Mormon Messages: New Year's: Look Not Behind Thee

Good New Year's message!

Mormon Messages: Look to the Light

A wonderful Christmas message:

Forgiveness

Modern Day apostles and prophets speak about forgiveness.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
--“We cannot repent for someone else. But we can forgive someone else, refusing to hold hostage those whom the Lord seeks to set free!” (Neal A. Maxwell, in Conference Report, Oct. 1991, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 1991, 32 )

Elder Richard G. Scott:
-- “You cannot erase what has been done, but you can forgive (see D&C 64:10 ). Forgiveness heals terrible, tragic wounds, for it allows the love of God to purge your heart and mind of the poison of hate. It cleanses your consciousness of the desire for revenge. It makes place for the purifying, healing, restoring love of the Lord” (Richard G. Scott, in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 45; or Ensign, May 1992, 33 ).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:
-- “Closely related to our own obligation to repent is the generosity of letting others do the same—we are to forgive even as we are forgiven. In this we participate in the very essence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. . . .

“It is one of those ironies of godhood that in order to find peace, the offended as well as the offender must engage the principle of forgiveness” (Jeffrey R. Holland, in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 114; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 83 ).

--“When we have been hurt, undoubtedly God takes into account what wrongs were done to us and what provocations there are for our resentments, but clearly the more provocation there is and the more excuse we can find for our hurt, all the more reason for us to forgive and be delivered from the destructive hell of such poisonous venom and anger” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 114; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 83 ).

President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the First Presidency:

“How much we need application of this God-given principle and its companion principle, repentance! We see the need for it in the homes of the people, where tiny molehills of misunderstanding are fanned into mountains of argument. We see it among neighbors, where insignificant differences lead to undying bitterness. We see it in business associates who quarrel and refuse to compromise and forgive when, in most instances, if there were a willingness to sit down together and speak quietly one to another, the matter could be resolved to the blessing of all. Rather, they spend their days nurturing grudges and planning retribution” ( “Of You It Is Required to Forgive,” Ensign, June 1991, 2 ).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

“After teaching his disciples the gospel standard that requires men to forgive one another their trespasses, and after telling Peter that, contrary to Rabbinic standards, there was no limit to the number of times brethren should forgive each other, Jesus gave the parable of the unmerciful servant. It illustrates the glorious truth that ‘as Deity forgives men the immeasurable debt they owe to him, so men should forgive their fellowmen the relatively slight debts incurred when brethren sin against each other’ [ Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:428]” ( The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [1979–81], 3:94–95).

Seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ

Looney posed a great question on his blog. He wondered how we should view the following two scriptures: (I hope you don't mind if I use the KJV Looney. And I apologize in advance for all of the underlined words. I thought I got rid of those when I did a search to find my scriptures :S)

John 6:46 (I'm going to add verse 45 for clarification)

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

John 14:9 (again, I will add a few verses for clarification)

9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Here we have two apparently conflicting scriptures that talk about seeing God. One seems to be saying that no man can see God the Father. The other says that if a man has seen Jesus Christ, he has seen the Father.

We have a great account in the scriptures of someone who saw both God the Father and Jesus Christ. After Stephen preached to the members of the council, they were angry with him and ultimately stoned him to death. But before he was killed, Stephen had a vision, and in it saw both God the Father and Jesus Christ. This is one of the best eye witness accounts in the Bible. In Acts 7 we read:

55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the righthand of God,

56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Clearly, Stephen saw two personages, standing side by side. Stephen himself bore witness that he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. But the key to how a man could behold God is to look at the second part of John 6:46 which says that no man can see God "save he which is of God". Even Moses, who was a man of God, had to have the glory of the Lord come upon him to be able to endure the presence of the Lord. In Exodus Chapter 3 we read that Moses was afraid to look upon the face of God.

"6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God."

But God did speak to him face to face "out of the midst of the bush".

Later, after receiving the ten commandments, the people noticed a physical change had come upon Moses:

29¶And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him." Exodus 34:29

In fact, the children of Israel could not even bear the glory that was upon Moses:

"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:"

It is only through this physical change that a person can endure the presence of God. The term for this change is "transfiguration". The Savior was transfigured in the presence of the apostles on what is known as the "mount of transfiguration". At this time, the Father bore witness of the Son.

1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

So we clearly see that a man may see the face of God and live, but only if a spiritual/ physical change comes upon him to allow him to endure the presence of God. He must be, as noted in John 6:46, "he which is of God".

Now let's look at the second scripture. There are a couple of different ways to view this scripture.

John 14:9 (again, I will add a few verses for clarification)

9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

First of all, many have used this scripture to support their belief that God the Father and Jesus Christ are one person. But in verse 12, Jesus explains that He is going unto the Father. If He were the Father, why should he go to him? In the garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed that the Father would take the cup from him. Why would he pray to himself for help? He was praying to his father for help.

In fact, I don’t believe that these two scriptures that Looney offered can be understood together if we don’t accept that God the Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings.

I want to make special note here that Joseph Smith also saw the Father and the Son when he was but 14 years of age. He bore witness that they are two separate glorified beings.

I love this passage in Phillipians 2:5-11

5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This passage clearly shows the separate identities of God the Father and Jesus Christ. God the Father sent Jesus here, and has exalted him because of his obedience. Jesus, “being in the form of God”, (just as we all are made in the image of God), was also equal with God, as part of the godhead.

So if Jesus and the Father are two separate beings, then why would Jesus say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father."?

My comment on Looney's blog was, "We believe that God the Father, and Jesus Christ are two separate beings. Jesus Christ is the literal son of God. He is the mediator for us. For us, the term "one God" refers to the idea of the Godhead being united as one. In John 17 the Savior, in praying to God the Father said,

"20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:"

When He prayed that they would be one, as He and the Father are one, He wasn't saying that they should be one being. His prayer was that they should be one in purpose, and united in agreement."

The Savior is our mediator with the Father. It is also like He is God the Father's representative to us. He gives us the Father's will. He acts in total alignment with God's will.

"19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." John 5:19

Christ acts for the Father, and acts in total unity with the Father.

But let's look at the idea of Jesus being our Father. God the Father is the father of our spirits. He is the actual physical father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is His only begotten in the flesh. So how can Jesus be a Father to us? One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 53:10.

10¶Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of theLord shall prosper in his hand.

Jesus Christ did not have children while in mortality. But Isaiah tells us that when we take advantage of the offering for sin that Jesus Christ made for us, then Christ will see His seed. We will become his spiritual children. In this way, He is also the father of us.

So in summary:

1. No man has seen the father except he be “of God”, and have gone through a transfiguration to allow him to endure the glory and presence of God.

2. To see Jesus Christ is to see the Father because:

a. He is in unity with the Father’s will

b. He becomes a spiritual father to us when we accept his atonement on our behalf.

Quote of the Day: Elder Boyd K. Packer: Forgiveness

This is a wonderful analogy!

President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, said:

“Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. . . .

“So many live with accusing guilt when relief is ever at hand. So many are like the immigrant woman who skimped and saved and deprived herself until, by selling all of her possessions, she bought a steerage-class ticket to America.

“She rationed out the meager provisions she was able to bring with her. Even so, they were gone early in the voyage. When others went for their meals, she stayed below deck—determined to suffer through it. Finally, on the last day, she must, she thought, afford one meal to give her strength for the journey yet ahead. When she asked what the meal would cost, she was told that all of the meals had been included in the price of her ticket.

“That great morning of forgiveness may not come at once. Do not give up if at first you fail. Often the most difficult part of repentance is to forgive yourself. Discouragement is part of that test. Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come” (in Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1995, 22–24; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19–20 ).

LDS Temples SlideShow

Thanks to Inklings for this link

Click here to see a slideshow of LDS temples.

Book of Mormon Sampler: Alma 37:34-37

Alma 37:34-37

35 O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.
36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Mormon Messages: Return to Virtue

How often do you hear this taught to youth in the world today?

Hell

I thought about titling this post, "What is Hell?", but was afraid of some of the answers I might get in the comment section. ;) But after reading about this subject on Looney's post on this subject, I thought I would write a post about it too. I think our view of "hell" is very different from the view of many Christians.

I thought that the Bible Dictionary in our scriptures gave a great definition of hell. I considered writing my own version, but kept rambling too much, so decided to just share this one. :)


"An English translation of the Hebrew word Shoel, hell signifies an abode of departed spirits and corresponds to the Greek Hades. In common speech it generally denotes the place of torment for the wicked, although it has been often held, both in the Jewish and the Christian churches, that Hades (meaning broadly the place of all departed spirits) consists of two parts, paradise and Gehenna, one the abode of the righteous and the other of the disobedient. “Gehenna,” or “Gehenna of fire,” is the Greek equivalent of the “valley of Hinnom,” a deep glen of Jerusalem where the idolatrous Jews offered their children to Moloch (2 Chr. 28: 3; 2 Chr. 33: 6; Jer. 7: 31; Jer. 19: 2-6). It was afterwards used as a place for burning the refuse of the city (2 Kgs. 23: 10), and in that way became symbolical of the place of torment (Matt. 5: 22, 29-30; Matt. 10: 28; Matt. 18: 9; Matt. 23: 15, 33; Mark 9: 43, 45, 47; Luke 12: 5; James 3: 6). Expressions about “hell-fire” are probably due to the impression produced on men’s minds by the sight of this ceaseless burning, and are figurative of the torment of those who willfully disobey God.

In latter-day revelation hell is spoken of in at least two senses. One is the temporary abode in the spirit world of those who were disobedient in this mortal life. It is between death and the resurrection, and persons who receive the telestial glory will abide there until the last resurrection (D&C 76: 84-85, 106), at which time they will go to the telestial glory. In this sense the Book of Mormon speaks of spiritual death as hell (2 Ne. 9: 10-12).
"10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

12 And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel."

Hell, as thus defined, will have an end, when all the captive spirits have paid the price of their
sins and enter into a degree of glory after their resurrection. Statements about an everlasting hell (Hel. 6: 28; Moro. 8: 13) must be interpreted in their proper context in the light of D&C 19: 4-12, which defines eternal and endless punishment. "4 And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless.

5 Wherefore, I revoke not the judgments which I shall pass, but woes shall go forth, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, yea, to those who are found on my left hand.

6 Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment.

7 Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory.

8 Wherefore, I will explain unto you this mystery, for it is meet unto you to know even as mine apostles.

9 I speak unto you that are chosen in this thing, even as one, that you may enter into my rest.

10 For, behold, the mystery of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name. Wherefore—

11 Eternal punishment is God’s punishment.

12 Endless punishment is God’s punishment."

On the other hand, the devil and his angels, including the sons of perdition, are assigned to a place spoken of as a lake of fire - a figure of eternal anguish. This condition is sometimes called hell in the scriptures (2 Pet. 2: 4; D&C 29: 38; D&C 88: 113). This kind of hell, which is after the resurrection and judgment, is exclusively for the devil and his angels, and is not the same as that consisting only of the period between death and resurrection. The one group are redeemed from hell and inherit some degree of glory. The other receive no glory. They continue in spiritual darkness. For them the conditions of hell remain." (Bible Dictionary: Hell)

I have written before about what happens to us after we die. The other day I had the opportunity to sit in on a discussion that an investigator of our church had with the full time missionaries. One of the Elders described what happens to us after death in this way. He said that basically there are two waiting rooms. One is Paradise, that the Savior spoke of on the cross, and the other is Spirit Prison, which the Savior visited during the three days before His resurrection. Paradise is for those who have lived a good life. Spirit Prison is for those who have been disobedient. We wait in these places for the resurrection day. This Spirit Prison is a kind of hell for those who will dwell there. This hell is alluded to in the book of Matthew 5: "25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."
Those who are in spirit prison must suffer for the sins they have committed. This is a type of hell. So while we don't have the view of a place of fire and brimstone, we do believe that "hell" is the place where a person must suffer for the sins they have committed. And knowing for eternity that we could have chosen God's path and been reunited with Him, when we chose the world's instead, which separates us from God, must be some of the greatest suffering of all.

Seeking Truth

One of the universal doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that God is the source of all truth. God is omniscient, and knows the beginning from the end. As a young 14 year old boy, Joseph Smith questioned which church he should join. As he was reading in the Bible, he came across this important scripture in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." What a great promise! God will liberally give us truth!

As I pondered that scripture again yesterday, the phrase "and upbraideth not" stuck out to me. I decided to look up the word "upbraid" in the dictionary. This is the definition that I found: "to find fault with or reproach severely; censure". This scripture suddenly took on new meaning for me. I know people of different religions who believe that it is offensive to God for them to ask if the Book of Mormon is true. They fear that He will be angry with them. But clearly, this scripture tells us that God wants to give us truth LIBERALLY! He wants us to ask! He will not punish us for seeking to know what is true, and what isn't. He loves us and wants us to seek out truth.

When God gives us an answer, how will we be able to discern if the thing we have prayed about is true? In latter-day scripture we get this guidance: "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2) What I like about this description is that it gives us two different ways to recognize the Spirit when he speaks to us. First we will feel "sure" about the thing, and it will make sense to us in our mind. Secondly, we will have a feeling in our heart. Sometimes this feeling can be what is described as a "burning in the bosom". These two feelings together create a surety that the thing we have asked about is true. It is important to note that God expects us to do our homework first. How can we ask about something we do not understand? We have this further instruction in the Doctrine and Covenants: "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; ...." (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8,9)

What a great blessing we have that God has blessed us with the ability to gain and recognize truth! He will not "upbraid" those who seek truth, but delights to bless them with knowledge. I am thankful for this gift in my life!

The Importance of an Open Canon

I've been thinking about this topic for weeks now, but only today finally decided to write about it. This is such an important and pivotal topic when studying the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that I can open your eyes to the necessity of having an open canon.

Whenever I have talked with people from other religions about this subject in the past, they have quoted to me the same scripture from the Bible, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:" (Rev. 22:18) What they fail to understand is that the books of the New Testament weren't written in the order in which they appear in the Bible. Most Bible scholars today agree that this scripture pertains to the book of Revelation, not the entire Bible. In fact, the Bible, as we know it, wasn't even compiled at the time this scripture was written.

So what is scripture? In 2 Timothy 3:16,17 we read, " 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." In latter-day revelation we get further instruction about how scripture is written, "And whatsoever they (the prophets and apostles) shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4) This was the way scripture was given in times of old. Apostles and prophets wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, as in the case of Isaiah, they wrote after having visions. Much of the Bible is also a historical record that was kept. But in Bible times, scripture was given to guide the people and to teach them the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have we any less need for guidance today? Are the scriptures given in times of old sufficient for us today? We believe that we are in need of guidance from God today, just as were people in Bible times. While we can gain great knowledge and guidance from the Bible, we in these latter days face challenges that weren't in existence in Bible times.

So let's look at some guidance that we in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have received in modern days. One of the revelations that was needed for our day is the revelation called "The Word of Wisdom". This revelation explains that it was given "In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days" (Doctrine and Covenants 89:4). It goes on to warn us that certain substances are not healthy for the body. The list includes coffee, tea, alcohol, and tobacco. In recent years the Prophet has added harmful drugs to that list. Today we live in a world where men capitalize on the addictive nature of these substances. The revelation goes on to teach us that if we abstain from these substances, we will be healthy, and will find hidden treasures of knowledge, and that the destroying angel will pass us by, as it did the children of Israel in the time of Moses.

Other revelations in modern day have to do with how to organize the church. Some give additional doctrine that was lost during the translation of the Bible. These additional revelations do not detract from the teachings of the Bible. We believe the Bible, and we follow it's teachings. But in these modern times, we are just as in need of the direction of God as were the people in Old Testament times.

The prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon explains succinctly why we believe in modern scripture, and modern revelation: "And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;

Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them." (Moroni 9:7,8)

In Bible times there was a proliferation of written scripture. Why did that stop? Why would there not be written scripture today? We believe that after the death of Jesus Christ, a great apostasy occurred, and that for a time, that we now refer to as the "dark ages", there was no communication from God. The gospel of Jesus Christ was changed and the Priesthood power was lost from the Earth. The scriptures speak of a need for a restoration, and that restoration occurred through the Prophet Joseph Smith in modern times. After that restoration, revelation began to flow again to the earth through modern prophets. Today we have on going revelation, and modern day scripture.

Elder Jeffery Holland taught, "The fact of the matter is that virtually every prophet of the Old and New Testament has added scripture to that received by his predecessors. If the Old Testament words of Moses were sufficient, as some could have mistakenly thought them to be,3 then why, for example, the subsequent prophecies of Isaiah or of Jeremiah, who follows him? To say nothing of Ezekiel and Daniel, of Joel, Amos, and all the rest. If one revelation to one prophet in one moment of time is sufficient for all time, what justifies these many others? What justifies them was made clear by Jehovah Himself when He said to Moses, “My works are without end, and … my words … never cease.” (Moses 1:4) One Protestant scholar has inquired tellingly into the erroneous doctrine of a closed canon. He writes: “On what biblical or historical grounds has the inspiration of God been limited to the written documents that the church now calls its Bible? … If the Spirit inspired only the written documents of the first century, does that mean that the same Spirit does not speak today in the church about matters that are of significant concern?”5 We humbly ask those same questions...

One other point needs to be made. Since it is clear that there were Christians long before there was a New Testament or even an accumulation of the sayings of Jesus, it cannot therefore be maintained that the Bible is what makes one a Christian. In the words of esteemed New Testament scholar N. T. Wright, “The risen Jesus, at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, does not say, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to the books you are all going to write,’ but [rather] ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me.’ ”10 In other words, “Scripture itself points … away from itself and to the fact that final and true authority belongs to God himself.”11 So the scriptures are not the ultimate source of knowledge for Latter-day Saints. They are manifestations of the ultimate source. The ultimate source of knowledge and authority for a Latter-day Saint is the living God. The communication of those gifts comes from God as living, vibrant, divine revelation.12"

I testify that not only do we receive modern revelation today, but that it is essential to the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. We need God's guidance today. We need His scripture today. We need His voice today.