We cannot understand the power of grace without connecting it with charity. The selfishness of Babylon must give way to the selflessness of Zion in order that Zionlike attributes might be established in a covenant person. The spirit of charitable service cannot be mandated; that spirit is a condition of the heart that motivates a person to care for and lift another. No wonder, then, that Zion is described as having no poverty of any kind.
Zion people can neither tolerate lack nor endure poverty among them. They attack misery wherever they find it. They abolish every form of scarcity, hurt, impairment, injustice, illness, and sorrow. They think of their brethren like unto themselves, and they are familiar with all and free with their substance, that others might be rich like unto themselves.[i] Therefore, they insist on having “all things common among them; therefore there [are] not rich and poor, bond and free, but they [are] all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.” Consequently, there never could be a happier people.[ii]
Zion people “love one another and serve one another.” They “succor those that stand in need of [their] succor,” and they “administer of [their] substance unto him that standeth in need.” They “will not suffer that the beggar [put] up his petition to [them] in vain, and turn him out to perish.”[iii] Zion people “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light,” and they “are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”[iv]
King Benjamin pointed out that some blessings can only flow from charitable service. For example, as we have mentioned, charitable service allows us to retain “a remission of [our] sins from day to day, that [we] may walk guiltless before God.” Therefore, King Benjamin exhorted us, “I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.”[v] And of course, the astonishing statement regarding service: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”[vi]
In Doctrine and Covenants 42, “the law of the Church,” we read the following verse: “For inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me.”[vii] The implication is intriguing. Because God lacks for nothing and is in no need of our service to him, he passes on our desire to serve him to his children, who do need our help. As we transfer our service from him to his children, he does not forget our expression of love for him. He counts our service to his children as service to him, and he rewards us accordingly.
Now comes an interesting gospel phenomenon. God accepts our service as would a debtor, and, of course, God can be in debt to no one. Therefore, to arrest any hint of debt or imbalance in the checks and balances of heaven, God quickly erases any claim by immediately blessing us in excess of our service: “He doth immediately bless [us]; and therefore he hath paid [us]. And [we] are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever.”[viii] On the subject of service alone, we live forever in his debt. We are always awarded more blessings than we expend in service, and for that reason we are gratefully “unprofitable servants.”[ix]
Grace to Grace by Grace for Grace
It is upon the principle of giving charitable service that we progress toward perfection. According to John the Baptist’s testimony, Jesus progressed in this manner. John employed the word grace to explain this principle of progression: “And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at first, but received grace for grace. And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness.”[x] In other words, Jesus grew in grace (light, truth, power, and perfection) by giving grace (service and blessings to others). Likewise, we progress from one grace to another by giving grace to others.
Progressing grace to grace by giving grace for grace!
Commenting, the Lord states: “For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.”[xi]
Lacking for Nothing
The above definitions of grace are in addition to the common definition: the Lord’s help, strength, or enabling power.[xii] Jesus’ grace is ever evident in the unequalled service that he proffers. Here is a formula for receiving his help or grace: We come unto Christ in humility and faith, having done all we can do,[xiii] and then he makes up the difference. Consequently, we will never lack while as charitably serve the Lord’s children. In this principle, we again hear overtones of Zion: no lack and divine help to accomplish the Lord’s work.
Pertaining to the concept of no lack, we recall again the Lord’s abundant grace to the wandering Israelites, as recorded by the prophet Nehemiah:
This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, [so that] they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.[xiv]
The Lord never forsook them. He was with them both day and night. He constantly instructed them. He provided manna and water to sustain them. For four decades of wandering, they lacked nothing! Amazingly, neither their clothing nor their shoes wore out. The Israelites experienced the Lord’s grace.
We see these two elements of grace—no lack and divine help—in an incident in the Savior’s life. Just before Jesus entered Gethsemane, he reminded his apostles of their early missions when he had purposely placed them in a condition of lack by sending them out with neither purse nor scrip. He had expected them to give grace (charitable service) by means of his grace, that is, by relying completely on him and on nothing else. Now he asked them, “When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.”[xv]
They needed to internalize this lesson in order to continue giving service throughout their lives. From that experience of intentional privation, they had learned that what had initially appeared to be a condition of lack was not one after all; the Lord had provided his grace (divine help) to sustain them in proportion to the grace (service) they proffered to the people.
The situation had been carefully orchestrated by the Lord to teach them to trust him while they served. The apostles needed to learn that the Lord could through his grace multiply the effects of their service and produce incredible blessings of sustenance for the people (think of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand), and they also needed to learn that by serving they would never lack. To accomplish their future missions, the apostles needed firsthand experience to see if the Lord would be true to his promise. Without his grace, they could neither survive nor gain the necessary power to fulfill their callings.
Similarly, we need experience with the Lord and the principles that govern charitable service. For example, we need to internalize the fact that the Lord’s way of resolving our lack is by our giving charitable service: as we give grace, we receive grace. That is the formula. When we experience a lack of something, we can go to the Lord and he will take care of us in proportion to how we take care of his children.
If Any of You Lack
James, the Lord’s brother, offered a solution for those of us who lack anything: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.”[xvi] Personalized, this scripture could read: “If I lack anything, I can ask of God, who will give to me abundantly, and he will never chastise me for having asked for his help. Instead, he will help me.” This is the promise of grace!
Grace allows our lack to be swallowed up in Christ’s abundance. We come unto him in humility and faith, we do all we can do, which must include offering charitable service, and then we have the assurance that he will make up the difference. By living this principle, we never need lack for anything. Our lack might include any physical, emotional, or spiritual deficit. Also, we might experience lack when we minister to the Lord’s children. In any of these situations, when we experience lack and attempt to remedy the situation, we almost certainly will come up short; that is the condition of mortality. But because we have a covenant relationship with the Lord, we can “ask of God” to draw upon his resources and power, and he promises to give to us liberally. If we employ this principle and promise as we minister to his children, neither they nor we will ever lack.
On two remarkable occasions, the apostles experienced the Lord’s grace when they came up short in attempting to minister to people who lacked something. These occasions were when Jesus fed the five thousand and later the four thousand.[xvii] In each case, hungry people were in immediate need of help, and the apostles could manage only scant resources. Jesus’ response was identical in both cases:
Bring all that you have or your best effort to me; I will bless it; and you will have enough to feed the people until they are filled. Then, when it is your turn to eat, you will also have enough. In fact, you will have more than you started with. Your responsibility is to feed my sheep, not to worry about having enough. Just go forth and minister, and I will multiply your efforts so that you never lack.
When we go to the Savior for his grace, we will not encounter someone who is lacking in grace. The Savior is full of grace.[xviii] We can also obtain a fulness of grace the same way the Savior did: by extending grace to others. We grow in our capacity to give grace by covenanting to consecrate all that we are and have, taking our best offering to the Lord for his blessing, then going forth in faith to feed the Lord’s sheep. In return, he multiplies our efforts and resources, and thus provides us more grace to give away. It is a formula that applies to other gospel principles: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”[xix] We could say, “Blessed are those who extend grace, for they shall obtain more grace.”
For instance, if we were given a kernel of corn and ate it, the kernel would be gone forever. But if we were to plant the kernel and nourish it, the kernel would soon grow into a stalk with several ears and many kernels. Then, if we were to eat just a few of the kernels and plant the rest, the kernels would become a field of corn and a huge harvest. And it all began with a single kernel!
As we humbly seek and receive the Lord’s grace, then extend that grace to others, the Lord will give us more grace, and the cycle of receiving and giving will continue until we are filled with grace. If we do not stop the cycle by hoarding the Lord’s blessings, we will grow from grace to grace by giving grace for the grace until we are perfected by grace. Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “As you give what you have, there is a replacement, with increase!”[xx] Of charitable service, President Gordon B. Hinckley promised that we cannot extend merciful blessings to God’s children and not experience a harvest of merciful blessings in return.[xxi] We can readily see how giving and receiving grace provides for the condition of no poor among us.
Author’s Note
This article was adapted from my new book, The Three Pillars of Zion. Click here to receive a free sample.
[i] Jacob 2:17.
[ii] 4 Nephi 1:3, 16.
[iii] Mosiah 4:15–16.
[iv] Mosiah 18:8–9.
[v] Mosiah 4:26.
[vi] Mosiah 2:17.
[vii] D&C 42:38.
[viii] Mosiah 2:24.
[ix] Mosiah 2:21.
[x] D&C 93:12–13; emphasis added.
[xi] D&C 93:20; emphasis added.
[xii] LDS Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Grace,” 697.
[xiii] 2 Nephi 25:23: “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved [helped], after all we can do.”
[xiv] Nehemiah 9:18–21; emphasis added.
[xv] Luke 22:35.
[xvi] James 1:5; emphasis added.
[xvii] Mark 6:35–44; 1–9.
[xviii] D&C 93:11.
[xix] Matthew 5:7.
[xx] Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” January 1983, 54–55.
[xxi] Hinckley, “Blessed Are the Merciful,” May 1990, 68.
We cannot read the scriptures, especially latter-day scriptures, and avoid personal responsibility for becoming Zion people. Without reservation, our obligation is to accept every revealed Zion principle and put it into practice. To that end, President Benson laid the obligation of becoming Zion squarely on our shoulders. Zion, the priesthood society, he said, can only be brought about by Zion people. As more and more of us decide to embrace the principles of Zion, he said, the celestial order will finally exist among us, then we, individually and collectively, will be prepared to receive the Lord.
Zion is the standard among celestial and celestial-seeking beings. The celestial condition of Zion is the exact opposite of the telestial condition of Babylon; therefore, we are constantly faced with choosing between the two. We cannot have it both ways. Let us examine the Zion way of obtaining safety and security.
The Law of Restoration
Zion’s abundance flows from the law of restoration. This law becomes operational when we enter into the new and everlasting covenant at baptism, and the law reaches its zenith in the resurrection. Joseph Smith taught to the degree that we have sacrificed, suffered or been opposed or denied, we shall be restored. In fact, the Lord promised that we would be restored an hundredfold: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
The promise of hundredfold restoration is repeated so often in the scriptures that we are obligated to consider it as literal. The apostle Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
Here is how the law of restoration might work. Imagine sacrificing $10,000 to help a needy friend. Most of us would feel the acute sting of such a sacrifice. But suppose that the Lord were to restore to us $1,000,000. Suddenly, the $10,000 would become a non-issue. Herein is a key to Zion’s abundance.
Struggling with Zion and Babylon Principles
In a telestial world, especially one in which the philosophies of Babylon enjoy almost free reign, we struggle when we are confronted with celestial laws. Giving our way to prosperity is an example. We can point to nothing in our environment that suggests this law will work. In Babylon, we can no more make sense of less is more than we can of walking on water. So how do we square with the idea that giving away our time, talents and resources is the only way to achieve the unequalled prosperity of Zion and ultimately an inheritance in the celestial world?
Clearly, we must rely on the prophets to articulate celestial laws. Following is how King Benjamin summed up the law of restoration:
And behold, all that [God] requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
Here is how we might portray the celestial law of restoration as it applies to Zion’s condition of abundance and prosperity:
- Our love of God motivates us to seek to serve him.
- Because God is not in need, he immediately asks us to transfer our service to his suffering or needy children.
- When we do what God asks of us, he accepts our sacrifice “unto the least of these” as if we had done it unto him.
- Our sacrifice creates something akin to a credit in our favor, which credit demands payment.
- God gladly assumes this obligation, which is actually an opportunity to bless us. He rewards us for our service: first, because he loves us; second, because we have obeyed the law upon which the blessing is predicated, and third, because our service has created an implied celestial deficit that needs correcting.
- Because God will not and cannot remain in a real or implied deficit position, “he doth immediately bless [us]; and therefore he hath paid [us]. And [we] are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever.”
- What is the result? We live forever in the condition of divine debt-celestial debt-debt that is structured so that we can receive an abundance of blessings.
This is the hundredfold principle. We are always rewarded beyond our sacrifice. God overpays his obligations, and therefore we find ourselves eternally indebted to him and we always enjoy an abundance of blessings.
New Math
We cannot make sense of the law of restoration or the hundredfold law for an obvious reason: the math doesn’t work. Let’s take the law of tithing, as an example. In the telestial world, ten minus one equals nine; but in the celestial world, because we are dealing with a celestial law and celestial math, ten minus one can equal eleven or fifteen or fifty or “an hundredfold.” But never nine!
For instance, in past articles we have cited the example of the kernel of corn. Given the choice of planting or eating it, we chose the Zion way of faith and planted it; that is, we gave it away. Our faith increased when we observed our seed grow into a stalk with several ears of corn. Now we had another choice: eat the ears of corn or plant (give away) the kernels. Once again, we applied the Zion principle of exercising faith and planting. Now the result of our faith and sacrifice was a great harvest-all from a single kernel. Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “As you give what you have, there is a replacement, with increase!” This in the hundredfold law: a most important principle of Zion that lends to safety, security and abundance.
What Doth It Profit to Cling to Our Stuff?
True safety and prosperity are only found in making the sacrifice of all things through consecration and by following Christ. Jesus sounded a warning against our tendency to step into the snare of the love of money: “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
When a wealthy young man went away sorrowing after having received the Lord’s answer regarding the price of becoming perfect, Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Imbedded in the Lord’s explanation is an introduction to the law of consecration, which is founded on the law of restoration. This law is our safety net from the preoccupation of wealth, and it is a key to our becoming perfect.
To the rich young man, the Lord said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.” Although the rich man was clearly a good man, who had lived the commandments, he could not bring himself to accept the law of consecration, which would have covered him in safety and security, and would have opened the door to perfection. Truly, it is hard for a rich man-or for that matter, a proud, selfish, power-hungry, recognition-seeking man-to lay aside the things of this world and still achieve heaven.
Safety and Perfection in Consecration
We learn several important principles of Zion from the incident of the Savior and the rich young man:
1) Perfection hinges, not on living the commandments alone, but on living the Law of consecration.
2) The ultimate test of discipleship is the Law of consecration.
3) The law of consecration was instituted, in part, for our safety, because pursuing and hoarding wealth can result in the loss of exaltation.
4) The law of consecration is hard to live, but it is harder for a rich man.
5) Only divine intervention can save the rich, who are those who have too much of what they do not need or deserve, but that intervention is not necessarily guaranteed.
6) Consecrating our excess to the poor tends to stockpile treasure in heaven, where treasure is needed.
7) The law of consecration makes us truly safe and secure. The Lord invited the rich young man to “come and follow me,” which implies true safety. If we are with the Lord, we are safe.
8) Consecrated sacrifices earn “an hundredfold” return. If that is true, the rich young man would have received hundredfold more blessings than he sacrificed to bless the poor, and in the process of giving, the Lord would have kept the young man safe; he would have achieved perfection, and he would have earned eternal life.
Thus sang the psalmist: “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” Deliverance, preservation, safety, blessings, protection, strength, and health-these are the blessings of consecration.
The Hundredfold Law
The incident of the rich young man disturbed the apostles so much that they began to search their souls. Evidently, they wondered if they had fully complied with the laws of sacrifice and consecration so that they might obtain eternal life. Jesus offered them an astonishing promise: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Here the Lord makes two divine promises connected with consecration: 1) an hundredfold return, and 2) the promise of eternal life. Those who live this celestial law will be blessed a hundred times their sacrifice, and they will inherit exaltation!
Whatever we give the Lord in service to his kingdom, his children, or in personal sacrifice are restored to us “an hundredfold.” That is the celestial law of Zion. Jesus’ apostles had firsthand experience with the hundredfold law on at least two occasions: first, when Jesus fed the five thousand and second when he fed the four thousand. Each time, Jesus required the apostles to bring (consecrate) all that they could to the Lord. Then when Jesus blessed their offering, the resource multiplied and fed many.
Of significance, in each instance, Jesus instructed the apostles to gather up the fragments and take note of the resulting quantity. Amazingly, the five loaves and two fishes had not only fed thousands, the fragments now filled twelve baskets! An hundredfold return!
The laws of restoration, consecration and the hundredfold law are celestial laws that we must live by faith in a telestial world. When we sacrifice and consecrate our time, talents and resources to build the Kingdom of God, to promote the cause of Zion, and to bless the lives of others, we invoke these celestial laws of abundance upon which Zion people and a Zion priesthood society are built. What the Lord said to his disciples, he repeats to us: “freely ye have received, freely give”; “feed my lambs…feed my sheep.”
Of the “many” who are called to eternal life, only a “few” will actually achieve it, and when they do it will be because they made a consecrated effort, allowing the law of restoration to engage, which triggered the powers of earth and heaven to work together to return an hundredfold reward and the promise of eternal life.
Author’s Note
This article was adapted from The Three Pillars of Zion. You may receive a free sample at www.PillarsOfZion.com.
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.60
Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p.118
See Matthew Cowley, Matthew Cowley Speaks, p.30
See Ezra Taft Benson, “Jesus Christ-Gifts and Expectations,” New Era, May 1975
See Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p.30
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.296
We are tempted to describe abundance in terms of finances, and it can certainly include such blessings; but abundance and prosperity more often refer to blessings that lend to safety, security and an outpouring of divine favor.
See Gen 26:12; 2 Samuel 24:3; Matthew 13:8-23;19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 8:8; D&C 98:25; 132:55
Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, January 1983
See Mark 6:35-44 and Mark 8:1-9
In Part 1 of this two-part series, we that a foundational principle of the law of stewardship is “all things ultimately belong to the Lord, whether property, time, talents, families, or capacity for service within the Church organization.
Stewards act in their lives or in a Church calling as a trustee for the Lord, not out of personal ownership or privilege. While we no longer are required to deed over our property, we are required to figuratively deed over our hearts. We recognize that ultimately our time, talents, and property belong to the Lord, and we are stewards assigned to manage his resources under his direction. Then a remarkable thing happens: God helps us to depart from Babylon, and he becomes our Paymaster in Zion. Once the Lord has separated us from Babylon and has placed within our care a stewardship in his kingdom, we must discharge our duty faithfully and never turn back.
The law of stewardship is the law upon which Zion’s equality is achieved. Zion people come unto Christ and hearken to his voice by seeking to purify their hearts; by seeking to equalize the condition of the Lord’s children through the giving of their means; by striving to heal the Lord’s children, bolster their faith, and love them. The pure in heart view themselves as stewards rather than owners, and they seek to bless the Lord’s children with their stewardships, which is the sum of everything that they have and are.
Stewardships in the Scriptures
As we study the standard works, we discover the concept of stewardship throughout. Stewardships are also referred to as callings, trusts, charges, responsibilities, and inheritances or portions. Some stewardships are classified as spiritual while others are temporal. For example, a Church calling is a spiritual stewardship, while an individual’s business and holdings are a temporal stewardship. Of course, even temporal things are spiritual unto the Lord.
In the early days of the Church, stewardships were also called inheritances or “portions.” BYU professor Clark V. Johnson explained that the Lord “required the bishop of the Church to give every man an inheritance. [The Lord] explained that Church members were equal according to their family, circumstances, wants, and needs (D&C 51:4).” Here we see the principles of stewardship and accountability as they apply to an inheritance. We note that it is the bishop who assigns inheritances in Zion, and he is also the one who, in behalf of the Lord, receives an account of their management.
Receiving and reporting on Church callings and tithing settlement are manifestations of these principles. With regard to the management of their stewardships, “the Lord reminded members of the Church that when they had enough to satisfy their needs, they were to give the surplus to the storehouse. D&C 70:7-D&C 82:18 Excess gained in the operation of the stewardship was to be used to administer to those who were in need (D&C 42:33-34). The bishop kept all surplus donated from the stewardships in a storehouse he organized (D&C 51:13).”
Even today we might expect to render accountings of our various stewardships to the bishop. For example, we make such an accounting to him when he interviews us for a temple recommend, and from time to time, when we counsel with him, we also make an accounting of our lives. Because the law of consecration requires that we consecrate our time, talents, and all that we have and are to the kingdom of God, the bulk of our stewardships usually lie outside the Church organization. Nevertheless, we are accountable for them to the Lord and to his servant, the bishop. Perhaps more blessings would flow to us if we lived the law of stewardship more faithfully and felt more accountability on each point of the law.
We would expect that our actual inheritances in priesthood society of Zion would follow the pattern described in Doctrine and Covenants 58: “This is a law unto every man that cometh unto this land to receive an inheritance; and he shall do with his moneys according as the law [of consecration] directs.” Although we privately own our inheritances, we must consider them as consecrated stewardships, and thus we are accountable to the Lord for them according to the law of accountability. If we live the law of stewardship, we are promised safety, for our consecrated effort is “to prepare [us] against the day of vengeance and burning.” If we do not live this law, we run the risk of suffering the consequences: “If any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.”
Understanding the Order of the Law of Stewardship
In section 104 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord revealed the order by which inheritances (stewardships) are apportioned from the Lord’s resources to us, the stewards. We are reminded that “the sacred things” which are “delivered into the treasury” are the Lord’s, “and no man among you shall call it his own, or any part of it, for it shall belong to you all with one accord.” The surplus derived from the management of the stewardship rightly belongs to Lord and must be placed in his sacred repository for the common good: “And thus shall ye preserve the avails of the sacred things in the treasury, for sacred and holy purposes. And this shall be called the sacred treasury of the Lord; and a seal shall be kept upon it that it may be holy and consecrated unto the Lord.” The Lord’s servant, the bishop, manages the treasury and the Lord’s resources. This is the order of the law of stewardship.
In our day, we would call this sacred treasury the bishop’s storehouse. Of course, the Church maintains other treasuries-for instance, monetary funds, warehouses of supplies, and service departments. We also read of sacred treasuries in heaven. For example, “Lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life.” To access that heavenly treasury, we must sacrifice our personal treasures in this world: “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto [the rich young man], Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.”
One definition of “treasure” is anything that is good. Under this definition, even our testimonies could be considered stewardships. We know that the law of consecration requires that every good thing that we receive from the Lord must be returned to him with increase. Interestingly, when we bear sincere testimony, our testimony grows, and that allows us to fulfill the law and return our testimony to the Lord with increase. Our bearing witness of the truth is much like casting our testimony into the treasury of heaven; in return, great blessings are unleashed: “Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.” “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” Again, these blessings flow from the order of the law of stewardships.
Upon what principle do consecrated properties flow into the sacred treasuries? “Joseph Smith taught that the consecration of properties must be done by mutual consent. The bishop could not dictate in matters of consecration or he would have ‘more power than a king.’ The Prophet further explained that there must be a balance of power between the bishop and the people in order to preserve ‘harmony and good-will.’” Therefore, the bishop, who is the Lord’s steward, is authorized to extend stewardships to his people; the people accept the stewardship and manage and account for it by their free-will choice; the people sustain the bishop in his calling. That sustaining is done by mutual covenant: the people agree to accept the bishop as the voice of the Lord, and he agrees to receive their accountings and judge them righteously in the Lord’s name. In his office, the bishop is entrusted to receive free-will offerings from the surpluses of the stewards’ stewardships, and he places those offerings in the common treasury. Then the stewards, who have common access to the treasury, may draw upon it, with the bishop’s permission, for their needs and wants.
Clearly, the interaction between the stewards and the bishop is one of common consent. The bishop manages the treasury, assigns stewardships, and takes accountings, and the people sustain his actions, and through his ministry gain access to the Lord’s treasury. Such transactions are to be done “only by the voice of the order, or by commandment. . . . And there shall not any part of it [the treasury's resource] be used, or taken out of the treasury, only by the voice and common consent of the order.”
We see this law in action in every ward in the Church today. One of the highest manifestations of this law is that the steward receives access to the Lord’s resources for the purpose of growing and managing his stewardship: “And this shall be the voice and common consent of the order-that any man among you say to the treasurer: I have need of this to help me in my stewardship.” In whatever form the law of consecration and the law of stewardship exist, the order that governs those laws will always apply. By common consent, the bishop, who is sustained by the voice of the people, will always apportion, aid in, judge, and take accounting of all stewardships pertaining to the kingdom of God. This is the order of the law of consecration.
Spiritual Gifts Are Stewardships to Bless Others
The stewardships that the Lord places in our trust are our time, talents and abilities, and everything else that we are or possess. Some of these stewardships are listed in Doctrine and Covenants 46 and are called spiritual gifts. These gifts include:
- The gift of knowing-”that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.”
- The gift of believing-”on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.”
- The gift of administration-”the differences of administration.”
- The gift of “the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.”
- The gift of “the word of wisdom.”
- The gift of “the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.”
- The gift to have “faith to be healed.”
- The gift to have “faith to heal.”
- The gift of “the working of miracles.”
- The gift of the ability “to prophesy.”
- The gift of “discerning of spirits.”
- The gift of speaking “with tongues.”
- The gift of “the interpretation of tongues.”
Why does the Lord give us these gifts as stewardships? The answer echoes the language in the priesthood covenant. We receive gifts from the Lord “for [our] sakes, and not for [our] sakes only, but for the sake of the world.” The Lord said, “All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.” When we consider the Lord’s answer, we recall other scriptural injunctions to consecrate our resources for the purpose of blessing other people: “For of him unto whom much is given much is required.” “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Clearly, we cannot achieve celestial glory without blessing others.
Significantly, Doctrine and Covenants 46 mirrors many of the principles stated in the parable of the talents, signaling to us the parable’s latter-day relevance. Talents are gifts and therefore stewardships, and thus are to be used to bless the Lord’s children. Because every person receives a gift or gifts from God, we are treated equally-a characteristic of Zion. Thus, the Lord says, “And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just-and all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church-every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.”
These gifts, or talents, prepare us for the Lord’s return; they “are suited to the gifts and needs of the individual to give him or her the maximum opportunity for growth in the Kingdom of God.” How we manage our talents determines our eventual inheritance in the celestial kingdom. Joseph Smith taught: “Many of our brethren are wise in . . . their labors, and have rid their garments of the blood of this generation and are approved before the Lord.”
Profitable and Unprofitable Servants
Jesus first introduced the idea of profitable and unprofitable servants in the parable of the talents. Over a century earlier, King Benjamin discussed the concept of serving profitably. Although our present mortal circumstances greatly hamper us from being profitable to the Lord, nevertheless, we must make the attempt, because profitability is central to our eternal progression and thus to the ever-expanding kingdom of God. When the Lord gives us a trust, we are to magnify it on our watch. Otherwise, as the parable of the talents states, the unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness, where “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
At least two criteria lead to profitability: (1) our being “anxiously engaged in a good cause, do[ing] many things of [our] own free will, and bring[ing] to pass much righteousness,” and (2) yielding our hearts and wills to God. Because we are agents with agency, we are endowed with the power of choice and the capability to magnify our stewardships. The goal of our creative effort is to “bring to pass much righteousness.”
We also learn that the greater the profitability of the stewardship, the greater the trusts that God will eventually place in our care. Commenting on the teachings of Joseph Smith, Orson Hyde wrote:
The most eminent and distinguished prophets who have laid down their lives for their testimony (Jesus among the rest), will be crowned at the head of the largest kingdoms under the Father, and will be one with Christ as Christ is one with his Father; for their kingdoms are all joined together, and such as do the will of the Father, the same are his mothers, sisters, and brothers. He that has been faithful over a few things, will be made ruler over many things; he that has been faithful over ten talents, shall have dominion over ten cities, and he that has been faithful over five talents, shall have dominion over five cities, and to every man will be given a kingdom and a dominion, according to his merit, powers, and abilities to govern and control. . . . There are kingdoms of all sizes, an infinite variety to suit . The chosen vessels unto God are the kings and priests that are placed at the head of these kingdoms. These have received their washings and anointings in the temple of God on this earth; they have been chosen, ordained, and anointed kings and priests, to reign as such in the resurrection of the just.
For the present, our maximum effort will not generate the maximum profits that our stewardship is capable of producing. For that to happen, we must draw upon the principle of grace; we must humbly yield our wills to God, submit to his counsel, and allow him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Only by such a partnership can the stewardship reach the summit of its potential. We are greatly benefitted by such a relationship. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that we enhance our individuality by yielding our wills to God; that is, as we are stretched and molded by him, we become more capable of receiving “all that the Father hath.” He concluded by saying we simply could not be entrusted with God’s “all” until our wills more closely corresponded to God’s will.
Profitable servants improve upon that with which they have been entrusted; they employ sound management principles by reducing waste and insisting that invested resources generate an appropriate return; they are tireless workers and represent well the person to whom they are accountable: “O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength.” Then, when profits are produced over and above that which the servant needs to care for his family and himself, the servant releases that surplus to the Lord, to whom the surplus rightly belongs: “Nevertheless, inasmuch as they receive more than is needful for their necessities and their wants, it shall be given into my storehouse; and the benefits shall be consecrated unto the inhabitants of Zion, and unto their generations, inasmuch as they become heirs according to the laws of the kingdom. Behold, this is what the Lord requires of every man in his stewardship, even as I, the Lord, have appointed or shall hereafter appoint unto any man. And behold, none are exempt from this law who belong to the church of the living God.”
How happy are the profitable servants who can report to God that they have accomplished everything that they were charged to do. They will hear: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.”
Stewardships Prepare Us for Eternal Life
Because the law of consecration is the law of the celestial kingdom, we might expect to receive, develop, and account for stewardships there. This assumption is evidenced in the Lord’s promise to righteous couples who are sealed in the temple and keep their marriage covenant. He promises that they “shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths.” The fact that this list contains diverse stations stated in the plural suggests that our celestial assignments and inheritances might shift and expand throughout the eternities, as we progress in our Father’s kingdom.
We also might expect that we will receive these stewardships by consecration, and that we will be held accountable for them. To develop our celestial stewardships, we might expect that we would draw upon the Father’s vast resources to improve and manage our stewardships, and, in turn, we would consecrate the resources thereof back to his higher kingdom to which we belong. If that is the case, if we intend to achieve that exalted state and live in that priesthood society, we must first learn to live the laws of consecration and stewardship here and now.
The Lord said, “And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.” And Elder McConkie added, “It is by the wise use of one’s stewardship that eternal life is won.”
Conclusion
These articles are adapted from The Three Pillars of Zion. You can download a free sample of this new Zion series at www.PillarsOfZion.com.
Genesis 26:5; Exodus 6:13; Numbers 4:4; 27:23; Matthew 18:23; 20:8; 21:33; 24:45; 25:21; Luke 12:42; 12:48; 16:2; 19:17; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 4:14; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10; Jacob 1:19; 2:2; Alma 35:16; D&C 42:32, 70; 51:19; 64:40; 69:5; 70:4, 9; 72:3; 78:22; 82:3, 11; 101:90; 104:11, 55; 124:14; 136:27; JS-H 1:59; see also Genesis 48:22; Deuteronomy 32:9; Psalms 16:5; Isaiah 53:12; Zechariah 2:12; Luke 12:46; D&C 19:34; 51:3; 78:21; 104:18; 132:39.
Johnson, “The Law of Consecration,” 100.
Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 335.
Johnson, “The Law of Consecration,” 100, quoting Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 23.
Johnson, “The Law of Consecration,” 100.
Smith, Evening and Morning Star, July 1833.
Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, 299.
McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 767.
In the vocabulary of consecration, an agent is a steward. The trust extended to a steward is a stewardship, which, according to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, is a “responsibility given through the Lord to act in behalf of others.”
The concept of stewardship reminds us of the principle that “all things ultimately belong to the Lord, whether property, time, talents, families, or capacity for service within the Church organization. An individual acts in a Church calling as a trustee for the Lord, not out of personal ownership or privilege.” When we receive a stewardship, whether as a calling, a trust, or an inheritance, we are “expected to sacrifice time and talent in the service of others,” which builds “a sense of community. When all serve, all may partake of the blessings of service. The ideal attitude toward stewardship suggests that it is not the position held but how well the work is done that counts.” One can readily see why stewardship is central to Zion and the law of consecration.
The Riches of the Earth Are the Lord’s
When a Zion person exercises his agency to live the law of consecration, he makes a conscious choice to become a steward of the Lord’s property. His approach to ownership is that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “that all things belong to the Lord. ‘I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine. . . . Behold, all these properties are mine. . . . And if the properties are mine, then ye are stewards; otherwise ye are no stewards.’” There can be no mistake about who owns what; the Lord states emphatically, “the riches of the earth are mine.”
Even in a telestial setting, we encounter the concept of stewardship constantly. For example, a business owner will enter into an agreement to hand over the management of his company to a trusted employee, provided the employee gives his best effort, pursues the mission of the company, is committed to increasing the company’s profitability, and is accountable to his employer. In return, the employer pays the employee a fair wage, with which the employee takes care of his family. The employee has no right to divide his attention with another interest, change the purpose of the company, use its resources outside his employer’s desire, or take the profits for himself. We might ask ourselves, If we understand these principles on a telestial level, why can we not apply them to a celestial situation?
Let us examine the law of consecration in this light. By agreeing to take upon us this covenant, we agree that everything belongs to the Lord and we are stewards. From that point forward, we cease to lay claim to our time, talents, and possessions. Rather, we essentially enter into a management agreement with the Lord, in which we agree to give him our best and undivided effort as we administer the affairs of the stewardship that he places in our hands. We agree to pursue the ordained purpose of that stewardship, the core issue of which is always to assist in bringing to pass the immortality (the quality of immortality, i.e. telestial, terrestrial or celestial) and the eternal life of man. Moreover, we agree to use and disseminate the stewardship’s resources as the stewardship’s Owner directs. We agree to magnify the stewardship, to take no more of the surplus than we are entitled to, and to be accountable to the Owner for our management of his resources. For the Lord’s part, he agrees to allow us our agency in managing his resources, and he agrees to take care of us and keep us safe while we are on his errand.
In no uncertain terms, we are expressly forbidden to hoard the Lord’s property or claim it as our own. Martin Harris learned this lesson: “I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon.” At another time, the Lord commanded William E. McLellin to focus on proclaiming the gospel and to “think not of thy property.” Clearly, a Zion person’s claim to his property is subordinate to the Lord’s claim. But if we view our property as our own and not as a stewardship, we break the law of consecration and step into sin: “Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me?” Who can lay claim to property or tempt the Lord with it, especially when we know that everything belongs to him in the first place? We recall that Satan tried to entice Jesus with property and was soundly condemned: “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan.”
On the other hand, as Martin Harris and William E. McLellin learned, our property is a stewardship that must be consecrated for the building up of the kingdom of God and the establishment of Zion. The law of consecration provides that no poor should exist among us. Ultimately we will be held accountable for the diligence we pay to living this law and for the discharge of our stewardships.
God Becomes Our Paymaster
An early attempt to implement the law of consecration required members to deed over their property to the Church. Today, we are asked to figuratively deed over our hearts. We recognize that ultimately our time, talents, and property belong to the Lord, and we are stewards assigned to manage his resources under his direction. To appropriately fulfill our assignment, we agree to “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.” Furthermore, we agree to become “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love,” and “willing to submit” to the Lord. Then a remarkable thing happens: God helps us to depart from Babylon, and he becomes our Paymaster in Zion. Of course, this miracle is individualized for each person, but it occurs nevertheless.
The Lord takes care of those in his household; he supports the stewards in his employ, and “the laborer is worthy of his hire.” What the Lord said to Warren A. Cowdery could be said to every steward in Zion: “[My steward shall] devote his whole time to this high and holy calling, which I now give unto him, seeking diligently the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness, and all things necessary shall be added thereunto.”
Now that the steward has been extracted and insulated from Babylon, he resides in the safety of his Lord, allowing him to devote his entire effort to his stewardships. In the transition, he ceases to labor for the cause of money and he begins to labor for the cause of Zion: “But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.” This does not mean that the steward does not need money or to receive monetary compensation for his labor; rather, it means that the cause of Zion and managing his stewardship are his focus. The moment he views the stewardship as his own or attempts to accumulate the resources of the stewardship to himself, he is in conflict with the interests of his Paymaster. Even in Babylon, such an employee would be considered dishonest and an extortionist; he would be summarily dismissed and cast out. Any employee knows that the surpluses derived from his labor belong to the owner to do with as he pleases. The employee errs when he judges the employer’s use and distribution of profits.
The righteous steward discovers that his Lord is a very generous Paymaster. What Elder Carlos E. Asay said of missionaries’ meriting blessings for their labor could be said of any steward:
The word merit is defined as “reward . . . just deserts” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary). Such a definition often turns our minds to temporal gains received for service rendered. It also suggests a dollar return on a dollar invested and nothing more. Another definition, however, refers to merit as “spiritual credit or stored moral surplusage regarded as earned by performance of righteous acts and as ensuring future benefits” (ibid.). This latter definition appeals to me and seems to apply to missionary service because the process of sharing the gospel with others is centered in “righteous acts” and carries “future benefits” for both the giver and the receiver. In fact, the list of spiritual credits or by-products received by those who seek to save souls is endless. Those who engage in missionary service soon learn that God is a very generous paymaster. We can never place him in our debt (see Mosiah 2:22-24).
Righteous stewards earn temporal and spiritual credits, which may be redeemed in the storehouse of their most generous Paymaster for many times their original value.
Never Turn Back
We must become a righteous steward. Once the Lord has separated us from Babylon, as is exemplified in the temple initiatory ordinances, and when he has placed within our care a stewardship in his kingdom, we must discharge our duty faithfully and never turn back.
Peter taught, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
The implications are sobering. If we have cried unto the Lord to help us escape Babylon, and then he rescues us and gives us a stewardship and employment in his kingdom-if, after all that, we weaken and return to Babylon and again become entangled in its charms, our situation will be worse than the first. We will find ourselves left alone with no further claim on the Lord’s resources or on him as our Paymaster.
Nephi explained that the journey from Babylon to Zion is the most significant journey in time or eternity. Nothing could be more important than arriving at the tree of life and partaking of its fruit, both of which are symbolic of the love of God. When we finally reach our destination, we must stay. Otherwise, according to Nephi, every person who arrived at the tree and thereafter gave heed to Babylon “had fallen away.” Here, then, is the safety and the condemnation of the law of stewardship.
The Law of Stewardship and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
When righteous men (and later righteous men and women at the time of temple marriage) take upon them the oath and covenant of the priesthood, they agree to receive the blessings and obligations of the priesthood “for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the world.” That is, we are under covenant to exercise the priesthood to gain our salvation by helping to save others. Therefore, to fulfill this part of the priesthood covenant, we approach our stewardships with the attitude of caring for our families, caring for others, and caring for the Lord’s purposes. Consider the Lord’s admonition to the elders, who had taken upon them the oath and covenant of the priesthood:
And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them. . . . And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me; . . . every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family. And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the church, or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support after this first consecration, which is a residue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants. Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy, . . . that my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall come to my temple. And this I do for the salvation of my people. . . . For inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me. For it shall come to pass, that which I spake by the mouths of my prophets shall be fulfilled; for I will consecrate of the riches of those who embrace my gospel among the Gentiles unto the poor of my people who are of the house of Israel.
Stewardship and Equality
The law of stewardship is the law upon which Zion’s equality is achieved. As we have mentioned, equality is defined as having equal access. In Zion, each person must have equal opportunity to receive a stewardship, to develop it, and to have equal access to the Lord and the Lord’s resources. To qualify for the celestial kingdom, we must live the foundational law of stewardship, which stipulates that “every man [must be made] equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.”
Inequality is wholly telestial in nature; inequality cannot exist in a celestial atmosphere. As we recall, the Lord has stated emphatically that we must become “equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things. For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; for if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.”
Failing to live the law of stewardship and turning a blind eye to inequality are classified as sins: “But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.” We need only look at the world condition to see the consequences of selfishness, greed, and using the resources entrusted to us without accountability to God: “And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.” How can we escape this darkness and bondage? The answer separates righteous Zion people from the wicked people of Babylon: “And by this you may know they [the people of Babylon] are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me. For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin. And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me. And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now.”
We might ask ourselves this question: Could it be possible to make the covenant of consecration, then ignore the law of stewardship with its injunction to equalize people-and still claim that we are acquainted with the voice of the Lord and that we have come unto him?
Zion people come unto Christ and hearken to his voice by seeking to purify their hearts; by seeking to equalize the condition of the Lord’s children through the giving of their means; by striving to heal the Lord’s children, bolster their faith, and love them. The pure in heart view themselves as stewards rather than owners, and they seek to bless the Lord’s children with their stewardships, which is the sum of everything that they have and are.
Part 2
We will conclude our study of the law of stewardship with Part 2. These articles are adapted from The Three Pillars of Zion. You can download a free sample of this new Zion series at www.PillarsOfZion.com.
D&C 104:17.
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1418.
McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 767, quoting D&C 104:14, 55-56.
D&C 51:19; 72:3-4; 78:22, 82:3, 11; Luke 16:2; 19:17; Matthew 25:14-30.
Asay, The Seven M’s of Missionary Service, 9; emphasis added.
2 Peter 2:20-21; emphasis added.
Becoming merciful.
“And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” 1 The Law of the Harvest states, “…whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap.” 2 Applied to mercy, the Law of the Harvest reads: “those who sow righteousness reap mercy.” 3 That is, when a Zion person strives to live faithfully in the Covenant, he qualifies for the Lord’s mercy.
Mercy is another of the gospel’s reciprocal principles; once mercy is given it returns “with increase.” 4 Mercy, like love, multiplies when it is “given first.” 5 Elder Henry D. Moyle said, “There is an eternal truth, the verity of which I am certain, that love begets love, and as we love one another, our ability to love increases.” 6 The same could be said of mercy.
Pres Hinckley said, “How godlike a quality is mercy. It cannot be legislated. It must come from the heart. It must be stirred up from within. It is part of the endowment each of us receives as a son or daughter of God and partaker of a divine birthright…. I am convinced that there comes a time, possibly many times, within our lives when we might cry out for mercy on the part of others. How can we expect it unless we have been merciful ourselves?…. One cannot be merciful to others without receiving a harvest of mercy in return….” 7
Mercy is defined as compassionate treatment, especially to those for whom we have a responsibility; it is showing clemency or leniency toward an offender; it is a disposition to be kind and forgiving, and a willingness to alleviate distress and give relief. 8
Heavenly Father sets the standard of mercy: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful.” 9 The Father’s plan of mercy called for an infinite atonement to “satisfy the demands of justice,” and encircle us “in arms of safety.” 10 The Savior’s mission was to enact the Father’s plan of mercy, which “overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they might have faith unto repentance.” 11
Because of the Lord’s atonement, the meek have claim upon mercy: “I, the Lord, show mercy unto all the meek.” 12 A Zion person is merciful even as the Lord is merciful. 13
Becoming pure in heart.
“And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” 14 Notice the word all. Perhaps more than any other principle, this one describes a Zion person: ” Zion is the pure in heart.” 15
President Kimball taught, ” Zion can be built up only among those who are the pure in heart, not a people torn by covetousness or greed, but a pure and selfless people. Not a people who are pure in appearance, rather a people who are pure in heart. Zion is to be in the world and not of the world, not dulled by a sense of carnal security, nor paralyzed by materialism. No, Zion is not things of the lower, but of the higher order, things that exalt the mind and sanctify the heart.” 16
President Kimball suggested three fundamental things to become pure in heart and thus “bring again Zion ” 17: 1) eliminate selfishness, 2) cooperate completely and work in harmony one with one another, and 3) lay on the altar whatever is required by the Lord. 18
To be pure in heart suggests a change of heart or a rebirth, which begins with baptism and leads to eternal life: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God….” 19 Explaining the process of rebirth or changing one’s heart, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism says, “Scripture describes the rebirth to which Jesus refers as a ‘mighty change in your hearts’ or being ‘born of God’ (Alma 5:13, 14). It means that the person puts off the ‘natural man’ [telestial man] and puts on a new [ Zion ] nature that has ‘no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2; 3:19).
A person who is pure of heart is one who has died to evil and awakened to good. Thus “pure people,” being alive to good, dwell together in righteousness and are called Zion (Moses 7:18). Zion , then, is the way of life of a pure-hearted people who abide in the Covenant and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 20
Beyond this description, the pure in heart are those who forsake their sins, come unto Christ, call on his name, obey his voice and keep his commandments. 21 On August 2, 1833, the Lord gave an expanded revelation on the principle of being pure in heart: “And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it; Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.” 22 This revelation places the temple at the center of importance concerning a pure hearted person’s qualifying to see God. ”
To see God, according to Elder Royden G. Derrick, [is more than visual sight; it] means to come to know God, discover him, and understand him ( Temples in the Last Days, 80).” 23 A Zion person is privileged to come to know God, discover him, understand him, and to literally see him, for Zion is God’s “abode forever.” 24
The temple ordinances help to purify one’s heart and point that person toward this supernal experience: “And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof [the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood], the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God.” 25
And the temple is the likely place where that will happen. Hugh Nibley said, “…the temple is the earthly type of Zion ….” 26 Quite literally, the temple is heaven on earth. Because heaven is where God lives, the pure in heart – all the pure in heart 27 – may enter the temple, God’s house, and partake of its ordinances and commune with and see God.
Becoming a maker of peace.
“And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” 28 Again, notice the word all. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” 29 Clearly, peace ranges in levels, as do other gospel principles, from telestial, which is almost non-existent 30 and usually means absence of war, to celestial, which “passeth all understanding.” 31
The Lord’s peace is, according to Elder McConkie, a gift of the spirit, 32 and Satan cannot duplicate it. 33 Mortal fear flees in the face of the Lord’s peace: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 34 When the Lord established Zion among the Nephites, they experienced unequalled peace.
The following description is remarkable:
- No contentions
- No disputations
- Every man dealing justly one with another
- All things in common
- No rich, poor, bond, or free Peace and prosperity in the land
- A love of God in the hearts of the people
- No envyings, strifes, tumults, whoredoms, lyings, murders, or lasciviousness
- No robbers, murderers, or any “-ites.” 35
- Every person – each and every peacemaker 36 – who strives to make celestial peace follows the example of the Prince of Peace, and that person’s reward is glorious: “…he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.” 37
Melchizedek, who established Zion among his people, became a peacemaker and followed the example of the Savior to become a prince of peace: “…Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace.” 38 Likewise, Abraham desired to establish Zion and become a prince of peace. 39
The peace of Zion that a peacemaker establishes blesses his family: “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” 40 For making such an effort, the Lord promises that peacemakers will become sons and daughters of God, meaning that such people will become “joint heirs with Christ, inheriting with him the fullness of the Father. (D&C 93:17-23)… [and become] gods in eternity. (D&C 76:58).” 41
Being willing to suffer persecution for the cause of Christ.
“And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.” 42
Persecution comes in a variety of ways, but it appears to be the common lot of every saint who espouses the principles of Zion . Paul said, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 43 One form of persecution is mockery and scorn, as exhibited by the people in Lehi’s great and spacious building: “…their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come and were partaking of the fruit.” 44
That persecution grew out of the mockers’ pride and vain imaginations, meaning their useless pursuits. 45 These people were clearly vicious in their motives to dissuade the people of God. Nephi described the philosophies of the persecutors as having the capacity to torture, slay, bind down, yoke and bring into captivity the saints of God. 46 We understand the meaning to be both temporal and spiritual abuse and confinement. These persecutors were idolaters, materialistic and sexually perverse: “And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.” 47
The proud of Babylon have always persecuted Zion’s people, who are defined as the poor, i.e. poor in pride, poor in spirit, poor as to things of this world: “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor….” 48 Moreover they who are rich often judge the poor harshly and withhold their assistance, which is a form of persecution 49; or they see themselves in an elevated class and consider themselves better 50; or they persecute, mock and ignore the poor in favor of increasing their holdings, which they idolize as if they were sanctuaries: “…because of pride they are puffed up. They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.” 51
This sin, according to Jacob, is very “abominable unto God.” 52
Zion people are never accepted by Babylon , and they never will be. Babylon has been and ever will be the enemy and persecutor of Zion : “…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” 53 But for enduring the persecutions of Babylon , the humble followers of Christ will earn the greatest reward that God has to offer. Because they have believed in him and tried at all costs through their works and examples to build up his kingdom on the earth for the establishment of his Zion , they will inherit nothing less than the celestial Kingdom of Heaven , the eternal Zion of God.
These qualities are the conditions and characteristics of blessedness that are embraced and enjoyed by a Zion person. Some of them speak to the first commandment of loving God, while others involve the second commandment of loving our neighbor. They are “Jesus’ character in words,” 54 and President Lee’s “constitution for a perfect life.” 55 They are Zion .
Notes
1 3 Nephi 12:7
2 D&C 6:33
3 Hosea 10:12
4 Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, January 1983
5 See 1 John 4:19
6 Henry D. Moyle, Conference Report, April 1951, p.125-126
7 Gordon B. Hinckley, “Blessed are the Merciful,” Ensign, May 1990
8 See American Heritage Dictionary, “Mercy”
9 Luke 6:36
10Alma 34:15-16
11Alma 34:15-16
12 D&C 97:2
13 See 3 Nephi 27:27
14 3 Nephi 12:8
15 D&C 97:21
16 Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball , edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.363
17 Isaiah 52:8; Mosiah 12:22; 15:29; 3 Nephi 16:18: D&C 113:8
18 Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball , edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.363
19 John 3:5
20Encyclopedia of Mormonism , ” Zion ,” p.1625
21 See D&C 93:1
22 D&C 97:15-16
23 D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, Verse by Verse: The Four Gospels , p.180, insertion added
24 Moses 7:21
25 D&C 84:19-23, insertion and emphasis added
26 High Nibley, Approaching Zion, p.27
27 3 Nephi 12:8
28 3 Nephi 12:9
29 John 14:27
30 See D&C 1:35
31 Philippians 4:7
32 See Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, “Peace,” p.561-563. He lists the following scriptures: Psalms 37:37; 119:165; Isaiah 26:3; 48:18, 22; 57:21; Romans 8:6; 10:15; 14:17-19; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Ephesians 6:15
33 See George D. Watt, ed.,, Journal of Discourses 15, p. 379; Sheri L. Dew, “Living on the Lord’s Side of the Line,” Brigham Young University devotional, March 21, 2000
34 John 14:27
35 4 Nephi 1:15-17
36 3 Nephi 12:10
37 D&C 59:23
38Alma 13:18
39 See Abraham 1:2
40 Isaiah 59:23
41 Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, “Son of God,” p.745
42 3 Nephi 12:10-12
43 2 Timothy 3:12
44 1 Nephi 8:26
45 1 Nephi 11:36
46 1 Nephi 13:5
47 1 Nephi 13:7
48 Psalms 10:2
49 See Mosiah 4:17
50 See Jacob 2:13, 20
51 2 Nephi 28:13
52 Jacob 2:5
53 James 4:4
54 D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, Verse by Verse: The Four Gospels , p.173
55 Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living , p.56-57