A friend recounted an experience in which he was buffeted by an evil influence for nearly a year. Despite numerous prayers, frequent fasts and priesthood blessings, he could not shake the relentless and violent onslaught. One morning, having been driven to his knees with the feeling of hopelessness, he pled for help, and this time a name entered his mind. Immediately, he arose and made a phone call to a man whom he knew to be a worthy priesthood bearer. He explained the war he had waged for the last twelve months and asked his friend for a blessing.

Suddenly, the evil influence departed. The powerful blessing had provided my friend the long-sought-after relief that he had desired. By the power of the priesthood, the evil influence had been cast away and my friend has not been vexed by that evil influence since.

But the cause of his affliction startled him. During the blessing, the priesthood holder revealed that some 35 years earlier my friend had inadvertently opened a door for Satan to get a foothold, establish a residence, and eventually buffet him mercilessly. Now, over three decades later, he was suffering the effects. What had happened? My friend knew immediately. On a youthful lark, he had once allowed a palm reader to foretell his future. As fate would have it, she had made a remarkably accurate prediction. That single innocent flirtation with evil had created a small breach in my friend’s soul, which breach had allowed Satan an opportunity to plant a seed that would grow until it became incredibly destructive. Now only divine power could excise the infection.

When Questions Become Doubts

Satan utilizes disobedience and false teachings or ideas to cause a breach in our souls through which light hemorrhages. Then he enters through the gash and drains us of truth: “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.” One of Satan’s tricks is to transform our questions into doubts. Whereas questions are healthy and the vehicle by which we progress, doubts retard progress and bring us to a standstill-even to regression. If we are not careful, Satan will turn our questions into doubts; then our testimony begins to topple.

How does he manage this slight-of-hand? One strategy is to convince us to zero in on a single issue and give it increasing weight. Because the human mind can only think one thought at a time, he convinces us that a certain issue is the one that should occupy our attention. If we buy into his temptation, that issue will eventually cause us to discount everything else. We will begin to view that issue as though we were looking through a magnifying glass. Over time, it will appear larger and larger, and soon it will overshadow all else that we once believed to be true. At such times, we must regroup and remember what we know to be true and to review what evidence we have. Then things will come back into perspective, and we can give proper weight to the troubling issue. With persistence, the issue will return to what it should be–a question rather than a doubt.

Seeing Only Red

Satan will use a troubling issue as a trigger, and every time we bump up against it, he will shout in our ears falsehoods and lies. We can expect this to be automatic.

Another Satanic strategy is to get us to see everything through a filter. For example, if we have a problem with the color red, we tend to pick out every red thing in our environment to the exclusion of all other colors. Never mind that trees have lovely green leaves, blue birds wing above us and white-capped mountains glisten with crystalline snow–red is all that we see. Are we not amazed that within a couple of years, Satan talked the majority of the Nephites out of having experienced the night that appeared as day when the Savior was born? The event that had once caused them to collapse to the ground in astonishment was now dismissed as a phenomenon of nature:

“And it came to pass that from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen….and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen–Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing.” 

As disconcerting as some issues may seem, they are really not as large as Satan would portray them to be. Nevertheless, we often allow these issues to carry much more weight than they deserve. Beyond all other considerations, we must never discount our testimonies and the evidence we have of God’s miracles in our lives. We must never allow our questions to set at risk what we value most: our eternal relationships and the promises of salvation and exaltation that gospel covenants provide.

The Leaven of Satan

We recall that Jesus cautioned his apostles to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (Mark 8:10-21). Leaven, of course, is another word for yeast, the ingredient that makes bread rise. Jesus was cautioning his disciples against allowing the words of the Pharisees to be planted in their souls. What starts as a little thing soon expands to overwhelm its host. Such is the leaven of Satan.

How many people do we know who have bumped up against a difficult doctrine, a disturbing piece of historical data, or who have just plain been offended by a Church leader or another member then succumb to Satan’s advances and allow him to introduce his leaven? Over time, that leaven expands until questions become insurmountable doubts and offenses become felonies, and those people who are troubled by these things now interpret everything about the Church through the dark filter of Satan’s lie.

Like cancer, the leaven of Satan will take root in our souls and grow into a briary tangle that is calculated to destroy us. According to Nephi, to avoid implantation we must give no heed to any temptation, no matter how insignificant it might seem. We must neither dabble nor consider nor partake. In Nephi’s words, “we heeded them not.”  The only solution to rid Satan’s leaven from our souls is an infusion of light and truth coupled with divine intervention, typically through the priesthood. Of ourselves, we are simply not strong enough to take on the power of Satan and come off conquerors.

The Leaven of Christ

On the other hand, Alma speaks of leaven in another way. The word of God, he says, is like a seed. Like the evil leaven of the Pharisees, the good seed is also planted by an external force-the Holy Ghost. Over time, if the seed and its growing motions are not resisted or cast out by our unbelief, the seed will grow into “the tree of life…springing up unto eternal life.” If we will nourish that good seed, Alma says, it will begin to swell then sprout and eventually grow into a bearing delicious fruit.

Once the seed or leaven of Christ takes hold in the fertile ground of our receptive soul, the Father will direct the growth, oversee our education, and teach us the sublime intricacies of the gospel and its covenants. Moreover, he will give us power to abide the precepts of the gospel covenants.  Over time, the good seed will become a part of us until we are totally leavened by it. Soon, we discover that the fruit of the gospel that comes from the seed tastes delicious; it is desirable to make one happy; it is most sweet above all other fruit; it is white to exceed all whiteness; and it is the most joyous to the soul. We will have no desire to depart from it. As we become Zionlike by the leavening power of the word of God, we will feel no urge to be drawn back to the great and spacious building-Babylon. The word simply tastes better, looks better and feels better than anything Babylon has to offer.

Questions vs. Doubts

Speaking of questions vs. doubts, Isaiah asked the “question of questions,” which each of us must answer or ever remain vulnerable to Satan’s leaven. Prophesying of the Savior and his mission, Isaiah suddenly launched the question: “Who shall declare his generation?” That is to say, who is capable of discovering the origin of Jesus? Is He really the Son of God, generated by the Father, Himself, or is He just a great teacher and religious leader? The answer to this question gives us the key to answer every gospel question and reveal the truth of all things. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote:

It is a true principle that “no man can say [or, rather, know] that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” (1 Cor. 12:3.) The testimony of Jesus, which is also the spirit of prophecy, is to know by personal revelation that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. In the full and complete sense of the word no one ever knows that Jesus is Lord of all except by personal revelation; and all persons to whom that testimony or revelation comes are then able to declare His generation, to assert from a standpoint of personal knowledge that they know that Mary is his mother and God is his Father. And so, in the final analysis it is the faithful saints, those who have testimonies of the truth and divinity of this great latter-day work, who declare our Lord’s generation to the world. Their testimony is that Mary’s son is God’s Son; that he was conceived and begotten in the normal way; that he took upon himself mortality by the natural birth processes; that he inherited the power of mortality from his mother and the power of immortality from his Father-in consequence of all of which he was able to work out the infinite and eternal atonement. This is their testimony as to his generation and mission.  

Our questions concerning the reality of Christ and His generation, the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the actuality of the restoration of the true Church of Jesus Christ or any other essential doctrine can only be known by the revelation from the Holy Ghost-his planting true leaven-the good seed, the word of God-in our souls and our allowing that leaven to expand within us.

Our Choice

In one way or another, the leaven of Satan or God will be implanted within us. Try as we might, it is unavoidable. So we have a choice to make: Which leaven will we allow to be placed in our souls? Both leavens have the power to expand and fill us. Both have the capacity to transform us into their likeness. If we entertain the dangerous leaven, it will soon swell and appear logical and essential; we will most certainly dismiss the truth as a myth. But if we will allow the leaven of God to swell within us, it will grow into the image of the Bread of Life.

3 Nephi 1:17, 22; 2:1-2

1 Nephi 8:33

Alma 32:40-41

See Alma 32:28-41

See D&C 84:48

See 1 Nephi 8:10-12, 30

Isaiah 53:8

See Moroni 10:4-5

Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p.472

Do we allow unanswered questions fell our tree of testimony or grow it? Just how much are we willing to risk or obsess on a question when weighty matters are at stake? Deciding what matters is one of the first steps to leaving Babylon and becoming a Zion person.

About twenty years ago, I had a gospel question that vexed me. Despite my best efforts, I could not make sense of it. After pondering, praying and fasting, I still suffered with the question. The experience taught me that in the delay there are blessings, if we will allow them. The first blessing that I experienced was the question’s forcing me to a point where I had to decide once and for all if the question really mattered. Was the root system of my testimony so flimsy that this issue could topple my tree of belief? After a little deliberation, I decided that my roots of testimony ran deeper than that, and I concluded that I would not let the issue matter. It could wait. What I didn’t understand at the time was that by setting aside my demand for an answer I opened the door for the answer to come.

The purpose of delay

The Lord never asks us to travel a road without some prior preparation. Faith builds upon faith as the Holy Ghosts spoon-feeds us one precept at a time. Questions are often planted by the Spirit as invitations to learn the next concept. A quick survey of the scriptures reveals the Lord’s use of questions to prod righteous people to stretch and to learn. But we can stop the process and fell our tree of testimony by becoming frustrated with the process or getting stuck on a challenging question. When the answer is not immediately forthcoming that does not mean that a satisfactory answer does not exist. Perhaps the Lord’s delay serves as a test of faith or a motivator to search the scriptures and prophets for answers to this and other questions. Often, in the process of seeking an answer we stumble upon a potpourri of truth.

The priesthood matters

Every person’s journey to answers is unique. Here are a few of the markers along the course that I traveled to gain my answer. When I was eleven, I was stricken with Nephritis, a complication of Strep Throat. My kidneys began to shut down and I was at risk of developing heart damage. A health blessing healed me. Twenty-eight years later, when my son suffered kidney failure, I was able to donate a kidney to him. It had never happened that a person who had contracted Nephritis had donated a kidney. Our situation was so rare that it was written up in medical journals. But the part the author of the article left out was the part about the priesthood blessing that I had received from my bishop so that I could donate. He promised that my kidneys would be healed from the effects of Nephritis and I could give my son a kidney. Even the doctors could not attribute the rarity of this situation to anything than that of divine intervention.

I have an abiding testimony of the restored priesthood. My wife and I have ten children-three boys have hemophilia, a severe bleeding disorder. Additionally, we have dealt with kidney failure, Crohn’s Disease, potentially paralyzing broken neck and back, Hepatitis, and West Nile Virus. We have seen several miracle babies come to our children who were clinically incapable of having children. One doctor compared the miracle to parting the Red Sea. We have seen homes and jobs appear when all seemed lost. The priesthood matters.

Years ago, one Halloween night I received a call from a friend. Our boys had been playing on his roof, and my son, Gavon, had stepped off and landed on his head. When I arrived, Gavon was unconscious and bleeding from both ears. The medics rushed him to the hospital. When I stepped into his room, I was not prepared for what I was about to see. Gavon’s face was badly swollen; blood continued to seep from his ears-a sign of concussion; his right collarbone had a large bump as though something was trying to protrude through the skin. I was told that his clavicle was broken badly. The doctors also suspected a broken neck or back.

My friend and I gave Gavon a priesthood blessing then the boy was wheeled away to Radiology. Perhaps an hour later, a doctor approached me with a handful of x-rays. His speech was very clinical. He pointed out bones, growth plates and the obvious concussion.

“Has the bleeding from the ears stopped?” I interrupted him. “Is there any brain damage?”

“The bleeding has stopped and there is no damage,” the doctor said.

“What about breaks? His back? His neck?”        

“No breaks.”

“Not even his collar bone?” I asked astonishedly.

“Nothing. He will probably have a headache for a few days.”

Gavon woke up 24 hours later with the predicted headache, not remembering anything expect standing on the edge of the dark roof. His bruising was gone within a few days and he was back playing carefully with his friends.

Over the course of nearly 37 years of marriage, our family has existed from one priesthood blessing to the next. The priesthood matters.

Redemption matters

I doubt that there was ever a more unprepared missionary than I. Having come from a family that was disintegrating, I found myself confused about the Church, especially its doctrines concerning priesthood and eternal marriage. Somewhere in my adolescence I decided that a mission was not for me. I wasn’t trying to be rebellious; I had actually convinced myself that the Lord didn’t want me to go. We can convince ourselves of almost anything of we try hard enough. We can even convince ourselves that important things don’t matter.

Nevertheless, as my 19^th birthday approached, the idea of a mission seemed to press relentlessly upon my mind. Finally, I decided to pray and get Heavenly Father’s word once and for all that He didn’t me to serve a mission. As ridiculous as it sounds now, I was actually asking to be officially excused. So I prayed. When the answer didn’t come I prayed some more. And this went on for a month.

One day when I was walking around campus, minding my own business, a sudden flood of light entered my body. I was so astonished that I looked down at my feet, which seemed to be standing above the ground. I felt within me an actual call from God to serve a mission. What was even more remarkable was all the confusion, doubt and fear left me in an instant, and they were replaced by excitement and enthusiasm. Now I wanted to go! I met with the bishop that weekend, and within four weeks I received a call to Argentina. I have always been amazed that the Lord rescued and redeemed such a confused young man as was I and set me on a course that has blessed my life ever since. Redemption matters.

The Book of Mormon Matters

Having officially been called on a mission, I now felt the weight of unpreparedness settled upon me. I had infrequently attended seminary, and I had never read the Book of Mormon. I was horrified that I knew nothing, and within weeks I was supposed to be teaching the Argentine people the gospel of Jesus Christ. Motivated by panic, I began to read the Book of Mormon.

Having always been fascinated by writing, I read the Book of Mormon with a continuous string of questions flowing through my mind. For example, I asked myself if anyone, even the greatest literary genius of all time, could have written such a book-within 60 days! One would have to have had a fabulous knowledge of the Jews and the Law of Moses. One would have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible in order to mesh its teachings with this new volume. One would have to have the skill of assuming the voices and styles of multiple people, and one would have to accurately explain three separate civilizations that existed from the Tower of Babel to 400 A.D. One would have to forward geographic locations and archaeological data that would only be proven correct a hundred or more years later. Then the book would have to hold up to criticism at every level for nearly two hundred years. Finally, the book would be bold enough to carry a one-of-a-kind guarantee that the truth of it could be known by honest seekers by a direct answer from God…and millions would then attest that the guarantee was valid. Who would dare says such things? Who but a prophet could write it? People could criticize it, but who has ever duplicated it?

When I completed the Book of Mormon, I had an intellectual testimony, but I wanted the answer from God. That would be the clincher. If the book was true, he would live up to the promise made at the end. And so I prepared myself and prayed. I prayed for three hours one night! I was determined to not arise until I had my answer. Then it came. In an experience too sacred to relate in detail, a palpable light burst through the ceiling of my room and entered my body. It started at my head and flowed down through me with the feeling of coming in from the cold and drinking a warm fluid. The light burned out every doubt and filled me with a feeling of happiness and peace that I had never experienced. It enveloped me for a very long time, and gradually withdrew when I said I had had enough. Now I knew, and I needed no more proof. Thirty-nine years later, I can still remember the feeling and its impact on me. I absolutely know that the Book of Mormon is true, as is Joseph Smith, the Prophet who translated it. My testimony of the Book of Mormon matters.

Eternal Marriage Matters

I think Heavenly Father is the ultimate romantic. I believe that He loves a love story and He delights in finding individual ways to introduce His sons and daughters. My wife and I had a unique love story. Elder Maxwell was fond of saying there are no coincidences. I met Buffie when I was seventeen and she was fifteen. By chance, my little singing group had been asked to perform between acts for the MIA June Conference in Salt Lake City. That was a big deal for Boise kids. We had never even seen a mall, let alone a big city.

After one performance, a happy, rotund man approached us and said that he wanted to introduce us to “Mr. Music” in Salt Lake. We were all starry-eyed. We imagined fame and fortune were just around the corner. We got into our car and followed this man to a little apartment up above the Capitol building. When we knocked on the door, a little red-headed girl with big dimples opened. That was our introduction, but neither of us thought anything about it until four years later when I had returned from my mission.

Fast-forward to February 3, 1972. One night, I was eating a hamburger in the cafeteria at BYU. Suddenly, I heard a voice call, “Larry Barkdull! Is that you?” I looked over and saw Buffie with a date. I ran over and hugged her. (I didn’t care about that other guy.) We were just two old friends reuniting after years apart. That night I called her and we talked for three hours. The next day we had a date, and the next day, too. On Sunday, we drove to Salt Lake to visit her mother. On the way home, we were talking lightly, minding our own business (I seem to always be minding my own business when inspiration comes.) We had just pulled up to her apartment when a sudden powerful feeling washed over Buffie and she couldn’t catch her breath.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed. “I’m seeing you as though….” She couldn’t describe her feeling. She just stared at me as if in shock. “What does it mean?”

Then the feeling enveloped me. I was suddenly grateful that I wasn’t driving. “It means we are supposed to get married,” I said.

Buffie nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “I know…and I don’t love you yet!”

Well, she got over it and managed to tell me that she loved me a week before we got married. The next day I gave her a ring, and two months later we were sealed for eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.

As unique and challenging as was our courtship, we always look back on Heavenly Father’s “introduction” and remember that our eternal marriage started with a remarkable answer. Together, we have brought into this existence ten marvelous children, and our family has now expanded to thirty-two. Today, when I look into my wife’s eyes and contemplate the goodness of God in giving her to me, I testify that eternal marriage and family matter.

My Answer

I end as I began. Two decades ago I had a question. I struggled for an answer that for some reason was postponed. I did my due-diligence for a period of time, but finally had to decide whether I was going to let it bother me or build me. I handed it off to God and decided that it didn’t matter. I would focus instead on what I knew to be true: priesthood, redemption, testimony and eternal marriage and family. I would not risk absolutes for questions.

Then one day, twenty years later, as I was minding my own business, the answer came. It was a soft communication, wholly unremarkable. But there it was just the same. Suddenly, everything clicked. I paused for a moment, smiled, and said, “Oh, I never would have thought.” It was nice to finally have my answer, but it really didn’t matter much-not in comparison to what really matters.

A parent shared the following experience. Keep in mind that rescuing wayward children is often a function of personal sanctification. That is, to the degree that we sanctify ourselves we gain power to rescue the person for whom we are praying. Beyond our view, heavenly help is summoned and a plan for rescue is made. Now it becomes a matter of timing, persistence, and especially relying on the Holy Ghost to open doors.

A breakthrough question

“I had been preparing a Family Home Evening lesson, and I though I had some pretty good ideas. When I was trying them out on my wife, she stopped me mid-sentence and said, “Maybe you should ask the kids what is on their minds.” My wife was right, of course. Imposing my ideas on my family has not always proven the best option. So I started over by asking each of my children what was on their mind. We would call our Family Home Evening, Ask Dad Hard Questions and See if He Has An Answer.

“One of my daughters has been inactive. She struggles with the question of why there has to be an organized religion, and why good people can’t just live good lives and end up in heaven. When I pondered her question, I threw out all the others. I suddenly realized that the Holy Ghost had just handed me an opportunity to plant a seed. If I had brought up the issue, she would have turned off. But now she was asking me! Here is the text of our Family Home Evening.”

What is the big deal about an organized Church?

The same thing was asked of Jesus, and his answer was one that he was killed for. Joseph Smith answered the question and he was killed too. This is the question of questions, and the answer is the most vital answer you or anyone will ever receive.

The idea of a church is not new, but in the days of Jesus the Jews had apostatized from the true religion and had adopted a system of performances and ordinances. In other words, they went through the motions, but they didn’t know why, and they thought the procedure could save them. They thought that being good and going through the motions were enough. Then Jesus came along and told them that they were in error; nothing that they were doing would land them in the celestial kingdom. The Jews were so incensed by his answer that they crucified him in order to preserve their erroneous ideas.

What did Jesus say about salvation?

Early in Jesus’ ministry, a man named Nicodemus came seeking information about salvation. Salvation means to be placed beyond the power of your enemies. “Enemies” could be yourself, other people, circumstances, health, financial or relationship problems, sins, and especially death. The ultimate meaning of the word salvation means exaltation, which means that a “saved” person can progress along a clearly marked path and eventually become exactly like God.

Jesus taught Nicodemus about the path: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God…Ye must be born again” (John 3:5, 7). Nicodemus was startled by this new doctrine. Jesus was telling him that only authorized baptism and the Holy Ghost (born again) could set a person on the path to ultimate salvation. Baptism, like all ordinances, is a physical symbol of an important spiritual truth. In this case, baptism is a symbol of burying your former sins and way of life and coming up clean and new-like a birth. Another way to look at the symbol of baptism is death and resurrection. In any case, baptism symbolizes the decision to abandon a sinful life and pursue a new spiritual life.

That means you must have an infusion of Spirit. After you are baptized, according to Jesus, you must be born “of the spirit,” otherwise you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Ghost is that Spirit. He purifies you so that you can remain as clean as the moment you emerged from the waters of baptism, and he walks you along the path until you achieve ultimate salvation. Clearly, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you must also believe Jesus’ teachings. According to his teaching to Nicodemus, the ordinances of baptism and the Holy Ghost are essential for entering the path that leads to salvation and exaltation.

But will any baptism do?

Evidently not. The apostle Paul was once teaching in the Roman province of Ephesus when he met a group of twelve disciples who said they had been baptized. He was suspicious so he asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost. They had not. Joseph Smith said you might as well baptize a bag of sand as baptize without conferring the Holy Ghost-one without the other is meaningless. Paul asked these people how they had been baptized, and they said they had received baptism in the name of John the Baptist.

Wrong! Paul explained their error–baptisms must be done in the name of Jesus Christ by someone having the authority of Jesus Christ. Because Paul had that authority. He baptized them again the right way, and then he confirmed them with the Holy Ghost. Now they were on the path.

What do we learn from this account?

Being good is not enough to save you. You must be good and do the right thing in the right order to end up in the right place. Keep in mind that these were sincere people who were trying to live good lives, but they had a mistaken idea. When Paul, who was authorized by Jesus Christ, performed the ordinance correctly, these people suddenly received the promised blessings associated with baptism and the Holy Ghost, and miraculous things began to happen (See Acts 19:1-7). Miracles always happen, and these are signs that the ordinances are true.

What does all of this have to do with a church organization?

Good question. Now we know that salvation is only made possible through ordinances, and these ordinances must be performed by someone who has the actual authority of Jesus Christ. They are given so that good people can do the right thing in the right order to end up in the right place.

So where do we find this authority?

During Jesus’ ministry, he chose twelve apostles to be his special witnesses and bear testimony of him. He laid his hands upon their heads and transferred his power to them; that is, he ordained them to the priesthood. On that occasion he said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John 15:16). Now the apostles could baptize and duplicate the works of Jesus with full authority.

What do we do with all the people who are baptized?

To hold together these newly baptized converts, to nurture them, and to help them progress, Jesus formed an organization or church whose leaders were the apostles. The apostles were to safeguard the doctrine of Christ so that it remained pure. As the Church grew, they were to ordain other men to the priesthood and authorize them to baptize and do the works of Jesus Christ.

To understand the necessity of a single organization with clearly authorized ministers of Jesus Christ, we need only observe the world’s 25,000 Christian denominations, which all believe is the necessity of baptism and which all perform it differently and teach diverse doctrines. On church, one faith, one baptism-that is the doctrine of Christ. There are not 25,000 ways; there is only one way, and that way involves apostles.

Where does authority come from?

Jesus chose Peter as the first president of the Church and gave him the “keys” of presidency. You turn a key to open something. Spiritual keys are “turned” to open spiritual powers and the blessings of heaven. (We will discuss these blessings later.) Jesus said to Peter, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

Notice that Jesus said he would build a “church,” so it’s hard to argue that an organized church is not necessary. Jesus also stated that he would build his church in a specific way–upon the “rock” of the priesthood, which opens the channel of revelation from heaven to govern the Church. Upon that sure “rock” of priesthood keys, which Jesus gave to Peter, Jesus would build his Church and reveal truths from heaven. Therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ became the custodian of all blessings, ordinances and powers that are necessary to get people on the path and to follow it to their ultimate salvation.

What to “keys” do?

Jesus made an intriguing statement to Peter about keys. He said, “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Keys have the power to lock and unlock-seal and loose-spiritual things. In other words, whatsoever Peter and the apostles did on earth would be recognized in heaven forever.

The power of “keys” is an amazing power, especially considering that everything on this earth and everything that man does comes to an end, including life, marriages and families. Only the power of God could bind or “seal” something so that it would last beyond death. In this scripture, Jesus told Peter, the president of the Church, that he was giving him his sealing power (keys) to put the seal of God on everything that Peter did so that those things could endure eternally. Therefore, on the condition of worthiness, a person, who desired salvation and exaltation, could go to Peter or one of the apostles and receive a baptism that would endure eternally.

Is there any other way?

No. Jesus said, “My house is a house of order” (D&C 132:8). The order of salvation is one of authorized ordinances. To Peter and the apostles, Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15-16). Damnation means restricting blessings. According to Jesus’ statement, anyone who rejected Jesus’ teachings and baptism at the hands of the apostles would be “damned” or unworthy of further blessings. Without ordinances you are stuck.

Is baptism enough for ultimate salvation?

No. Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost only gets you on the path. The purposes of Jesus Christ are 1) to bring us back to God and 2) to help us become like our Heavenly Parents. To bring us back requires baptism and the Holy Ghost. To help us become like our Heavenly Parents requires an infusion of heavenly power and knowledge. Now we are talking about more ordinances to give us that power and knowledge.

This process of ordinances seems like nonsense to the world. Remember, the Lord uses sacred symbols and rites to teach us of his world. To access the powers associated with these ordinances, we must make agreements or covenants with the Lord. When we keep our end of the agreement, he keeps his, and we progress blessing upon blessing, power upon power, knowledge upon knowledge until we become like God.

Covenants and ordinances are the markers along the path leading to salvation. As we have learned, the prophets and apostles are the custodians of the keys to these sacred covenants and ordinances. When we make a covenant and receive the associated ordinance by the power of these keys, we are assured that the terms of the covenant will endure eternally. We have God’s personal seal and guarantee.

What is Jesus’ purpose?

1) to bring us back to God and 2) to help us become like our Heavenly Parents. The path that we follow has the following markers (covenants and ordinances):

1.     Baptism and the Holy Ghost

2.     Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood ordination for men

3.     Temple ordinances

4.     Eternal marriage.

Here is how these markers help us become like God.

1.     Baptism and the Holy Ghost–To step away from the telestial world and point us toward the celestial world

2.     Priesthood-To obtain the authority of God. 

3.     Temple ordinances–To obtain the knowledge and power of God.

4.     Eternal marriage. To obtain the lifestyle and kingdom of God.

What are these four “markers” called?

Collectively, these covenants and ordinances are called the New and Everlasting Covenant. The Covenant is “new” because it is new to every person that receives it; the Covenant is everlasting because it will last forever. This is the covenant of salvation. It is administered by the authority of the prophet and apostles, who have the keys to affix the names of all three members of the Godhead on the Covenant-the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Effectively, these three Gods sign their names to this covenant of salvation, guaranteeing that if you remain worthy, everything that has been promised us in the Covenant will be yours forever.

What are the promises?

Here are the words of the Lord:

“And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed [the prophet], unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them–Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths–then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them” (D&C 132:19-20).

Can a person obtain these promises any other way?

No. The Lord states, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it” (D&C 132:22).

Why do only a few find this path?

“Because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me” (D&C 132:22).

Does this mean that God condemns these people?

No. It usually means that they have not found him yet, so he will find them. We have to remember that God is our Father and not a condemning judge. No loving parent would withhold the greatest of blessings from his children because of ignorance. He would use all his resources, and he would work for years to get the blessings to his children. Even if the children did not understand at first, he would continue to try until they understood perfectly and could make an informed choice. This is one of the great works of the Church of Jesus Christ and the essence of the gospel. No single issue is more important than this: God loves his children and he never gives up.

What happens when I desire these blessings with all my heart and choose to put forth the effort?

Here is the Lord’s promise: “But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also” (D&C 132:23).

What happens if I start on the path and mess up?

Simply repent and move forward. Joseph Smith said, “All are within the reach of [God's] pardoning mercy” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 191). And on anther occasion: “Our Heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in his mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive.” Elder Orson F. Whitney said, “Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 257).

Forgiveness is a simple thing: turn back to God and recommit to obey his commandments. Moroni said, “fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins” (Moroni 8:25). God takes no pleasure in punishing us; he is only interested in helping us change so we can enjoy the greater blessings. We make a critical mistake when we judge God as if he had human traits. His love and mercy are described as infinite and perfect. “God is love,” the apostle John said. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:16, 18). You need not fear God or his motives or his judgment any more than you need fear Mom or me. Because we love you, you are safe. Because God loves you, you are safe.

But I still remember my sins and they haunt me.

You should stop listening to that voice. God never works that way. He may remind you to nudge you to repent, but when you do he promises that he will remember your sins no more. Of course, Satan would love to parade your sins before your eyes and tell you that all is hopeless. He would tell you that because you can still remember your sins are not forgiven. But that is not true. Remembering is simply a device to help you avoid repeating the mistake.

After you have repented, painful, condemning memories come from Satan. On the other hand, remembering with peace comes from God. It serves no good purpose to rehash mistakes. Those memories paralyze you and stop you in time. They retard your progress. Satan knows this and uses it as an effective strategy. Stop listening to Satan. Tell Satan that you detect him; he flees when you shine light on him. And forgive yourself! God has.

Where do I start?

The parable of the Prodigal Son gives the answer and it reveals the nature of God. Here was a boy who had lived a reckless and riotous life, only to find himself living with the pigs. At that low point, he “came to himself” and remembered a loving father. He could hardly turn back. Maybe he had gone too far, even for his father’s love. But he tore himself away from the pigs and started home.

The scripture says, “And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” This scripture suggests that the father had waited every day, looking out at the horizon, praying that his son would come to himself and return home. When at last the father saw his boy, he did not wait for his son to come home. He ran to great him and helped him come home! Then the father put on his son the best robe, a ring on his hand, shoes on his feet and he made his son a great feast. The boy was home at last!