a. D&C 97:21. (The pure in heart.)

b. D&C 82:14. (The Church and its stakes.)

c. Moses 7:19. (The city of Enoch.)

d. 2 Samuel 5:6-7; 1 Kings 8:1. (The ancient city of Jerusalem.)

e. D&C 45:66-67; 57:1-2; Articles of Faith 1:10. (The New Jerusalem, which will be built in Missouri.)

f. Hebrews 12:22-23. (The dwelling place of those who are exalted.)

First Things First

Which comes first: a Zion people or a Zion priesthood society? Read Moses 7:16-19. Notice that in the days of Enoch, the Lord called his people Zion before Enoch built the city of Zion. In fact, the city was named after the people. If we are waiting for an announcement from Salt Lake to become Zion, we will be sorely disappointed. Our pioneer forefathers discovered this sad fact: location does not make a Zion people; Zion people make a Zion location. Zion is a condition of the heart.

Pure in Heart

What does “pure in heart” mean? First, we must define terms:

1.     To “purify” something means to extract from it all contaminants and impurities;

2.     To “sanctify” something means to change its purpose or make it holy.

For example, on Sunday the priests take common bread and bless and sanctify it, whereupon the bread becomes holy. Its purpose has changed; now it is an emblem of the atonement. Likewise, when common people step into the waters of baptism and submit to that ordinance, all sin is extracted from them.

A common metaphor for this process is the making of steel. When raw ore is placed in a crucible and heated in a furnace, the substance becomes molten and the  properties separate. At that point, a skilled metallurgist can divide out the impurities from the pure, refined iron. An alloying process ensues, whereby the metallurgist carefully combines select elements in perfect proportion with the pure iron. The result is steel. But the process is not yet complete. For steel to become strong and not brittle, it must be subjected to reheating in the furnace, which is followed by pounding to align the molecules into their strongest position. The process of being thrust into the furnace and beaten is repeated multiple times until the steel is free from impurities and aligned so that it cannot be broken. At some point, the metallurgist pours the steel into a mold to change its purpose, and as a final step he polishes it. The finished product is incredibly strong and beautiful and it will remain so indefinitely.

In a similar manner, we are immersed in the crucibles attendant to the purifying experience, those fiery trials that heat, pound, mold, and polish us so that we might be purified, sanctified, and conformed to the image of God. The Lord has every right to do this. We agreed to it when we entered into the new and everlasting covenant. John Taylor wrote: “I heard the Prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: ‘You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the kingdom of God.’”

To become pure in heart, we agree to enter into the new and everlasting covenant by baptism, and then we agree to submit to the purifying efforts of the Holy Ghost. If we allow him to do his work, he will purify our hearts so that he can thereafter sanctify us and form us into the image of God.  The apostle Paul said it this way: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” Zion people are covenant people, who submit to the purifying crucible and emerge sanctified as new creatures. King Benjamin’s people cried out what we might call the anthem of the pure in heart:

And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

President Spencer W. 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 greed. No, Zion is not things of the lower, but of the higher order, things that exalt the mind and sanctify the heart.”

Burning Out Impurities

What impurities could we allow the Holy Ghost to burn from us so that we could become pure in heart? Let us mention a few:

• Disobedience (D&C 64:34-35;105:3, 5-6). InD&C 105, the Lord cited disobedience as one of the reasons the city of Zion was not to be established at that time.
• Persecution of the poor (D&C 105:3). The word poor broadly means those who are financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually in need. The Saints who were trying to establish Zion in Missouri were chastised by the Lord for failing to care for “the poor and afflicted among them.” The rich are continually condemned by the Lord: “But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.” The reasons for the condemnation should be clear: A rich man makes at least three fatal decisions so that he might become and remain wealthy: 1) He uses his time, talents and resources for the purpose of building his personal wealth; 2) He determines that the wealth belongs to him and is not a stewardship that is to be used to do the Lord’s work; 3) He decides to keep his most of his wealth instead of giving it to the poor. By assuming this attitude, he despises the poor, persecutes the meek, and chooses Babylon over Zion.
• Casual attitude toward the temple. (D&C 97:10-16; 105:9-12). Zion people are covenant people. They always gather for the purpose of building temples, where they can receive their eternal blessings and stand as proxy so others can receive the blessings of salvation. As proxies, they become saviors on Mount Zion in the similitude of the Savior, who is the king of Zion. They assume the work of their king, which is to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” While Zion people cannot affect immortality, they can affect the potential quality of another person’s immortality, the highest manifestation of which is eternal life.
• Casual attitude toward missionary work. (D&C 133:8-9). Once a person has made the decision to come out from Babylon and the Lord has delivered him into Zion, the Lord sends that person back to call other people out from Babylon (the world) and into Zion. Jesus is our example. As the Father sent him into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world to bring people out. We cannot avoid this assignment without serious repercussions. A missionary attitude will become more critical as the world implodes under the weight of its own wickedness.
• Casual attitude toward the priesthood. (D&C 82:14). “For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments.” President Franklin D. Richards explained, “What are these beautiful garments? These beautiful garments are the clothing upon with the authority and power of the Holy Priesthood. It is that which makes people beautiful; it is that which makes people useful….” Today, many priesthood holders have authority but little power, which comes through valiance and righteousness. The days of casualness towards the priesthood are over. President Eyring prophesied, “The destiny of the rising generation of priesthood holders is far more than to be ready to bring God’s power down to heal the sick. The preparation is to be ready to go and do whatever the Lord wants done as the world is preparing for His coming.”
• Casual attitude toward gospel scholarship and duty. (D&C 105:10). Lehi plainly taught us that one-hundred percent of the people who did not hold fast to the iron rod (the word of God) were lost. Only those who “did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron” achieved the fruit of the tree.” But knowing the word of God is meaningless unless it is coupled with duty. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
• Inequality. (D&C 82:17-19). “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.”

Nephi said, “Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.” Equality governs God’s dealings with his children; and righteous Zion people, who also espouse equality, receive God’s greatest blessings. What are the “favored of God” supposed to do with their blessings? Clearly, they are supposed to do that which qualified them to be called “righteous” in the first place: use them to bless God’s children.

If we desire to become “righteous” Zionlike people and “the favored of God,” we cannot treat God’s children differently than he does. Rhetorically, Nephi asked, “Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?” Then, answering his own question, he said, “Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden. . . . He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female.” Can we expect to become Zionlike if we adopt inequality?

The Lord treats his children equally, but the same is not always true of us. Nevertheless, the law of consecration stipulates that we shoulder the obligation of the covenant to lift others. It is anti-Zion to exalt ourselves while others languish in poverty. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s good.” What is the divine result of seeking equality? “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” Pay particular attention to the word because in this scripture. Because pure-hearted people strive to lift their neighbors and esteem all of God’s children as themselves, Zion flourishes. Zion is established because we make a choice to become Zionlike. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “If we are to build that Zion of which the prophets have spoken and of which the Lord has given mighty promise, we must set aside our consuming selfishness. We must rise above our love for comfort and ease, and in the very process of effort and struggle, even in our extremity, we shall become better acquainted with our God.”

• Disunity. (D&C 38:27). We are commanded to become one. The people in the city of Enoch were described as “being of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18). Lack of unity was one of the reasons the early Saints were not able to build the city of Zion (D&C 101:6;105:4). Why is unity emphasized so much in connection with Zion? President Gordon B. Hinckleymade this observation: “When you are united, your power is limitless. You can accomplish anything you wish to accomplish.” This remarkable promise speaks to the power of unity. President Daniel H. Wells, former counselor in the First Presidency, taught: “The principles of the Holy Gospel are calculated in their nature to unitethe hearts of the people one with another, and to promote faith, union and lovetowards our fellows.” Because we cannot expect the Lordto establish Zion in our hearts without consecrated unity, the Lord commanded us, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” Prefacing this directive, he made a powerful statement regarding the importance of unity: “It is even as I am.”

Jesus taught us the power of unity anew in this dispensation: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them-even so am I in the midst of you.” We see in this scripture the means by which President Hinckley’s promise is realized. Gathering into one in the name of Lord for a common purpose invites the Savior into our circle. Clearly, unity is a celestial law, and when we obey it, we enjoy its unmatched blessings.

• Contention and disputations.(Mosiah 2:32-33). After the crucifixion of the Savior, when the Nephites heard the Lord’s voice declaring the destruction of the wicked, lamenting the evils of his people, and inviting the remnant to come unto him with full purpose of heart. Later, when the Savior appeared to them, he singled out two sins that he could no longer abide if they were to come into his presence and become a Zion people. He said, “And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.” In other words, stop fighting, arguing, competing, taking offense, and becoming angry with each other.

Contentions and disputations had always been the common denominators of Nephite decline, apostasy and war. Contentions had also brought down the Jaredite civilization, and later contention had nearly destroyed the Nephites after the birth of Christ. Jesus seemed to be reminding and warning them about contentions and disputations with the commandment to abandon such behavior once and for all.

A cursing is pronounced upon those who contend, and prophets and great leaders have sought to teach unifying principles to avoid the possibility of contention. King Benjamin warned, “But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit…. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.” Later, Alma commanded the members of the Church “that there should be no contention one with another, but that…their hearts [should be] knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” Looking out across the generations of his children, Nephi prophesied that contention would define his people’s history and eventually cause their downfall: “For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.”

When the resurrected Jesus appeared to the Nephites, he commanded them to never again contend or dispute with each other. If they would obey this command, they would also impede to a great degree envy, strife, tumult, sexual sins, lying, murder, lasciviousness, secret combinations and economic and social distinctions. We know that the people obeyed the Lord, because the next time we read about them, we discover that “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people…and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.”

What are the promises for the pure in heart?

The scriptures speak of the glorious promises of Zion and its people. Read D&C 97:18-25. What are some of the blessings?

• Zion will spread and become glorious and great (D&C 97:18).
• Zion will be honored by the nations of the earth (D&C 97:19).
• The Lord will be Zion’s salvation (D&C 97:20).
• Zion will rejoice (D&C 97:21).
• Zion will escape the Lord’s vengeance (D&C 97:22-25).

What must we do to enjoy these blessings? (See D&C 97:25.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; … we are the favored people that God has [chosen] to bring about the Latter-day glory.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I see a wonderful future in a very uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel, we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness. ‘And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord … : for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem’ (Isaiah 2:3). Great has been our past, wonderful is our present, glorious can be our future.”

Author’s Note:

Much of this material was extracted from The Three Pillars of Zion. You may receive a free sampling at www.PillarsOfZion.com.

Romans 8:29.

Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 24:197.

2 Corinthians 5:17.

Mosiah 5:2.

Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 363.

2 Nephi 9:30.

Moses 1:39.

John 17:18.

Journal of Discourses, 21:195.

Eyring, “Be Ready,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 59

1 Nephi 8:30.

James 1:22.

1 Nephi 17:35.

2 Nephi 26:28, 33.

JST 1 Corinthians 10:24.

Moses 7:18; emphasis added.

McMullin, “Come to Zion! Come to Zion!” 94.

Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 725.

Hinckley, “Your Greatest Challenge, Mother,” 97-100.

Wells, Journal of Discourses, 24:314.

D&C 38:27.

D&C 6:32; emphasis added; see also Matthew 18:20.

3 Nephi 11:28-30

See 1 Nephi 9:4; 12:3; 19:4; 2 Nephi 26:2, 32; 28:4; Omni 1:17; Words of Mormon 1:12; Mosiah 9:13; Alma 2:5; 4:9;50:25; 51:9; Helaman 16:22; 3 Nephi 2:11

See Ether 11:7

See 3 Nephi 2:11

See Ether 4:8

See Mosiah 29:7

Mosiah 2:32-33

Mosiah 18:21

2 Nephi 26:2

See 4 Nephi 1:24-25

4 Nephi 1:15-18, emphasis added

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 231.

Ensign, Nov. 1997, 69.

In his great intercessory prayer, the Savior taught that personal sanctification is the principle by which one person might help to save another. Just moments before Gethsemane, Jesus made the following statement: “For their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified” (John 17:19). In other words, the first action, personal sanctification, makes possible the second action, the saving of another.

We often think of sanctification in the context of being cleansed from sin-and it is certainly that-but here we see Jesus, who had no sin, sanctifying himself. Obviously, there are greater reasons to persist in the process of sanctification beyond repentance.

Definitions

To understand the process, we must first define terms. Purification and sanctification are words that are often interchanged. That they are closely associated is evident. In this article, we will define purification as extracting any impurities that would stand between us and perfection; we will define sanctification as changing the purpose of something or making something holy.

Purification

Purification is dependent upon two factors: 1) our complete effort to change and make amends, and 2) the grace of Jesus Christ to do what lies beyond our ability. The Savior is the Purifier, but the agent for the purification process is the Holy Ghost.

The process of purification is often called the baptism of fire. We are fully immersed in the heat of the Lord’s furnace to burn out of us all impurities. The Holy Ghost will persist in the process until he can commend us to God as being pure, that is, “true and faithful in all things” in the similitude of “Him whose very name is ‘Faithful and True.’” Such people are called “Zion, the pure in heart.”

We must do our part to purify ourselves, but in the end we will need the Holy Ghost and the Savior to make us completely pure. BYU professor, Chauncey Riddle, wrote:

Then and only then will our Savior reach in and give us a new heart. The new heart will be a pure heart, one that has no selfish desires, one that is willing to do the right thing. It will choose to do the will of God at all times and places, no matter what the opposition or the sacrifice involved. This new heart is made in the image of Jesus Christ…. To be purified is to become literally a new creature in Christ, to die as to the old person that we were, literally to become of the heart and mind of [Christ]. The scriptures promise great rewards for those who qualify and take this step. The scriptural name for this new heart is ‘charity.’ Charity is to have a heart that loves with the pure love of Christ.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the result of being purified. When the contaminants, pollutions and alloys have been burned from our souls, we emerge from the furnace sanctified, and we now have a new and holy purpose.

Let us examine sanctification from the point of view of the sacrament prayer. By the priesthood, the priests bless and sanctify common bread and change its purpose to call us to remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. Now blessed and sanctified, the bread’s purpose has changed from sustaining physical life to sustaining spiritual life.

Likewise, a pile of stones can, by the priesthood, be changed in purpose to become an altar. A regular day in the week can be sanctified by God and become a day to worship him and enter into his glory. A natural man can be purified of sin then sanctified by the Holy Ghost, so that his purpose now becomes one of service to God: “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

The Savior sanctifies us through the Atonement, but the Holy Ghost is the agent of sanctification, just as he is the agent of purification. The Holy Ghost rids us of impurities so that he might change our purpose.

Parents, who wish to become redeemers to their children, submit to the process of purification so that their level of sanctification increases. With each effort that they make to become more purified, their purpose changes, as does their power to partner with the Redeemer to redeem their children. They are transformed from caregivers, nurturers, disciplinarians, etc. to saviors on Mount Zion in the similitude on the Savior. Elder Mark E. Petersen said, “You are ministers of the Lord unto your children, and if you will do your duty by your children, you will be as saviors on Mount Zion to them.”

How Jesus Sanctified Himself

So how and why did Jesus sanctify himself? We see the answer in the context of the 17^th chapter of John. Jesus sanctified himself through living a life of strict obedience. He had spent the week before his atoning sacrifice in the temple. The night of his sacrifice, he read and sang from the scriptures, partook of the sacrament, then entered into a fast. Afterwards, he proceeded to Gethsemane where he made a vicarious sacrifice and offered mighty prayer (which I believe is prayer preceded by sacrifice).

Could we not do the same? Clearly, in addition to other sanctifying principles, obedience, temple worship and service, scripture study, partaking of the sacrament, fasting, and offering mighty prayer are essential keys to personal sanctification.

The Savior’s example of personal sanctification teaches us that we simply cannot invite a change in someone else unless we have first changed our purpose. This principle could not be more clearly stated than in the Sermon on the Mount:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

The more we strive to increase our level of sanctification the more we can shine a bright light on that person for whom we are praying. Of course, we cannot interfere with that person’s agency, but we can partner with the Redeemer and better learn and do our part in the Lord’s plan of redemption.

The Easiness of the Way

Despite the present difficulty of working with a wayward child, the gospel solution is easy, according to Alma.” In an Ensign article, Gérald Caussé wrote, “All the knowledge of the gospel which is meaningful for our salvation can be summarized in a few points of doctrine, principles, and essential commandments.” In the case of recuing a wayward child, what is this easy way? What are the few points of doctrine? If we follow the example of Jesus, we will personally focus on fundamental gospel principles before we attempt to invite change in someone else. We will

• Strive to become more obedient.
• Increase our temple attendance, worship and service.
• Feast on, rather than merely read, the scriptures, and do so with more regularity.
• Partake of the sacrament more worthily.
• Offering mighty prayer that is coupled with sacrifice.

With regard to offering sacrifice, interestingly, the sacrifice that seems to be most Christlike-or Saviorlike-is vicarious sacrifice, or proxy sacrifice. Is it any wonder, then, that some of the mightiest of prayers that we can offer are in a most sacred place in the temple after we have performed a vicarious sacrifice for someone who could not otherwise achieve salvation? It is in the temple where we come to understand that parents, who are united in love and who sanctify themselves, are endowed with power from on high to pray down angels in behalf of their children. Clearly, the prayers offered by sanctified parents for their children are only exceeded in power by the prayers of Jesus Christ.

An Example

We end this article with a story from “Ellen,” a mother in San Diego, California, who learned an extraordinary lesson in the power of personal sanctification.

My patience was wearing thin. First, I lost patience with my daughter, Angela, whom I could not reach no matter what tactic I used; and second, I lost patience with the Lord for not stepping in to help. My husband and I counseled with our bishop, after which I felt even more hopeless. All he did was run down the checklist: Were we praying as a couple, individually, and as a family? Were we fasting for our daughter? Were we holding family home evening, diligent in our callings, reading the scriptures, attending the temple-you get the idea. I felt as though I was in a temple recommend interview. That is not what is needed! I screamed inside. Give me something concrete that I can do to change Angela! My husband and I left the bishop’s office with his parting counsel, “Take everything up a notch. When you shine more brightly, you’ll be able to shine a brighter beam on your daughter.”

I was so disappointed, and I told my husband as much. It was Angela who needed changing, not us. I felt as though the Church had let me down; the gospel was merely theory and void of practical application-a set of pat Sunday School answers with no substance.

My patient husband listened to me rant, then presented another view. He had actually felt something when the bishop had talked to us about light. Quoting D&C 93:37, my husband said, “The scriptures say ‘light and truth forsake that evil one.’ If light is what is needed then we should do as the bishop counseled and try to bring more light into our lives.”

After that, I repented of my tantrum and followed my husband’s lead. Over the next few months, we examined every spiritual aspect of our lives and tried to bring our spirituality up a notch: better prayers, more consistent scripture study, more frequent family home evening and temple attendance-anything to infuse more spiritual light into our lives. Although I felt a decided improvement in me, I noticed no improvement in my daughter. Nevertheless, I persevered in increasing the light.

One day when I was reading the scriptures, two visual images came into my mind. First, I imagined that I was holding a spotlight with the beam fixed on my daughter. Every time I prayed, fasted, studied the scriptures, attended the temple, etc., the beam grew more intense. Despite Angela’s ongoing attempts to seek the darkness, she could not escape the light that I was shining on her. Then I saw Angela under a magnifying glass that the Lord was holding. She was also under its light, although the glass was far away from her now. Nevertheless, I realized that the Lord was slowly moving the glass toward her, and in the process, the light was growing more and more concentrated. In time, the light would form a focused beam and become very intense. When that happened, the concentrated light-depending upon her choice-would either burn out all her impurities or burn her up. Clearly, someone skilled and someone who knew Angela very well needed to be in charge of the magnifying glass. I understood that I was not that person. If I were holding the magnifying glass, I might incinerate Angela due to my impatience; but gratefully, the Lord held the glass, and He knew how to focus the light through the lens to purify her. His intention was to save and not to destroy her.

I gained an appreciation for the bishop’s counsel. The gospel was truly a practical remedy for spiritual problems. If I simply focused on filling myself with light-Jesus said we are the light of the world-then I would gain the ability to cast a continual, bright beam on my daughter, which would illuminate her while the Lord worked the magnifying glass to concentrate the light. The Lord and I were partners in the light!

Angela has not totally forsaken her wayward ways, but my husband and I have noticed marked improvement in her. Recently she was involved in a serious accident that could have taken her life. Miraculously, she walked away unscathed, knowing that God had saved her and given her a second chance. There was no other explanation. She has given up alcohol and has begun to pray. Spiritual ideas nag at her constantly, as though she is under a persistent beam of light. She can’t get those thoughts out of her mind. Now, when she brings them up of her own free will, we have opportunities to talk about the gospel. My husband I and know that Angela will return; it is just a matter of time. But in the meantime, we continue to try and bring more light into our lives.

Author’s Note

This article was adapted from my book, Rescuing Wayward Children. Follow this link to learn more.

Also, get a sample of my new 5-book series on Zion: The Three Pillars of Zion. Click here.

McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 316.

D&C 97:21.

Riddle, “The New and Everlasting Covenant,” 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter Sixteen, 236-37.

D&C 20:77.

John 6:35.

Exodus 40:10.

Genesis 2:3.

D&C 84:24.

Exodus 28:41.

McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, vol. 4:114.

Alma 13:11-12; 3 Nephi 27:19-21; D&C 84:33.

Petersen, Conference Report, October 1959, 14.

Matthew 7:3-5.

Alma 37:46.

Caussé, “Even a Child Can Understand,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 34.

Ye Are Gods

Anciently, King David had a remarkable revelation concerning our premortal stature and concern for the condition of the earth and God’s children. David recounted his vision in Psalm 82, part of which Jesus quoted during his ministry. Effectively, David saw the righteous sons and daughters of God, who were yet spirits, petitioning God to end injustice, wickedness, poverty, and ignorance. The people, “walk in darkness,” they complained, and consequently “the foundations of the earth are out of course.”

Then the Father makes an extraordinary observation and lays the responsibility back on their shoulders. “Ye are gods,” he declared; “and all of you are children of the most High.” In other words, you have attained to a high station and have the power within you to fix the conditions you are so concerned about. Therefore, go down and fix them, and I will help.”

If we could see past our present frailties, we would see gods, who were once empowered to accomplish unfathomable divine feats, the greatest of which were the acts of redemption. Because we have temporarily forgotten our exalted premortal stature does not negate the fact that exceptional abilities lie within us. Most certainly, we are up to the task of partnering with the Father and the Son to rescue a wayward child.

Raising Children Unto God

After God created Adam and Eve and united them in eternal marriage, he gave them a commandment, which he has renewed with every married couple, and which he has never rescinded: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the prophet and Apostles made this statement: “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”

When Heavenly Father entrusts us parents with his children, we are under obligation to raise them unto God, to do all we can to return them to Him. President Howard W. Hunter said,

Anyone who becomes a parent is under strict obligation to protect and love [God's] children and assist them to return to their Heavenly Father. All parents should understand that the Lord will not hold guiltless those who neglect these responsibilities.

After the Exodus and while Israel was in the wilderness, Moses, in teaching his people, instructed them that the commandments of the Lord should be taught by parents to their children in the home. He said to them: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:6-7).

What is a “Successful” Parent?

Nevertheless, President Hunter added, “there are children who have come into the world that would challenge any set of parents under any set of circumstances.” When we have taught our children correctly, he said, we can consider ourselves successful parents, a comforting reassurance from an Apostle. “A successful parent is one who has loved, one who has sacrificed, and one who has cared for, taught, and ministered to the needs of a child. If you have done all of these and your child is still wayward or troublesome or worldly, it could well be that you are, nevertheless, a successful parent.”

Mourning over her wayward children and struggling with her self-worth, a mother in Nevada wrote, “I always feel I could have done more, and I feel the guilt that comes when my parenting skills fall short. I always struggle when my children struggle, but I stand firm in my love for them and ask for help from my Heavenly Father. I try hard to forgive myself but always feel if I had been a better mom maybe they would have had a different life.”

Like this suffering mother, too many parents take their children’s problems personally. But as noted above, our job is to love, sacrifice, care for, teach, and minister as much as our children will allow. These are comforting thoughts for parents whose children exercise their agency and refuse to respond to their parents’ pleading, long-suffering, and sorrow.

Elder Hunter reminded us that “we should never let Satan fool us into thinking that all is lost. . . . Each child is unique. Just as each of us starts at a different point in the race of life, and just as each of us has different strengths and weaknesses and talents, so each child is blessed with his own special set of characteristics. We must not assume that the Lord will judge the success of one in precisely the same way as another. As parents we often assume that, if our child doesn’t become an overachiever in every way, we have failed. We should be careful in our judgments.”

We are Novices at Parenting

We are novices when it comes to parenting; we are like new missionaries arriving in their fields of labor. We, like missionaries, are called to do the work of salvation, but the Lord is patient with us as we strive to meet new challenges. The instructions that the Lord gives to missionaries might be applied to parents:

Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. [Something marvelous is about to occur in your family-a new baby!] Therefore, O ye [parents] that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

According to the scripture, desire qualifies parents for the work, and they qualify for salvation by fulfilling parents’ first commandment in righteousness. Continuing, what qualities does the scripture state that parents should strive to develop? “Faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.” And of course the promise is that God will not leave us alone in this monumental responsibility: “Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Answers and support are just a prayer away.

The miracle of God’s work is that weak things are divinely empowered to accomplish great things. “Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thrash the nations by the power of my Spirit.” The mighty are not necessarily chosen. The Lord is willing to call us children to rear His children. When it comes to parenting, we are mere babes; nevertheless, He allows us this privilege simply because we “desire” to do His work-to give physical life to his children and to teach them the principles of salvation. Because we desire, we are called to the work.

We Were Called, Prepared, and We Have Covenanted to Save

During the process of creation, God “came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences,” and there, as President J. Reuben Clark said, “he found many that were great and good . . . ‘there were many of the noble and great ones.” President Clark continued:

Following upon this general principle, the Prophet Joseph said: “Every man who has a calling,” every man, “to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the grand council of heaven before this world was.” . . .

I do not know whether we have a right to interpret the Prophet’s statement . . . but I like to think that it does include those of us of lesser calling and lesser stature. We have been told ever since I was old enough to remember that those who are coming forth among the Latter-day Saints were choice spirits, and I like to think that perhaps in that grand council something at least was said to us indicating what would be expected of us, and empowering us, subject to the reconfirmation here, to do certain things in building up the kingdom of God on earth.

Our parental calling and preparation likely began in the premortal world-the “first place,” as Alma calls it. There, a select group of people received a calling into the holy order because they had “conformed to the image of [God's] Son.” The premortal holy order, of course, was comprised of those righteous men and women who were worthy of the blessings of the priesthood. We latter-day parents were included in that select group because we desired to help redeem God’s children. Elder David B. Haight commented,

John A. Widtsoe provides insight to an earth-life responsibility made in that premortal world which is of great importance. He highlights a contractual agreement we made concerning the eternal welfare of all of the sons and daughters of the Eternal Father:

“Since the plan is intended for all men, we [the covenant people of the holy order] became parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but . . . saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. . . . The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation.”

The Family Israel Is Endowed to Save

The group of premortal noble and great ones that formed the holy order was called Israel, whose founding fathers would be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “Israel is an eternal people. She came into being as a chosen and separate congregation before the foundations of the earth were laid; she was a distinct and a peculiar people in preexistence, even as she is in this sphere.”

As Israelites (or Israelites by adoption through baptism), we, like our father Abraham, wanted to come to earth to teach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and become a “father [or mother] of many nations, a prince [or princess] of peace.” Righteous men, who were premortally appointed “High Priests of God,” having proved themselves by choosing good over evil in the conflict in heaven, had “undoubtedly labored among the spirits in the premortal world and were ordained and prepared to descend to earth and be leaders in the Lord’s redeeming work here.” Additionally, as President Kimball noted, “faithful women were given certain assignments,” which, like their male counterparts, they were accountable for, just as are the prophets and Apostles.

By becoming part of the holy order in the premortal world, we entered into a covenant to become Saviors on Mount Zion to the whole human family, starting with our own families. Catherine Thomas said the following:

It is likely that many of the premortal house of Israel . . . entered into covenants with those who would be our ancestors as well as with those who would be our posterity. We did this for the express purpose of having a saving influence in both directions-on our ancestors through work for the dead and on our posterity through nurturing work for the living, all under the continuing direction of the great Redeemer.

Likely our own labors with many spirits commenced in the spirit world, our hearts being bound together in love from our associations through eons. . . .

We would, by our premortal covenants with loved ones and with the Lord, become extensions of God’s power during our mortal probations and actually be able to exert a saving influence on an increasing number of people.

Learning the Principles of Redemption is Essential to Exaltation

Why would learning the process of redemption be so important?

Those who will persist in learning and perfecting that power will be exalted to the stature of their parent Gods. Is it any wonder, then, that God places so much weight on our learning the principles of redemption? And if that is the case, could we doubt for a moment that covenant relationships are left to chance or that children enter families as randomly as a dealer distributing cards?

Clearly, as prophets have said, there are few coincidences for covenant people, and therefore no important person is in our lives by accident. That realization leaves us only one course to pursue: because we were called and prepared to do the work of redemption among our children, we must move forward in faith and labor diligently, even when no hope seems to be in sight. Mormon’s exhortation to Moroni should become our mantra: “And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.”

Changing Our Paradigm

The fact that many of us deal with wayward children indicates a divine trust, not a mortal failing. Premortally, we exercised righteousness and developed a love of redemptive principles that qualified us to be called gods. As such, when we observed the conditions of this fallen world and foresaw the risks that those conditions would present to our children, we petitioned God and he responded by assigning us to come to earth and counter the conditions by the power of our righteous actions. Thus, we became saviors in training, and our commission now is to fulfill our premortal calling. As long as we rely on the Savior, who commissioned us, our prospects of eventual success are, according to the prophets, grand and glorious.

Author’s Note

This article was adapted from my book, Rescuing Wayward Children. Follow this link to learn more.

Also, get a sample of my new 5-book series on Zion: The Three Pillars of Zion. Click here.

John 10:34

Psalm 82:6

Genesis 1:28.

Howard W. Hunter, “Parents’ Concern for Children,” Ensign, November 1983.

Howard W. Hunter, “Parents’ Concern for Children,” Ensign, November 1983.

Howard W. Hunter, “Parents’ Concern for Children,” Ensign, November 1983.

D&C 4:1-7, emphasis added.

D&C 35:13.

Abraham 3:21.

J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1950, 169-171, emphasis added.

Alma 13:5.

See Alma 13:1.

Romans 8:29.

John A. Widtsoe quoted in David B. Haight’s “Temples and the Work Therein,” Ensign, November 1990, 59.

Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 510.

Abraham 1:2.

Alma 13:10.

M. Catherine Thomas, “Alma the Younger, Part 1,” Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

Spencer W. Kimball, “The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, November 1979.

M. Catherine Thomas, “Alma the Younger, Part 1,” Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

See Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Lessons Learned in the Journey of Life,” Liahona, May 2001.

Moroni 9:6.

The following story is disturbingly common:

“Marie,” a mother in Arizona, wrote, “Nothing could have prepared me for the excruciating pain of my first delivery. I had thought that I wanted to have the full experience, so I turned down the epidural. I did fine for the first few hours, and then my water broke. The sudden, blinding pain was more than I could bear, and I was only dilated to ’3′-I had hours to go. When the nurse offered me the epidural, I gladly agreed. In fact, when the doctor was delayed because he was treating another patient, I began to panic. I couldn’t get relief from the pain fast enough. At the time, I thought, Who would knowingly go through pregnancy and delivery again? But for as much pain as I experienced that day, it was nothing compared to the spiritual suffering I experienced when that same, sweet little boy chose drugs over school, immorality over chastity, friends over family–he abandoned the Church and broke my heart.”

Mormon was not just an observer of the future; Mormon was a prophet with remedies for the latter-day epidemic of waywardness. If we parents will internalize his message, we need not stand by and wring our hands. Powerful gospel tools are at our disposal, which arm us so that we can actively attack this problem and win. The Book of Mormon, modern-day prophets, and the Lord have promised!

The Book of Mormon Parallel

To help us, Mormon chose powerful examples from his history that would correspond with his vision of the last days. Regarding waywardness, he chose the story of Alma the Elder and his son.

To set up the story, Mormon related an important incident regarding the Nephite “pioneers,” whom the Lord had delivered and brought to their land of promise. The similarity between the Nephite pioneers and our forefathers does not escape us. Those stalwart parents, who had sacrificed so much to establish their Zion in Zarahemla were now rearing children who did not believe, as had their parents. Here is how Mormon describes these children of the next generation: 

Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened. And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.

This frightening account of children abandoning their parents’ beliefs and following paths of carnality and sin is played out in too many LDS families. Mormon made the point that no set of parents, not even the king of the land or the prophet of God, is safe from the effects of the plague of wayward children: “Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father….” Clearly, Satan can reach into any family and snatch away any of our innocent children.

No Grief is as Acute

Of course, when this happens to us, we feel grief-stricken, isolated, ashamed and guilty. In vain we internalize and personalize the child’s bad behavior: “What did I do wrong? Why didn’t I see this coming?” We groan under the weight of apparent scriptural indictments: “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents…And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”

Perhaps worst, we feel helpless to change things. Should we employ tough love and risk destroying the relationship? Or should we silently watch and mourn and risk losing the child completely? Where are the answers? Where is power to change things?

There is an Answer

Mormon knew what parents could do. So did the ancient prophets, and so do the modern prophets. It is a common scriptural and prophetic theme. We begin with admission: the sickness of spiritual waywardness is a spiritual problem that needs a spiritual remedy. To lay the groundwork for spiritual healing to occur, we need at least three spiritual tools:

1. Perspective. We need to remember that the Fall has rendered us significantly impotent. We feel sin ever beckoning us, and we cannot escape the realities of corruption, aging, disease and opposition. Clearly, mortality is a hard experience for our children and for us.
2. Grace. We cannot make it alone. The Fall would be an impossible situation to negotiate without divine intervention and help. Only Jesus Christ can give us the strength to persevere, overcome. and do good works.
3. Strength. Strength to do what? We seek strength to change our circumstance–not to eliminate it. We seek strength to believe in and draw upon the power of the Atonement, where there is infinite power to affect a change. We seek strength to believe that the Lord is bound to us by covenant, and therefore there are promises that we can count on. We can tap into the Lord’s power and change our situation.

For parents to become agents of change and people who are capable of acting in the strength of the Lord, we must reevaluate our level of belief in the Plan of Redemption and adopt a new perspective. Perhaps we need to reexamine our faith and ask ourselves some questions.

• Do we simply believe that Christ exists, or do we believe who he really is-the Deliverer?
• Do we believe that the gospel is a nice culture, or a vibrant system of reclaiming and redemptive tools?
• Is our child’s waywardness indicative of our personal failing, or is his waywardness indicative of a divine trust?
• Did Heavenly Father foresee this season of spiritual sickness, or did it catch him off guard? 
• If he knew about it, did he plan for it? 
• Am I alone? Do I have to fret and come up with a plan to save my child, or is there already a plan of salvation in place, and I just need to learn and do my part?
• If what I am going through is a calling rather than a curse, was I prepared for it? Can I count on God making me equal to my calling?

So what do we learn from Mormon? Why did he direct our attention to wayward Alma and the wayward sons of Mosiah? The answer lies in what Alma the Elder did: He sanctified himself. Rather than put his energy into changing his son, he put his energy into changing himself, and that effort facilitated a spiritual awakening for his son.

This is the lesson that we learn from Alma the Elder: Every effort that parents make to increase their level of sanctification has a direct redeeming effect on their children. In other words, the redeemed parents partner with the Redeemer to do the redeeming. Therefore, we do not have to sit by and helplessly watch a child spin out of control. We can go to work, and the primary work we will do is on ourselves. Speaking of this principle and stating a promise, Brigham Young said,

Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.

The gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely holds the spiritual solution for spiritual waywardness.

Divine Positioning

The gospel centers on redemption. Period. Redemption is the primary work of the Gods. Redemption is also the work that we signed up to do, because we desired to become like the Gods. Therefore, redemption is the work that we will be doing throughout eternity. Is it any wonder then that God gives us opportunities to learn redemptive skills? Clearly, God has redemption in mind when he places struggling children with faithful parents. How could we believe otherwise? Do we really believe that God, who created and organized the universe, simply rolls the dice and hopes for the best when he sends children into our families?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell called family placement “divine appointment,” or we might say divine positioning. This organizational method often calls for weak children to be placed with strong parents, strong children to be placed with weak parents, or strong individuals to marry into weak families. Why? To do the work of redemption. BYU professor, Catherine Thomas, said, “God may place spiritually challenging children in homes of spiritual and conscientious parents for their mutual benefit.”

Possibly countless ages of divine premortal observation and planning determined our children’s mortal placement. Beyond every other consideration our children’s familial placement was meant to rescue them and to magnify their opportunity to advance toward exaltation. Even the difficulties they would experience could serve to save and exalt them. Heavenly Father’s house is a house of order!

Sweeping Prophetic Promises

Of course, nothing trumps agency, and no guarantee could ever been made that a child will ultimately choose to turn from a life of waywardness. Nevertheless, these principles are so powerful that the prophets have used very little qualifying language in making universal and incredible promises. The atonement has a much greater reach than we might imagine. Joseph Smith said, “Our Heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in his mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive.”

Then come the promises:

 ”There is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach God. All are within the reach of pardoning mercy.”–Joseph Smith

 ”God hath made a provision that every spirit in the eternal world can be ferreted out and saved.” –Joseph Smith

 ”I tell you that when the prophets and apostles go to preach to those who are shut up in prison, thousands of them will embrace the Gospel. They know more in that world than they do here.”– Wilford Woodruff

 ”When the gospel is preached to the spirits in prison, the success attending that preaching will be far greater than that attending the preaching of our elders in this life. I believe there will be very few indeed of those spirits who will not gladly receive the gospel when it is carried to them. The circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable.”–Lorenzo Snow

 ”God has fulfilled His promises to us, and our prospects are grand and glorious. Yes, in the next life we will have our wives, and our sons and daughters. If we do not get them all at once, we will have them some time…. You that are mourning about your children straying away will have your sons and your daughters. If you succeed in passing through these trials and afflictions…you will, by the power of the priesthood, work and labor, as the Son of God has, until you get all your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory. This is just as sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains. Therefore, mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels. Inasmuch as we succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors, and as kings and priests to our God, we will save our posterity.” – Lorenzo Snow

“Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ. We are called to this mission.” — Joseph F. Smith

“You parents of the wilful and the wayward! Don’t give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours–long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fulness of knowledge brings the fulness of accountability. 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.”–Orson F. Whitney

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared-and he never taught a more comforting doctrine-that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.” –Orson F. Whitney

 ”Those born under the covenant, throughout all eternity, are the children of their parents. Nothing except the unpardonable sin, or sin unto death, can break this tie. If children do not sin as John said, ‘unto death,’ the parents may still feel after them and eventually bring them back near to them again.”–Joseph Fielding Smith

 ”I leave my blessing upon you. May there be…a sense of security and peace and love among your children, precious children every one of them, even those who may have strayed. I hope you don’t lose patience with them; I hope you go on praying for them, and I don’t hesitate to promise that if you do, the Lord will touch their hearts and bring them back to you with love and respect and appreciation.”–Gordon B. Hinckley

Such optimism from the prophets for eventual success should kindle hope within any parent’s despairing heart. These empowering principles and promises should be good news for us. Rather than languishing in hopelessness, while watching our children die spiritually, we can employ the sanctifying principles found in the Plan of Redemption and expect miracles to happen.

And miracles do happen!

There is Hope

The powerful principles in the Plan of Salvation are within the reach of anyone who is willing to exert the effort. Is there a need? A survey of any ward in the Church or a scan of Conference talks should provide the answer. Spiritual waywardness is epidemic. You are not alone! In fact you are in good company. Some of the best parents who have ever lived have struggled with wayward children–so much so that one begins to wonder if this situation is not common to the mortal experience. Perhaps a wayward child is not a curse after all; maybe the child is a trust. Nevertheless, this epidemic was foretold in the scriptures, and a remedy was prescribed. Once parents become acquainted with these redemptive principles, miracles often happen.

The divine resources that are available to us are amazingly expansive, and the vast body of confirming evidence of eventual success is overwhelming. Therefore, to discount the Lord’s power to reclaim, even from incredible distances, or to minimize the power that the Lord has placed within our reach is to disparage the redeeming power of the infinite and universal atonement of Jesus Christ.

Absolutely, there is hope.

Invitation

This article was adapted from my newly released book Rescuing Wayward Children. I invite you to join my new Facebook group called “Rescuing Wayward Children.” 

Mosiah 27:8

D&C 68:25, 28

Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 208

M. Catherine Thomas, “Alma the Younger, Part 1,” Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

For example, see 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 8:28; Ether 12:27

D&C 132:8

Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 257

Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 191

Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 356-57

G. Homer Durham, ed., The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 152

[xii] Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Latter-day Prophets Speak: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Church Presidents, p.35

Lorenzo Snow, The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 195

Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, p. 442, emphasis added

Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1929, p. 110

Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1929, p.110

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol 2, p. 90

Gordon B. Hinckley, Address given to the Saints in Great Britain, August 1995

The Book of Mormon truly contains the fulness of gospel truth. One truth concerns the priesthood-its purpose and its proper use. To teach us that truth, Mormon included an abbreviated life study of King Benjamin that culminated with his unabridged speech. Something magnificent happened because Benjamin applied to the priesthood’s purpose and proper use. This account becomes the priesthood model for every father, priesthood holder with a calling, and priesthood leader.

If Melchizedek is an ideal of a priesthood holder in the Bible, King Benjamin is an ideal in the Book of Mormon. Both kings used their priesthood to facilitate a spiritual rebirth of their people and managed to bring them into the presence of the Lord.

What is the Most Sought-after Power?

BYU professor, M. Catherine Thomas, wrote, “The power to play a saving role is the most sought-after power among righteous priesthood holders in time and eternity. The greater the soul, it seems, the deeper the desire to labor to bring souls to Christ through causing them to take his name upon them.”  Benjamin was such a priesthood holder, a king and a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Because we are likewise kings and priests to our people, whether our people be our personal families, Home Teaching families, quorums, wards, stakes, or otherwise, we can glean priesthood saving principles from the example of King Benjamin, and thus learn how to establish the principles of Zion in their lives.

Looking for a “City”

One of the first things we learn about King Benjamin was that he followed in the tradition of great priesthood holders before him. What he desired and accomplished for his people was not new. As we have learned, Adam set the example. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “[Adam] wanted to bring [his people] into the presence of God. They looked for a city… ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Hebrews 11:10).” Later, Enoch, Noah, and Melchizedek followed this pattern. Now Benjamin, who “held the keys of power and blessing for his community,” prayed earnestly for priesthood power to endow his people with spiritual blessings and make them Zionlike people. Of priesthood holders’ preparation to enact such a change in their people, Catherine Thomas wrote,

A priesthood holder’s office is to sanctify himself and stand as an advocate before God seeking blessings for his community in the manner of the Lord Jesus Christ himself (see John 17:19), whether the community be as small as a family or as large as Benjamin’s kingdom. A righteous priesthood holder can work by faith to provide great benefits to his fellow beings (see Mosiah 8:18). He can, in fact, exercise great faith in behalf of others of lesser faith, “filling in” with faith for them; thus a prophet [or any priesthood holder] and a people together can bring down blessings for even a whole community (for example, see Ether 12:14). The Lord seems to be interested not only in individuals but also in groups of people who wish to establish holy cities and unite with heavenly communities. Like the ancients, one who holds the holy priesthood is always trying to establish a holy community, is always “look[ing] for a city (Hebrews 11:10, 16). So it was with Benjamin.

Imagine if every priesthood holder would approach his stewardship in this manner: always “looking for a city.” If such were the case, Zion could easily be established in families, quorums, wards, and stakes. The Lord said,

The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church–To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.

If Melchizedek priesthood holders do not instigate and disseminate spiritual blessings, those blessings will remain forever unknown and unclaimed.

King Benjamin-A Model for Priesthood Holders

What did King Benjamin do that is worthy of our emulation? First, he had lived a Christlike life, the covenantal obligation of all priesthood holders, having labored ceaselessly in the service of his people and his God. Next, he prepared his people for the blessings of salvation by fighting for them, waging battles in their behalf, doing all that he could to “triumph over the powers of evil-over ‘enemies.’” Catherine Thomas wrote,

This is the pattern: the priesthood holder labors with all his faculties to rout Satan from his loved ones as that enemy is manifested in contention, mental warfare, and physical violence among the people. For any priesthood holder to become a prince of peace, he must in some degree wrest his kingdom, great or small, from the adversary and halt the plans of the destroyer on behalf of his loved ones.” Establishing peace is absolutely essential for spiritual progress and “to receive greater spiritual blessings.

Thus, Melchizedek and Abraham were called princes of peace after the order to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Another priesthood action of Benjamin that is worthy of our emulation is that he prayed earnestly for priesthood power to bring his people into the presence of the Lord. In response to his prayer, and angel appeared with permission to gather his people for the purpose of bestowing upon them a great spiritual endowment, and instructions for how to do it. These were “glad tidings of great joy,” the very thing that Benjamin had wanted for his people. “The Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.”

The message of the angel would distinguish this group of people “above all the people which the Lord hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem.” Catherine Thomas explained, “”Perhaps this was the first time among all the people brought out from the land of Jerusalem that a king and priest-in the tradition of Adam, Enoch, and Melchizedek-had succeeded in bringing his people to this point of transformation actually to receive the name of Christ.”

To Fully Take upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ

What exactly happened? The process of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ begins at baptism, and our subsequent partaking of the Sacrament indicates our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, but to actually do so usually lies in the future. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained,

Mere compliance with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a person has been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the immersion in water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not of themselves guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new birth takes place only for those who actually enjoy the gift or companionship of the Holy Ghost, only for those who are fully converted, who have given themselves without restraint to the Lord. Thus Alma addressed himself to his “brethren of the church,” and pointedly asked them if they had “spiritually been born of God,” received the Lord’s image in their countenances, and had the “mighty change” in their hearts which always attends the birth of the Spirit. (Alma 5:14, 31.)

To fully take upon us the name of Christ requires at least three things:

1. Intervention or assistance by the priesthood
2. Our receiving all of the temple covenants and ordinances
3. Our living worthily of all that we have received.

Using the Priesthood to Facilitate a Spiritual Experience

King Benjamin understood his priesthood role to act as an advocate for the people and facilitate a spiritual experience whereby the people could receive a greater endowment of the Spirit in a temple setting. We must remember that the responsibility of the priesthood is to bring people to the Holy Ghost, whose responsibility is to bring people to Jesus Christ, whose responsibility is to bring people to the Father.

Having prayed and received the angel’s permission to proceed with the promise that his people might “rejoice with exceedingly great joy,” and be “filled with joy,” which terms, according to Catherine Thomas, are synonymous with being born again, King Benjamin gathered his people to the temple, where he taught administered to them something akin to the temple endowment. He covered such temple themes as “the creation, fall, atonement, consecration, and covenant making. Benjamin last words pertain to being ‘sealed’ to Christ and receiving eternal life (see Mosiah 5:15).” The result was as astonishing as anything we read in scripture. These people became Zion people; they “received an endowment of spiritual knowledge and power which took them from being good people to Christlike people-all in a temple setting.

What they experienced through the power of the priesthood was a revelation of Christ’s nature and the power to be assimilated to his image.” That is, by Benjamin’s priesthood intervention, they fully took upon them the name of Jesus Christ and consummated their journey to be fully born again. Now they were Zion people.

The Temple is the Summit of our Spiritual Journey

The connection of the priesthood, temple and receiving the name of Christ does not escape us. The scriptures teach us that the temple is a house for “the name” of the Lord. The Kirtland Temple was a place where “thy name shall be put upon this house.” Clearly, the temple is where we fully receive the name of Jesus Christ through the covenants and ordinances of salvation. According to Elder Dallin H. Oaks, when we partake of the sacrament, we indicate our willingness to make our way to the temple to take upon ourselves fully the name of Christ and receive the blessings of exaltation, including those highest blessings associated with the name of Christ given to those who live righteously against all hazards.

Priesthood holders are specifically commissioned to help people take upon them the name of Christ. Beyond administering the ordinances of baptism and the Holy Ghost, priesthood holders are responsible to get people to the temple, where we take upon us the name of Christ more fully. Then priesthood holders are to teach those exalting covenants and to set an example of righteous covenantal living. The result will make their charges Zion people and eventually gods. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “God’s name is God. To have his name written on a person is to identify that person as a god. How can it be said more plainly? Those who gain eternal life become gods!”

To fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, meaning the endowment and event that can only happen in a temple, opens the door to be nominated a candidate for exaltation. For King Benjamin’s people, this pivotal experience resulted in a “profound transformation from basic goodness to something that exceeded their ability to even describe. This much did they say, ‘The Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent…has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2).”

Priesthood-the Power to Bring People to a Higher Spiritual Plain

Who can underestimate a priesthood holder’s power and responsibility to help to establish Zion principles in his people? Catherine Thomas concluded,

It is the privilege and responsibility of a community’s priesthood leader, through exercising mighty faith and laboring with his people, to bring them to a higher spiritual plain in their quest to return to God. Benjamin had been praying that the Lord would send power to bring to pass a spiritually transforming experience for his people. The Lord sent his angel to declare to the king that power would be given to cause the people to be spiritually reborn, to becomes sons and daughters of Christ, and to receive the sacred name forever….The people tasted of the glory of God and came to a personal knowledge of him; through the power of the Holy Spirit they experienced the mighty change of heart and the mystery of spiritual rebirth.

Spiritual Awakening Linked to the Redemption of Zion

No priesthood responsibility could take precedence. It has everything to do with establishing Zion is one life or many lives. President Benson, “When we awake and are born of God, a new day will break and Zion will be redeemed.” That is what Benjamin did with his priesthood-that is what we all must do: awaken the people so that they are born of God; seek for a new day, so that Zion will be redeemed. This is the “city” we look for, the city “whose builder and maker is God.”

Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.159

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.281-82

D&C 107:18-19

See Mosiah 2:10-16

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.282-83, referencing Mosiah 4:14

See Alma 13:17-18; Abraham 1:2

Mosiah 3:3-4, emphasis added

Mosiah 1:11

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.290-91

See 2 Nephi 31:13

See Moroni 4:3; D&C 20:37

Bruce R. McConkie, “Born Again,” Mormon Doctrine, p.101

Mosiah 3:13

Mosiah 4:3

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.285-86

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.292

See 1 Kings 3:2; 5:5; 8:16-20, 29, 44, 48; 1 Chronicles 22:8-10, 19; 29:16; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 6:5-10, 20, 34, 38

D&C 109:26

See Dallin H. Oaks, “Taking Upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1985

Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 3:459

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.290

M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” King Benjamin’s Speech, p.293

Ezra Taft Benson, A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon, p.66

Hebrews 11:10

The New and Everlasting Covenant

In the beginning, the Father set forth two primary covenants to advance and save his children. These covenants are 1) the Covenant of Justice, through which he reveals the laws governing the celestial kingdom and those who inherit eternal life, and 2) the Covenant of Mercy, by which he rescues and exalts his children according to those same celestial laws.

Regarding the Covenant of Mercy, Jesus Christ is the agent of mercy and salvation. The vehicle of mercy and salvation is the Atonement, which establishes the foundation of the Covenant of Mercy. Upon that foundation, the New and Everlasting Covenant rises and forms the framework of our new life in Christ. Helaman explains, “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

Our new life is like a temple. As that holy structure rises, covenants are added. If we were to attempt to outline the New and Everlasting Covenant it might look like this:

New and Everlasting Covenant

1. Covenant of Baptism
2. Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

a. Ordination (men)

b. Temple covenants (men and women)

c. Eternal marriage covenant (men and women)

 Of profound importance is the fact that we make the New and Everlasting Covenant at the time of baptism with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. All three members of the Godhead effectively affix their names to the agreement with a covenant to save and exalt us. This is the purpose of the New and Everlasting Covenant. Each member of the Godhead now takes a part in our advancement and transformation, although “we receive all of the blessings of this covenant through the Son, who is Everlasting.” Bookending the New and Everlasting Covenant is the other covenant in which the Father, Son and Holy Ghost affix their names: the covenant of eternal marriage. Now the New and Everlasting Covenant is complete. Clearly, we become Zion people by means of the Covenant a combination of our best efforts and the best efforts of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The first pillar of Zion is the New and Everlasting Covenant. The New and Everlasting Covenant is the sum of all gospel covenants, ordinances and commandments–”the fulness of the gospel.” The purposes of the Covenant are: 1) to obtain knowledge and power for personal salvation, and 2) to obtain knowledge and power to help save other people by teaching them of the Atonement and administering to them the Covenant.

Infinite and eternal in scope, the Covenant has the power to save men and women and transform them into the image of God. We are saved to the degree that we receive and conform to this Covenant. If we become complacent about the Covenant, we risk forfeiture of our privileges. Zion people build their lives upon the bedrock of the Atonement by entering into the New and Everlasting Covenant.

Justification

Within the New and Everlasting Covenant, the covenants of justice and mercy work hand-in-hand to make of us Zion people and propel us toward eternal life-to make us just. We often think of justice in terms of inflicting penalties for sin, but justice also rewards us for obedience to God’s eternal laws. Mercy assures that those rewards are given according on our best-not perfect–effort. This is a manifestation of grace-we do all that we can and Jesus Christ makes up the difference. Thus, by obedience and grace, a child might be justified to receive the same reward for obedience as an apostle, as evidenced in the account of 3^rd Nephi when both the children and the apostles were equally blessed with access to the Savior, his teachings, healings and heavenly ministrations.

Justification, therefore, is to be judged worthy of the blessings that are specified by the laws of God on the basis of our best efforts. In the end, we understand, all blessings come to us by the merits of Jesus Christ. We cannot obtain any blessing from God, become just, attain to Zion, nor obtain inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom without being justified by obeying God’s laws and by applying to grace that is available through the mercy of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Ghost is the Savior’s justifying agent. Elder McConkie wrote: “What then is the law of justification? It is simply this: ‘All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations’ (D&C 132:7), in which men must abide to be saved and exalted, must be entered into and performed in righteousness so that the Holy Spirit can justify the candidate for salvation in what has been done. (1 Ne. 16:2; Jac. 2:13-14; Alma 41:15; D. & C. 98; 132:1, 62.) An act that is justified by the Spirit is one that is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, or in other words, ratified and approved by the Holy Ghost.”

Some of the most definitive statements on justification are found in the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon at the Temple. BYU professor Chauncey Riddle says, “The Book of Mormon is the scripture that lays out with great clarity justification both as a process and a product [See Alma 5].” Only by entering into the New and Everlasting Covenant can we exercise faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance, be cleansed from his sins through baptism, then live obediently by sacrifice so that the Holy Ghost can justify us to receive the prescribed blessings that are affixed to the laws of God. By this process, and by this only, can we truly become just.

Purification

Purification and sanctification are words that are often interchanged. That they are closely associated is evident. In this article, we will define purification as extracting any impurities that would stand between us and perfection; we will define sanctification as changing the purpose of something. We enter the New and Everlasting Covenant to draw upon the Atonement and become pure and therefore Zionlike.

Zion people are purified people; they are the “pure in heart.” Quoting Brother Riddle: “[The Atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to] “reach into our bosom and give each of us a new heart.” Purification flows from the Covenant of Mercy; by covenant we agree to allow the Lord to extract from our lives all impurities and pollutions that would stand between us and the Celestial Kingdom. This is necessary because ultimately, our desire to become Zionlike will require divine intervention: “To pour light and truth into the human vessel is not enough. As a child of Christ attempts to love the light and truth…each becomes aware of an alarming fact: having light and truth is no guarantee of being able to do what is right.” Only the Atonement can purify a heart, and we must agree to the process of purification. Thus, we enter into the New and Everlasting Covenant or the Covenant of Mercy.

Purification is dependent upon two factors: 1) our complete effort to change and make amends, and 2) the grace of Jesus Christ to do what lies beyond our ability. The Savior is the Purifier, but the agent for the purification process is the Holy Ghost: “The Holy Ghost is also a Purifier in that, because of Christ and the Atonement, this Spirit member of the Godhead has power given him to cleanse, sanctify, and purify the human soul. (3 Ne. 27:19-21.)” The process of purification is often called the baptism of fire. We are fully immersed in the heat of the Lord’s furnace to burn out of us all impurities. The Holy Ghost will persist in the process until he can commend us to God as being pure, that is, “true and faithful in all things” in the similitude of “Him whose very name is ‘Faithful and True.’”

We must do our part to purify ourselves, but in the end we will need the Holy Ghost and the Savior to make us completely pure. Brother Riddle said, “If we have repented of every sin we can repent of, have made fourfold restitution as far as we are able [D&C 98:44; Luke 19:8], and have been reconciled to our brother [Matthew 5:23-24], we may present ourselves at the altar with a broken heart and a contrite spirit [2 Nephi 2:7.] and plead in mighty prayer for this change of heart [Mormon 7:48; Mosiah 4:2.]. Then and only then will our Savior reach in and give us a new heart. The new heart will be a pure heart, one that has no selfish desires, one that is willing to do the right thing. It will choose to do the will of God at all times and places, no matter what the opposition or the sacrifice involved.

“This new heart is made in the image of Jesus Christ, that same heart that enabled our Savior to say, ‘Father, not my will, but thine be done,’ that same heart that enabled him to live a sinless life, that same heart for which he was chosen to be the Firstborn and to be the Only Begotten. To be purified is to become literally a new creature in Christ, to die as to the old person that we were, literally to become of the heart and mind of [Christ]. The scriptures promise great rewards for those who qualify and take this step. The scriptural name for this new heart is ‘charity.’ Charity is to have a heart that loves with the pure love of Christ.”

Sanctification

Like purification, sanctification also flows from the Covenant of Mercy, which is the New and Everlasting Covenant. As much as we enter the Covenant to receive the blessings of the Atonement and become purified, we enter the Covenant to be sanctified.

Sanctification is the result of being purified. When the contaminants, pollutions and alloys have been burned from our souls, we emerge from the furnace sanctified; that is, we now have a new purpose. Let us examine, for example, the sacrament prayer in which the priests bless and sanctify profane bread and change its purpose by the priesthood to call us to remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. Now blessed and sanctified, the bread’s purpose has changed from sustaining physical life to sustaining spiritual life. Likewise, a pile of stones can, by the priesthood, be changed in purpose to become an altar: “And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.” Or a natural man can be purified of sin then sanctified by the Holy Ghost, so that his purpose now becomes one of service to God: “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

The Savior sanctifies us through the Atonement, but the Holy Ghost is the agent of sanctification, just as he is the agent of purification. The Holy Ghost rids us of impurities so that he might change our purpose. This is purification and sanctification. We have a responsibility in the process. We must cooperate with the Savior and Holy Ghost as they purify and sanctify us. The Lord commanded: “Sanctify yourselves; yea purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean.” None of this is possible outside the Covenant.

Our responsibility

Our part in the sanctifying process requires that we separate ourselves from Babylon and all that is profane, unholy and ungodly. To accomplish this, wrote Mormon Times editor, Joseph A. Cannon, “We fast and pray, we ‘wax stronger’ in our humility and become ‘firmer in the faith of Christ…even to the purifying and the sanctification of [our] hearts, which sanctification cometh because of [our] yielding [our] hearts unto God’ (Helaman 3:35). If we ‘come unto Christ’ and ‘deny [our]selves of all ungodliness’ and yield our hearts to God, then we are ‘sanctified in Christ by the grace of God through the shedding of the blood of Christ.’ It is through this [process] that we can ‘become holy [sanctified] without spot.’ (Moroni 10:32-33).” Thus we are commanded to “sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God.”

Our effort to purify and sanctify ourselves begins with faith in Jesus Christ; we must believe that he has the power to cleanse and transform us, and we must trust in his methods and timing. Faith in Jesus Christ-true faith-always leads to repentance; we must eliminate the impurities from our souls and change our purpose. Repentance leads to covenant-making; we desire to legitimize our resolve by entering into an agreement with the Lord to purify, sanctify and make us in every way fit for the Celestial Kingdom. That agreement is called the New and Everlasting Covenant, and we enter that Covenant by the covenant of baptism. Now are pronounced clean, but we are not yet pure and sanctified. For that reason, we receive a special gift: the gift of the consummate purifying and sanctifying agent, the Holy Ghost.

Reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost is the baptism of fire spoken of in the scriptures. When a person enters into the New and Everlasting Covenant, he does so for the purposes of receiving relief from his sins and starting down the path to becoming like God. That process of transformation requires burning out of him the impurities that made him a sinful “natural man,” then molding him into a new creature, a saint, to assume the image of God.

The crucible-the baptism of fire

A common metaphor for this sanctification process is the making of steel. When raw ore is placed in a crucible and heated in a furnace, the substance becomes molten and the properties separate. At that point, a skilled metallurgist can divide out the impurities from the pure, refined ore. An alloying process ensues whereby the metallurgist carefully combines select elements in perfect proportion with the pure iron. The result is steel. But the process is not yet complete. For steel to become strong and not brittle, it must be subjected to reheating in the furnace, which is followed by pounding to align the molecules into their strongest position. The process of being thrust into the furnace and beaten is repeated multiple times until the steel is free from impurities and aligned so that it cannot be broken. At some point, the metallurgist pours the steel into a mold to change its purpose, and as a final step he polishes it. The finished product is incredibly strong and beautiful, and it will remain so indefinitely.

Just so, we are immersed in a baptism of fire that includes heating, pounding, molding and polishing so that we might be purified, sanctified and conformed to the image of God. The Lord has every right to do this. We agreed to it when we entered into the New and Everlasting Covenant. John Taylor wrote, “I heard the Prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: ‘You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.’”

The purified and sanctified to make an offering

When we entered into the New and Everlasting Covenant, we agreed to submit to the Lord’s crucible and allow him to make of us what we could not make of ourselves, and to make an offering in righteousness. We read: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” We qualify as the sons of Levi. When we enter into the Melchizedek Priesthood, we become the sons of Aaron, who was the son of Levi, and the sons of Moses. The offering required of us is a broken heart and contrite spirit–”And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost,” and “a book containing the records of our dead.” The processes of purification and sanctification precede our ability to make this offering in righteousness, which each of us must make if we hope to become Zion and gain the promises of eternity.

Job understood the process and submitted to the Lord’s crucible: “…when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Sometimes this process is called trying or chastisement, and we must endure it or forfeit our eternal inheritance: “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.” Of interest, chastise means more than to punish; it also means “to make chaste.” Job patiently endured the Lord’s chastisement without murmuring, which is the act of simultaneously believing in God while complaining about how he is managing the affairs of one’s life. On the other hand, Job waited confidently on the Lord’s deliverance from the crucible. He followed the same admonition that Joseph Smith gave to the saints: “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” Whereas murmuring postpones or cancels out blessings, cheerfully submitting in patience summons the Lord’s deliverance.

Only the grace of Jesus Christ enables us to endure the heat of the purifying and sanctifying procedure while trusting him in the process. The Lord will strengthen us and uphold us until we can make an offering unto him in righteousness, which offering brings us finally to where we desired to be when we entered into the New and Everlasting Covenant. Only the Lord’s grace can expunge us of all impurities; only his grace can transform us and give us a new purpose. The promises to the purified and sanctified are unequalled: “And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord shall be given eternal life.”

Reference

This article contains information from my upcoming book series, The Three Pillars of Zion. 

Chauncey C. Riddle, “The New and Everlasting Covenant,” 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter Sixteen, p.228, insert added

See D&C 42:67

See D&C 22; 132:6-7

D&C 39:11; 45:9; 66:2; 133:57

See “Grace,” LDS Bible Dictionary, p.697

See 2 Nephi 31:19; Moroni 6:4

Bruce R. McConkie, “Justification,” Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., p.408

See Matthew 5-7; 3 Nephi 12-14

Chauncey C. Riddle, “The New and Everlasting Covenant,” 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter Sixteen, p.234

D&C 97:21

Bruce R. McConkie, “Purity,” Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., p.612

See 2 Nephi 31:13-14; D&C 20:41; 33:11; 39:6

Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.316

Chauncey C. Riddle, “The New and Everlasting Covenant,” 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter Sixteen, p.236-37

See D&C 20:77

See John 6:35

Exodus 40:10

Exodus 28:41

Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, vol. 4:114

See Alma 13:11-12; 3 Nephi 27:19-21; D&C 84:33

D&C 88:74

Joseph A. Cannon, “Sanctify,” Mormon Times, June 12, 2008

D&C 88:68

See 2 Nephi 27:19-21

See 2 Nephi 31:13-14; D&C 20:41; 33:11; 39:6

Mosiah 3:19

See JST 2 Corinthians 5:17

Mosiah 3:19

See Alma 5:19

See Romans 8:29

John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, vol. 24:197    

3 Nephi 24:3; D&C 128:24

See D&C 84:31-34

3 Nephi 9:20

D&C 128:24

Job 23:10

D&C 136:31

“Chastening,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism, p.264

D&C 123:17

D&C 133:62

Then the record goes silent. Mormon picks up the account “in the ending of the thirty and fourth year,” nearly twelve months later. What happened in the lives of the surviving Nephites during that year? Mormon only hints at what the people did with Jesus’ message; but when we piece together the account, we discover one of the great sermons of the Book of Mormon-a sermon that is of utmost importance to those of us who would become Zionlike.

Parallels between the 3rd Nephi Saints and the Latter-day Saints

We should keep in mind that these people were not unlike many of us: either they were new members or they were good people who were trying to live the gospel as best they could. Perhaps some were lukewarm; maybe others were sitting atop spiritual plateaus and lacking the motivation to keep climbing. Whatever their condition, we do know this: The Lord declared that they had escaped the destructions only because they were “more righteous” than the ones who had perished. That was not saying much. He was also quick to point out that they needed to change. Therefore, he called them to repentance and bade them strive to become truly converted so he could heal them.

Why is this account important to us? To answer that question, we must first remember that from the outset of the Book of Mormon, Moroni testifies that the book was written for us. Then, within the first pages of the Book of Mormon, Nephi instructs us to read the book by likening the scriptures unto ourselves. Armed with those two pieces of information, we might envision ourselves as members of that small group of Nephite survivors. Somehow these people, whom the Savior had deemed barely righteous enough to escape annihilation, had taken to heart his commandment and invitation and changed their lives so that within twelve months they achieved Zion.

In One Year

Brigham Young said, “[Zion] commences in the heart of each person.” “The length of time required ‘to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion’ is strictly up to us and how we live.” Like Joseph Smith, President Young was obviously frustrated with the Saints’ slow pace. At another time, he suggested an intriguing timeframe, which, if we were to apply, we might also become ready for the establishment of Zion: “…which we might have received in one year.”

If it were not for the account in 3rd Nephi, we might discount President Young’s preparatory “year” as optimistically short. Nevertheless, the Nephites, who were not unlike us, qualified in about a year to become pure in heart so they could come into the presence of the Lord. Of course, the Nephites were highly motivated because of the recent destruction and the Lord’s strict commandment to change. We would hope that we could change without such motivation. Nevertheless, the account in 3rd Nephi is our latter-day model for how we might prepare to become Zion people in a relatively short period of time.

Immediate Commandments

How did the Nephites do it? How can we do it?

Mormon seems to have wanted us to dig for the answer, as one would mine for a pearl of great price. A careful reading of the books of 3rd and 4th Nephi, which include the Savior’s directives and Mormon’s description of the achievement of Zion by the Nephite people, fill in the twelve-month gap and show us what we must do to rise to such a lofty ideal.

When we talk of establishing Zion in our lives, we often look beyond the mark for the announcement of a program or an exodus. While any number of possibilities might lie in our future, the one thing we can do personally is to become Zionlike, as the Nephites were commanded to do. The Lord required of them immediate changes, among which were true repentance that leads to conversion, coming to him with full purpose of heart, and ceasing pettiness, disputations and contentions.

A Mighty Change of Heart

We suspect that the Nephites took to heart Jesus’ admonition to repent-really repent–and come to him with full-not partial–purpose of heart. Alma describes this process as called being “born of the spirit.” King Benjamin’s people called it the “mighty change” in which they had “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” In examining various scriptural accounts of those who described the transformation of their hearts-often within a short period of time–Blaine Yorgason lists ten significant aspects of this mighty change.

1. “The birth of the Spirit, being born again, most often occurs after we have been stirred up to complete repentance of all our sins, usually through uncomfortable circumstances of some sort.
2. We must be taught of Christ’s atonement prior to the experience and have a sincere desire to believe in it.
3. We must show godly sorrow for our sins, manifested as a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
4. The birth of the spirit occurs only after crying out to God for mercy in mighty prayer, which is exercising faith in Christ unto repentance.
5. As the experience concludes, we feel our guilt swept away as we receive a remission of sins through the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the baptism of fire, which some in modern times have described as a sensation of warmth that sweeps over their body in a cleansing action that is otherwise indescribable. Others describe it as being filled with an overwhelming feeling of love, which lingers for an indeterminate period of time and is absolutely indescribable. This is certainly a manifestation of Christ’s charity or Christ’s pure love.
6. Knowing that our sins have been remitted, we feel complete peace of conscience for all our past sins. This feeling is so wonderful that all sin becomes abhorrent to us, we have no more disposition to do evil, and we resolve to never sin intentionally again. However, this does not mean that we will never sin again-only that we will do everything in our power to avoid sinning intentionally. Nor does it mean that we will forget our sins; it seems that memory is left until the resurrection so that learning will occur…. However, with guilt swept away through the atonement of Christ, the memory is no longer painful, and it will ever after be useful for instruction of self and others. That is why Benjamin said to ‘remember and perish not’ (Mosiah 4:30).
7. Once the experience is over, we are filled with an amazing heightened sense of love for our fellow beings, which is a further manifestation of charity, or the pure love of Christ. This love will be manifested by long-suffering, kindness, lack of envy, loss of pride, selflessness, being not easily provoked to anger, thinking only good rather than evil, rejoicing not in iniquity but only in the truth, and being perfectly willing to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things (Moroni 7:45).
8. Consumed with this love, we are also filled with the burning desire to acquaint all others with what we have discovered concerning Christ and His power to deliver from sin-this that they might enjoy the same peace and happiness we have found.
9. From this time forward, we will strive for a closer relationship with God and His Son. We will do this through intense study, humble living, constant repentance, earnest keeping of the commandments, and diligent service to those around us. With the light of heaven resting upon us, the course we are to pursue is now lighted plainly. In exactly following this course, we will be manifesting the image of Christ in our countenances.
10. Through this process, we have received a witness from the Father that Christ’s suffering and dying have been gifts of God and that those gifts have wrought an at-one-ment in our lives, making us one with, or bringing us into the family of, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

No More Contention and Disputations

Another thing that the Nephites must have overcome during their year of preparation was to rid themselves of contention and disputations. When the Savior appeared to them, he said, “And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”

Contentions and disputations had always been the common denominators of Nephite decline, apostasy and war. Contentions had also brought down the Jaredite civilization, and later contention had nearly destroyed the Nephites after the birth of Christ. Jesus seemed to be reminding and warning them about contentions and disputations with the commandment to abandon such behavior once and for all.

A cursing is pronounced upon those who contend, and prophets and great leaders have sought to teach unifying principles to avoid the possibility of contention. King Benjamin warned, “But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit…. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.” Later, Alma commanded the members of the Church “that there should be no contention one with another, but that…their hearts [should be] knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” Looking out across the generations of his children, Nephi prophesied that contention would define his people’s history and eventually cause their downfall: “For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.”

When the resurrected Jesus appeared to the Nephites, he commanded them to never again contend or dispute with each other. If they would obey this command, they would also impede to a great degree envy, strife, tumult, sexual sins, lying, murder, lasciviousness, secret combinations and economic and social distinctions. We know that the people obeyed the Lord, because the next time we read about them, we discover that “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people…and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” What a difference a year can make!

We might conjecture that if we would diligently strive to come unto Christ with full purpose of heart and rid our lives of contentions and disputations, we too might qualify in a short period of time, even in as little as one year, as the Nephite record and Brigham Young suggest, for the Lord to come to us and establish us as individual Zion people.

An Important Key to Establishing Zion

In the latter days, a key to establishing Zion in our lives is found in D&C 42, the revelation called, “the Law of the Church,” which comprises the law of Zion. In one sentence, the Lord prophecies of three significant events that will make us Zion individuals: “And ye shall hereafter receive church covenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem.” The references in this scripture lead to what I call The Three Pillars of Zion:

1. The New and Everlasting Covenant (D&C 132:4-7)
2. The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (D&C 84:33-44)
3. The Law of Consecration (D&C 82:11-15)

These three covenants (pillars) are sufficient to establish Zionlike qualities in our individual lives, in our marriages, families or among a group of people under the direction of the priesthood. Understanding that this is the Lord’s way of establishing Zion, we are left without excuse. Clearly, we have been given all that we need. To become the pure in heart, which is the definition of Zion people, we simply must better understand our covenants then live up to our privileges.

Enoch’s Dispensation is a Pattern

The scriptures that describe Enoch’s Zion provide us a model for establishing Zion in our lives. For example, both Enoch and Joseph Smith were commanded to:

• Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. (See Moses 6:37; 7:19; D&C 19:21, 31; D&C 38:41.)
• Gather the Saints to places of safety. (See Moses 7:17-19; D&C 33:6; 45:69, 71; 115:6.)
• Attain unity and righteousness. (See Moses 7:18; D&C 21:4-7; 38:27.)
• Become “pure in heart.” (See Moses 7:18; D&C 97:21.)
• Care for the poor and needy. (Moses 7:18; D&C 38:35; 42:30)
• Build a City of Holiness. (See Moses 7:19; D&C 45:66-70.)

“It is high time to establish Zion”

Could becoming Zion people be that simple? Does establishing Zion come down to repenting and becoming truly converted, coming to Christ with full purpose of heart, ceasing pettiness, contentions and disputations, and keeping our covenants? If we were to really believe what we have been taught and really live what we have been given, could we also become Zion people in as little as one year? If the answer is yes, have we any excuse for waiting?

Joseph Smith clearly stated: “So long as unrighteous acts are suffered in the Church, it cannot be sanctified, neither can Zion be redeemed.” Our responsibility is to act now and embrace the principles of Zion, “or else,” the Lord warns, our “faith is vain.”

An editorial written by Bishop Newel K. Whitney and his counselors in the Messenger and the Advocate sums up the urgency: “Whatever is glorious. Whatever is desirable-Whatever pertains to salvation, either temporal or spiritual. Our hopes, our expectations, our glory and our reward, all depend on our building up Zion according to the testimony of the prophets. For unless Zion is built: our hopes perish, our expectations fail, our prospects are blasted, our salvation withers, and God will come and smite the whole earth with a curse.”

Finally, President Lorenzo Snow exhorted, “It is high time to establish Zion. Let us try to build up Zion. Zion is the pure in heart. Zion cannot be built up except on the principles of union required by the celestial law. It is high time for us to enter into these things.”

Joseph Smith said,

‘If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’ Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions–Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn.”

The Ideal of Zion

This, then, is the ideal to which we should aspire. We may not achieve the ultimate expression of perfection of Zion in this life, but we must “relentlessly chase perfection,” as Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, “knowing full well we will not catch it, but…in the process we will catch excellence.” To achieve Zionlike attributes in our lives requires no new revelation. The Prophet Joseph Smith, whose mission it was to restore the fullness of the gospel, received every revelation, covenant and power regarding the establishment of Zion. Therefore, we have everything that we need to become individually pure in heart and Zionlike. While the Church-wide implementation of the specific “law” of Zion might still be futuristic, our individual living of the law is not. We have made covenants; we simply need to abide in them.

And do it we must. Everything of eternal consequence hinges on our obedience and diligence to the New and Everlasting Covenant.

Eternal Marriage-the Crowning Order of Zion

Prefacing the eternal law of marriage, which is the crowning order of the New and Everlasting Covenant and the gate to Zion (The Church of the Firstborn and the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom), the Lord revealed the following essential information regarding the Covenant:

Prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same. For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.

Apathy Toward the Covenant

In vision, Nephi saw the latter-day members of the Church, who had made the New and Everlasting Covenant. To his dismay, he saw widespread apathy; we had neglected the Covenant in favor of carnal security. We had been lulled away from the Covenant by Satan, and we were ignorantly under the impression that “All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well.” While it is true that all is well with the Church, it is not necessarily “well” with many of its members. Nephi saw that our carnal appetites had allowed the devil to “cheat our souls” with the purpose of “leading us away carefully down to hell.” According to Brigham Young, carnal security, materialism, and wealth seeking are the devil’s clever “decoys” that drive a wedge between Zion and us.

The metaphor is chilling. A decoy is something that looks like the real thing but is meant to trap its victim. A decoy is cleverly disguised, but it is deadly if you get too close to it. President Young said, “It is a fearful deception which all the world labors under, and many of this people too, who profess to be not of the world, that gold is wealth.” The only solution is the one that Nephi offered when confronted by the people in the great and spacious building: “We heeded them not.” That is, “we did not allow ourselves to become distracted. We were determined to abide in the Covenant, regardless of what Babylon said or offered us.” Only abiding in the Covenant provides real security.

Safety in the Covenant

Of course, this is a tall order. You might ask, “What will become of me, if I attempt to step away from Babylon and fully embrace the principles of Zion?” The answer is always the same: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The solution is imbedded in the Covenant; it is God’s promise. He will support you, sustain you, stand beside you, and keep you safe: “Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever.” Safe in the Covenant, you no longer have to worry like you did in Babylon: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

This is not to say that we cease laboring. Labor is essential to Zion. But labor, like other principles, exists in varying degrees that range from telestial to celestial. What we labor for defines our labor as of Babylon or of Zion. To make the mental leap takes faith–lots of faith. Only the Atonement of Jesus Christ can make the transition to Zion possible. The Atonement has the power to purify our hearts, make of us celestial people, secure for us a celestial resurrection, make us heirs of God’s kingdom, and bind to us our spouse and family forever.

The Establishment of Zion is the Goal of the Gospel

“The prophets always labor to prepare people to become a people of Zion. Sometimes people embrace Zion; most often they do not.” If the prophets cannot persuade the Church as a whole to become Zion, then they will continue to preach Zion principles and convert us one by one.

Considering the blessings of Zion, why would we choose otherwise? Perhaps because of fear.

We might say, “Zion and consecration are well and good, but I don’t want to be the first to live them. Therefore, I will wait for the president of the Church to reveal a program.” This is a dangerous attitude that is fraught with folly. We might ask ourselves: “Which of our covenants is waiting for a program from Church headquarters? Baptism? Sabbath day observance? Temple worship? Eternal marriage? Why, then, do we consider parts of the New and Everlasting Covenant, especially the Law of Consecration, futuristic?

We know the principles of Zion, so what stops us from living them? Clearly, Babylon has a hold on us that we fear to break. But we need not fear. We have evidence that the principles of Zion hold safety and prosperity. For example, who has ever made themselves poor by paying tithes and offerings? It is impossible, With confidence in tithes and offerings alone, we are equipped to press through our fear and embrace Zion in its entirety, as we have covenanted to do. Perhaps to that end the Lord encouraged us to consider the lilies of the field. Most certainly, he will take care of his covenant people. The Book of Mormon is a textbook on the subject.”

Why are ye so fearful?

During the ministry of Christ, a fierce storm arose that threatened to capsize the apostles’ boat. Panicked, they awakened the Savior and cried, “Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” In other words, “How could you be afaid, knowing that I was with you? Where is your faith?” Wherever Zion is, there is the Lord; wherever a Zion person is, there is the Lord.

If he is with us, if we know that he commanded us to live the fullness of the New and Everlasting Covenant, if we really believe that he will stand beside us while we struggle to live the Covenant, what have we to fear? We will not be disappointed. We, like the Nephites, will experience for ourselves the safety, abundance and joy of Zion, for “surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.”

The Ultimate Blessing

If we intend to become Zion people, we might consider changing the paradigm of our belief, if it is lacking. In too many instances, we do not believe what our faith tells us. We believe in a convenient gospel with the expectation that God, if he wants to, will move us along and eventually rewards us with the extraordinary blessings of Zion.

But Zion cannot be established either in an individual’s life or in a society on such a philosophy. Zion has always been established by people’s believing all that their faith tells them. When we back away from our responsibility to live the entirety of the Covenant, and when we shift the burden of preparing for the establishment of Zion to the prophet, we are stepping into dangerous territory, the same that Moses’ people stepped into. If we want to become Zion people, we must first believe what our faith tells us Zion people are – the pure in heart, those who are striving to achieve the presence of God. Will that happen without seeking and asking? Of course not. No blessings arrive unbidden. We must work for them. “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.”

Elder McConkie said, “Those who attain this state of cleanliness and perfection are able, as occasion may require, to see God and view the things of his kingdom. (D. & C. 84:23; 88:68; Ether 4:7). Indeed, the ultimate privileges of God’s holy authority are spoken of as follows: ‘The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church-to have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant’ (D&C 107:18-19).”

“While in the flesh,” Zion people can qualify for the “privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves.” The Father and the Son will come and make their abode with that person, as the Prophet said, and because they have made their hearts pure by abiding the Covenant, “they shall see God.” This is the ideal and the privilege of seeking to become a Zion person.

The Law of Consecration is the very core of the gospel, and it permeates every gospel principle. This highest law defines a Zion person. Although programs of consecration have come and gone, the template of consecration remains the same. Consequently, consecration is current; it is now. Only by living this law can we hope to obtain an inheritance in the celestial kingdom.

What is Consecration?

To consecrate something is to sanctify, purify and set it apart for a sacred use, to make it holy, to dedicate it solemnly to a special service, or to give it religious sanction as with an oath or a vow. When we make the covenant of consecration, we agree to consecrate our lives, including everything that we have, will have, are or will be. According to President Kimball, we consecrate “our time, talents and means to care for those in need-whether spiritually or temporally-and in building the Lord’s kingdom.”

Hugh Nibley asks, “And how much is one able to give? Exactly as much as the Lord has given him-all that which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he will bless you.” Lived properly, the covenant of consecration paves the way and lays the foundation for the establishment for Zion in a righteous person’s life.

A Brief History of Consecration

The first recorded revelation concerning consecration was April 7, 1829, when the Lord instructed Joseph Smith to “seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion.” This was no small task. Zion is the celestial order of things, for both individuals and societies. Some descriptions of consecrated Zion people include: their belief that all things belong to God and that they are stewards; their willingness to be unified by esteeming other people as themselves; their retaining and exercising their free agency; their willingness to set aside selfishness and become equal with all the saints of God, according to their wants, needs and family situations by consecrating their “time, talents, strength, properties, and monies”; and their being accountable to the Lord for the discharge of their covenant and stewardships.

Anciently, Enoch managed to establish the ideal of Zion among his people, who later joined to create Zion, the city. These people exercised faith in Jesus Christ, repented of their sins, embraced the fullness of the New and Everlasting Covenant, and thereby became “of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” The vehicle that made this condition possible, and that will make it possible in the latter-days, was the Law of Consecration.

At the beginning of 1831, “the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York, that anciently he had taken the Zion of Enoch to himself and then commanded him to go to Ohio to receive the law [the law of Zion].” A month later, February 9, 1831, the Lord revealed to the Prophet “the law,” or the law of Zion, that which the Prophet specified as “embracing the law of the Church.” This law became known as Section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and in it the Lord revealed the cornerstones of the Law of Consecration.

D&C 42-The Cornerstones of Consecration

The “Law of the Church,” Section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants, lists four cornerstones of the Law of Consecration:

• First, mutual assistance–the Lord expects his disciples to sustain and help one another.
• Second, proper use of priesthood–the priesthood is to be used to benefit those who are physically and spiritually ill or in need.
• Third, the need for faith-according to God’s will, a person can be healed [physically, emotionally and spiritually] by the power of the priesthood if that individual has faith in Jesus Christ and if he is “not appointed unto death,” information that gives confidence to the person as he realizes that the Lord has given him time to work out his exaltation.
• Fourth, reciprocal love–the Lord expects his disciples to love one another and to become one.

The Law We Must Live to Achieve the Celestial Kingdom

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “The law of consecration is a law for an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. God, the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and all holy beings abide by this law. It is an eternal law.” People whose lives are consecrated to the Lord “set their hearts on righteousness and having actually put first in their lives the things of God’s kingdom.”

The Church Welfare Plan describes a consecrated person as one who does not seek for worldly riches; who esteems his brother as himself; who, through tithes and offerings, helps to build up the Kingdom of God by caring for the temporal needs of those General Authorities whom God has called into full-time service; who makes his worldly goods available, over and above his family’s necessities, for the Lord’s work; and who, with his time, talents and means, takes care of the temporally and spiritually poor. Quoting the Church Welfare Plan, Bruce R. McConkie wrote,

“The practice of the law of consecration is inextricably intertwined with the development of the attributes of godliness in this life and the attainment of eternal life in the world to come. ‘The law pertaining to material aid is so formulated that the carrying of it out necessitates practices calculated to root out human traits not in harmony with requirements for living in the celestial kingdom and replacing those inharmonious traits with the virtues and character essential to life in that abode.’ (Bowen, The Church Welfare Plan, p. 13).”

Then quoting a supporting scripture, Elder McConkie added, “For if you will that I give you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.”

Consecration’s Foundational Principles

Elsewhere in the scriptures, we learn that the Law of Consecration is built on the foundational principles of agency, stewardship, accountability and labor.

• Agency. An agent is someone who has the power and authority to act. Therefore, agents have agency, which is the ability to “act for themselves,” or to the ability to act for himself with respect to a given responsibility or obligation. Agents have the capacity to be accountable for their actions. Whereas freedom is the power and privilege to exercise our will and act upon it, agency is the power, independence of mind and individual will to choose in the first place.

Elder McConkie wrote: “Four great principles must be in force if there is to be agency: 1. Laws must exist, laws ordained by an Omnipotent power, laws which can be obeyed or disobeyed; 2. Opposites must exist–good and evil, virtue and vice, right and wrong–that is, there must be an opposition, one force pulling one way and another pulling the other; 3. A knowledge of good and evil must be had by those who are to enjoy the agency, that is, they must know the difference between the opposites; and 4. An unfettered power of choice must prevail.”

Moral agency describes our ability to act upon and be accountable for spiritual matters. Zion people exercise their God-given agency to choose to make and keep the New and Everlasting Covenant (the Covenant), and to reject the enticements of Babylon. And choose we must. Posing the choice between Zion and Babylon, Elijah asked, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal [Babylon], then follow him.” Being lukewarm on the issue is not acceptable: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

That these opposites (hot and cold) exist makes agency possible: “And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet.” Therefore, we are free to choose our destiny: Zion, to our salvation, or Babylon, to our condemnation. “Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.”

Having chosen Zion and thus having overcome Babylon, Zion people enjoy the highest degree of moral agency and its resulting freedom. Agency and freedom flourish in Zion: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. “And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon….” Conversely, agency and freedom decrease in Babylon: “And the whole world [Babylon] lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.” Choosing Babylon results in fewer choices and less freedom to exercise agency, while choosing Zion results in limitless choices and unequalled freedom to exercise agency.

• Stewardship. When a person exercises his agency to live the Covenant, he makes a conscious choice to become a steward of the Lord’s property. His approach to ownership is “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof….” Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “Underlying this principle of stewardship is the eternal gospel truth 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.’ (D&C 104:14, 55-56).”

We are expressly forbidden to hoard property or claim it as our own: “I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property….” Therefore, a Zion person’s claim to his property is subordinate to the Lord’s claim. As Martin Harris learned, property must be consecrated for the building up of the Kingdom of God and the establishment of Zion, which provides that no poor should exist among us. Ultimately we will be held accountable for the discharge of our stewardship.

A Zion person’s stewardship, sometimes referred to as “portion,” or “inheritance,” is to be used to support his own family, and then “conveying back to the Lord’s storehouse any surplus which accrued [for the poor]. (D&C 42:33-34, 55; 70:7-10).” Elder McConkie added, “It is by the wise use of one’s stewardship that eternal life is won.” Zion people do not take their covenant of stewardship lightly; they know that everything depends on their faithfulness in this responsibility: “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.”

• Accountability. The Lord said, “…every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property….” Upon the principle of moral agency, stewards are free to manage their stewardships, but they are not free from being accountable to the Lord: “…it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity. For he who is faithful and wise in time is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for him of my Father.” Clearly, we will one day stand before God to give an accounting of our deeds, which will include the management of our stewardship. Our performance will determine the trusts and stewardships given to us in eternity.

Zion people are under covenant to account for their earthly stewardships to the Lord’s servant, the bishop: “Verily I say unto you, the elders of the church in this part of my vineyard shall render an account of their stewardship unto the bishop, who shall be appointed of me in this part of my vineyard. These things shall be had on record, to be handed over unto the bishop in Zion.” For this reason, we report to the bishop each year regarding our tithes and offerings, and we account to him during our temple recommend interview. Elder David A. Bednar said that we account to God every night in prayer.

• Labor. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “Work is the great basic principle which makes all things possible both in time and in eternity. Men, spirits, angels, and Gods use their physical and mental powers in work.” Work, like other principles, exists in degrees ranging from telestial to celestial. Adam was commanded to work to support his family, which is a celestial endeavor, but he was not commanded to set his sights on empire building, plundering, extorting, leveraging, competing, augmenting his balance sheet or amassing personal wealth on the backs of the poor, all of which are telestial. Adam worked to create the first Zion upon the earth: Adam-ondi-Ahman. There he labored to sustain his immediate family and to bless the lives of others.

Likewise, Enoch worked to establish Zion, as did Melchizedek and Nephi: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands.” They worked together for the benefit of all. They labored to establish righteousness. They worked in unity to raise crops, smelt ore to create weapons for defense, and fashion objects of beauty. Together, they built buildings and a temple. Because of their celestial level of labor they were blessed with prosperity and familial strength: “And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.”

Things began to fall apart when the Nephites became selfish and began to work on a telestial level. Jacob chastised them for searching “for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores” for the purpose of obtaining riches “more abundantly than that of your brethren,” causing the errant one to be “lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and …suppose that ye are better than they.” This kind of labor is not justified in Zion; it is condemned. President Kimball said, “As I understand these matters, Zion can be established only by those who are pure in heart, and who labor for Zion, for the ‘laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money [riches] they shall perish’ (2 Ne. 26:30).2 Ne. 26:31).”

Jacob taught the celestial law of labor and its underlying motivation: “Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good–to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” Clearly, we must work, but what we work for determines if the work is telestial or celestial.

Conversely, “idleness has no place [in Zion],” said President Benson, “and greed, selfishness, and covetousness are condemned. [Zion] may therefore operate only with a righteous people.”

Conclusion

The Law of Consecration is a subject as glorious as its Founder. It is the law of the Celestial Kingdom revealed to us in this telestial setting for our salvation and exaltation. By this law the Kingdom of God prepares the way for the establishment of Zion as a holy community and Zion as individual people. We must learn all we can about this law then live it, otherwise we cannot expect to obtain an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom. The foundational principles and cornerstones of Consecration are equality, unity, mutual assistance, proper use of the priesthood, faith, reciprocal love (charity), agency, stewardship, accountability and labor. This is the law by which hearts are purified, and by which we are ushered into the presence of God. Only upon the Law of consecration can we become one in our marriages, families, wards, stakes, the Church, and one with the Father and the Son.

Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.366

Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p.427

D&C 6:6

See D&C 105:5

See D&C 38:17; 104:11-14

See D&C 38:24-27; 51:3, 9; 70:14; 78:6; 82:17

See D&C 104:17

See D&C 51:3

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, “Consecration,” p.157

See D&C 72:3; 104:13-18

Moses 7:18

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, “Consecration,” p.312

D&C 42 introduction

List adapted from Clark V. Johnson, Sperry Symposium 1989, “The Law of Consecration: The Covenant That Requires All and Gives Everything”

Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson , p.121

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, “Consecration,” p.157

See Albert E. Bowen, The Church Welfare Plan, p.6

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, “Consecration,” p.157

D&C 78:7

See American Heritage Dictionary, “Agent”

2 Nephi 2:26

See D&C 29:35

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., “Agency,” p.26

See D&C 29:35

1 Kings 18:21, insertion added

Revelation 3:15-16

D&C 29:39

D&C 93:31

John 8:36

2 Nephi 2:26

D&C 84:49-50

Psalms 24:1

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., “Stewardships,” p.767

D&C 19:26

See D&C 72:3-4; 51:19; Luke 16:2; 19:17; Matthew 25:14-30; D&C 82:3, 11; 78:22

D&C 51:4

D&C 51:4; 57:15

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., “Stewardships,” p.767

D&C 51:19

D&C 42:32

D&C 72:3-4

D&C 72:5-6

See David A. Bednar, “Pray Always,” Ensign, November 2008

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., “Work,” p.847

Genesis 3:19

2 Nephi 5:17

See 2 Ne 5:10-16

Jacob 2:12-14

Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.363

Jacob 2:17-19

Ezra Taft Benson, “A Vision and a Hope for the Youth of Zion,” Devotional Speeches of the Year [Provo, Utah: BYU, 1978], p. 74.

Rescuing wayward children is a balancing act, the efforts of juggling Justice and Mercy. In the following correspondence, a father wrestles with dealing with offense, yearning for more priesthood support, and trying to maintain control while showing love-no easy tasks, and common struggles of faithful parents.

Dear Larry,

My family lives in Utah. My wife and I have been married for 25 years. We both served missions, and we try to live faithfully serve in the Church and live the gospel. Our two oldest boys were Eagle Scouts, Seminary graduates, presidents of their quorums, fine examples to other youth, and they both served missions. However, neither one served in leadership positions, and that nagged at them.

When they returned home and joined a singles’ ward, they didn’t feel needed or valued. Now, these boys have been taught that you don’t wait for opportunity to serve. You go get it! You go meet the Elders President and Bishop and let them know you’d like to be put to work. Sadly, nothing happened, and now, three years later, they are inactive. They break commandments that they never would have considered breaking before. I am continually distressed that they put them in compromising situations.

I have met with their priesthood leaders many times. These men recognize the problem, but they want my sons to meet them halfway. I suggested that you don’t meet the “lost sheep” halfway, you go find them and bring them back. Both boys are waiting to feel valued as returned missionaries, that their having served is appreciated. They are waiting for someone to care that they are lost.

Of course, I understand that they are suffering from distorted thinking and ever-weakening testimonies, but their concerns don’t go away. How can totally active returned missionaries go into total inactivity? When I have heard of such stories, I have always thought that I could identify some glaring flaw in someone’s past. But in this case, my boys simply slipped away. Any help?

Confused and Searching Father

Dear Confused and Searching Father:

Living in Utah, especially in predominately LDS areas, can be challenging. On the one hand, Utah is one of the best places to rear an LDS family, and on the other, Utah often provides few opportunities to serve. And service, as we know, it the essence of the gospel and the action that motivates and grows a testimony. My feeling, however, is there are more opportunities to serve beyond the structure of the Church than within–doing many good things of our own free will. For instance, I can promote the Plan of Salvation to tens of thousands of people throughout the world via my writings on the Internet, which service is not a church calling. Moreover, I have friends, who have extracted tens of thousands of names for the Family History project, and other friends who attend the temple often for their deceased relatives. I know men who quietly respond to requests for priesthood blessings, and miracles happen. I know women who give compassionate service for the pure purpose of love, and who seldom receive recognition. These are not official callings, but they bring people to Christ.

A Plague Facing the Youth

But let me talk about your concerns. I assume that your sons are not married. There is a plague that is increasingly consuming the youth, especially marriage-age returned missionaries. They are postponing marriage for a variety of reasons, typically for selfishness, fear and unwillingness to commit. This Satanic strategy is of great concern to the Brethren, who have spoken about it on a number of occasions. Let me be so bold as to suggest that the underlying problem with your sons is not lack of service but lack of progression.

Eternal Marriage-The Primary Purpose of Mortality

When we consider the gospel globally, we come to the conclusion that the purpose of mortal life (meaning the Second Estate-the life between mortal birth and the resurrection) is two-fold: 1) to get back to God, 2) to be like him when we arrive. Neither goal is possible unless at sometime we marry in the temple. The ultimate definition of service is to totally consecrate ourselves by covenant to someone else for a cause greater than we are to the end that life might be enhanced or created. Therefore, temple marriage is the greatest manifestation of consecration and service. Everything and everyone in the universe can be traced back to two people who fell in love and made a covenant at an altar in the temple.

To achieve that lofty goal, we need a mortal body and the covenants and ordinances of the gospel, and all these things lead to an altar in a temple. Nothing else really matters in mortality or eternity if this one goal is not reached. Therefore, this is the single issue that occupies the minds of both God and Satan. In one way or another, every commandment or sin impacts the core issue of eternal marriage. I understand that temple marriage happens for different people at different times, but the verity does not change. In one place or another, sometime in this life or the next, before resurrection, this goal must be accomplished otherwise exaltation is forfeited.

Magnifying our priesthood calling

It is upon the issue of temple marriage issue that Elders “magnify their calling” in the priesthood (D&C 84:33-44). Their calling is NOT “callings,” or assignments, but the actual calling to eternal life, which can only be achieved through temple marriage. By fulfilling their priesthood calling, Elders are both magnified and renewed in the body–that is to say, by this ordinance they now have the power to replicate themselves through posterity with their children carrying the blood of the Covenant and rights to the priesthood and its blessings. By magnifying their calling, Elders qualify to receive all that the Father has. These blessings, according to Elder McConkie, are so profound that they are repeated again on the occasion of marriage to both the husband and wife. All other callings pale in comparison to this singular calling-eternal life through temple marriage. Therefore, because temple marriage is the central purpose of mortality and the priesthood, it is going to be viciously attacked by the adversary.

I suggest that you resist the temptation to be sucked into your sons’ present concerns and deflect your attention away from the core issue: magnifying one’s calling in the priesthood. When that is in place, an Elder is finally in a position to serve, and the opportunities will flow.

The power of example

It sounds as if your relationship with your sons is good. Perhaps you and your wife could sit down with them and explain why you love each other and how much your temple marriage means to you. Maybe you could talk about the power in the priesthood that comes to you because of your sealing. You could tell your sons of the hope that your sealing provides, and why this single ordinance is the most important thing in your life. You could explain why you want this for them. Despite where they are, they can repent and have this blessing in perhaps a short period of time. Both you and I have seen this happen time and again. It is simply a matter of focusing on the right thing, discarding the counterfeit problem, and moving rapidly toward the critical goal.

I hope this helps.

Larry

Dear Larry:

Thank you for your reply. Wise council. They would do well to receive it. I feel, at this point however, that they have removed themselves from the Church so much that they have lost the associations that would help them meet good LDS young women. The issue of being needed continues to be a stumbling block. One of my sons told me that he just wants someone besides his parents to care about him and appreciate him. I am at a loss. I have expressed this concern to his bishop, who is a kind and loving man, but he seems too busy to follow up. I have asked that the Elders Quorum President to make a visit, but so far nothing has been done.

Thanks again for your council. I will look for a teaching opportunity to share this.

Confused and Searching Father

Dear Confused and Searching Father:

I wonder why it is that we, who serve church callings, are too busy to find the lost sheep or feed the Lord’s lambs. It is difficult to find an instance in the Savior’s ministry when he was so caught up in administrative concerns that he hadn’t the time for individuals in need. I wonder why we boast about being saviors on Mount Zion but fail to do the work of the Savior. I wonder if we view advancement to the Melchizedek Priesthood as if it were an increase in scouting rank, and miss the idea entirely that the higher priesthood is the power to bring people to Christ.

When I survey Joseph Smith’s life, I see him reaching out and reclaiming numerous lost souls, including W.W. Phelps. Imagine what our hymn book would be like if two Elders had not purposely sought out Brother Phelps, or if the Prophet had not forgiven his brother.

Nothing of Eternal Consequence Can Be Lost

Our one comfort is the promise that nothing of eternal consequence can be lost because of the actions or inactions of another person. In the end, each person will have his “Alma” experience. The curtains of darkness, deception, sin and confusion will be drawn back revealing the bright light of truth. This is a universal experience, and we have it as two witnesses in the conversion stories of Alma and Paul. When this happens (and sooner or later it will), each person, like Alma and Paul, will have an opportunity to choose. We pray that he or she will choose wisely.

If that person has not sinned beyond reclamation, which is unlikely, the Savior will take him by the hand and walk him back home. Will there be a price to pay? Of course. There was a price for Alma and Paul, too. But the obstacles have already been cleared in the Atonement, and I am certain that the Savior or his servants will explain that verity to the sin-laden soul. The bottom line is this: the prophets’ promises are sweeping and contain very little qualifying language. Most wayward children will return. God has a plan of salvation within the Plan of Salvation for each of them, and he does not rely on the frailties of men to enact that plan. Nevertheless, we are required to sanctify ourselves to participate in that plan, and it seems that our sanctifying effort is an essential element that God can use to infuse that plan of salvation with power. 

Time is on your side. Things will turn out better than you think.

Larry Barkdull

Dear Larry,

Thank you for your heartfelt response. We know there are blessings promised as a result of being sealed in the temple and for our regular temple attendance. My wife tells me to just love my boys. That is my challenge. I feel that where much is given much is expected. I expect more from them.

My wife says that I shouldn’t let it bother me, and she is tired of me bringing it up. She feels that I must hate my sons. I don’t hate them. It is because I love them that I want to discuss their situation with her and try to figure how to help them. My wife comes from a family in which several of her siblings became inactive, and two were excommunicated. I did not come from this background. I can’t understand how someone could have the gospel then toss it aside.

I could probably drop the issue except that I am always reminded when the boys come home for dinner and flaunt their inactivity. I am concerned for their younger siblings who see this bad example. In front of their younger brothers and sisters, my older boys brag of their Sunday camping trips and the shopping they do. When I say anything about it, I am the bad guy and need to be quiet. This is my home and I want the gospel lived and respected in my home. How can I be at peace and balance all this?

Confused and Searching Father

Dear Confused and Searching Father:

The balancing act of parenthood can be daunting. On the one hand, Justice recognizes that there are immutable laws that carry blessings and consequences; on the other hand Mercy wants to belay the consequences and bring back the wayward one at any cost.

Justice and Mercy

Balancing Justice and Mercy is the work of a God. Peace results only when balance is achieved, therefore, without the Holy Ghost, we mortals could never accomplish balance. Recognizing that we are woefully equipped to shoulder such a task–especially in an emotionally-charged atmosphere when the stakes are high–should drive us to our knees where we plead for grace. When help arrives–and it always does–perspective settles in, and a course of action becomes apparent.

There are several verities that help us endure:

1. Personal sanctification opens the door to revelation and conversion opportunities.
2. The Savior anticipated, paid for, and cleared the obstacles standing between your children’s present situation and where they wanted to end up.
3. Agency demands that we choose our destinies. I believe that premortally we parents were presented with a “calling” to rescue some of God’s children, we chose to accept that calling, and we were prepared. No one sprung this event upon us. We can draw upon that preparation now.
4. A marriage is a partnership with God. Your unity summons the Savior: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them” (D&C 6:32). Your unity with your wife is the most important factor in rescuing your children.
5. It’s going to be alright. Time is on your side. The prophets’ promises are so sweeping that we have great cause to hope. What is going on today will dissolve tomorrow. Nothing is impossible with God. Within his Plan of Salvation are personal plans of salvation for your children.
6. Charity NEVER faileth. This powerful statement is astonishing. In a world where everything is programmed to fail–time dwindles, people die, relationships crumble, faith falters, possessions end up in the junk yard, governments come and go, organizations disintegrate–charity alone never fails!

Err on the side of Mercy

My suggestion is to let go of Justice for a while and embrace Mercy. Center your attention on unconditional love and acceptance, unless your family is endangered. In a kind way, ask your sons not to attack the gospel that you love so much, and in return do not attack their lifestyles. Mutual respect makes family and home safe places, and someday they will need a safe place to land.

Have a frank talk with your younger children about their choices: Will they follow the examples of their brothers or stay true to the gospel? We recall that Lehi had such conversations with his younger sons. Wouldn’t it be better for your younger children to make a controlled choice within the walls of your home than outside in the uncontrolled environment of peers?

Become more unified with your wife than you ever have been. Let nothing, not even a difference of opinion, drive a wedge in your relationship. Your unity is your greatest spiritual asset.

And finally remember that charity does not come to us naturally. “This love,” Moroni says, is had only by praying for it “with all the energy of heart.” This love “is the greatest of all…and endureth forever.” Increase your level of charity then give it away freely. The person who possesses charity can no more fail than can the charity that defines them. Charity NEVER faileth! This principle is so important that God gave us two witnesses: 1 Corinthians 13 and Moroni 7.

You are a good man. The road you are on is leading to a success that you cannot presently envision, but it exists just the same. You’ll see.

Blessings,

Larry