Unit 1: Good and Evil
The Gem:
The most important ability is the power to discern the difference between the good spirit and the evil spirit. This ability makes agency possible. To identify each correctly in every moment is the full development of this ability.
The Setting:
- Every human being is a spirit temporarily housed in flesh and bone. The real person is the spirit, not the flesh and bone. D&C 88:15, D&C 101:36–38
- Each human adult spirit is subject to two powerful spiritual influences: The influence of God, which only entices to do good, and the influence of Satan, which only entices to do evil. Moroni 7:5–17
- The two spirits of good and evil do not come labeled. Each person must label for himself. Isaiah 5:20–23
- A person can sharpen the ability to discern between the good and the evil spirit by careful attention and practice. D&C 50:9–34
- Those who follow the good spirit are led to righteousness. Those who follow the evil spirit are led to selfishness. 2 Nephi 2:28–29
- The main reason human beings are on earth is to learn, each by his or her own experience, to discern good from evil and then to act according to his or her desires. 2 Nephi 2:25–27
- A person’s discernment of God and good can be no stronger or sharper than his or her discernment of Satan and evil. 2 Nephi 2:11–13
Unit 2: Agency
The Gem:
Human agency is the power to understand the difference between good and evil, to be able then to choose to do good or evil, and the power to carry out the choice made. Only deliberately and carefully using this human agency can any human being be saved from the flaws in his or her own eternal character.
The Setting:
- Agency needs three components: Knowledge, ability to choose, ability to act. The more a person has of each of these, the more agency he or she has. Father has full agency because he has a perfect understanding of good and evil and all truth, he is fully free to choose as he desires, and has all power that exists to carry out his choices. Only the gods are fully free. 1 Peter 1:14, D&C 58:28, 93:26–31
- Human agency is a gift from God. Not all humans have it, and it may be increased or diminished by God. D&C 29:35
- When Adam was first placed in the Garden of Eden, he had little understanding of the difference between good and evil, and therefore had little agency. Adam did know that it was good to obey Father, and wanted to do so. 2 Nephi 2:15–16
- When Adam disobeyed Father by partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, his understanding of good and evil was greatly increased. Thus was his agency increased. D&C 29:39
- Human agency is a perfect test of the heart of the person, the “heart” meaning the basic nature of the character of the spirit within the human body. It is not a test of mind, because the mind seldom knows enough to make a rational decision, and with limited information (all humans have limited information) a seemingly rational choice can easily be wrong. Gen 6:5, 29:41, Numb 15:39, Proverbs 23:7
- When a person chooses and does evil, it is because the evil is more to the liking of the heart of the eternal spirit than the good alternative presented. Thus each human is drawn to do evil by his or her own evil desires (lusts), and drawn to do good by his or her own desires for good. Alma 41:5–6, James 1:13–14
- What a person thinks about fondly is the principal battleground between good and evil in the human soul. If one daydreams about satisfying one’s own desires, evil is winning. If one daydreams about how to relieve the suffering of others or how to bring souls to Christ, good is winning. Agency is the power to choose between daydreams, and daydreams (including thinking and planning) are the basis of action.
- Planning and doing good always involves sacrifice on the part of the doer. But the good sacrifice is always a means to relieve suffering or to bring souls to Christ. Satan also tempts people to sacrifice, but not to relieve suffering or to bring souls to Christ. Evil sacrifice seeks some personal reward.
- The most beautiful part of human agency is that when a human spirit finds itself conflicted, having evil desires but not liking to have those desires, if the person knows the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, he or she can apply for a new heart (a new eternal character). Mosiah 4:2
- The gift of a new, pure heart (to become a new and different person) is the most precious of all of God’s gifts, because it makes all other eternal blessings possible. Mosiah 5:2–3
- Thus, the greatest human use of agency is to choose to die in Jesus Christ and become a new person. Gal 5:24, Romans 12:1
- If the person does not know the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, he or she is not yet fully an agent. But every human who attains the age and state of accountability has enough agency to fulfill his or her mortal mission. Those who do not have full agency in mortality are assured of gaining it in the world of spirits, and will there have the full opportunity to be saved from themselves and from their sins. D&C 138:31–34
Unit 3: All Things Good
The Gem: “We will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” Abraham 3:25
The Setting:
- All that is good comes from God. Moroni 7:13
- If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. A of F:13
- The light of Christ is the spirit of excellence. Wherever one sees excellence, one is seeing Christ working in nature or through men. D&C 88:12–13
- The work of God is constructive. The work of the adversary is destructive. 2 Nephi 26:23
- Where you see the drive to make men free, that is of God. Where you see tightening control of men by men, that is of Satan. D&C 98:5
- When we do good, we choose God as our father. When we do evil, we choose Satan as our father. John 8:44
- Every person has a personal profile of preferences for good or evil. The profile can be changed, but it can be changed only in mortality for those who have the fullness of the gospel. Alma 34:33–34
- At the end of every mortal life of an agent, it will be very plain as to how much the person has obeyed God or has obeyed Satan. Alma 42:27–28
- The following are some of the contrasts in the decisions we must make between good and evil.
- Cleanliness and order vs. dirty and messy.
- Hard work vs. lazy refusal to do work.
- Polishing and perfecting vs. marring and destroying.
- Arising early vs. staying up late at night.
- Word of wisdom eating vs. tea, coffee, liquor and tobacco, etc.
- Welcoming children vs. infanticide: abortion, some forms of birth control, exposure of newborns, etc.
- Sexual fidelity in marriage vs. fornication, adultery, self-abuse, homosexual action, etc.
- Careful, clear enunciation vs. slurred, sloppy speech.
- Careful planning vs. self-indulgent daydreaming.
- Punctuality vs. habitual lateness.
- Seeking to share with others vs. seeking more for oneself.
- Speaking the truth in soberness vs. speaking lies.
- Saving part of your income vs. spending more than your income.
- Taking counsel from God vs. taking counsel from fear or from Satan.
- Carefully controlled eating vs. overeating and concentrating on sweets and/or drugs.
- Covenant keeping vs. covenant breaking.
- Dependability vs. being undependable.
- Pure knowledge vs. ignorance or lies.
- Pure love vs. fear, anger and vengeance.
- Gratitude vs. feeling sorry for oneself.
- Humility vs. feeling superior to someone else.
- Commending others vs. criticizing others.
- Instructing others vs. condemning others.
- King Benjamin: We cannot list all the ways to do evil, but if we will seek and follow the good spirit, we will always do good. Mosiah 4:29–30
- Good us always blessing others or preparing to do so. Evil is always selfishly using others to benefit oneself. Matthew 5:43–44
Unit 4: Faith in Jesus Christ
The Gem: Faith in Jesus Christ is the priceless gift of the gods to men which enables men to become gods. It is the deliberate acceptance of divine power to replace evil with good in our lives done through Jesus Christ.
The Setting:
- Evil I anything that is not as good as it could and should be. Matt 6:34
- Good is that which builds and blesses in the way that God would do so. 2 Nephi 26:23–24
- The person who sees no evil in his life sees no need for or merit in faith in Jesus Christ. The rich and the learned and the powerful seldom see the need for Christ in their lives. 2 Nephi 28:19–21
- Persons who are aware of the choices between good and evil and who are uncomfortable with their own pattern of choices welcome the opportunity to be made pure through Jesus Christ. When these souls hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they recognize the spirit that has encouraged and assisted them to do good in the past (which is the light of Christ). Romans 2:14–15
- Because they are already in tune with the light of Christ, it is a possible (if not easy) step receive the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which feels the same as does the light of Christ. John 10:24–28
- If one will pray with real intent, one will come to know by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is and was his prophet of this dispensation, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth. Moroni 10:4–5
- When the answer to their prayer comes to one who seeks righteousness, it will be in the same mode as their previous spiritual encouragement to do good, but now with greater focus and clarity. They will see the need to be baptized by true authority and to receive the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands. Acts 2:37–40
- As they follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and do the good they are encouraged and enabled to do, they are now exercising true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. James 2:14–17
- This faith enables them to replace the evil in their own spiritual hearts with good, until they come to have pure hearts. Mosiah 3:19
- As they continue in the path of faith, nothing wavering, their faith becomes stronger and stronger until they can do all things in Christ. D&C 50:23–24
- The end of the path of faith is to come to the point where they can love with a pure love and bless others even as Christ himself does. Eph 4:11–13
- Without faith it is impossible to please god. Heb 11:5 Every human soul will eventually come to have faith in Jesus Christ, but for some their faith will not endure. D&C 76:110–112
Unit 5: Repentance
The Gem: Repentance is the engine which makes possible the perfecting of a human soul. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that powers this engine.
The Setting:
- To repent is to replace evil with good in one’s life: habits, feelings, desires, actions and words. Gospel repentance is hard work, and ultimately consumes all of our heart, might, mind and strength. D&C 4
- There are at least four levels of repentance:
- Perdition repentance: Pretending to repent while deliberately continuing to do evil.
- Telestial repentance: Saying one is sorry.
- Terrestrial repentance: Recognize and confess the sin, stop doing it, and make restitution. Restitution is one for one.
- Celestial repentance: Replace evil acts with the good acts directed by the Holy Spirit as acts of faith in Jesus Christ. This may include fulfilling the steps of terrestrial repentance, but goes much further. For instance, restitution is four-fold. D&C 124:71
- To the Greek mind, mind is what is important. Their word for repentance is metanoeia, which means to change the mind.
- The Romans were people of action. Their word for repentance, pentere, is the ancestor of our English word repentance, and means to turn, to act differently.
- The Hebrew emphasis is on the heart. When the heart changes, that is the real repentance. But the mind and actions must also change with the heart. If the mind or actions change without the heart, repentance is always shallow and ultimately ineffective.
- The outward signs of repentance are confession and stopping the sin. D&C 58:43
- The goal of gospel repentance is to replace every habit and action of heart, might, mind and strength with that which is the habit and action and character of Christ himself. To attain this goal is to endure to the end. Eph 4:11–14
- The first fruit of true faith in Jesus Christ is repentance, and the first fruit of true repentance is baptism in the New and Everlasting Covenant. Moroni 8:25
- Real gospel repentance is to stop sinning, that is to say, to stop hurting others and replace hurting with blessing. It is done by obeying every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God. D&C 84:43–45
- Another name for repentance is adequation, to become an adequate successful performer in a particular task. A person needs to learn much about physics, about techniques, about laws and about standards and to change much personally to become a successful pilot of airplanes. Likewise a person needs to learn much and become much to be a successful surgeon. And so for any demanding task. Another name for adequation is good education. A disciple is a learner.
- Repentance in the gospel of Jesus Christ is on-the-job training as disciples of Christ to become successful builders of universes and successful good parents to many persons, to become kings and priest, queens and priestesses, forever. Rev 5:9–10
Unit 6: Two Baptisms
The Gem: To be born again of water and of the Holy Spirit is the unique access to a fullness of life as a son or daughter of Jesus Christ and an heir to all he is and has. John 10:10, Romans 8:16–17
The Setting:
- To be born again is to be changed, to become a new creature in Christ, with a different heart, might, mind, and strength. 2 Cor 5:17
- This change is wrought by power, and can only be accomplished when one is baptized by real authority and makes the changes offered. D&C 20:73
- Baptism by water is for the later remission of sins. It is a necessary prerequisite for remission, but does not wash away any sins. The baptism of the Spirit (fire) is what remits sins. 2 Nephi 31:17
- To properly accept baptism, one must make three promises:
- We are willing to take upon ourselves the name of the Son, Jesus Christ. D&C 20:75
- We will always remember him.
- We will keep the commandments which he has given us.
- There are four unmistakable marks of one who has truly been born of the water and the Spirit:
- They are humble, and they are kind to everyone, including their enemies and those who injure them. D&C 112:10, 3 Nephi 12:44
- They forgive all trespasses of the past and only look forward (exception: those in priesthood authority who must judge people for their church membership). D&C 64: 10
- They keep every commandment of God that they know about, striving always to be doing what they should be doing. John 14:15
- They are happy because they love and serve everyone and everything around them and try to help others to be happy. 2 Nephi 5:27
- Baptism is a New and Everlasting Covenant. It is new because it replaces the original covenant given to Adam and Eve when they were placed in the Garden of Eden. It is everlasting because it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He whose name is Everlasting. Abraham 3:22–25, Moses 6:56–60
Unit 7: Enduring to the End
The Gem: Faith, repentance, and being born again of the water and of the spirit are means, not ends. They are means to enduring to the end, which is to become like Christ and a joint-heir with Christ.
The Setting:
- To endure to the end may be described in a number of ways. The following are different scriptural ways of doing so. There are other ways of describing the process, but the following will suffice to show the pattern:
- To have a fullness of faith. Ether 12:19–20
- To fully repent of all of one’s sins. Mosiah 27:24–26
- To grow to maturity in the newness of life after having been born again. That maturity is to attain the fullness of the stature of the character and nature of Jesus Christ himself. Eph 4:11–13
- To receive eternal life. 2 Nephi 31:20
- To see the face of the Savior in mortality. D&C 101:36–38
- To partake of the fruit of the tree of life, which is the love of God. 1 Nephi 11:21–23
- To become pure in heart. 3 Nephi 12:8
- To overcome the world. D&C 76:50–70
- To receive and exercise a fullness of the holy priesthood. D&C 84:33–48
- To have one’s calling and election made sure. D&C 131:5–6
- There is an important penalty for not enduring to the end. 3 Nephi 27: 10–12, 16–17
- How is it done (enduring to the end)? By trying hard to do so. Abraham 1:2; Matt. 13:45–46; 2 Nephi 31:13–21
- Are there other clues? Yes.
- Live outside yourself in love. (David O. McKay)
- Beware of pride, the great enemy of righteousness. (Ezra Taft Benson)
- Enduring to the end can only be done in the New and Everlasting Covenant. So in addition to being born of the water and of the spirit, one needs the temple ordinances. Here are four other clues to fulfill the temple covenants:
- Be constantly seeking to bless the lives of others.
- Do all things for the glory of God.
- Serve with all of your heart, might, mind and strength.
- Do all this working together in love with your husband or wife.
- Perhaps the best way to summarize enduring to the end is to become pure in heart, which is to be given a new heart by our Savior. This new heart enables us to love with the pure love of Christ. But know this, that when one tries hard to attain this love, Satan begins to work overtime on us. He is given the opportunity to try us to see if we really want to become pure. Another scriptural account as to how to endure to the end is found in Moroni 7, the whole chapter.
Unit 8: The Book of Mormon
The Gem: The Book of Mormon is the most important book in the world.
The Setting:
- The Book of Mormon is the Lord making bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. Isaiah 52:7–10
- The Book of Mormon is a special invitation to every person in this world to prepare for the judgments which are to come, both in the flesh and after we are dead. 2 Nephi 9:44–46
- The Book of Mormon will bring a person closer to God than any other book if they will follow its teachings. Book of Mormon: Introduction 6. Its purpose is to enable us (every human being) to come to Christ and be perfected in him. Moroni 10:30–33
- It contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. D&C 20:8–11
- It is a unique history of two civilizations on the American continents. B of M: Title page.
- It is a book of prophecy. Many of its prophecies have already been fulfilled since 1830, and many more are in the process of being fulfilled. E.g., 3 Nephi 21:11–22
- It gives the plainest insights into the struggle in this world between good and evil of any book.
- It is an affront to every person who is comfortable with the doings and ways of the worldly persons of this world.
- It is a solid piece of physical evidence to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and to the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the earth today.
- The philosophical insights of the Book of Mormon are as profound as those of any other work in the world. E.g., 2 Nephi 2.
- The Book of Mormon fulfills Biblical prophecy. Ezekiel 37:16–23.
- The Book of Mormon is a test of our faith. When the Lamanite descendants of Lehi are sufficiently faithful, they will receive the fullness of the Nephite record. 3 Nephi 26:7–11. When we “Gentiles” are sufficiently faithful, we will receive the fullness of the Jaredite record. Ether 4:1–13
President Gordon B. Hinckley has asked that each member of the church read or re-read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of year 2005. I urge each of you to do so if you are not already in the process. There are promises of great blessing attached to this request by him. Even those who do not believe it is a divine book would be blessed by reading it as he has suggested. We here are reading at the rate of four pages per day and are at the end of 1 Nephi.
Autobiographical note: I first began reading the Book of Mormon when I was eight years old and my parents lived at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley. I could not understand it very well and did not read far, but I felt a wonderful spirit as I read it. I think I read it all the way through for the first time when I was a freshman at BYU, eight years later, and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I came to BYU as a faculty member, another instructor asked me to teach his Book of Mormon Class on 2 Nephi 2 because he had to be out of town. I tried, but could not understand that chapter. Since then I have taught the Book of Mormon at least 50 times in evening school at BYU and at least that many times in day classes.
I know the Book of Mormon is the work of God because I have had a multitude of spiritual witnesses to its truth and answers to questions as I have studied it. It holds together internally and is consistent with all external evidence. It is a marvelous source of spiritual insight and counsel. I fully agree with the critics of Joseph Smith in this specific point: No uneducated youth such as he could have written it. It is the work of God. CCR
Unit 9: Priesthood
The Gem: Priesthood is the power and authority to act for God in blessing God’s children in all of the universe.
The Setting:
- To hold the holy priesthood is to become the servant of those whom we are assigned to bless. Many confuse their role and suppose that priesthood gives them the right to be Lord and Master. Matthew 23:11
- God could do all of his blessing by himself. He does not need help. He lets mortals represent him so that those mortals can learn to be as he is: Full of love and blessing. It is we mortals who hold the holy priesthood who need help. We need to learn to serve and minister in all humility, but correctly and powerfully, as did our Savior in his mortal and post-mortal ministries on the earth. John 14:12
- There are two parts to priesthood: The power to do a work for God, and the authority to use that power in particular times and places. The power is called “office” in the priesthood; the authority to use that power is called “keys” or “calling.” For instance, when a bishop is called to preside over a ward, he must first be ordained to be a high priest (if he is not already) and then be ordained to be a bishop. These are the office or power he needs to have. He is then set apart as bishop of a particular ward; this is his authority or keys to act as a bishop to serve and bless a particular group of people. D&C 84:109
- Besides power and authority, it is also necessary to have the immediate guidance of the Holy Ghost to know what to do and say in exercising the priesthood. When a man operates correctly in his office, using his proper keys, and acts under the influence of the Holy Ghost, he then truly represents God in the lives of the people to whom he is sent. D&C 68:2–4
- If a man presumes on his office and calling (keys) and exercises unrighteous dominion by not following the instructions of the Holy Ghost, he loses the companionship of the Holy Ghost and loses his effective power in the priesthood. D&C 121:34–37
- One of the greatest things the priesthood can do is administer the New and Everlasting Covenant to worthy individuals. These ordinances give each person a personal path by which to enter into the presence of our Savior, even while in mortality. The priesthood has no power to achieve that goal for any individual. Only the person who has received all of these ordinances can achieve that great blessing for himself or herself by keeping his or her covenants. D&C 76:50–54
- The greatest organizational accomplishment of the priesthood on this earth is when enough persons are enticed and enabled to live the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ through the New and Everlasting Covenant that many individuals do come back into the presence of the Savior (and thus are redeemed) and become a Zion, people who are pure in heart, are of one mind, dwell in righteousness and have no poor among them. Moses 7:17–19
Melchizedek was a great high priest who established a Zion in his days. Because he was so successful, the higher priesthood is now called after his name. D&C 107:2–4
- When a man who has the New and Everlasting Covenant shows God that he will do his duty in the priesthood, that he consecrates all to the kingdom, that he would rather die than sin and will not sin, that he will not seek his own will but seeks only to do Father’s will, and shows that he will do all this through time, he enters into a new phase of life. He is now part of the Church of the Firstborn, and has power in his priesthood to do anything that can be done and needs to be done. He enjoys the very power of God to work mighty miracles. Genesis 14:30–31, Joseph Smith Translation, LDS Scriptures p. 797
- God does all he does through his priesthood power: he speaks and it is done. He creates and destroys, blesses and curses. But all of God’s cursings are actually blessings to bring souls to repentance, and God suffers with each person whom he causes to suffer. If we humans are in the New and Everlasting Covenant, we are apprentice gods and can learn to act the way he does. If we succeed, we can inherit all. 2 Nephi 26:24, D&C 132:19–20
Personal note: Priesthood blessings have been an important part of our lives. When I had polio, I was given a blessing by our stake presidency and had a remarkable recovery. (My mother’s cousin, Carol Nelson Spratt, and a good friend of ours from New York, James McConkie, brother to Bruce R. McConkie, got polio about the same time and both of them died). When the telephone pole fell on Robert, his lungs were filling with blood and he was dying; Dr. Nephi Kezerian administered to him and immediately he was better. When we were living in the new Ryedale house, I became so sick from flu that I was sure I was going to die: a good friend, West Belnap, administered to me and I was up and going within an hour. At 11:46 I was suffering great pain and felt I could not go on; Lael Woodbury gave me a blessing, and the pain immediately was gone. I have received so many great blessings in the priesthood power, and have been participant in so many blessings to others, that I cannot deny the great power that is in the priesthood. One later example was the setting-apart blessings that we received from our stake president just before we departed for Mexico City. He gave us important blessings and promises, which Elizabeth wrote down at the time and which we review frequently. Almost all of those specific blessings have been fully fulfilled since we came, and we trust and believe that the others will come to pass in their due time.
Women who have been endowed in the temple also have priesthood and can minister in that power as directed by the Holy Spirit.
I know that there is great power in this priesthood, for which I am eternally grateful. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church and kingdom of Jesus Christ on the earth. CCR
Unit 10: Procreation
The Gem: Father shares two of his great powers with his children on earth. The first is priesthood. The second is the power to have children. He is very concerned that we use both of these powers under the strict rules he has given for their use.
- There are interesting parallels between these two great godly powers:
- All mankind are offered both powers by Father and both are essential to become like Father.
- Satan’s main aim is to get men to deny or to abuse both of these powers, thus to keep men and women from becoming like Father and being exalted.
- The two powers go together. The greatest use of priesthood power for mortals is to turn that earthly family into an eternal family.
- Priesthood is fulfilled only in the divinely sanctioned and directed union of a man and a woman. No man can have a fullness of priesthood without a priestess/wife at his side. Every man who achieves a fullness of priesthood does so because his wife administers certain parts of it to him through her priesthood.
- Procreation is fulfilled only in a priesthood sanctioned union of a man and a woman. The fullness of procreation is partially fulfilled by bringing children into the New and Everlasting Covenant on earth, and is fully fulfilled by bringing children into the eternal family in the hereafter.
- The key to receiving the fullness of both powers is righteousness. Righteousness is obeying the laws and rules that govern the happy, cooperative interactions of persons who have all knowledge and all power. He or she who does not ache and yearn for righteousness can never have a fullness of priesthood power or of procreative power.
- The eternal key to both the power of the priesthood and the power of procreation is for a husband and wife to honor and love each other with a pure love in the full power of righteousness. Then they bless their children and all others around them through their righteousness.
- To do well with the limited power of priesthood we now have in mortality and the limited power of procreation we have now in mortality is the preparation for being made a ruler over many kingdoms in the hereafter.
- Both procreation and priesthood need permission and commission for their use. Temple sealing is the permission and commission to procreate, to use the power of sexuality, just as calling and setting apart are the permission and commission to use the power of the priesthood in acting as a bishop.
- Jesus Christ makes these things [a fulness of righteousness, priesthood power, and procreation] possible for each and every human being because of his own achievement in having and using these three things. His Atonement is the great priestly sacrifice that brings each of us, as his children, the New and Everlasting Covenant through which each of us can learn to make our own priestly sacrifice to bless our children.
- Eternal Marriage (sealing in the Holy Temple) allows the creation of the greatest social institution, the eternal family. Every uniting of a man and a woman is an attempt to obtain some of the blessings of the eternal family, but until this uniting is done in the Lord’s way, the fulness of the blessings cannot be realized. Some of the challenges of this uniting are:
- Temple sealing gives permission to create an eternal family, but does not of itself, create an eternal family.
- The sealed man and woman cannot fully unite with each other until each first becomes a true disciple of Christ, and one with him.
- As a sealed man and woman pray, fast, and strive against the temptations of Satan together, they lay the foundation of the unity that makes possible an eternal marriage.
- The great test of the unity of a couple is in teaching the children they bring into this world the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how to live it (two different but related things).
- The greatest teaching is by example, but careful informing of the mind and heart of each child by precept are also essential parts of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This informing is fulfilled by each child using the opportunities and clues given by the parents.
- The most demanding task in the universe is achieving a unity of righteousness of a husband and wife, then bringing their children into that unity using the Holy Priesthood and the power of love. Only gods can fully do this. Trying to do this with all of our heart, might, mind and strength is the preparation for exaltation. Exaltation is finally achieving the full ability to do so, then to spend the rest of eternity doing it. This is the great plan of happiness.
Biographical note: When we married, we had high hopes of doing everything right, but were babes in the woods. We had no idea how deficient we were in the things of righteousness. We went through many of the motions which we did understand. We prayed, we read the scriptures, we were faithful to our covenants, we brought children into the world and tried to teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But as we look back, we can now see some of our significant failures:
- We did not see early on the absolute necessity of total repentance of every sin as a prerequisite for successful marriage and successful parenting. We were so self-righteous and proud that we did not know how many faults we had. Thankfully, we now see more clearly.
- We did not see that only in our complete personal repentance could we come to a full unity as husband and wife, and that that full unity as husband and wife with the Lord is the prerequisite for full and successful teaching of the gospel to our children.
- We taught the gospel to our children mostly in group situations. It is not bad to teach that way (in family prayer, in family scripture reading, in family meetings, going to church together, etc.). What we did not then see was the absolute necessity of adding one-on-one review of all the fundamentals of living the gospel with each child. We knew about the concept of personal priesthood interview, but thought of it as mostly a way to function in the church, not seeing it as the core of teaching the gospel to each of our own children.
- Having gained the above three insights, we now see that even as Father in Heaven has not given up on us, we must not give up on any of our children. Even as we have come to see more clearly the truth and beauty of the Restored Gospel in our advanced age, we need to allow each of our children to come to that same blessing. We love each of our children, but our love is still imperfect. But we know that Father loves each of our children with a perfect love, and that our shortcomings will not prevent any of them from coming to a fullness of their eternal blessings if they want them. We must and will strive to do our part.