No Coincidences

Tag: president nelson

  • Your True Identity

    Your True Identity

    *I originally wrote this in 2022.

    I’d like to discuss Grace and our Identity.

    In a recent address to young adults of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the prophet of the Lord, President Russell M. Nelson, talked about the three defining identities of a member of Christ’s church. Those identities were:

    1. Child of God
    2. Child of the covenant
    3. Disciple of Jesus Christ

    The grace portion of what I’d like to discuss, like President Nelson’s identities, will focus on members of Christ’s church. This doesn’t mean what I’m saying here doesn’t apply to all. I believe it does. Whether someone believes in God or not, the first identity of all God’s children is true. Every soul on this earth is a child of God, whether they believe it (or like it) or not. The other two identities are not excluded from anyone. Anyone can be a child of the covenant by aligning themselves with God. Anyone can be a disciple of Jesus Christ. These must be choices.

    Now that I’ve established that this is for everyone, let’s talk more about President Nelson’s message of identity. President Nelson emphasized that if the Lord spoke directly to us, the first thing He’d want us to understand is who we are; thus, the identities. It’s my testimony that the Lord was reminding us of this, through His mouthpiece, the prophet.

    President Nelson said:

    “Tonight, I plead with you not to replace these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.

    There are various labels that may be very important to you, of course. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that other designations and identifiers are not significant. I am simply saying that no identifier should displace, replace or take priority over these three enduring designations …”

    The world would so quickly have us forget who we truly are, and our true potential. The multitude of designations we can apply to ourselves pale in comparison to “Child of God.” Can you imagine being a prince of a nation, and calling yourself a peasant? Can you imagine being the president of a university and calling yourself a student? Can you imagine being the captain of the team, and calling yourself a bench warmer? That is what many of us do every day when we give ourselves any title but “Child of God.” Wear your title with pride. Your Father is God of the entire universe. He is King, He is Ruler, and you are His Child.

    “Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become. … As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.”

    -Russell M. Nelson

    Let’s transition into Grace. I can’t say anything better here than Brad Wilcox said in his talk His Grace is Sufficient, so please read the talk to remind yourself how patient and loving and kind our Savior is. I believe this may be the most powerful address ever given, especially for our day. I mean that literally. His Grace is Sufficient is so filled with eternal and significant truths, you could quote the whole thing. I will quote much of it here.

    I believe there is an epidemic in the Church of people not feeling good enough. I believe this aligns with President Nelson’s message of forgetting our identity. I think it also aligns with a misunderstanding that Satan has perpetuated, a misunderstanding of Grace and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

    Brad Wilcox said, “Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short.”

    He then gave an example:

    “There are young women who know they are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves them, and they love Him. Then they graduate from high school, and the values they memorized are put to the test. They slip up. They let things go too far, and suddenly they think it is all over. These young women don’t understand grace.”

    I would add – these young women don’t understand who they are. Slipping up doesn’t take away any of your three identities. Because you make a mistake, are you no longer God’s daughter? Because you slip up, are you no longer a daughter of the covenant? Because you’re not perfect, are you not a disciple of Jesus Christ? If that were the case, Christ would never have disciples! Be less hard on ourselves. And remember who we are.

    Few paragraphs in a talk have applied more perfectly to me:

    “There are young men who grow up their whole lives singing, “I hope they call me on a mission,” and then they do actually grow a foot or two and flake out completely. They get their Eagles, graduate from high school, and go away to college. Then suddenly these young men find out how easy it is to not be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, or reverent. They mess up. They say, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say, “This is stupid. I will never do it again.” And then they do it. The guilt is almost unbearable. They don’t dare talk to a bishop. Instead, they hide. They say, “I can’t do this Mormon thing. I’ve tried, and the expectations are just way too high.” So they quit. These young men don’t understand grace.”

    For me, it was a process of making mistakes, and then deciding I didn’t need to ask for forgiveness. The guilt of asking for forgiveness wasn’t worth it. I just moved on and stopped asking. But my soul was crying out. What saved me was my testimony of Jesus Christ and His Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Without that testimony of His restored Gospel, I would have never returned. It wasn’t worth feeling the guilt. But once I did return and reminded myself of the fruits of repentance and the pure joy of forgiveness, I could never go back. I continued to make mistakes and I continued to fall short. I continue to fall short. But that day when I cried tears of joy in a church parking lot, I felt Christ so palpably and so near, I knew I could never go back. I knew I had to keep trying. My soul had been starved for so long and once I felt the grace of Jesus Christ, which I only had to ask for, returning into my very being, I couldn’t go back.

    I plead for all of God’s children, all of you, my brothers and sisters, to not give up. Ask for that forgiveness, endure the guilt, and feel the overwhelming joy.

    Brother Wilcox in continuing to describe me, “…guilt is almost unbearable. They don’t dare talk to a bishop. Instead, they hide. They say, “I can’t do this Mormon thing. I’ve tried, and the expectations are just way too high.” So they quit. These young men don’t understand grace.”

    I definitely didn’t understand grace until I’d felt it’s full magnitude. Don’t give up on who you are. Don’t give up on who you can become. Don’t forget your true identity. “In all of these cases there should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).”

    “Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source.”

    Let Christ be your constant energy source. Don’t give up.

    “I testify that God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus’ grace is sufficient. It is enough. It is all we need. Oh, young people, don’t quit. Keep trying. Don’t look for escapes and excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don’t search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as you do, I promise you will feel the enabling power we call His amazing grace… I believe in you. I’m pulling for you… And Jesus is pulling with you.”

    -Brad Wilcox

    What has Christ done for us? What has God given us? President Nelson reminded us:

    “In short, They have offered you everything! Heavenly Father’s plan for His children allows us to live where and how He lives and ultimately to become more and more like Him. His plan literally makes the richest blessings of all eternity available to us, including the potential for us to become ‘joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17).”

    “God will do “everything He can, short of violating your agency, to help you not miss out on the greatest blessings in all eternity.”

    Don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged. Never forget your divine heritage and what it affords you. You are a child of God! A joint heir with our Savior, the King, Jesus Christ. Don’t ever replace your identity with something temporary, that only this world gives. Satan abandoned his identity and now he wants nothing more but to deceive you into abandoning yours. Don’t do it!

    I bear my testimony that Christ’s Grace is Sufficient. He died for me, and He died for you. He did it all. There’s nothing we can do to screw it up if we just turn to Him. There’s nothing we can possibly do to make God abandon us. He loves us with a love we can’t comprehend.

    One day we’ll stand before Him, our Father, and we’ll remember. We’ll remember what love truly is, and we’ll remember who we are. Remember today and move towards that glorious light of living with Him, our Savior, and our families through eternity.

  • Adam-God Theory

    Adam-God Theory

    I’ve heard of the “Adam-God Theory” but never looked into it. Until recently, I really didn’t know what exactly it referred to. Here is my research into the Adam-God theory for those interested and especially for those who may have concerns about this theory and its history in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

    Before I begin, almost all my thoughts come from this link:

    https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Repudiated_concepts/Adam-God_theory#Question:_What_is_the_Adam-God_Theory.3F

    It was a great resource on this topic and I recommend it if you want to learn more.

    If you want a quick, short video that sums up the whole history of the Adam-God theory, watch this video:

    Now, my thoughts.

    The Adam-God theory is the theory that Adam and God the Father are the same person. This theory was mentioned by Brigham Young.

    First – Adam is not God the Father. Adam is not who we pray to. This does not fit the teachings of the scriptures, does not fit modern revelation, is not a doctrine of the restored gospel. So why are we talking about it, you ask?

    Second – Yes, Brigham Young did make some bold statements about Adam being God. He also made countless statements contradicting that statement. Brigham Young was a convert and a prophet. Try to imagine the dichotomy of those positions. Try to imagine someone a few years into the faith trying to lead the entire church. Is it so shocking that there were erroneous statements made, especially when we consider and understand the personality and boldness of the prophet who led the saints across the rugged wilderness of the West?

    Third – Because Brigham Young made incorrect statements does not mean he was a false prophet. It means he was learning line upon line, and he made false statements. He has made statements to try to help us, the people of the church, reconcile some of his more questionable comments. For example, when speaking generally about who Adam was and proposing some thoughts about Adam, Brigham started by saying, “I propose to speak upon a subject that does not immediately concern yours or my welfare….I do not pretend to say that the items of doctrine and ideas I shall advance are necessary for the people to know, or that they should give themselves any trouble about them whatever.. (Brigham Young, Oct 8, 1851). If it does not concern our welfare, don’t get too hung up on it. The church was young and growing when Brigham was prophet. God has always worked through us, mortals, to fulfill His works. This has always resulted in fallibility. Brigham Young was a prophet, even if he made mistakes in the thousands of public discourses he gave during his learning period as a prophet/convert.

    Fourth – Because prophets are fallible does not mean we cannot trust and follow them. As The Church has grown out of its infancy, it has strengthened itself in countless ways. One of those strengths has become the checks and balances of the church organization. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles must be unanimous in any declaration of doctrine. President Nelson speaks hundreds of times a year. Not every word from his mouth (in my opinion) is scripture. It is guidance and direction from God’s anointed prophet, yes, but not scripture. But when President Nelson, the First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve sign their names to a declaration, it becomes binding guidance on doctrine, church policy, etc. Such was the case with “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” for example.

    Now, the statement made by Brigham that when Adam and Eve came to the Garden of Eden they already had celestial, resurrected bodies is interesting. I more think they came with perfect bodies as they came directly from the Father and hadn’t yet been corrupted by the fall, not that they were necessarily resurrected bodies yet. Celestial, maybe, resurrected, I don’t think so. That’s all I will say on this matter, though, to support my point earlier that things that distract from our salvation should be discussed with caution. I haven’t done enough research, pondering, or praying to comment on this with much confidence and would hate for my children 150 years from now to claim I believed Adam was already resurrected when put in the Garden of Eden. See how these small comments can be blown out of proportion? Grateful I’m not a prophet.

    Another thought – the eternal nature of the plan of happiness is not something we can begin to comprehend. If it ultimately distracts us from our current efforts towards salvation, we should tread with ultimate caution. Such is the thinking about if Adam lived on another planet before he came here and countless other thought experiments that might distract from what is important, which is, Jesus Christ performed the ultimate atoning sacrifice for my sins. He died so that I can live. He suffered so I can be forgiven and can live with God, my Father, again. All other questions, while interesting and can expand our minds and thinking, if they distract from the ultimate source of our salvation – the Plan of Salvation and Christ’s personal role in it for us – should be avoided.

    Those are my thoughts on this from my research. Here are some final items to really, I hope, put this theory and any issues involved with it, to rest.

    As mentioned, Brigham contradicted himself many times on the idea that Adam was God. While he mentioned the idea a couple times in public, there are many other instances of Brigham Young speaking where he clearly separated Adam and God the Father as two separate individuals.

    BYU professor Stephen E. Robinson sums it up well:

    “Yet another way in which anti-Mormon critics often misrepresent LDS doctrine is in the presentation of anomalies as though they were the doctrine of the Church. Anomalies occur in every field of human endeavor, even in science. An anomaly is something unexpected that cannot be explained by the existing laws or theories, but which does not constitute evidence for changing the laws and theories. An anomaly is a glitch…. A classic example of an anomaly in the LDS tradition is the so-called “Adam-God theory.” During the latter half of the nineteenth century Brigham Young made some remarks about the relationship between Adam and God that the Latter-day Saints have never been able to understand. The reported statements conflict with LDS teachings before and after Brigham Young, as well as with statements of President Young himself during the same period of time. So how do Latter-day Saints deal with the phenomenon? We don’t; we simply set it aside. It is an anomaly. On occasion my colleagues and I at Brigham Young University have tried to figure out what Brigham Young might have actually said and what it might have meant, but the attempts have always failed. The reported statements simply do not compute—we cannot make sense out of them. This is not a matter of believing it or disbelieving it; we simply don’t know what “it” is. If Brigham Young were here we could ask him what he actually said and what he meant by it, but he is not here…. For the Latter-day Saints, however, the point is moot, since whatever Brigham Young said, true or false, was never presented to the Church for a sustaining vote. It was not then and is not now a doctrine of the Church, and…the Church has merely set the phenomenon aside as an anomaly.”

    From the link above previously mentioned:

    “As far as can be determined, none of Brigham Young’s successors in the presidency of the Church continued this teaching in public, and by the presidency of Joseph F. Smith (1901–18) there were active moves to censure small groups that taught Adam-God.

    One of the earliest statements from the Church rejecting Adam-God teachings was made by Charles W. Penrose in 1902:

    ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has never formulated or adopted any theory concerning the subject treated upon by President Young as to Adam.‘

    In October 1976 general conference, Spencer W. Kimball declared the Church’s official position on Adam-God:

    ‘We warn you against the dissemination of doctrines which are not according to the Scriptures and which are alleged to have been taught by some of the General Authorities of past generations. Such, for instance, is the Adam-God theory. We denounce that theory and hope that everyone will be cautioned against this and other kinds of false doctrine.‘”

    Other statements by future general authorities refuting Brigham Young’s opinions:

    Bruce R. McConkie – “What I am saying is that Brigham Young, contradicted Brigham Young, and the issue becomes one of which Brigham Young we will believe. The answer is we will believe the expressions that accord with the teachings of the Standard Works.”

    And Brigham Young himself – “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. … Let every man and woman know, by the whisperings of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.”

    Finally, while some might consider everything said here to be a sign that the church changes and is “wrong,” I would completely refute that. The church is changing. The church is growing. The church is living.

    Doctrine and Covenants 1:30 is Christ speaking and reads “And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.”

    While so many would criticize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for changing, the Lord describes it as living. The only living church on the face of the earth. This is a power of Christ’s church- not a weakness.

  • Authority in God’s Kingdom

    Authority in God’s Kingdom

    In 1830 the church was brand new and something extremely difficult happened.  An issue occurred which would forever shape church government.  This issue would establish a pattern, God’s pattern, of order.

    An extremely faithful member of the Church, in fact one of the 8 witnesses of the Book of Mormon, started to receive revelations on the gathering of Zion.  This member was Hiram Page.  He was faithful to the church and would never deny the Book of Mormon’s authenticity.  It was not surprising that many church members believed the revelations Hiram Page received.  Why wouldn’t they?  He was a faithful member.  He was one of the 8 witnesses, a blessed individual that saw and beheld the gold plates.

    The issue was, if Hiram Page could receive revelation for the entire church, then who couldn’t receive revelation for the entire church?  You’re seeing where this is going.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would go the way of all other sects of Christianity:  chaos.

    There must be order in God’s system.  God could not have every person claiming revelation for His Church.  It’s important to note, personal revelation is an important part of our mortal journey.  Personal revelation is also critical in God’s church.  Revelation cannot be received by an individual pertaining to the entire church or to guide those in a higher position of authority.  Without this rule, there would be complete confusion, as there started to be when Hiram Page reported his revelations.

    When this problem arose, Joseph Smith was in the most difficult of positions.  How did he correct this issue without seeming authoritarian and dictatorial?  He needed Hiram Page, Oliver Cowdery (who supported Hiram’s revelations), and all church members to understand the significance of this issue. 

    Joseph Smith met with the congregation and explained revelations received prior to Hiram’s revelations.  Joseph Smith had documented the Lord’s commandments in Doctrine and Covenants sections 20 and 21.  He now learned that many members of the new church didn’t understand these doctrines and principles of church government. 

    The history states that Joseph Smith joined with the people and explained the revelations in Doctrine and Covenants 20 and 21 in detail.  He used simple language and explained what it actually meant.  In what could have been a contentious and ugly situation, church members, Oliver Cowdery, and Hiram Page himself left understanding the error of their ways.  This was a prophet of God explaining God’s order.  All present accepted.

    This is the way it should be.

    I would like to compare this to something I learned when reading about how “retired” Pope Benedict XVI… retired.  I didn’t understand how this could be and wanted to research to see what happened.

    Instead of commenting on what I learned about Pope Benedict’s retirement, I want to comment on something else I came across.  An article I read talked about how the current Pope Francis has considered relaxing priestly celibacy rules and how “retired” Pope Benedict came out publicly against this.

    Does this not present a problem?  What if the current Pope did make a decree and the “retired” Pope publicly voiced his disagreement with it?  Would there be another branch of Catholicism?  One following current Pope and one following retired Pope?

    I can’t understand it.  There can’t be confusion in God’s kingdom.  While men are imperfect, God can’t have questions of authority in His church.  Otherwise, there is complete chaos.

    These stories of how two issues were handled strengthened my testimony of the importance of authority.  I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s Church restored to the earth, and as such, it must have order.  As I study Priesthood authority and how the church functions with millions of members across the entire globe, I’m blown away at how seamlessly it all works.

    Joseph Smith foresaw General Authority Seventies when the church was a couple dozen members.  Now as the Church grows and there are 12 quorums of the Seventy, anyone who doesn’t believe this church to be divinely guided must marvel at Joseph Smith’s foresight.

    The truth is it wasn’t Joseph Smith’s foresight, it was God’s foresight.  This church is divinely guided, divinely structured, and divinely governed.  My testimony of this grows daily as I understand the structure of the church better and see how the Lord guides His Kingdom. 

  • Which Church?

    Which Church?

    I often have religious conversations.  As often as possible I try to have those conversations with people of different faiths.

    I’ve had great conversations with someone who is devout in their faith of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t believe the Book of Mormon to be true.  We have many great discussions.  Our discussions are always extremely cordial, soft-spoken, and kind.  I think we are both extremely aware and conscious of our tones when we get into topics.  Early on in our discussions things would get somewhat heated every once in a while.  I don’t remember a time when we yelled at each other or it ever got out of hand, but there’s always this feeling when we talk.  It’s a feeling of being on the edge of a cliff.  Like we’re justttt teetering on the edge of it being a full-blown argument.   We could topple over the edge at any moment.

    Our discussions are almost always centered on disagreements.  There are many, many things we agree on.  Obviously, what good is it for us to dwell on those things?  We get to the meat of our differences and try to learn from each other, I love it.  But like I mentioned, there’s always this dangerous balance.  It makes sense since we disagree.

    Our extra-cautious approach protects us.  We both love Jesus Christ and His principles with all our hearts.  We’ve both been saved by Him in powerful ways.  I believe this is what keeps us from toppling over the edge.  The constant fight within ourselves to let love, tolerance, patience, and agreeing-to-disagree trump those powerful emotions brought on by Satan in the midst of a heated discussion centered on doctrine and eternity. 

    I’ve had similar discussions with many different faiths.  Catholics, Presbyterians, Bahai. I’d like to have these discussions with every faith on earth. 

    If we all believe in Christ we should all be able to agree on so many points, right?

    No matter what there’s always that feeling.  Are we going to go over the edge?  Is this going to turn from friendly banter and growth to a “I’m right you’re wrong!” And a storming out of the room?

    This particular friend I started the story about and I have in the past discussed John 17:21:

    “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:  that the world may believe that thou has sent me.”

    When we had this discussion my point was this: How can we be one in Christ if so many sects disagree?

    His standpoint is that as long as we believe in Christ we are one.  We are all one under Christianity.  Under this great umbrella, we are all one in Him. That sounds great, and I love that.  In theory that is so beautiful.  There are some immediate problems with this, though. For one, I’ve been told I’m not Christian. Where do we go from that? For another, I’ve mentioned the contention that so easily arises when two groups disagree. As much as we want to be one in Christ, how can we be when there’s that underlying tension of disagreement? While millions of people can have a good Christ-like conversation with other faiths, there are also wars over these topics.

    Let me be EXTREMELY clear about one thing. There is some truth and light in all religions that teach and promote peace and love.  I love any religion that brings someone closer to God and especially if it brings someone closer to Christ.  All religions that love Christ and focus on Christ have light to them.

    There seems to be this issue when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be THE True Church of Jesus Christ. 

    The millennium is coming.  A time is coming when all Christians in the world will begin to be persecuted.  It won’t matter if we’re Baptist, or Catholic, or Protestant.  What will matter to the world is the belief in Christ.  As the world unites against Christians, what banner do Christians unite under?  Is it Christ alone?  Is there no one organization He would have us look to?  With all the arguments, contentions; standing on the edge, ready to topple off, between different Christian sects, how can we possibly unite as one?  If we do unite, who do we listen to?  What do we follow?

    God is a God of order.  He wouldn’t have us blindly wander as the world unites against all believers.  He can’t have us guessing which way is up and which way is down.  So, where is our banner?  Do we follow the Catholic Church, the Pope?  Do we follow some non-denominational sect?  We’ve never been able to unite.  When the world is in chaos, will that be the time the Christian world pulls it together and joins as one? I don’t see that happening. Especially as the world in general becomes more and more divided.

    We must be one.  We must be united in Jesus Christ. 

    My belief is that the Church to follow is Christ’s restored Church.  There is no more beating around the bush.  The Church of Jesus Christ has come out with a worldwide declaration that makes clear what we’ve always declared: 

    “In humility, we declare that in answer to (Joseph Smith’s) prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and inaugurated the “restitution of all things” as foretold in the Bible. In this vision, he learned that following the death of the original Apostles, Christ’s New Testament Church was lost from the earth. Joseph would be instrumental in its return.

    “We declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on April 6, 1830, is Christ’s New Testament Church restored.”

    The declaration is clear.  This is the banner.  The keys of the gathering of Israel were handed down to Joseph Smith by Moses himself.  Those same keys have been passed down for 200 years and are now in the possession of God’s prophet on the earth today, the speaker of the above declaration, President Russell M. Nelson.  Only by God’s official authority could the gathering of Israel be accomplished;  without contention, without fighting, without controversy.

    This is my testimony and I leave it in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

    __________________________

    If you would like to learn more about the gathering of Israel, the keys that have been handed down, the restoration of Christ’s Church, and why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends out so many young men and women to preach the gospel, please click below:

    https://www.comeuntochrist.org/belong/meet-missionaries

    A missionary would gladly teach you more about what we believe. Thank you for reading.