Three times in Paul's epistles the concept of an earnest inheritance is set forth. The passages are given below:
"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Corinthians 1: 22).
"Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 5: 5).
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1: 13-14).
There seem to be some common denominators. There is a sealing power making the promises of ordinances complete. Such sealing power transcends time and place. Jesus said to Peter, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16: 19).
Thus, ordinances performed on earth becoming binding in heaven, and are of endless duration. Precious promises require obedience and full purpose of heart to make them come to fruition. And so it is the Holy Ghost, who places a stamp of approval, ratifying each ordinance and associated covenant, causing them to be of eternal significance.
All three of these passages mention the role of the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, in the Lord's inheritance planned for you. But how do we endure the mortal and mundane, while keeping hope alive for eternal promises appearing to be so distant in the future? In reality, your "purchased possession" has already been purchased in full--lock, stock, and barrel.
The word earnest in each of these passages is actually a financial term. I can relate to this, being a banker. In all of the above passages, the word money could be added to earnest. When you buy a house and want to "seal the deal," you do so by paying earnest money to hold the purchased possession. It's like a layaway, or a down payment. Here is a link to the Greek word, translated as earnest in each passage.
I don't know about you, but for me, when I read some of the precious promises, it's impossible to wrap my little finite mind around eternal concepts like these. The Lord promises,
"And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths . . . and if ye abide in my covenant, . . . it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them" (D&C 132: 19-20).
That's a lot to comprehend! So God gives bits and pieces, an earnest deposit here and there, for you and me to glimpse the things of eternity. Maybe you feel an intense outpouring of the Spirit as you attend the temple and everything seems transported to a higher realm, where you actually feel a little heaven on earth. Maybe it's a little tender mercy of the Lord--something you perceive might have gone terribly wrong, and you were spared. Maybe you feel forgiveness in spite of weakness, and felt you were given more than you deserved. Perhaps you feel sorrow at the loss of a loved one, as members of our family are feeling at this time, and yet the Spirit comforts as it whispers those precious promises of reunion and the sweet peace testifying that you will see them again and "God shall wipe away all tears . . . and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21: 4).
To keep you and preserve you until that final redemption, God gives a down payment to keep you pressing forward on the path. You taste of His goodness and know there is more--much more, when you are ready to receive the gift, until the final redemption when you receive of His fullness, and of His grace (see D&C 76: 94).
But just like buying a house, there comes a day of settlement. You go to a closing and a HUD-1 Settlement Statement is given showing the full purchase price, minus the down payment or earnest money. In finite, mortal terms, it's easy math, but in eternal measure dealing with infinite terms, like those listed above, it's rather staggering.
The apostle Peter explains the purchasing power:
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1: 18-19).
All the silver and gold in this world could not purchase you and redeem you, but Jesus Christ can.
The full balance was paid in a garden, and again on a cross.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
The Great Gatherer Receives an Epistle
Sorry, I have been absent for so long. If I am ever asked to give a talk, the hardest, and most time-consuming task is to choose a topic. This, coupled with crazy, busy weekends, have put posts on hold. I'll try to get a couple more out before the end of the year, and resolve to do better next year.
The General Epistle of James connects the current dispensation with the meridian of time. Paul writes to specific cities and geographic areas, such as Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Rome, and others. The letters vary in topics according to the needs of church members in those areas.
But James is entirely different. He begins his epistle addressed to the following audience:
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting" (James 1:1).
Regarding the target audience, "the twelve tribes . . . scattered abroad," I once heard Joseph McConkie ask the question, "How much postage do you put on that letter?" You better hope (and I'm sure James did) it falls into the hands of a "gatherer." You need someone who can help gather the twelve tribes scattered abroad.
Well, James was in luck, or perhaps was the recipient of divine direction. Centuries later it would fall into the hands of one Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon makes a big deal about Joseph's name, and rightly so. Lehi has a son named Joseph, who shares the name with Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
This Joseph was named such for a specific purpose. When Joseph was born, his mother Rachel spoke of her new son by saying, "The Lord shall add to me another son" (Genesis 30: 24). The footnote for this verse tells us, "'Joseph' relates both to the Hebrew root yasaph, 'to add,' and to asaph, meaning both 'to take away' and 'to gather.' The context plays upon all of these meanings." Joseph was eventually "taken away" to Egypt where he "added to" the food supply by storing wheat and grains (and I'm sure other preservable food) for seven years to preserve the people against the seven years of famine, which would follow.
Later in Genesis we read, "And Joseph gathered corn (grain) as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number" (Genesis 41: 49). The "sands of the sea" echo the covenant made to Abraham as he was promised, "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies" (Genesis 22: 17).
Joseph in Egypt gathered wheat to save his family, Israel.
The Book of Mormon tells of Joseph's prophecy (recalled by Lehi) that "his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation" (2 Nephi 3: 15).
Joseph Smith Jr., named after his father, Joseph Smith Sr. (which was another miraculous event since Joseph Jr. was the third son), helped to save the house of Israel by gathering them, and by helping to bring forth the process where the wheat would eventually be gathered from the tares (see D&C 86: 7).
Joseph Smith was instrumental in gathering the keys and dispensations, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants, section 128, verse 18, which states,
"For it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times."
Joseph not only participated in gathering the dispensations, keys, powers, and glories, but new revelations were "added," and keys and powers kept back from the foundation of the world were restored through him. Joseph certainly "added to" and "gathered" the canon of scripture.
Joseph received a vision where he sees his deceased brother Alvin (as well as others, including his parents) in celestial glory. He was surprised as he wrote,
"I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;
"And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins" (D&C 137: 5-6).
Going back to the earliest seeds of restoration, as young Joseph, a fourteen-year-old boy, reflected on James, chapter 1, by relating, "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know" (Joseph Smith History 1: 12).
Of course, the famous passage we quote as Latter-day Saints is verse 5. But I'm betting Joseph started reading in verse 1, and the Spirit touched his heart that there was something special about these verses. At least the first eight verses of James, chapter 1 read as a patriarchal blessing for Joseph. Certainly he was subject to many trials and afflictions. Certainly he learned patience from suffering.
This is another witness of God's work. Surely He can direct an epistle that would change the course of history, and carry it into the heart of one who lived many generations later.
The General Epistle of James connects the current dispensation with the meridian of time. Paul writes to specific cities and geographic areas, such as Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Rome, and others. The letters vary in topics according to the needs of church members in those areas.
But James is entirely different. He begins his epistle addressed to the following audience:
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting" (James 1:1).
Regarding the target audience, "the twelve tribes . . . scattered abroad," I once heard Joseph McConkie ask the question, "How much postage do you put on that letter?" You better hope (and I'm sure James did) it falls into the hands of a "gatherer." You need someone who can help gather the twelve tribes scattered abroad.
Well, James was in luck, or perhaps was the recipient of divine direction. Centuries later it would fall into the hands of one Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon makes a big deal about Joseph's name, and rightly so. Lehi has a son named Joseph, who shares the name with Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
This Joseph was named such for a specific purpose. When Joseph was born, his mother Rachel spoke of her new son by saying, "The Lord shall add to me another son" (Genesis 30: 24). The footnote for this verse tells us, "'Joseph' relates both to the Hebrew root yasaph, 'to add,' and to asaph, meaning both 'to take away' and 'to gather.' The context plays upon all of these meanings." Joseph was eventually "taken away" to Egypt where he "added to" the food supply by storing wheat and grains (and I'm sure other preservable food) for seven years to preserve the people against the seven years of famine, which would follow.
Later in Genesis we read, "And Joseph gathered corn (grain) as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number" (Genesis 41: 49). The "sands of the sea" echo the covenant made to Abraham as he was promised, "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies" (Genesis 22: 17).
Joseph in Egypt gathered wheat to save his family, Israel.
The Book of Mormon tells of Joseph's prophecy (recalled by Lehi) that "his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation" (2 Nephi 3: 15).
Joseph Smith Jr., named after his father, Joseph Smith Sr. (which was another miraculous event since Joseph Jr. was the third son), helped to save the house of Israel by gathering them, and by helping to bring forth the process where the wheat would eventually be gathered from the tares (see D&C 86: 7).
Joseph Smith was instrumental in gathering the keys and dispensations, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants, section 128, verse 18, which states,
"For it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times."
Joseph not only participated in gathering the dispensations, keys, powers, and glories, but new revelations were "added," and keys and powers kept back from the foundation of the world were restored through him. Joseph certainly "added to" and "gathered" the canon of scripture.
Joseph received a vision where he sees his deceased brother Alvin (as well as others, including his parents) in celestial glory. He was surprised as he wrote,
"I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;
"And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins" (D&C 137: 5-6).
Going back to the earliest seeds of restoration, as young Joseph, a fourteen-year-old boy, reflected on James, chapter 1, by relating, "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know" (Joseph Smith History 1: 12).
Of course, the famous passage we quote as Latter-day Saints is verse 5. But I'm betting Joseph started reading in verse 1, and the Spirit touched his heart that there was something special about these verses. At least the first eight verses of James, chapter 1 read as a patriarchal blessing for Joseph. Certainly he was subject to many trials and afflictions. Certainly he learned patience from suffering.
This is another witness of God's work. Surely He can direct an epistle that would change the course of history, and carry it into the heart of one who lived many generations later.
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