Doctrine and Covenants Section 93, Part 4
“And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.”
These verses describe the utility of truth and the futility of non-truth. If we do not know things as they were, are, and will be, we are left adrift in a sea of information. It is the plan of the adversary to blur the lines of reality or truth enough to cause us to fall short of the mark. He does not present us with blatant lies, but subtle mistruths meant to make us think we are on course. The old analogy of being off by a degree comes to mind. A slight variation over a long distance means we do not arrive at our desired destination.
“Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth;”. That one line thoroughly changes the dynamic of Christian thought. Modern Christianity hits us over the head with the idea that God created all things out of nothing. That presents some serious problems. If we did not always exist and God created us, the possibility exists that we can never be like him. We would merely be creatures of a creator. The fact that we are coeternal with God means we possess the same nature and potential.
“Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. 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.”
I want to focus on the ‘All truth is independent’ part. This verse speaks of both truth and intelligence being independent in the spheres in which God has placed them. These can be thought of as order and energy, or reality and potential. I have to think about this a lot more, but for now, these ideas are the best I can manage. The spheres mentioned seem to be something like some kind of boundary where these can function at an optimal level.
The other part of this is the concept that these things have agency to act for themselves. Then the most curious of all the statements is, “otherwise there is no existence.” Does this mean that things exist because they choose to? Indeed, the verses that follow says, “Here is the agency of man”. The lines that follow state that condemnation comes when we “receive not the light”. So then we have to think about what condemnation means in this context.
As you can tell, I am unclear about what all this means, and I will have to think about it all for a very long time. I am sure that my understanding of these concepts is woefully lacking. I look forward to the answers I know can come when I am ready to receive them. That should give you something to think about for a while.
I am not sure if I am done with Section 93. Stay tuned.