in each age group, older children are given more complex information because they are ready for it. Mormons are taught by God in increasingly sophisticated stages.

Joseph Smith outlined thirteen Articles of Faith that explained the core beliefs of Mormonism at that time. These are still taught and even memorized by children. Reading them can help earnest students of Mormonism, those determined to learn only what is true about Mormons, to recognize core doctrine. The first Article of Faith is the very core of Mormonism:

“We believe in God the eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

This creates a foundation on which all other doctrines are based. The first Article of Faith makes possible the fourth, which succinctly summarizes the core of Mormonism:

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Faith in Jesus Christ is critical to the mission and doctrine of Mormon beliefs. Repentance, the second portion of this article of faith, refers to Mormon belief in the atonement of Jesus Christ and the importance of both grace and repentance in the process of living a Christian lifestyle. Baptism, performed after the manner in which Jesus was baptized, allows people to be forgiven of their sins and is a result of grace, which came to us through the atonement. The Holy Ghost was a gift Jesus Himself promised to send to His followers once He was gone.

Another principle of Mormonism is that of continuing revelation. Nowhere does the Bible state that once Jesus died, God would no longer be willing to communicate with His children or to send them prophets. While the apostles lived, they received revelation and guidance from God and functioned as apostles, seers, and revelators. Once they died, God did withdraw for a time, an event known as an apostasy. It is not that God is not willing to have prophets on the earth at any given time, but mortals are not always willing to accept and honor prophets. When this happens, they are the ones who remove the gift of prophecy from the earth. This happened frequently throughout the Bible and happened for the longest period of time after the apostles died.

However, the Bible assures us that God will do nothing except through his prophets. (See Amos 3:7.) This means that in order to prepare us for the return of Jesus Christ, another core doctrine of Mormonism, God must restore prophets to the earth. He did this when He chose Joseph Smith as His first prophet in the last days. Today, the Church is led by Thomas S. Monson, the Mormon prophet.

There is no question as to the need for a prophet in today’s world. A short drive around most towns will show a large number of churches, all with conflicting doctrine. Clearly, original doctrine has been corrupted over time—this process started even during the New Testament times, leaving the apostles to regularly fight to overcome misunderstandings in doctrine. Without a prophet, no man can do any more than just guess at what God wants of us today or of what specific doctrines mean. Modern-day revelation is key to giving people a fair chance to prepare for the Second Coming.

Another core doctrine of Mormonism is family life. Mormon beliefs include strong teachings on the sacredness of the family unit. Families were planned by God to help Him further His work on earth and are one reason we came to earth. Mormons teach that God’s plan for families today are that families consist of one mother and one father and are meant to last forever. Mormons can be married in a Mormon temple and have their marriages “sealed” for time and all eternity. This means they do not get a divorce at death, but continue the marriage forever if they live worthy of God’s greatest blessings. In addition, parents and children are joined together forever, something most people instinctively understand, even if they say they don’t believe it. Listening to comments at a funeral often reveal a deep belief in eternal families. (“Mom and Dad are together again.”)

Central to Mormon doctrine is the Plan of Salvation. It is the story of our eternal life and unifies the most important teachings of the Mormons.

Our stories began when God created our spirits. We lived with Him as spirits for a very long time, learning truth, learning to love God, and deciding what kind of person we wanted to be. Eventually, as is the case with children living at home, we could progress no further without leaving home and going out “into the world, one God and Jesus would prepare for us. He explained that when we went there we would lose our memory of our time with Him because this journey was about faith. However, we would gain bodies and families and the Spirit of Christ would go with us to help us recognize truth if we wanted to find it.

During our time here we would face trials—different trials for each person—and we could choose our responses to them. Agency was, in fact, key to the experience. Our choices would, as Mormon prophet Thomas Monson likes to say, determine our destiny. However, we could not choose the consequences of those actions.

God knew we would all sin, and He wanted to make it possible for us to return to Him even when we did sin. He loves us and wants us all to make it back home. For this reason, He promised to send a Savior who would live on earth for a time, teach the gospel, and take our sins on Himself, saving us through grace. This grace would allow us to rise from the dead, repent, and make it back to God if we kept the commandments. Grace cannot be bought—we do not have, in ourselves, the power to bring about resurrection or forgiveness. However, the Bible is very clear that only those who keep the commandments and who repent of sins will be allowed to return to God.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The Bible warns us that faith without works is dead. If you say you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are saying only words unless obedience follows the words.

Some were unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, preferring Satan’s unscriptural promise to save people without any risk of any kind. That meant we would also have no agency. We would simply be puppets of Satan and this would render life meaningless. One-third of the spirits chose to follow Satan and were denied the chance to come to earth. All those who were willing to make a commitment to Jesus were allowed to be born.

Life here on earth is not easy, but it is designed to allow us to have opportunities for growth. It allows us to seek out and find truth if at all possible.

But of course, it is not possible for everyone. Some people live their entire lives never having heard of Jesus Christ—some because they lived before He was born and some because the gospel simply never reached them. Over the centuries, theologians have debated what happens to those people. Would God unfairly punish them for something out of their control?

No, of course not. God is loving and fair and He sent us here. This means He will give everyone a fair chance to accept or reject His gospel. Those who die without being given that opportunity will receive it after their death—not a second chance, but a first chance, the only way a loving God would choose to do it. They can, just as we can, accept or reject Jesus Christ’s teachings and accept the blessings and consequences of their choice.

The Plan of Salvation is a kind, loving, and brilliant plan by our Heavenly Father, designed to give us an opportunity to become everything He intended us to become.

As you continue to study official church websites, take note of what Mormons are being currently taught in their classes. The lesson manuals are all openly online. Those teachings are the core. Mormons are impacted only by core doctrines—those taught by current prophets that affect our eternal salvation.

There are many reasons a person might do this. While most people who leave a religion—any religion—simply join a new one or abandon organized religion and go about their new lives quietly, a few feel a need to attack and to demonstrate hatred for the life they left behind. Some who do this had a disagreement with another member or with a leader. Some objected to counsel given to them by a leader. These people find themselves unable or unwilling to forgive or to resolve the matter in an amicable and Christ-like manner and as a result, organize their new life around a pattern of revenge. Some are unhappy at the church’s unwillingness to let fads and fashion dictate truth, and are resentful that the Church has chosen not to make their favorite sins acceptable. Others feel uncertain about their decision and feel the only way to justify their choice is to “prove” the church is untrue. They feel if they can find or invent enough negatives and convince others to agree with them, it will help to justify their actions, even though the only people they need to convince are themselves and God.

Frequently their behavior demonstrates itself in repeating very old and usually disproven arguments to those who have not taken the time to research them, in hopes of bringing other religious people into their fold. They sometimes hold the Book of Mormon to a different standard than they hold the Bible. For instance, they write long papers on the lack of scientific evidence for horses in the Americas in ancient times, while ignoring the  lack of scientific evidence for lions in the Biblical lands. These arguments frequently confuse faith and science. Generally, the arguments developed, with minor tweaks, back in the early days of the church and regenerate each generation.

The majority of religious people are not especially interested in attacking Mormons and so these numbers, while working hard to maintain a loud presence, really make up a very small segment of the religious population or even the former Mormon population.

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a prophet named Lehi and his son Nephi, who also became a prophet. Lehi saw a vision that was later shown to Nephi, who recorded it in the early chapters of the book. In this vision, there was a beautiful tree. Lehi understood the tree’s fruit was highly desirable and eating it will bring great joy. He invited his family to eat the fruit, and the righteous family members did, but the unrighteous chose not to partake.

There is a river running toward the tree, and a straight and narrow path beside it. Along the path is an iron rod. As multitudes of people strove to reach the tree, a mist of darkness arose, making it difficult for people to see how to reach the tree. However, those who held onto the rod—which represents God’s word—reached the tree safely. Those who did not were lost.

Some ignored the rod or got tired of holding on and let go; these fell away and were lost. Others held onto the rod and reached the tree. They tasted it, but were unable somehow to experience the joy others felt upon tasting it. This is because they looked around to see how others were reacting to all this. Those people noted a large and spacious building nearby, filled with people in expensive, elegant clothing. The people in the building were laughing, mocking, and harassing those who ate the fruit. Of course, some were secure enough to trust their own judgment and wisdom and they ignored the mockers, enjoying the full benefits of the fruit, which represented God’s love. Others, though, could not tune out the mockers. These people were embarrassed at being laughed at, and listened to the words of the mockers. They wandered off the path and went back to their former lives or chose new ones, forgetting or ignoring the goal they had once worked to achieve. However, some simply could not just move on. They went to the building and joined the mockers in a life filled with the emptiness of contention and anger.

This is, in many ways, representative of the exmormon world. Mormons feel sorrow for those who leave. They are Mormons because they believe it is the straight and narrow road to Christ. Those who leave are not usually overwhelmingly obsessed with what they left behind, although they often have a sense of what they have lost if they have maintained contact with the Spirit. Most Christians are too busy living lives of Christian service and sharing their own beliefs to worry too much about the teachings of others. Those who abandoned religion completely generally just move on to a secular life.

It is those who hang out in the great and spacious building and devote their lives to mocking and attacking who generally receive the title of exmormon. Rather than focusing on the love and service Christ taught us to live by, they remain trapped in a world of anger and contention. Paul warned:

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. (See Titus 3)

The Church hopes former members will allow healing to enter into their hearts and longs for their return.

In 1985, at Christmas time, the leaders of the church prepared a special invitation to those who had left the Church. It read in part:

We are aware of some who are inactive, of others who have become critical and are prone to find fault, and of those who have been disfellowshipped or excommunicated because of serious transgressions.

To all such we reach out in love. We are anxious to forgive in the spirit of Him who said: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” (D&C 64:10.)

We encourage Church members to forgive those who may have wronged them. To those who have ceased activity and to those who have become critical, we say, “Come back. Come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the Saints.”

We are confident that many have longed to return, but have felt awkward about doing so. We assure you that you will find open arms to receive you and willing hands to assist you. (See News of the Church,” Ensign, Mar 1986, 82–88.)

Many evangelicals teach that a person gets to heaven by being “saved.” This involves the act of accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. At the same time, they teach that acts cannot get you into Heaven. The Mormons also believe that a person must accept Jesus Christ as His Savior in order to return to God’s presence after death. Both groups agree that at least one act is required of all of us in order to be with God.

The confusion over the number of acts required to be saved comes from the differences in terminology used by Mormons. Mormons believe everyone is saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ, even if they never accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. However, grace and eternal life, to a Mormon, are not the same thing. To understand this complex issue, let’s look at several essential points.

What is grace?

The Bible Dictionary, found in LDS editions of the King James Bible, defines grace for us:

It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.  (see Bible Dictionary.)

In other words, grace allows us to rise from the dead, receive our bodies back from the grave in a perfected form, and life forever. This is possible only because Jesus Christ voluntarily gave up His life for us after taking on the sins of the world. No fully  human being was capable of doing this for Himself. Had Christ not made this sacrifice for us, life would end with death because none of us could live a perfect life or satisfy the demands of justice fully. Only Jesus, with a mortal mother and a Heavenly Father could live perfectly and choose to die for us.

Each person then, is resurrected and given a place to spend eternity. However, living forever isn’t the total sum of our goals for eternity if we love God. We who love Him want to live with Him in His home forever. This requires a bit more. Again, it is grace that makes this additional gift possible. Without grace, we could not repent of the sins we commit here on earth.

Why does repentance matter?

For this, we need to search the Bible, where we find the following scriptures:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21, KJV of the Bible)

The Book of James, who is believed to be the brother of Jesus, took this thought even further, and answers the question without any room for doubt:

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2, King James Version of the Bible)

James points out that believing in God is good, but even Satan believes in God. No, more is required that just to believe. He explains, using Abraham and Rahab as examples, that they obeyed the commandments because they had faith, and that faith was made perfect when they chose to not just believe, but to do what God taught them to do. It was the combination of faith and works that made them perfect in the eyes of God. Note especially the inclusion of Rahab. Rahab is a woman who was a harlot, so not a prophet or other person we might normally think to hold up as an example. If we looked only at that one aspect of her life, we’d see her as a lost soul, but God sees her as more and notes that she made courageous choices that helped to progress the work of God. She was, in fact, listed as an ancestor of Jesus Christ. This does not give her the right to sin as she chooses, but it demonstrates that the good works she did mattered and counted in the long run.

We see then, that faith and works must work together as a unified total in order for either of them to “get us into Heaven.”

Can Mormons (or anyone else) work their way into Heaven?

No. An evil person who did good works could not get himself into Heaven. A person who did good works every single day would not be admitted to God’s presence unless he had also accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior and unless His good works were an outward manifestation of the private faith in his heart.

A person who truly loves God will want to do His will. The greater our faith, the easier it becomes to make good choices. A person who says he has faith, who publicly proclaims that he has accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior, but who happily goes about his life robbing banks or hurting others, and who does not bother to repent is not going to be admitted into Heaven, as Jesus made clear, because his faith is not real and because no unclean thing can enter into God’s presence. Faith without works is a dead faith, but so is works without faith dead works. No one will live a perfect life, but we have a responsibility to repent when we do wrong, and to continually strive to keep the commandments.

The Book of Mormon teaches:

23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. …

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.  (2 Nephi 25)

It is only through Jesus Christ that people can be saved. If we want to live with God, rather than to merely live forever away from His presence, we must have faith, and we must also keep the commandments, as Jesus Christ instructed us to do.

Some who ask this question are interested in a sincere journey to find out whether or not there is a God. Others ask as a challenge, hoping to prove the faithful wrong. First we’ll deal with the concerns of the sincere seeker of truth. Then we’ll focus on the concerns of the challengers.

One reason God sent us here to live on earth was to gain faith. Mormon beliefs teach that we lived with God, as spirits,

before we were born. Because He was with us then, we didn’t need faith. The apostle Paul, who served as Jesus’ apostle during the Savior’s lifetime, taught, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, King James version of the Holy Bible)

Once we came to earth-something we voluntarily agreed to do-a symbolic veil was drawn over our memories, causing us to forget the previous life we’d led. This way, we’d be forced to seek out truth and learn to have faith. It’s easy to believe in something you can see, touch, and prove. Faith is a higher level of knowledge in many ways, harder to achieve and requiring greater personal character and strength. Because we must learn to have faith, it is very unlikely God will make it possible for every person to have proof-the world’s version of proof– of God’s existence.

A Book of Mormon prophet named Alma delivered one of history’s greatest sermons on faith. In it, he said:

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. (Alma 32:27)

This scripture gives hope to a person who wishes he were able to believe in God. At the beginning level, faith requires no more than a desire to believe. From there, Alma outlines a personal experiment each person can take to find out if there is a God, if Jesus is the Christ, if the gospel is true, and if living the way the scriptures teach is the right thing to do.

With this desire as a starting place, Alma asked his listeners to imagine faith as a seed, a comparison that is also made in the Bible.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Religious people often describe feelings of faith or the presence of the Holy Ghost in similar terms-a swelling or a warm feeling in the heart. It is often similar to the feelings one has when experiencing strong love for a child or another person you care deeply for. However it feels to that individual person, it is a good and wonderful feeling, and the person experiencing it longs for it to continue.

Alma tells his listeners that receiving this first confirmation will increase the faith of the seeker, not to a level of perfect faith, but to a level that allows you to continue your experiment, gradually increasing your faith.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

Alma demonstrates that by continuing to nourish the seed, your faith will become perfect in the one area in which you were seeking truth. You can then move on to another step. For instance, after knowing there is a God, you will want to know if Jesus Christ was His Son. You will want to gain a testimony of the Bible and then you’ll want to know which church is God’s church, because you’ll quickly realize each religion contradicts the other. God isn’t a God of confusion, and truth is absolute, so you will use the tools you gained in developing a testimony of these other things to find His church.

Learning whether there is a God is much like learning other things. You must first study it out in your mind. Read the Bible and the Book of Mormon to find out who God is and what His relationship with His children has been. Learn what He wants of you. As you are studying, pray to God, even if you’re not sure anyone is listening. If you approach prayer with a hope that God is there, He will begin to make you aware of His presence. Once you know He is there, begin to develop a personal relationship with Him by continuing to study, to pray, to live His commandments, and to attend His church.

This is not enough for some people. Some, generally those who are not seeking truth, but are trying to discredit religious people, will argue for something more than a personal experiment. Boyd K. Packer is an apostle of the Lord in the modern church. Long before he received this call, he met an atheist on an airplane. Elder Packer bore testimony of God’s existence, but the man was not convinced. The atheist, a lawyer, demanded to know how Elder Packer knew there was a God. Elder Packer explained how he answered the man:

Such an idea came into my mind and I said to the atheist, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”

“Of course I do,” was his reply.

“When did you taste salt last?”

“I just had dinner on the plane.”

“You just think you know what salt tastes like,” I said.

He insisted, “I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.”

“If I gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?”

“Now you are getting juvenile,” was his reply. “Of course I could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience-I know it as well as I know anything.”

“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”

After some thought, he ventured, “Well-I-uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.”

“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.”

After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan 1983, 51

From this object lesson, we easily see there are many things that are true that we cannot describe. In addition, there are many things that are true that we cannot prove in a laboratory. For instance, have you ever loved someone? Did you insist on a lab test to prove to you that you were experiencing this love before you spoke of it-testified of it-to the object of your love? Of course not, and yet, although you never took time to prove your feelings, you believed in them entirely, even knew they were true. In the same way, you know when you’re happy or sad, when you’re hungry, or when you’re tired. You don’t have to rush to a lab to decided any of these things.  You simply know them to be true.

In the same way, those who know there is a God don’t need a laboratory to tell them so. They know.

There is indeed a God, and choosing not to believe in Him won’t make Him not real. Whether or not we choose to believe in God, He is real and the guidelines He created for us and that we agreed to live by are real and we will be held accountable for them. We will also receive the blessings that come from honoring His truths. God loves us-even those who don’t believe in Him-and He is only waiting for each of His children to make the personal journey to know Him.

Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Savior’s re-established Church in our day) believe that God is all-powerful and has every capacity to intervene in our lives. He gives us, and accounts for, however, the agency of man, a gift which is above price. As a result, while He can and does intervene consistently in our lives under many circumstances, He sometimes allows us to undergo the results of our own choices, others’ choices, or natural occurrences. He feels with us as we struggle and promises to work all of experiences for our ultimate good. The Savior Himself has personally endured each of our pain, illnesses, and suffering and knows how to succor us in those infirmities. His perfect plan for our growth includes learning from opposition–sickness, well-being; right and wrong; light and darkness. It is through grappling with the vicissitudes of life, relying on the atonement of Jesus Christ, that we are able to grow spiritually and reach our divine potential.

Personal Response on Question of Suffering by James Faulconer

Confronted with the problem of suffering, it is as tempting for Mormons to wax philosophical as it is for anyone else. The question makes our otherwise quiet philosophical engines rev, anxious to decide which of the three legs of the traditional problem to knock down, or to find a way to reconcile them with the existence of suffering. Is it that God is not really all powerful—or perhaps that we misunderstand what “all-powerful” means? Is it that he is not all-loving or, that perhaps we do not fully understand his love and what it entails? Is it that he is both all-powerful and all-loving,

but does not know how to stop or at least lessen our pain? The existence of suffering seems to demand that we deny at least one of God’s attributes.

Of course no believer of any stripe, Mormon or otherwise, can do that. We assert that God has whatever power there is, that he loves us with whatever love is possible, and that he knows all that can be known: he is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient. In what would we have faith if it were not in such a being? But there seems to be a fundamental philosophical incompatibility between the assertion of these three attributes and the existence of suffering.

So what is the answer? To stop doing philosophy on this issue. The problem is in the approach: Since philosophy cannot solve the puzzle, we ought not to continue to deal with it philosophically.

Why Suffer: Test of Integrity, Trial of Faith, Agency of Others

Job did not understand his suffering, but his lack of understanding wasn’t an intellectual puzzle. It was a test of his integrity. Faced with the death of his family and his own suffering, he said of God, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). In the Book of Mormon, a second scriptural witness of Jesus Christ, King Benjamin admonishes us, “Believe in God; [. . .] believe that he has all wisdom and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend,” and reminding us of what that implies, he says, “I would that ye should always remember, and retain in remembrance, the greatness of God and your own nothingness, and his goodness” (Mosiah 4:9, 11).

Not all problems are amenable to philosophical solutions. Giving up on philosophy’s ability to solve this problem, however, is a small loss if any at all, for ultimately suffering is not a philosophical problem. With Benjamin and Job we recognize that there are things we cannot explain rationally, philosophical puzzles we cannot answer. But suffering is a real problem rather than a mental puzzle. It is a problem of our lives and the lives of others, a problem that requires our action rather than merely our thought. It needs our faithful, trusting, and thoughtful action, and we must trust in God’s power, knowledge, and love in order to act with confidence.

In the face of suffering—our own or someone else’s—the question is not, “How is this possible?” but “What can I do?” Acting to end or alleviate suffering is the most rational response to it—more rational than any possible philosophical resolution—for such acts imitate the sacrifice of God himself, who suffered to save us from our suffering.

Additional Resources:

Paul Ricoeur, “Evil, A Challenge to Philosophy and Theology,” Figuring the Sacred: Religion, Narrative and Imagination (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995) 249-61.

James E. Faulconer, “Rethinking Theology: The Shadow of the Apocalypse,” FARMS Review 19:1 (2007), 175-99. Available on-line: http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/?table=review&amp%3bid=641

Personal Response by Karen Trifiletti

Mormon Beliefs: Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

Tasting God’s love in our lives includes rather than excludes times and situations of pain and complexity and hurt and grief and indecision and disappointment and depression. While some of us see His hand in some parts of our lives, we may tend to want to bracket the rest, apologizing or losing joy permanently over what seems an anomaly to the plan or an inexplicable disappointment.

Pain is a difficult thing to see and understand, unless we have the bigger picture. If we don’t, this is where many of us bow out of God’s presence and think He has bowed out of ours, where we duck from our testimonies fearful they will let us down.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Not an Exemption from Pain

And, too, it’s easy to expect pain-free lives as followers of Jesus Christ, but as one member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latte-day Saints (Mormon)  stated, “The gospel is not an exemption from pain; it is a resource in the time of pain.” I testify that God’s handwriting is always evident, even if we cannot make out His complete message to us at the time. I testify that He is in the labyrinth of our lives as well as in the straightforward moments, or God would cease to be God.

I remember when my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I’d like to share a portion of that story with you, in the hope that you may feel that God is aware of every second of your deepest sorrow or physical trial.

When I arrived at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, I ached for my mother. She was in great pain before the medical staff got the morphine drip going with a heavy enough dose to keep her comfortable. This was more than reminiscent of her 25-day stay in the hospital twenty years earlier with biliary obstruction and life-threatening surgical complications.

I was tracking Mom’s oxycodone by the hour and seeking to increase it, according to physician instructions–and hospital-protocol fliers posted in every other hallway–for Mom to be close to pain-free. But the lag time between increased doses created a valley of despair for her.

I recall the first night I asked to stay overnight and wasn’t granted permission. I later learned that she had writhed in agony between doses from 10-11:30 p.m. Finally, after a morning confab with the head of the pain management team, we got her meds and pain mostly managed. Morphine ran intravenously on a basal dose, and for extra bouts of pain, Mom was free to push the button for an extra, limited dose or bolus.

I remember several instances where Mom’s groaning was almost more than I could bear. I prayed that she would not have one more second of pain than necessary for her exaltation and purification. And then I asked the Lord straightforwardly, in a sort of spiritual gust: “How much pain is enough? How does thou know that this specific amount or that is precisely the right amount? How dost thou quantify or qualify pain? I trust Thee, but please help me have increased understanding.”

My answer to this more increased understanding of pain came in waves of recollection. The first remembrance came in the form of a familiar story. Whether the version is real or fictional doesn’t really matter. What matters is what the Spirit said to me as I pondered it. It’s the story known as “The Refiner’s Fire.”

Some time ago, a few ladies met to read the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse, ‘And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of sliver.”

One lady’s opinion was that it was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to her friends what he said on the subject.

She went accordingly, and without telling the objective of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. ‘But Sir, she said, ‘Do you sit while the work of refining is going on?’

‘Oh, yes madam,’ replied the silversmith; ‘I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.’

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said that he had one more thing further to mention–that the silversmith only knows when the process of purifying is complete, by seeing his own image reflected in the silver.

As this story re-entered my soul, I knew that every second of Mom’s pain–and, by extension, each of ours–was counted. I just received the answer to one of the two questions I posed, a sure witness that pain is quantified. And while I still didn’t know how, that didn’t seem to matter. The Holy Ghost bore record, that God the Father and the Savior know to the second, what is apportioned and appropriate and sufficient for the refinement we require.

Notice how the second question, “How dost thou qualify pain? Through this same account, the Spirit etched into my soul a knowledge that pain was also qualified by the Refiner. He would see our image when the work was complete. He wouldn’t just know how many seconds to keep us in the heat; He also knew precisely the intended, specific quality of the final product.

God was in control of the quantity and quality of pain in this trial. There was no margin for error. What a clear response to a child’s question in time of adversity. God’s hand had certainly not disappeared nor had it been idle.

The second wave of recall came in the form of a poem I’d read once by an unknown author:

Pain stayed so long I said to him today,
‘I will not have you with me any more.’
I stomped my foot and said, ‘Be on your way,’ and paused there, startled at the look he wore.
‘I, who have been your friend,’ he said to me,
‘I, who have been your teacher–all you know
Of understanding, love, of sympathy,
And patience, I have taught you. Shall I go?
He spoke the truth, this strange unwelcome guest;
I watched him leave, and knew that He was wise.
He left a heart grown tender in my breast.
He left a far, clear vision in my eyes. I dried my tears, and lifted up a song–
Even for one who’d tortured me so long.
(Tragedy or Destiny, Spencer. W. Kimball, Deseret Book: 1996, p. 4.)

I found strength in this affidavit for pain from someone who knew it first-hand.

The third wave struck. It was the following quote that came to me in part, but which I now share in full:

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God (Orson F. Whitney, ibid).

In fact, whenever I asked, whenever I needed the bigger picture reinforced, I received an answer. Just as Mom was receiving an additional dose of morphine as needed, at the press of a button, I, too, received spiritual boluses and intravenous injections of faith p.r.n.

Pruned, Pressed, & Purified

I’ve come to understand a little more of what it means that each of our hearts will need to be pruned, pressed, and purified, much like the olive tree and olive oil that symbolize the process, the Purifier, and the product of a pure heart.

I’ve thought about this connection, between the oil, the press, and our own presses, and share my thought-journey.

The Oil: Liquid Gold

Homer called it “liquid gold.” Athletes used to smear it all over their bodies. It was used to anoint, to cook, as a source of light and therapeutic ointment for centuries. It was infused with flowers and grasses to produce both medicine and cosmetics. This liquid gold is commonly known as olive oil.

I grew up with it, doused on tomatoes and parmegiana, in authentic Italian “gravy” (you call it “sauce!”), combined with vinegar on salads, glittering in the bottom of a bowl waiting to be soaked up by crusty Italian bread. It was the indispensable oil of my Mediterranean forebears, the salutary ingredient in native cuisine and the same base for ordinations of rulers.

I was intrigued with its healthful properties earlier in my life, but am more-so now, having been anointed, initiated, blessed, and healed as this oil has been placed upon my head–consecrated by rightful administrators of the priesthood of God. I have felt its purifying influence and have come to appreciate its significance.

The Olive Press

Olive pressing is an incredible process and immediate metaphor. Before olives are pressed, they are carefully weighed and poured through a mesh screen to separate out their leaves. They must be harvested at just the right moment and taken to the press immediately so they don’t deteriorate.

After they’re washed and rinsed, they are sent to the crusher. I have seen photos of 3500-pound granite wheels used to crush olives. They are mammoth. The olives are laid out in a large steel container as the huge stone wheels relentlessly rumble in continuous circular movement over them, crushing them into paste. They are pressed into paste first, to help release the globules of oil. And then they are churned causing the oil to bead up for extraction. All of this, as you can imagine, is a labor-intensive and ingenious work.

Gethsemane: Garden of the Olive Press

The finest olive oil producers–just as the greatest Harvester of Souls–know the olive, the precise moment of harvest, the time to crush, the way to carry them to the press (they can be damaged even by their own weight), the best method of releasing the purest oil–creating an extra-virgin product.

As we feel the press on our hearts, then, we can know the Lord of the Vineyard is the one extracting godhood from us, and that He, too, went through the press–the combined press each of us will pass through, in a way we can barely begin to grasp.

That makes me reflect on this description of the link between the olive press and the Savior’s atoning sacrifice:

The Savior was, spiritually speaking, trodden upon, trampled, crushed until the very tissues of the heart [cried] out for relief and release and until “mercy [had] compassion on mercy and claimed her own (D&C 88:40), that he may know, according to the flesh, how to succor his people. (The Olive Press: A Symbol of Christ, FARMS, pgs 5, 7).

It borders on inexpressible that the Savior was innocently pressed beyond anything we could ever bear, and that He now is our advocate in our heart-presses, allowing the nectar of our potential to produce in us.

So, the crushed oil is virgin.

The silver refined by the Refiner is perfect when finished.

Pain, too, will work towards our eternal lives. We’re here, now to experience all that comes with a body, to refine our spirits in the turbulence and triumphs of this mortal sphere. And we’re promised it will be worth it, if we endure faithfully.

Personal Response by Roger Keller
The Latter-day Saint (nicknamed Mormon) understanding of the Godhead and the nature of God are rooted in the prophet Joseph Smith’s first vision in which the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph standing side by side.The two members of the Godhead were clearly two separate, distinct personages.These two with the Holy Ghost, also an individual person of spirit, constitute the Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.They are absolutely one in love, will, purpose, and direction.There is no variation among them, and to underline this unity, even though it is not an ontological unity, Latter-day Saints often define the doctrine of the Godhead as “Social Trinitarianism,” thereby underlining the indivisible unity of the three.

In Latter-day Saint (Mormon) thinking, however, there is a subordinationism within the Godhead.The Father clothes the intelligences of the Son and Holy Ghost with spirit form and is therefore superior to them.He gives directions which they carry out in total unity and unanimity with Him.Each of the three is God, but the Father reigns supreme, and as it says in I Cor. 15:24 after subordinating all things to himself, in the end the Son will deliver all things to the Father and then subject himself fully to the Father, in order that the Father may reign over all.

As is clear, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (errantly called by the media The Mormon Church) do not subscribe to the traditional doctrine of the Trinity as defined at Nicaea in 325 C.E.The Latter-day Saint doctrine is not derived from an interpretation of scripture or from neo-Platonic philosophy, but rather from the first vision.It is the Latter-day Saint conviction that the traditional doctrine of the Trinity cannot be found or defended from the Old and New Testaments, but rather that it is an unnecessaryphilosophical addition to biblical doctrine, trying to answer a question that does not need answering.That question is how there can be one God in the Old Testament, and yet three persons who receive divine ascription in the New?The Nicene answer is that there are three simultaneously, co-existent persons–Father, Son, and Holy Ghost–in the Godhead, and to retain the Old Testament one God, they must be of “one essence” or “one nature.”Any competent Protestant or Catholic theologian will, however, say that this is THE mystery of God and is not fully comprehensible.

Latter-day Saints (Mormons) do not see such a problem, because they believe that in the New Testament something new about God is learned.The one who is made known in the Old Testament as God, YHWH or Jehovah, has become incarnate as Jesus, and from him we learn that there is not just one God, but a Godhead composed of three simultaneously, co-existing persons–Father, Son, and Holy Ghost–who are one in all aspects save nature, and who together compose a Social Trinity.

Additional Resources

• “Fruits of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ”

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1991, 15-17 One distinctive principle [of the gospel] is a true concept of the nature of the Godhead.

• “Touchstone of Truth”

John H. Vandenberg, Ensign, May 1974, 11-13 There is no question that Jesus taught the very nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost-three personages of form and substance, individual and distinct.