Obtaining The Word of God
In a revelation given to Hyrum Smith (Doctrine and Covenants 11), the Lord says, “…first seek to obtain my word…then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. …study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men,…until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto. …seek the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added according to that which is just. Build upon my rock, which is my gospel; Deny not the spirit of revelation, nor the spirit of prophecy, …Therefore, treasure up (the word) in your heart…Behold, I speak unto all who have good desires…Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world. …But verily, verily, I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name. Amen.”
For the past several weeks, I have been trying to understand why we are given the scriptures, ordinances, and the church. In my opinion, they point our minds to a higher order of existence: God and Heaven, our ultimate state of being. In simpler terms, the point is to get us to think beyond the things of this world. The question then becomes, what gives us the desire for such things?
To answer that question, we must examine what makes us who and what we are, and how we differ from every other living thing God created. “At its heart, what separates human awareness from that of animals is not just sensory perception or intelligence but the depth of consciousness—our ability to reflect on existence itself and shape the world based on abstract ideas. This existential awareness creates the vast gulf between humans and other animals.” (AI generated)
Consciousness makes us aware of things and others, while conscience helps us evaluate our interactions with them based on morality. I will discuss each of these in turn.
What makes us conscious beings? Human consciousness is described as part of being made in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27). We are comprised of body and spirit. The Bible often associates consciousness with the “spirit” in humans. For example, “the spirit of man” is said to give understanding, distinguishing humans from animals (1 Corinthians 2:11). Some scholars interpret the Holy Spirit as divine consciousness, and equate it with expanded spiritual awareness. Doctrine and Covenants 88:15 says, “And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.” This connection makes us aware of both physical and spiritual realities.
We have been given a conscience, which, in Latter-day Saint terminology, we call the Light of Christ, to evaluate the physical and spiritual realms in terms of good and evil. It is also part of being created in the image of God. It acts as an internal guide to help us follow the Savior. Moroni 7:16 says, “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.”
Please forgive this long tangent, but it helps us understand the mechanism by which we obtain and understand God’s word. In Alma 32, the word of God is likened to a seed. As we give a place for the word in our heart and mind, our “understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and (our) mind doth begin to expand.” This reaction, along with the Light of Christ, is also how we can determine what is the word of God and what is not.
The word of God is not limited to scripture or the words and actions of ordinances, nor is it given in a church meeting. While all of these things are important in obtaining the word of God, ultimately, we obtain it through revelation. How do we receive revelation? By focusing our thoughts higher, asking our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ, and knocking at the veil that separates Heaven from Earth. This is how we obtain the word of God.
Some secular religionists, those who claim to believe in God but think that God’s word is limited to a book (the Bible), would have you think that there is only one correct interpretation of the language in it. Scholars of the Bible seem to adhere to the meaning of the words, in conjunction with the context of the time, and the author’s intent. In my opinion, the latter is a more valuable way of interpreting scripture. However, neither approach can rival personal revelation, offering multiple meanings to scripture passages that can all be right.
God does not leave us wondering if we involve him in obtaining his word. As I mentioned earlier, scriptures, ordinances, and the church are only some of the means to an end. They simply expand our consciousness so that we can evaluate what we perceive using the Light of Christ which is, “The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.”
Have a wonderful Sabbath day.