(Written about 1970)
The Primacy of Personal Revelation
The Primacy of Personal Revelation
The first question which must be settled in any serious discussion is, “On what basis can we agree?” Stating this another way, it is to say, “What kind of evidence is necessary and sufficient to settle the problem at hand?”
In all matters pertaining to the gospel or to the conducting of the affairs of the Kingdom of God on the earth, the justification for any principle, policy or act is spiritual. For a thing to be spiritual means that it is explicitly not physical or empirical, but relates to the conscience within each person, his feelings of right or wrong. This spirituality is declared to be a form of revelation from the true and living God which all men are invited to test and to experiment with in their own consciousness. Spirituality is a matter of faith, trusting the revelations of God personally received. It does not need physical evidence but rests secure in the tried and true whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
The power of reason in man, though important and desirable, is not sufficient to discern truth. It cannot because of what it is: reason is the power of correlating and ordering of ideas. It cannot certify truth in either the spiritual or the physical realm, but is limited to making explicit the consequences of our premises and the detection of inconsistency. The folly of those who claim to base their ideas solely in reason is that they must uncritically adopt premises with which to begin reasoning. Given correct initial assumptions, reason can marvelously detail the consequences. But success in either the spiritual or physical realm does not attend those who proceed with unaided reason.
President McKay gives us this insight:
There comes to my mind now the following words of the writer, John Dryden, which I think are applicable to the spiritual part of our work, getting the Holy Ghost, and rising above the temporal, selfish envious things which are contrary to the calling of any high priest, seventy, elder, priest, teacher, or deacon in the church:
“Dim as the borrowed beams of moon and stars to lonely, weary, wandering travelers, is reason to the soul.” Notice that comparison—“Dim as the borrowed rays of moon and stars to lonely, weary, wandering travelers,” (on the earth) “is reason to the soul. And as on high those rolling fires discover but the sky, not guide us here, so reason’s glimmering ray was lent, not to assure our doubtful way, but lead us upward to a brighter day.”
That day is faith, a realization of the enjoyment of the Spirit of God. What the sun is to the earth, so that Holy Spirit is to man, and the 40,000 assembled tonight—or 30,000, whatever the number may be—are entitled—each individual is entitled to that glorious light of the Holy Spirit.
That is why we like to have every young man and every young woman utilize his or her time intelligently, usefully, to bring the soul in harmony with the spirit, that we all might be partakers of his divine nature. That is the privilege, fellow workers, of all who hold the priesthood of God. [Conference Report, Oct. 1961 p. 90]
Nor can the body senses of man supply him with the truth he needs about spiritual matters. Physical evidence is patently insufficient to determine if there is a spirit in man, or if man lives after death,–or indeed if we will live physically tomorrow or next year. In all the great questions of life and of mortality, physical evidence cannot be a decisive influence in attaining conclusions. Paul reminds us of what every honest student of spiritual matters has discovered:
But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [I Cor. 2:9-14]
Each man must then turn to his own conscience to discern the things of God. Our own reason and the senses of the flesh, wonderful though these powers are, cannot enable us to know the truth of spiritual things nor to work the works of righteousness. This is the meaning of justification through faith, and of the idea that the just live by faith. Paul, who himself once fought against these things bears us further witness:
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. [Romans 8:5-8]
The crucial question then becomes, “What is the order of the church in establishing the ways of God, in bringing a unity of the faith?” The answer is that there are three witnesses by which these things are done and established.
The first witness is the testimony of living prophets. Paul explains the position of the leaders of the church as follows:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:[Ephesians 4:11-15]
The role of the prophet is thus to explain to the children of men the things of God. But how are men to know which are true prophets? They will know only spiritually. If they humbly ask the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to tell them who are true prophets, it will be revealed unto them personally, in their own heart and mind. If they have the courage of their honest convictions, they can accept and learn great things from the prophets of God. It will be as though God himself were addressing them:
Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. [D & C 1:37-38]
The second witness is the records left by former prophets, the scriptures. The scriptures are not given as systematic complete treatises on the things of God. They are in general but fragments and sketches, giving glimpses of truth to those who can discern. About three things they are plain and emphatic: The unique position of Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind, the importance of acceptance of and obedience to the prophets of God, and the place of personal revelation in enabling men to be godly. But to whom are these three ideas plain and emphatic? These are the burden of the scriptures to those human beings who are spiritual, whose hearts are honest and broken. The scriptures are discerned spiritually; their true meaning cannot be assured by either reason or the physical senses, or both. But to the spiritual person they become a wondrous doorway to the truths of eternity. Once spiritually discerned, these truths are delightfully agreeable to reason and are attested by all the mighty physical handiwork of God. But they must first be spiritually discerned.
The third witness is that of the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to have a spiritual witness of the calling and message of a prophet of God. It is a second thing to have a spiritual witness of the truth and meaning of the Holy scriptures. But it is quite a different thing to be taught directly by the Holy Spirit. In the first and second cases, one is in the presence of something physical, something tangible, the person of the prophet on the one hand and the printed text of the scriptures on the other; these physical, tangible aspects before us provide a bridge to the unseen, spiritual aspects of the universe. When we are honest in our hearts; they act as catalysts to our spiritual inquiry. But when a person has made profitable spiritual inquiry in response to the prophets and the scriptures, and has lived in accordance with the truths and directions gained in that connection, he is sooner or later prepared to be taught truths and receive instruction directly from the Holy Spirit without need of the physical aid. This is somewhat analogous to the use the Prophet Joseph Smith made of the Urim and Thummim in receiving the initial sections of the Doctrine and Covenants; as he grew in spirituality, he did not have the same need for the physical catalyst.
Once attuned to be able to receive instruction directly from the Holy Spirit one cannot profitably either disclaim the continuing need of living prophets and written scriptures or reject the schooling and preparation which led him to his spirituality. There is more than one source of personal revelation. Our double guarantee that we are not being misled by the adversary is first that we remain in unity with those who preside over us in the priesthood, and second, that any revelation we accept is in harmony with the scriptures. The true God is not the author of confusion. The adversary delights in confusion. Present and continuing unity with living and dead prophets is our key to living by the Holy Spirit sent from God. To achieve unity of understanding in that we perceive the sameness of the message of the living prophets with that of the scriptures with that which we feel in our hearts is one measure of our redemption. If we see contradiction and disunity, it is either because we are dealing with false prophets or scriptures, or because we are as yet unredeemed.
The insinuation that a person who has not become one with the prophets, the scriptures and the Holy Spirit is yet in his sins is unredeemed, is of course offensive to those who have not attained this unity. Yet the message of the prophets is clear: until a man subdues his animal passions and gains communion with the infinite, he is not yet spiritual. He must come down into the depths of humility, as a little child, repent of his sins, and seek, as a child, to gain spiritual discernment of and unity with the words of living prophets. In this manner such and one can begin to understand and accept the things of God.
Many persons claim they would be faithful to the Lord if only he would give them sure knowledge first. They often wish for physical, public scientific evidence that the gospel is true before they will repent. But the fruit of the gospel is righteousness: every man blessing his neighbor. Those who can accept the gospel because of the assurance of the Holy Spirit are those who love righteousness for its own sake. Those who demand physical proof of the gospel before they will live it are those for whom righteousness is but an expedient, a way to appease the wrath of God.
The foregoing ideas distinguish two kinds of people: those who perceive the unity of the prophets and who themselves have the spirit of prophecy, and those who do not. The former are called by the scriptures the sons of God; the latter are called the sons of men. This distinction does not wholly follow lines of church membership. If any man wishes fully to understand any matter pertaining to the kingdom of God which is not a part of the fundamental gospel message which prepares a person for baptism, he must first become a son of God.
The sons of men historically have looked upon the sons of God with both resentment and envy. This resentment and envy has been the source of persecution in every dispensation. To bear this persecution patiently, returning good for evil, is one of the opportunities for a son of God to prove his faith. The particular point of attack on the church varies from age to age, but the point is always the same: the righteous are persecuted because they live not after the manner of the flesh, but they believe and act according to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit:
And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his kingdom. [2 Nephi 2:28-29]
But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever. [2 Nephi 9:18]
The sum of all this is the answer to the question, “How do you prove this or that in your church?”, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The answer on all points of doctrine and policy is that “proof” is spiritual. When a person has the confirming comfort of the Holy Spirit, he has the necessary and sufficient evidence. He can accept the living prophets and the scriptures, understanding them by the Holy Spirit, but not depending upon them for final evidence.
The spoken words of the prophets and the written words of the scriptures, may be classified as signs. Signs follow those that believe, for signs are the physical manifestations of the presence of the gifts of the Spirit. One would expect to hear words and to see writings on important gospel topics from men of God. But it is not solely upon these that the sons of God depend. They depend on the spiritual witness that gives unity and light to all that the prophets do and say; they seek after the gifts of the spirit. They do not seek for signs, but do enjoy them. If there were no signs, the sons of God would search elsewhere for the gifts, knowing that signs always follow the gifts of the spirit.
To say to a living prophet of God, “Prove to me that you are right on such and such a point,” is an admission that the speaker lacks the gifts of the spirit. As one of the sons of men he seeks after a sign. Having rejected the only real proof of the truth of what the prophet says, he then asks for some tangible evidence—which kind of evidence is always inconclusive, since any physical event can be explained away by an infinite number of possible explanations. In the end, however, even signs will condemn the unrighteous, because the signs given from God have a unity and consistency that defies natural explanation. Witness the many failures in attempting to explain away the greatest of all signs of the latter-days: the Book of Mormon.
He who asks the prophet for a sign is fully in accord, intellectually, with the person who says, “Prove that to me out of the scriptures.” Proof-texting is also seeking after signs. It is righteous to read the scriptures as a key to gaining the spirit, but to make the written text into a proof or a final authority is to ignore Paul’s plain warning:
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in the tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. [II Cor. 3:1-6]
Why, then, use scriptures at all? Why quote them as above in this writing? The answer is that these quotations, being signs or physical evidences of the gifts of God, are occasions to pause and receive spiritual edification. That edification comes not through the printed word, but in the presence of it, reverencing it as a thing coming from God, but treasuring above all the spiritual uplift and insight gained while looking at the written word.
Again, this is not to despise the text of the scriptures. Even after all the difficulties of translation and the deliberate changes made in the Bible, it stands with the latter-day scriptures as a great monument to the mission of the Savior and will stand as a sign to condemn the unspiritual at the last day. It is evidence of the very kind which most of the sons of men profess to believe.
The following statements on priesthood are offered in the context of the foregoing comments. They are offered as explanations, not proof; their warrant is spiritual.
What the Priesthood Is
The Holy Priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God. One prerequisite for receiving the priesthood is to be a son of God, having been born again of water and of spirit. The priesthood consists of three aspects:
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