B-Teachings
and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon
Heeding the
Words of Prophets
God calls
prophets to bear witness of Jesus Christ, to declare repentance, and to invite all to come unto the Savior. The Book of Mormon teaches that those who heed these prophets
are blessed, while those who oppose them experience regret and sorrow.
How does our belief in a living prophet distinguish us
from other faiths?
Why are living prophets as necessary today as they were
in other periods of earth’s history?
“Our Need for Living
Prophets,” chapter 1
in Teachings of the Living Prophets Student Manual (Church Educational System manual,
2010), 4–13.
1 Nephi 1:4–15,
18 (Lehi); Mosiah 11:20–25
(Abinadi);13:33–35
(Abinadi tells of Moses); 15:10–13
(Abinadi quotes Isaiah) ;Helaman 13:24–33
(Samuel the Lamanite) ;3 Nephi 8:24–25
(Survivors lament not listening to prophets) ; 9:10–11
(destruction of wicked) ; 10:12
(more righteous spared); 12:1–2
(Jesus commands to listen to His apostles); Ether 7:23–27
(King Shule protects the prophets).
D&C 21:4-6; 132:7; 1:37-38; 21:4-6. 1 Kings 17:10-16; Amos 3:7.
Articles of Faith 1:9
All prophets
of God declare repentance 2 Nephi 16:9–11;
Jacob 2–3; Mosiah 11–12; Helaman 13–16; and Mormon 3. and
testify of Jesus Christ.1 Nephi 19, 2 Nephi 25, Alma 7; and Mormon 7.
Yesterday, we were each invited to sustain Thomas S.
Monson as the prophet of the Lord and President of
the Lord’s Church. And often we sing, “We thank thee, O God, for a
prophet.” Do you and I really understand what that means? Imagine the
privilege the Lord has given us of sustaining His prophet, whose counsel will
be untainted, unvarnished, unmotivated by any personal aspiration, and utterly
true!
How do we really sustain a prophet? Long before he
became President of the Church, President Joseph F. Smith explained, “It
is an important duty resting upon the Saints who … sustain the authorities of
the Church, to do so not only by the lifting of the hand, the mere form, but
in deed and in truth.”
Well do I remember my most unique “deed” to sustain a prophet. As
a medical doctor and cardiac surgeon, I had the responsibility of performing
open-heart surgery on President Spencer W. Kimball in 1972, when he was
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He needed a very complex
operation. But I had no experience doing such a procedure on a 77-year-old
patient in heart failure. I did not recommend the operation and so informed
President Kimball and the First Presidency. But, in faith, President Kimball
chose to have the operation, only because it was advised by the First
Presidency. That shows how he sustained his leaders! And his decision made me
tremble!
Thanks to the Lord, the operation was a success. When President
Kimball’s heart resumed beating, it did so with great power! At that very
moment, I had a clear witness of the Spirit that this man would one day become
President of the Church!
You know the outcome. Only 20 months later, President Kimball
became President of the Church. And he provided bold and courageous leadership
for many years.
Since then we have sustained Presidents Ezra Taft
Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and My dear brothers
and sisters, if the Restoration did anything, it shattered the age-old myth
that God had stopped talking to His children. Nothing could be further from the
truth. A prophet has stood at the head of God’s Church in all dispensations,
from Adam to the present day. Prophets
testify of Jesus Christ—of His divinity and of His
earthly mission and ministry.
When we sustain prophets and other leaders, we
invoke the law of common consent, for the Lord said, “It shall not be given to
any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be
ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he
has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.”
(D&C 42:11) You and I do not “vote” on Church leaders at any level.
We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them.
The ways of the Lord are different from the ways of
man. Man’s ways remove people from office or business when they grow old or
become disabled. But man’s ways are not and never will be the Lord’s ways. Our
sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to
uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication
that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon
us.
Twenty-six years before he became President of the
Church, then-Elder George Albert Smith said: “The obligation that we make when
we raise our hands … is a most sacred one. It does not mean
that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord
shall direct this work, but it means … that we will stand behind him; we will
pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his
instructions as the Lord shall direct.”
Yesterday, after we were invited to sustain Thomas S.
Monson as President of the Church, we also had the
privilege to sustain him, the counselors in the First Presidency, and members
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. Think
of that! We sustain 15 men as prophets of God! They hold all the priesthood
keys that have ever been conferred upon man in this dispensation.
The calling of 15 men to the holy apostleship
provides great protection for us as members of the Church. Why? Because
decisions of these leaders must be unanimous. Can you imagine how the
Spirit needs to move upon 15 men to bring about unanimity? These 15 men have
varied educational and professional backgrounds, with differing opinions about
many things. Trust me! These 15 men—prophets, seers, and revelators—know what
the will of the Lord is when unanimity is reached! They are committed to see
that the Lord’s will truly will be done.
The Apostle with the longest seniority in the
office of Apostle presides. That system of seniority will usually bring
older men to the office of President of the Church. It provides
continuity, seasoned maturity, experience, and extensive preparation, as guided
by the Lord.
“The
principles and procedures which the Lord has put in place for the governance of
His church make provision for any … circumstance. It is important … that there
be no doubts or concerns about the governance of the Church and the exercise of
the prophetic gifts, including the right to inspiration and revelation in
administering the affairs and programs of the Church, when the President may be
ill or is not able to function fully. President Hinckley continued: “When the
President is ill or not able to function fully in all of the duties of his
office, his two Counselors together comprise a Quorum of the First Presidency.
They carry on with the day-to-day work of the Presidency. …“… But any
major questions of policy, procedures, programs, or doctrine are considered
deliberately and prayerfully by the First Presidency and the Twelve together.”
Last year, when President Monson reached the
milestone of 5 years of service as President of the Church, he reflected on his
50 years of apostolic service and made this statement: “Age eventually takes
its toll on all of us. However, we join our voices with King Benjamin, who
said, … ‘I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body
and mind; yet I have been chosen … and consecrated by my father, … and have
been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the
might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me’ (Mosiah 2:11).”
(RMNelson, CR, Oct. 2014)
Before I made the decision to be baptized in The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I
studied extracts from the history of Joseph Smith. I prayed after carefully
reading each paragraph. If you would like to do this yourself, it may take you
14 hours.
After I read, pondered, and prayed, the Lord gave me the
assurance that Joseph Smith was His prophet. I testify to you that Joseph Smith
is a prophet, and because I have received this answer from the Lord, I know
that all of his successors are prophets too. What a great blessing it is to
have prophets in our day!
It is a great blessing to receive the word, commandments,
and guidance of the Lord in these difficult days of the earth. The prophet can
be inspired to see the future in benefit of mankind.
In 1980, when President Ezra Taft Benson was serving as
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he gave a powerful message
about obedience to the prophets at a BYU devotional in the Marriott Center. His
great talk, titled “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” touched my
heart. It made me feel good that I had made the decision to follow the prophets
for the rest of my life when I accepted baptism in
the Lord’s true Church.
1st: The
prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything” (D&C 21:4-6).
2nd: “The living prophet is more vital to us than the
standard works”
3rd: “The
living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet”
4th: “The
prophet will never lead the Church astray”
5th: “The
prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials
to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time”
6th: The
prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture. …
7th: The prophet
tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know” 1 Nephi
16:1, 3:
8th: The
prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning. …2 Kings
5.
9th: The
prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual. …
10th: The
prophet may be involved in civic matters. …
11th: The
two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the
proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. …
12th: The
prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly. …
13th: The
prophet and his counselors make up the 1st Presidency—the highest quorum in the
Church. …
14th: The prophet and the
presidency—the living prophet and the first presidency—follow them and be
blessed; reject them and suffer” (Claudio R. M. Costa, CR, Oct. 2010)
President Hugh B. Brown (1883–1975) of the First
Presidency described a conversation he had with a member of the British House
of Commons and former justice of the Supreme Court of England, who was not a
member of the Church, about the need for living prophets and the revelation
they receive:
“[I said,] ‘I am submitting to you in all seriousness
that it was standard procedure in Bible times for God to talk to men.’ “[He responded,]
‘I think I will admit that, but it stopped shortly after the first century of
the Christian era.’ “‘Why do you think it stopped?’ “‘I can’t
say.’ “‘You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?’ “‘Not to my knowledge.’
“‘May I suggest some possible reasons why he has not spoken. Perhaps it is
because he cannot. He has lost the power.’ “He said, ‘Of course that would be
blasphemous.’ “‘Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps he doesn’t speak
to men because he doesn’t love us anymore. He is no longer interested in the
affairs of men.’ “‘No,’ he said, ‘God loves all men, and he is no respecter of
persons.’ “‘Well, … then the only other possible answer as I see it is that we
don’t need him. We have made such rapid strides in education and science that
we don’t need God anymore.’ “And then he said, and his voice trembled as he
thought of impending war [World War II], ‘Mr. Brown, there never was a
time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is
needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why he doesn’t speak.’ “My answer
was, ‘He does speak, he has spoken; but men need faith to hear him.’ “Then we
proceeded to examine what I may call a ‘profile of a prophet.’ … “The
judge sat and listened intently. He asked some very pointed and searching
questions, and at the end of the interview he said, ‘Mr. Brown, I wonder if
your people appreciate the import of your message. Do you?’ He said, ‘If what
you have told me is true, it is the greatest message that has come to this
earth since the angels announced the birth of Christ’” (HBBrown, CR, Oct. 1967)
“The only safety we have as members of this church is to
do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was
organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the
Lord shall give through his prophet, ‘as he receiveth them, walking in all
holiness before me; … as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.’ (D&C 21:4–5.)
There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what
comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views.
It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social
life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord
himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall
not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of
darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his
name’s glory.’ (D&C 21:6.)”
(HBLee, CR, Oct. 1970)
“When the prophet points out the sins of the world, the
worldly either want to close the mouth of the prophet, or else act as if the
prophet didn’t exist, rather than repent of their sins. Popularity is never a
test of truth. … As we come closer to the Lord’s second coming you can expect
that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will be less
popular with them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson[2014],
“If
we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how
well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the
Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum
of the First Presidency” (Teachings: Ezra Taft Benson, 150).
“How
we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to
know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our faithfulness” (Teachings:
Ezra Taft Benson, 152).
“It is no small
thing, my brothers and sisters, to have a prophet of God in our midst. Great
and wonderful are the blessings that come into our lives as we listen to the
word of the Lord given to us through him. … When we hear the counsel of the
Lord expressed through the words of the President of the Church, our response
should be positive and prompt. History has shown that there is safety, peace,
prosperity, and happiness in responding to prophetic counsel” (MRBallard, Ensign, May 2001, 65).
Doctrine and Covenants 132:7; “Jesus Christ
holds all the keys of the priesthood pertaining to His Church. He has conferred
upon each of His Apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on
earth. The senior living Apostle, the President of the Church, is the only
person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys.”
Gregory L. Smith- Years
ago, President Joseph Fielding Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the
Twelve, attended a stake conference where a relatively new stake president had
been called. A man repeatedly came up to President Smith and asked him for
counsel concerning a personal matter. Finally, President Smith said he would
see the man, provided the new stake president could be there. As the man
unfolded his situation, the stake president was prompted with what the person
needed to do. Yet President Smith listened to the brother and surprised
everyone by saying, “I have no counsel for you.” The man was surprised, and he
left. After he had gone, President Smith turned to the stake president and
said, “I knew how to counsel that man, but I was also prompted to know that he would
go against the counsel. So rather than condemn him for going against the
counsel of the priesthood, I told him nothing.” (Loren C. Dunn, CR, April ,
1981)
Gregory L. Smith- Fair Mormon- What ought we
to do if we believe we have received revelation that differs with the united
voice of the First Presidency and Twelve apostles?
One of the great strengths–and arguably one of the defining features–of LDS
doctrine as a belief in on-going revelation, both to Church leaders and
individuals members. Members understand that the revelation they receive is
only for their areas of stewardship and responsibility.
What should
we do, then, in the case where we sincerely believe we have received revelation
that tells us that the highest councils of united Church leaders are mistaken?
I here
suggest five important principles drawn from apostles and prophets about such
situations, which have blessed my life.
1. As a
first step, we ought to seriously consider whether we are mistaken or misled.
Elder Oaks
taught that some things can disqualify us from revelation until we make them
right:
We cannot have
the companionship of the Holy Ghost—the medium of individual revelation—if we
are in transgression or if we are angry or if we are in rebellion against God’s
chosen authorities.[1]
Note that
there is no exception that says, “Unless you are right and they are wrong.”
2. We
should pray to have our heart changed if this is necessary.
Marion G. Romney, later of the First Presidency, had an experience very like this. Harold B. Lee described it:
Marion G. Romney, later of the First Presidency, had an experience very like this. Harold B. Lee described it:
In the
political field where so much pressure is exerted on men to compromise ideals
and principles for expediency, party workers early learned to admire Marion G.
Romney’s intense loyalty to his own conscience as well as to the advice of his
Church leaders, whose pronouncements on vital issues affecting the welfare of
the nation he accepted as divinely inspired even though it frequently brought him
into sharp conflict with leaders of his own political party. On one such
occasion when Church leaders in a tersely worded editorial had denounced the
trends of the political administration then in power, he confided in me
something which it might be well if all loyal Church members in public life
could emulate: “When I read that editorial,” he told me, “I knew what I should
do—but that wasn’t enough. I knew that I must feel right about following the
counsel of the Church leaders and know that they were right. That took a whole
night on my knees to accomplish.” I submit in that statement the difference
between “intelligent” and “blind” obedience. Marion G. Romney, while never
disloyal to authority over him, could never be rightfully accused of being
“blindly obedient.” (62-16, p. 742)[2]
Thus, it
was with difficult personal experience that President Romney would later teach:
Some
members assume that one can be in full harmony with the spirit of the gospel,
enjoy full fellowship in the Church, and at the same time be out of harmony
with the leaders of the Church and the counsel and direction they give. Such a
position is wholly inconsistent. . . . Those who profess to accept the gospel
and who at the same time criticize and refuse to follow the counsel of the
prophets are assuming an indefensible position. Such a spirit leads to apostasy.[3]
President
Romney also said:
If we are
to be on the side of truth, we must have the Spirit of the Lord. To the
obtaining of that spirit, prayer is an indispensable prerequisite. Praying will
keep one’s vision clear on this question of loyalty as on all other questions.
By praying I do not mean, however, just saying prayers. Prayers may be said in
a perfunctory manner. Access to the Spirit of God, which is a directing power,
cannot be so obtained. The divine injunction to pray is not to be satisfied in
a casual manner nor by an effort to obtain divine approval of a predetermined
course. A firm resolve to comply with the will of God must accompany the
petition for knowledge as to what His will is. When one brings himself to the
position that he will pursue the truth wherever it may lead, even though it may
require a reversal of his former position, he can, without hypocrisy, go before
the Lord in prayer. Then, when he prays with all the energy of his soul, he is
entitled to and he will receive guidance. The mind and will of the Lord as to
the course he should take will be made known unto him.
I assure
you, however, that the spirit of the Lord will never direct a person to take a
position in opposition to the counsel of the Presidency of His Church. Such
could not be….[4]
There is a
very important point here—President Romney describes the necessity of being
willing to be changed. This is really an act of consecration—of putting
something we dearly love and value on the altar (our political convictions, our
moral convictions, our deeply considered views, our social comfort, or the fact
that we are going to be required to do a complete about-face on our views).
Only when
we get to genuinely being willing to do this can we hope for the blessing.
Faith precedes the miracle.
3. We
should be patient
Brigham
Young talked about the first time Joseph Smith taught something that he didn’t
and couldn’t believe. It happened when Joseph taught about 3 degrees of glory
in heaven. Said Brigham:
I was not
prepared to say that I believed it [3 degrees of glory], and I had to wait.
What did I do? I handed this over to the Lord in my feelings, and said I, ‘I
will wait until the Spirit of God manifests to me, for or against.’ I did not
judge the matter, I did not argue against it, not in the least. I never argued
the least against anything Joseph proposed, but if I could not see or
understand it, I handed it over to the Lord.[5]
Note that
Brigham does not “blindly follow” Joseph. He does not start believing the
doctrine simply because Joseph preached it. Brigham insisted that he have his
own witness prior to believing.
Yet,
Brigham did not go too far the other way either. He did not engage in learned
debate, or publish an “alternative” newspaper (today such folks would probably
start a blog or post on Facebook!) detailing all the reasons why he did not
believe what Joseph was teaching. He conformed his outward behavior in
accordance with his covenants, but he did not abdicate his inner responsibility
for his sincere doubt and uncertainty. He waited for revelation, but he did not
let that which he did not know destroy that which he did know.
If he had
not taken this approach, he would never have gotten a revelation. Faith
precedes the miracle, and this can include the faith to simply wait.
Cautioned
President Packer:
There are
those within the Church who are disturbed when changes are made with which they
disagree or when changes they propose are not made. They point to these as
evidence that the leaders are not inspired.
They write
and speak to convince others that the doctrines and decisions of the Brethren
are not given through inspiration.
Two things
characterize them: they are always irritated by the word obedience, and always
they question revelation. It has always been so.[6]
4. If,
after all this, we still believe we are being told that the leaders of the
Church are wrong, we are still not authorized to publicly preach or urge a
different course of action or teaching.
President
George Q. Cannon noted:
We could
conceive of a man honestly differing in opinion from the Authorities of the
Church and yet not be an apostate; but we could not conceive of a man
publishing these differences of opinion and seeking by arguments, sophistry and
special pleading to enforce them upon the people to produce division and strife
and to place the acts and counsels of the Authorities of the Church, if
possible, in a wrong light, and not be an apostate, for such conduct was
apostasy as we understood the term. We further said that while a man might
honestly differ in opinion from the Authorities through a want of
understanding, he had to be exceedingly careful how he acted in relation to
such differences, or the adversary would take advantage of him, and he would
soon become imbued with the spirit of apostasy and be found fighting against
God and the authority which He had placed here to govern His Church.[7]
5. We may
be taught things by revelation that are true, and for our comfort, but it is
still not our place to spread them publicly, or use them to advocate for
change, and so forth.
· Brigham Young: “Should
you receive a vision or revelation from the Almighty, one that the Lord gave
you concerning yourselves, or this people, but which you are not to reveal on
account of your not being the proper person, or because it ought not to be
known by the people at present, you should shut it up and seal it . . . as
secret as the grave. The Lord has no confidence in those who reveal secrets,
for he cannot safely reveal himself to such persons.”[8]
· Joseph F. Smith: “Not even
a revelation from God should be taught to his people until it has first been
approved by the presiding authority—the one through whom the Lord makes known
His will for the guidance of the saints. . . .The spirit of revelation may rest
upon any one, and teach him or her many things for personal comfort and
instruction. But these are not doctrines of the Church, and, however true, they
must not be inculcated [i.e., taught and distributed/published] until proper
permission is given.”[9]
· Joseph Fielding Smith: “If a man
comes among the Latter-day Saints, professing to have received a vision or a revelation
or a remarkable dream, and the Lord has given him such, he should keep it to
himself. . . . the Lord will give his revelations in the proper way, to the one
who is appointed to receive and dispense the word of God to the members of the
Church.”[10]
Thus, we
might say that an urge or willingness to use such supposed revelation for
public consumption or advocacy is additional evidence that our revelation is
not from God. Those with true revelation will be at peace, and have confidence
that the Lord will respect the lines of responsibility that He has established
for His Church.
Conclusion
I sympathize
with those who struggle with such a situation. But, I think our duty is clear.
Perhaps we have not yet been able to be convinced that what we have been asked
is right. Perhaps we need, like Brigham Young, to simply wait longer. Perhaps
all we can do, for the moment, is sustain the prophets and apostles with our
silence. Is all this difficult? It certainly can be. But, this should not
surprise us either. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell warned,
If we are
serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do
those very things which are most difficult for us to do.[11]
Beware of
false prophets. But, beware lest you become a false prophet. Elder M. Russell
Ballard taught in October 1999 general conference:
When we
think of false prophets and false teachers, we tend to think of those who
espouse an obviously false doctrine or presume to have authority to teach the
true gospel of Christ according to their own interpretation. We often assume
that such individuals are associated with small radical groups on the fringes
of society. However, I reiterate: there are false prophets and false teachers
who have or at least claim to have membership in the Church….
Therefore,
let us beware of false prophets and false teachers, both men and women, who are
self–appointed declarers of the doctrines of the Church and who seek to spread
their false gospel and attract followers by sponsoring symposia, books, and
journals whose contents challenge fundamental doctrines of the Church. Beware of
those who speak and publish in opposition to God’s true
prophets and who actively proselyte others with reckless disregard for the
eternal well–being of those whom they seduce. Like
Nehor and Korihor in the Book of Mormon, they rely on sophistry to deceive and
entice others to their views. They “set themselves up for a light unto the
world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the
welfare of Zion” (2 Ne. 26:29).[12]
We need the
prophets and apostles so desperately. I don’t think we treasure them enough.
The political philosopher Leo Strauss was perhaps more right than he knew when
he wrote:
True
prophets, regardless of whether they predict doom or salvation, predict the
unexpected, the humanly unforeseeable. What would not occur to men [or women],
left to themselves, to fear or to hope.[13]
The more I
study and see, the more convinced I grow that the battle of our generation is
over prophets—it will be about whether God has spoken, and whether those with
his authority and they keys exist or not. I am a witness that they do. And,
notwithstanding any weaknesses they might have, we and this world are lost
without them. God be praised that there are again apostles in the land, and a
prophet in Israel.
