The Priesthood as an Order
In thinking about the subject matter of the reading for this week, my mind focused on how the priesthood is an order. We learn that the order of Melchizedek, as mentioned in the Bible, was originally known as The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God. This title is unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints theology. However, the descriptive nature of the full name of the priesthood is essential to understanding its nature and how it works.
It is essential to understand what an order of this type is and how it is meant to function. Throughout many religious traditions, orders play a critical role in the lives of the adherents. We know about monks and nuns who devote themselves to specific practices and disciplines that encourage intense focus on virtues and aspects of service or good works. Entry into most of these orders requires initiates to meet standards and perform oaths.
In the church, we are all invited to enter into a priesthood order. Only males are ordained to the priesthood, but the blessings promised in connection with it are extended to both men and women. The covenants between God and us are the same for men and women. A man who “holds the priesthood” cannot exercise priesthood power on himself. Holding priesthood keys does not entitle a man to extra blessings, nor does it place him above another in the kingdom of God. Keys are more akin to responsibilities than honors. Respect for priesthood keys is essential in the economy of the church and kingdom of God — it maintains order.
Last week, I talked about God working within boundaries. This maintains ultimate order in all things. The order of the priesthood accomplishes the same thing for us. The covenants we make with God provide a framework for our progression through this life and prepare us for the order of Heaven.
The disciplines required to belong to the orders of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods are essential and critical to receiving the blessings associated with them. These disciplines are much the same as those we think of in connection with many of the religious orders mentioned earlier. Vows of chastity (which does not mean celibacy), service, living the gospel, and consecrated lives are all part of the order of the priesthood. The extremes to which many of these orders go is not necessary to receive all the blessings.
Another way to look at order is that it is the absence of chaos. Our temple experience is an excellent example of the absence of chaos and distraction. The reverence that should prevail in the House of the Lord provides a contrast to the chaos of the outside world. Everyone dressed in the same white clothing is another way to obscure differences of wealth and status, or obscurity and poverty. It acts to either humble or exalt us and removes the chaos of societal differences. The strict operational structure in the temple helps to maintain order. The verbiage of ordinances is uniform for several reasons, but the main one is the order that must exist in the priesthood. Finally, everything that is done in the temple is done by the authority of the Holy Priesthood.
In God’s kingdom, there is no chaos. God creates order out of chaos. If we are preparing to live with God in Heaven, we have to make order out of the chaos. We must eliminate noise and confusion and replace it with reverence and structure if we want to be comfortable in God’s presence. The Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, along with their associated ordinances and covenants, are the framework and foundation of the Order of the Son of God. If we live within the boundaries of this framework, it will open into the broad expanse of Heaven.