What the Saving Ordinances of the Gospel Mean to Me

The saving ordinances of the gospel are:

1. Baptism by water and by fire. That is, baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, without which baptism is not complete.
2. The temple endowments.
3. Temple marriage and sealing.

Other ordinances, such as the sacrament in which we re-affirm our baptismal covenants, and the blessings of the sick, are not required for salvation and exaltation, and thus are not performed in behalf of the deceased in our temples.

The ordinances of salvation are all associated with covenants. We promise to obey our Father's commandments and serve Him faithfully.  Our Father, if we will make these covenants and participate in these ordinances, and if we will remain faithful to the promises we make, will make us heirs to all that He has, dwelling with Him in power and glory, and in family units forever.

So, these ordinances make it possible for us to fulfill our highest destiny, which is to become as our Father is. This gives hope and peace in a difficult life. It helps me to know that all of the trials of this life are worth it, and that the goal is worthy of the difficult tasks we face as mortals.

I am very grateful for the privilege of participating in these ordinances and covenants, and hope to live worthily, with my family, of the resultant blessings.

What Does the Atonement Mean to Me?

To set the context of what I wish to say, I should first set out a summary of my understanding of the doctrine of the atonement.

Our Father's business is all about the exaltation and eternal life of His children. To have eternal life is the be as He is - a God, a parent of innumerable children, a creator of worlds for them to live on.

One of the steps in becoming like Him is to go through our mortal life. But this mortal situation is perilous. We are separated from our Father, and, what's more, we are not able, on our own, to become worthy to return to His presence. We are also subject to physical death - the separation of our spirits from our bodies. We are powerless against the situation.

So our Father provided us with a Savior, a Redeemer, a way out of this situation.

He sent his son Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. A perfect, sinless person was required for this work, and Jesus is the only one who qualifies.

Jesus voluntarily paid the price of sin and of death. He took upon Himself all of the consequences of sin, including the withdrawal of the spirit of God, and the suffering which is demanded by the law of justice. Thus, we hear Him say in his torment, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Yet He overcame all. He also took upon Himself all of the consequences of mortality, including spiritual and physical illness and pain and injury.

At His resurrection, death was defeated, so that all of us will rise immortal and with perfect bodies. At that point, no one will be ill or deformed or in pain. Also, upon conditions of repentance and the making and keeping of ordinances and covenants, we can become pure as He is, and become kings and queens, priests and priestesses, Gods and Goddesses who reign in glory forever, working for the exaltation of countless numbers of our own children on myriad earths.

The atonement thus makes life possible. It makes Jesus the source of light and life for every living thing in the mortal world and in the eternities.

Now, with that understanding of the doctrine, so far as I understand it and was able to express it in writing, the question is, "What does all of this mean to me?"  I will list some thoughts on this, in no particular order.

I and my family have the opportunity to change and improve, to repent and become better people, and to be completely cleansed from those sins of which we repent.

We can be spiritually healed. We can have the Holy Ghost to be with, comfort, and guide us.

We can, at times, when faith and the Lord's will permit, be physically healed. The power of faith and priesthood are made operative through the atonement.

Immortality is certain for all of us, and eternal life is offered to all - it can be had though obedience and faithfulness, though making and keeping covenants.

The atonement is my single greatest source of comfort during hard times. It gives me peace and strength of character that I could not otherwise have.

In summary, the atonement is the only source of life, light, faith, comfort, and hope that we have or could ever need. It is our Father's way of offering us all that He has.

I am profoundly grateful for these precious gifts, without which there could be no light, life or hope in the world.

I bear testimony that this is true, the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

What My Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Means to Me

First and foremost, it means the opportunity to know of and take advantage of the atonement of our Savior. It means that I and my family have access to the ordinances of salvation. It means that we know that we are literally our Heavenly Father's loved children, with capacity to become as He is. It means that I am privileged to hold the priesthood, and use it to bless my family and others.

It means that I have been blessed with a testimony of Jesus Christ, the holy scriptures, the prophet Joseph Smith, and modern revelation. It means that we have access to the meetings and organizations of the church, and are given callings and responsibilities that allow us to serve and grow.

It means that my family and I have been sealed through temple marriage so that we can be together forever, and that we can do these temple ordinances for our deceased ancestors.

It means that I can have a patriarchal blessing.

My membership in the church means that I had the opportunity to serve a full time mission for the Lord, and hope to serve a couple mission with my wife when we retire.

It means that I have the opportunity to repent, that I was baptized, that I have had the gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed upon me, and that I have a chance to live so as to build greater and greater faith.

It means that I can know who Jesus and Heavenly Father are, and that I can develop a personal relationship with them.

It means that I have a legacy of ancestors and saints who made it possible for me to have been born into the church and raised to know the gospel.

It means that I live in a community of fellow saints, and am a member of a priesthood quorum who support my family and me, and who we can serve and support in return.

It means that I have the privilege to partake of the sacrament weekly, to attend sacrament meetings, Sunday school, and priesthood meetings.

It means that I get to be in ward and stake choirs.

It means that I have access to prayer, that I have scriptures to read and study, and that we have Family Home Evening weekly in our home.

Of course there is much more, but I think that is enough for this writing, except to emphasize again that it all centers in Christ and his redeeming sacrifice.

In upcoming posts I will expand on many of the themes that have been touched upon here.

Seeing and Coming to Know the Savior

I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants, section 88, verses 49 and 50, that "The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God; being quickened in him and by him. Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound."

I was impressed by the statement that the light shines but we don't comprehend it. Yet we will comprehend, and then know that we have seen Christ.

Then I read in D&C 38: 7-8, where it says: "But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me. But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day/"

I was thinking about how the Lord tells us that he is here in our midst but we cannot see him, but we shall see him soon. As I thought about this, it came to me that he is in our lives all the time, yet we do not recognize it. His help and guidance are in a multitude of helps, blessings, and tender mercies, many of them disguised as coincidences. I suspect that when we do see him we shall be amazed at how well we know him, for we will finally see and understand that he has been with us all along, and recognized all the things that he has done for us.

Aadron - A short story about the price of freedom.

With Independence Day approaching in the United States, I thought this might be a time to post a story I wrote a few years ago, about the price of freedom. So here is the story of Aadron.

1

The old man hardly paused as he walked through the village.  No one had seen him before. He  must have been some kind of peddler or tinker, what with the big pack on the burro he led.  But he did not stop in New Meadows.  He paused only long enough to ask for permission to water the burro at the trough in front of the smithy, and went on.  Other than that, he spoke only to Aadron.

Aadron was playing with his wooden soldiers near the place where the trail passed the last house and entered the forest.  There were three of them, each hand carved by his grandfather’s father over 50 years before, and repainted at least a dozen times since then.  Aadron was busy defending the village with his little army, and had little time to look up as the old man went by.  But the stranger noticed him and his soldiers as he approached, and slowed his pace just a little as he reached into the burro’s pack, pulled out a toy swordsman, and tossed it to the boy.  “Here, son--looks like you need some reinforcements.”  Aadron had barely enough time to recover from his surprise and start to thank the man before he was past--and then was gone into the woods.

At first look, the swordsman seemed to be much like the other wooden soldiers.  But as Aadron turned it in his hands, he could see that it was a remarkable work of art.  Old and battered, yes, but showing far more detail than any other carved toy in New Meadows.  For a moment it seemed to be alive, but no, it was only imagination.  Soon the swordsman had taken his place alongside the other three soldiers, and the battle to save the town went on.

2

Eight years later, Aadron was again looking at the swordsman.  He did not know why he had searched out the old toy.  Something in him had remembered it as he had heard the rumors about the approaching war.  “They’ll never come through here--there’s nothing here that they could want,” said old man Barlow.  Junkins, the smith, had disagreed, “New Meadows is between the enemy and the capitol, and if the King’s army does not stop them soon, they’ll come right through here.”

Aadron was wrestling with his emotions.  He was trying to settle his mind as he turned the toy in his hands.  What should he do?  What would become of his home if the enemy did come through?  According to the rumors, they left little behind that was not burned out or otherwise destroyed.  What would happen to him, to his family, and the other eight families in the village?  Should he join the King’s army?  How could he make any difference?

His thoughts were interrupted as the soldier began to writhe in his hands.  Suddenly, it was no longer a toy.  It swelled and grew, and stood before Aadron.  It opened its mouth as if to speak.  Then it was as a waking dream for Aadron.  He was in battle scenes, great and small.  He saw the suffering of the innocent.  He fought aside the heroes who defended them.  Scene after scene flew by, until it was pouring into his mind in a great torrent...

...Slaves, beaten and starved as they worked to build palace for a tyrant...

...A young man rallied his people to protect their homes and families by fashioning a standard from his torn coat, on which he wrote a pledge to defend their homeland against tyranny...

...Devastation and destruction in a small village as its inhabitants were tortured and murdered by the light of their burning homes and barns...

...A band of 300 brave lads, holding an army of thousands at a pass for three moons until the last 37 gave their lives in a final battle, lasting just long enough for help to arrive at their city...

Thousands of such scenes poured into the young man’s mind, overpowering him, pounding into him the terrible cost of freedom, and the much infinitely greater price paid by those who have lost it.  Then all was black, and he slept.

When he awoke, the wooden swordsman was again a toy on the floor, as if nothing had happened.  But he was no longer simply Aadron, the miller’s son.  He knew what he had to do.

Time to Let Go

Recently as I was reading the scriptures I came again across 1 Nephi 2: 2-4, where it says: “And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him. And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.”

This got me to thinking, what is it that I am holding on to that keeps me from following the Lord as completely as I should?  As I thought about it, another scripture came to mind, where the king of the Lamanites was learning about the gospel. What he said in his prayer is found in Alma 22:18: “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.”

Once again, the example set for me is willingness to give up whatever sin or habit or thought pattern keeps me from truly knowing the Lord.

I was reminded of the old original computer text adventure game, known as “Adventure” or “Colossal Cave”.  In this game there is a passageway called the “Tight Spot”, which is so narrow that the player cannot go through unless he leaves behind everything he has, including even his lamp. You have to be willing to take the step of faith to leave everything behind and step into the darkness in order to get past this obstacle in the game. The path is indeed “strait and narrow”.

I’m now repeating myself, but the obvious question is this: What am I holding on to that keeps me out of heaven? Am I willing to let go of it? Do I realize that if I don’t let go, I can’t get there from here?