Faith and Priesthood

During General Conference a few years ago, I was struck by something said by Bishop Richard Edgley – “Because of my faith, I have activated the power of the priesthood that I hold and have been a partaker of the sweetness of the gospel and have embraced the saving ordinances.” (Faith –The Choice is Yours, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/faith-the-choice-is-yours?lang=eng). According to Bishop Edgley, faith is what activates priesthood power. There is a very close relationship between faith and priesthood power. In some cases, the two principles of faith and priesthood are essentially the same.

Faith can be understood to be a covenant between God and man. The elements of such a covenant are:

1) The object, purpose, or final outcome of the covenant

2) The terms of the covenant, or what the two covenanting parties agree to do
3) Evidence that the covenant is valid and in force, such as a written revelation or simply a witness from the Holy Ghost
4) Man’s responsibility to do the physical work of the faith-covenant, to persevere through trials of the faith-covenant, to do the mental and spiritual work of praying, believing and hoping that God will do his part of the covenant
5) Fulfillment of the covenant where the original objective is accomplished

Joseph Smith understood that man may progress through successive points of faith (TPJS, p. 51) or degrees of faith (Lectures on Faith 7:9). He also understood that faith is a principle of power and that it was by His faith that God created the earth and the heavens and that by His faith he continues to govern all creation and existence:

13) As we receive by faith, all temporal blessings that we do receive, so we, in like manner, receive by faith all spiritual blessings, that we do receive. But faith is not only the principle of action, but of power, also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven, or on earth. Thus says the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. (11:3):

14) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God: so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

15) By this we understand that the principle of power, which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this principle of power, existing in the Deity, that all created things exist—so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, exist by reason of faith, as it existed in HIM.

16) Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust—it is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal, as well as eternal things. Take this principle or attribute, (for it is an attribute) from the Deity and he would cease to exist.

17) Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man.

24) Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God. Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence! (Lectures on Faith 1:13-17, 24)

To summarize, faith is a covenant and a trial, has progressive levels, is a principle of power in man and is the power of God by which he creates and governs worlds. Priesthood is also a covenant and a trial, has progressive levels, is a principle of power in man and is the power of God by which he creates and governs worlds.

According to the Doctrine and Covenants, there is an “oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.” (D&C 84:39-40). When a man receives the priesthood, he is put under covenant. A covenant between man and God typically puts the man in a position of being tried or tested to see if he will fulfill his part of the covenant. Once the covenant, or faith-covenant, has been fulfilled, then the man is called ‘faithful’. A man must be faithful in obtaining progressive levels of priesthood, or fulfilling priesthood faith-covenants – “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken [or fulfilling the covenant trials of two levels of priesthood], and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” (D&C 84:33).

Joseph Smith revealed information about the ancient prophet Melchizedek and how faith, trials, covenants, and priesthood orders were all closely interrelated:

26) Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

27) And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

28) It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

29) And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

30) For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

31) To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

32) And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven. (JST Genesis 14:26-32)

The priesthood obviously has different levels to it. We frequently talk about two levels known as Aaronic and Melchizedek. Joseph Smith explained some of the differences between the different levels of priesthood:

Answer to the question, Was the Priesthood of Melchizedek taken away when Moses died? All Priesthood is Melchizedek, but there are different portions or degrees of it. That portion which brought Moses to speak with God face to face was taken away; but that which brought the ministry of angels remained. All the prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained by God himself. (TPJS, p. 180-181)

Joseph Smith said that “There are three grand orders of priesthood referred to” in Hebrews chapter 7 (TPJS, p. 322). These three orders likely correspond to the lesser (or Aaronic) priesthood, the greater (or Melchizedek) priesthood, and the “mysteries of the kingdom” that are referred to in D&C 84:18-26. Alma the Younger referred to three portions of “the word” using the same descriptors used in D&C 84 (the descriptors are lesser, greater, and mysteries) – “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word [first level]; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word [second level], until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God [third level] until he know them in full.” (Alma 12:10). I would bet that the three grand orders of the priesthood and the three portions of “the word” all align with “the three principal rounds of Jacob’s ladder—the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial glories or kingdoms, where Paul saw and heard things which were not lawful for him to utter” (TPJS, p. 305). I would also bet that different degrees of faith that Lectures on Faith talks about would also align with the three degrees of glory. If you put it all into a table, it would look like this:

Portion of The Word Alma 12	Order of Priesthood Hebrews 7, D&C 84	Kingdom of Glory Jacob’s Ladder, D&C 76 and 88	Degree of Faith Lectures on Faith
Lesser portion	Lesser, Aaronic	Telestial	Principle of action
Greater portion	Greater, Melchizedek	Terrestrial	Principle of power
Mysteries of God	Mysteries of the kingdom, the knowledge of God, key and power of an endless life	Celestial	To lay hold upon eternal life, power to create or organize element and intelligence

If you mapped it all onto the layout of the tabernacle of Moses, it would something like this:

Like faith, priesthood is a principle of power in man, as described here – “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (D&C 121:41-42).

Brigham Young described priesthood as “the law by which the worlds are, were, and will continue for ever and ever. It is that system which brings worlds into existence and peoples them, gives them their revolutions—their days, weeks, months, years, their seasons and times and by which they are rolled up as a scroll, as it were, and go into a higher state of existence” (DBY, 130). President Marion Romney also understood that God’s priesthood is the power by which he created the earth – “Well, the priesthood, as I have come to understand it through studying, is power. It’s the power that God used in the Creation. It is the power that he used to feed the people in the days of Moses.” (Priesthood, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1982/04/priesthood?lang=eng).

Here are some additional passages of scripture, which all happen to be from The Book of Mormon, that describe the relationship between faith, power and priesthood orders:

20) I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord [this is a description of the Lord fulfilling his part of a faith-covenant] are over all those whom he hath chosen [you are chosen after you pass a trial of faith], because of their faith [because of doing the work of their faith-covenants], to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance [they are given powers associated with the celestial level]. (1 Nephi 1:20)

17) And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost [the power of the Holy Ghost is more or less the same as the power of the priesthood], which power he received by faith [the work of a faith-covenant] on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men. (1 Nephi 10:17)

10) But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things [this is the power to control elements at the celestial level] by faith [by doing the work and passing the trials of faith-covenants]; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. (2 Nephi 1:10)

3) And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith [what degree of faith is this – 1^st or 2^nd?], are called with a holy calling [3^rd or celestial level of faith, priesthood and glory], yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.

4) And thus they have been called to this holy calling [advanced to the 3^rd level] on account of their faith [on account of fulfilling the 1^st and 2^ndlevels], while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.

10) Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God [the 3^rd level]; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;

11) Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. (Alma 13:3-4, 10-11)

28) And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power [celestial level, or power to create], according to their faith which was in Christ [or, according to the fact that they fulfilled the faith-covenants corresponding to the telestial and terrestrial levels]. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city. (Alma 14:28)

35) And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God. (Alma 18:35) [Notice the relationship between spirit, knowledge, power, faith and desire!]

10) Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God. (Ether 12:10) [Could it be that “the holy order of God” is the third grand order of priesthood, corresponding to a celestial glory, and that men, and women, reached that level after fulfilling the degrees of faith corresponding to telestial and terrestrial glories?]

33) And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me [or, if you have a faith-covenant and pass the associated trials] ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. (Moroni 7:33)

7) And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power [God fulfills his part of a faith-covenant], according to the faith of the children of men [or, as people fulfill their part of a faith-covenant], the same today and tomorrow, and forever. (Moroni 10:7)

The Way of Eternal Life

During the past several posts I have focused on Christ and the atonement. In those posts I have explained all that I wanted to say about the atonement for now. This post is the first of a new and extensive topic - The Way.

The third Article of Faith says, “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” In earlier posts, we learned how the atonement is closely connected to the priesthood and in some ways is indistinguishable from it. We also learned how the priesthood is a system of laws that, if kept, will qualify us to enter the kingdom of heaven to go no more out. Therefore, the third Article of Faith is talking about priesthood. The priesthood system of laws, ordinances, and tests or trials can be called “the way of eternal life” (2 Nephi 10:23), “the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3), and “paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3) among other names. By following The Way, we will ultimately be “redeemed from the fall” and be “brought back into [the Lord’s] presence” (Ether 3:13). However, before being brought back to Lord’s presence, and having an enjoyable experience there with him, we must receive the spiritual endowment of charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47), “that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (Moroni 7:48).

Elder Dallin Oaks described the general process and purpose of The Way like this – “We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ. The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his famous teaching about the importance of charity (see 1 Cor. 13). The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, ‘the pure love of Christ’ (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, ‘except men shall have charity they cannot inherit’ the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father (Ether 12:34; emphasis added).” (The Challenge to Become, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng). However, what exactly is The Way and what are the major steps along The Way towards the presence of the Lord? Or, to use the words of the Psalmist, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?” (Psalm 24:3). A brief answer to that question is found in the following verses – “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:4-5).

Seeing Christ (and the Father) is part of the ultimate experience at the end of The Way. However, Christ is involved in every step of The Way. Thomas, one of Jesus’ apostles, asked “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:5-6). In a revelation to the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, the Lord described his ministry to those who have not yet begun their journey back to his presence – “Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12). He describes his ministry to those who in the middle of their journey in the famous 23^rd Psalm – “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:3-4). Towards the end of the path, the Lord ministers at the entrance to the kingdom of Heaven, inviting the righteous to enter, to whom he will something like what The Book of Mormon prophet Enos imagined that he would hear – “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.” (Enos 1:27).

The Way, along with its major steps, is represented by the layout of the tabernacle of Moses. Here is a picture of that layout, which happens to come from a lesson titled “The House of the Lord in the Wilderness” from one of the LDS Church Education System’s Institute manuals (http://www.ldsces.org/manuals/old-testament-institute-student-manual-1/ot-in1-04-exo-13.asp; I shifted the labels on left-hand side slightly in order to better align with the layout and then rotated it 180 degrees):

This layout represents the general pattern for fallen man to be brought back to the Lord’s presence. (On the layout, the veil to the Holy of Holies represents entering the Lord’s presence.) I would like to divide The Way to the veil into three phases. The first phase corresponds entirely to the layout in the Outer Courtyard, including the altar of sacrifice and the laver or wash basin. The middle phase corresponds to  the table of showbread and the sacred lamp, or menorah, in the Holy Place. The ending phase corresponds to the altar of incense in the Holy Place and the veil to the Holy of Holies. There is another phase of spiritual development after entering the Holy of Holies that I will also discuss, which has more to do with mentoring or developing other people. These phases can be termed the steps of spiritual progression or spiritual development. These phases or steps of spiritual progression align more or less with the three phases of the light of Christ that President Marion Romney spoke about in a General Conference talk in 1977:

“[M]y topic is ‘The Light of Christ.’ There are three phases of the light of Christ that I want to mention. The first one is the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world; The second phase is the gift of the Holy Ghost; And the third is the more sure word of prophecy.” (The Light of Christ, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/the-light-of-christ?lang=eng)