Doctrine and Covenants Section 93 Part 1
Section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants is probably my favorite because it gets at the heart of the most profound questions I can formulate regarding existence. When I say existence, I mean everything: God, myself, the earth and the heavens, and all things that are in them. The revelation cuts through the idea that anything is unknowable. Indeed, the knowledge of God is not reserved for an elect few; it is made available to “every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments.”
Verses 2-4 continue, “And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—“. The clarification of this concept follows: “The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.”
What is the significance of these truths? They establish the concept that the Father and the Son are responsible for offering the light, and we are required to align ourselves with and be in harmony with it. Perhaps I can offer an analogy. Most of us are familiar with how radio waves are sent and received. A transmitter sends a signal at a specific frequency in all directions simultaneously. The receiver only picks up the signal if it is tuned to the exact frequency. If we are to receive the light that emanates from God, we must tune ourselves to the divine frequency.
Analog radio receivers in the past were finicky pieces of equipment. They consisted of electrical circuits with an antenna, inductors, capacitors, transistors, diodes, vacuum tubes, and a potentiometer to tune the signal. If the antenna is damaged, bent, or improperly positioned, the signal will not be received. Other nearby electrical devices can also interfere. Bad solder joints and degraded components can reduce the device’s sensitivity. The receiver must be properly grounded and shielded to prevent masking the desired signal. In short, many factors can prevent a pure, strong signal from achieving clear reception.
We are like these analog receivers. Many things can prevent the pure light that emanates from God from illuminating our souls. That is the reason for the long list of qualifiers mentioned in connection with seeing the face of God. We must identify and rectify the things that prevent us from receiving the light.
The following few verses in this section describe John the Baptist’s testimony regarding Jesus. “And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.” The fascinating concept in verses 12-17 reveals another concept that mainstream Christianity completely rejects. We learn that Jesus was not fully God at first. “And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.”
This knowledge does not diminish Jesus or his mission of redemption in any way. Instead, it shows us a pattern for receiving a fullness of the glory of God. Jesus explicitly said, “Follow me”, “Do the things you see me do.” This is not limited to his works alone, but to following his path to progression. Verses 19 and 20 read, “I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.”
That is all for now, but I will follow up on this in the next week or so. There is much, much more to come on this mind-blowing revelation.