The Articles of Faith Part 37

One may be susceptible to inspiration in its lower and simpler phases only; another may be so thoroughly responsive to this power as to be capable of receiving direct revelation; and this higher influence again may manifest itself in varying degrees, and with a greater or lesser shrouding of the Divine personality. Consider the Lord's words to Aaron and Miriam, who had been guilty of disrespect toward Moses the chosen revelator:--"And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And He said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold."[858]

[858] Numb. xii, 5-8.

=4.= We have seen that among the most conclusive proofs of the existence of a Supreme Being is that afforded by direct revelation from G.o.d Himself; and that some knowledge of the attributes and personality of G.o.d is essential to any rational exercise of faith in Him. We can but imperfectly respect an authority whose very existence is a matter of uncertainty and conjecture with us; therefore, if we are to implicitly trust and truly love our Creator, we must know something of Him. Though the veil of mortality, with all its thick obscurity, may shut the light of the Divine presence from the sinful heart, that separating curtain may be drawn aside and the heavenly light may s.h.i.+ne into the righteous soul. By the listening ear, attuned to the celestial music, the voice of G.o.d has been heard, declaring His personality and will; to the eye that is freed from the motes and beams of sin, single in its search after truth, the hand of G.o.d has been made visible; within the soul properly purified by devotion and humility, the mind of G.o.d has been revealed.

=5. Revelation is G.o.d's Means of Communication.=--We have no record of a period of time during which an authorized minister of Christ has dwelt on earth, when the Lord did not make known to that servant the Divine will concerning the people. As has been shown, no man can take upon himself, by his own act alone, the honor and dignity of the ministry. To become an authorized minister of the Gospel, "a man must be called of G.o.d, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority," and "those in authority" must have been similarly called. When thus commissioned, the chosen one speaks by a power greater than his own, in preaching the gospel and in administering the ordinances thereof; he may verily become a prophet unto the people. The Lord has consistently recognized and honored his servants so appointed. He has magnified their office in proportion to their own worthiness, making them living oracles of the Divine will.

This has been true of every dispensation of the work of G.o.d.

=6.= It is a privilege of the Holy Priesthood to commune with the heavens, and to learn the immediate will of the Lord; this communion may be effected through the medium of dreams and visions, through the visitation of angels, or by the higher endowment of face to face communication with the Lord.[859] The inspired utterances of men who speak by the power of the Holy Ghost are scripture unto the people.[860] In specific terms the promise has been given that the Lord would recognize the medium of prophecy through which to make His will and purposes known unto man:--"Surely the Lord G.o.d will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."[861] Not all men may attain the position of special revelators:--"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant."[862] Such men are oracles of truth; privileged counselors, friends of G.o.d.[863]

[859] See pp. 35-38 and Lecture xii.

[860] Doc. and Cov. lxviii, 4.

[861] Amos iii, 7; see also I Nephi xxii, 2.

[862] Psalms xxv, 14.

[863] John xv, 14-15.

=7. Revelation in Ancient Times.=--Unto Adam, the patriarch of the race, to whom were committed the keys of the first dispensation, G.o.d revealed His will and gave commandments.[864] While living in a state of child-like innocence prior to the Fall, Adam had direct communication with the Lord; then, through transgression the man was driven from Eden; but he took with him some remembrance of his former happy state, including a personal knowledge of the existence and attributes of his Creator. While sweating under the penalty fore-told and fulfilled upon him, tilling the earth in a struggle for bread, he continued to call upon the Lord. As Adam and his wife, Eve, prayed and toiled, "they heard the voice of the Lord from the way towards the garden of Eden, speaking unto them; and they saw him not, for they were shut out from his presence; and he gave unto them commandments."[865]

[864] Gen. ii, 15-20; Pearl of Great Price: Moses iii, 16.

[865] Pearl of Great Price: Moses v, 4-5; see also Doc. and Cov., Lect. on Faith ii, 19-25.

=8.= The patriarchs who succeeded Adam were blessed with the gift of revelation in varying degrees; Enoch, the seventh in the line of descent, was particularly endowed. We learn from the Old Testament that Enoch "walked with G.o.d," and that when he had reached the age of 365 years "he was not, for G.o.d took him."[866] From the New Testament we learn something more regarding his ministry;[867] and the Pearl of Great Price gives us a fuller account of the Lord's dealings with this chosen Seer.[868] Unto him were made known the plan of redemption, and the prospective history of the race down to the meridian of time, thence to the millennium and the final judgment. Unto Noah, the Lord revealed His intentions regarding the impending deluge; by this prophetic voice the people were warned and urged to repent; disregarding it and rejecting the message, they were destroyed in their iniquity. With Abraham, G.o.d's covenant was established; unto him was revealed the course of the creative events.[869] And this covenant was confirmed unto Isaac and Jacob.

[866] Gen. v, 18-24.

[867] Jude 14.

[868] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vi, vii.

[869] Gen. xvii, xviii; Pearl of Great Price: Book of Abraham.

=9.= Through revelation, G.o.d commissioned Moses to lead Israel from bondage. From the burning bush on h.o.r.eb, the Lord declared to the man thus chosen, "I am the G.o.d of thy father, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob."[870] In all the troublous scenes between Moses and Pharaoh, the Lord continued His communications unto His servant, who appeared amidst the glory of the Divine endowment, a veritable G.o.d unto the heathen king.[871] And throughout the wearisome forty years' journeying in the wilderness, the Lord ceased not to honor His chosen prophet. So may we trace the line of revelators,--men who have stood, each in his time, as the medium between G.o.d and the people, receiving instruction from the source Divine, and transmitting it to the ma.s.ses,--from Moses to Joshua, and on through the Judges to David and Solomon, thence to John, who was the immediate fore-runner of the Messiah.

[870] Exodus iii, 2-6.

[871] Exodus iv, 16; vii, 1.

=10. Christ Himself was a Revelator.=--Notwithstanding His personal authority, G.o.d though He had been and was, while the Christ lived as a man among men, He declared His work to be that of One greater than Himself, by whom He had been sent, and from whom He received instructions. Note His words:--"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."[872] Further: "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."[873] And again, "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.... And as the Father gave me commandment, even so do I."[874]

[872] John xii, 49-50.

[873] John v, 30.

[874] John xiv, 10, 31.

=11. The Apostles likewise=, left to bear the burden of the Church after the departure of the Master, looked to heaven for guidance, expected and received the word of revelation to direct them in their exalted ministry. Paul writing to the Corinthians said:--"But G.o.d hath revealed them [divine truths] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of G.o.d. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?

even so the things of G.o.d knoweth no man, but the Spirit of G.o.d. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of G.o.d; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of G.o.d."[875]

[875] I Corinthians ii, 10-12.

=12.= John, also, declares that the book which is known specifically as the _Revelation_ was not written of his own wisdom, but that it is:--"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which G.o.d gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pa.s.s; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."[876]

[876] Rev. i, 1.

=13. Continual Revelation Necessary.=--The scriptures are conclusive as to the fact that, from Adam to John the Revelator, G.o.d directed the affairs of His people by personal communication through chosen servants. As the written word--the record of revelation previously given--grew with time, that became a law unto the people; but in no period was that deemed sufficient. While the revelations of the past have ever been indispensable as guides to the people, showing forth, as they do, the plan and purpose of G.o.d's dealings under particular conditions, they may not be universally and directly applicable to the circ.u.mstances of succeeding times. Many of the revealed laws are of general application to all men in all ages; e.g., the commandments "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not bear false witness," and other injunctions regarding the duty of man toward his fellows, most of which are so plainly just as to be approved by the human conscience, even without the direct word of Divine command.

Other laws may be equally general in application, yet they derive their validity as Divine ordinances from the fact that they have been authoritatively inst.i.tuted as such; as examples of this cla.s.s, we may consider the requirements concerning the sanct.i.ty of the Sabbath; the necessity of baptism as a means of securing forgiveness of sins; the ordinances of confirmation, the sacrament, etc. Revelations of yet another kind are on record, such as have been given to meet the conditions of particular times; these may be regarded as special, or circ.u.mstantial revelations; e.g., the instructions to Noah regarding the building of the ark and the warning of the people; the requirement made of Abraham that he leave the land of his nativity and sojourn in a strange country; the command to Moses, and through him to Israel, relative to the exodus from Egypt; the revelations given to Lehi directing the departure of his company from Jerusalem, their journeying in the wilderness, the building of a s.h.i.+p, and their voyage on the great waters to another hemisphere.

=14.= It is at once unreasonable, and directly contrary to our conception of the unchangeable justice of G.o.d, to believe that He will bless the Church in one dispensation with a present living revelation of His will, and in another leave the Church, to which He gives His name, to live as best it may according to the laws of a by-gone age.

True, through apostasy, the authority of the priesthood may have been taken from the earth for a season, leaving the people in a condition of darkness, with the windows of heaven shut against them; but at such times, G.o.d has recognized no earthly Church as His own, nor any prophet to declare with authority "Thus saith the Lord."

=15.= In support of the doctrine that revelation specially adapted to existing conditions is characteristic of G.o.d's dealings with His people, we have the fact of laws having been ordained and subsequently repealed, when a more advanced stage of the Divine plan had been reached. Thus, the law of Moses[877] was strictly binding upon Israel from the time of the exodus to that of Christ's ministry; but its repeal was declared by the Savior Himself,[878] and a higher law than that "of carnal commandments," which had been given "because of transgression," was inst.i.tuted in its stead.

[877] Exo. xxi; Lev. i; Deut. xii.

[878] Matt. v, 17-48.

=16.= From the scriptures cited, and from numerous other a.s.surances of holy writ, it is evident that continual revelation has ever been characteristic of the living Church. It is equally plain that revelation is essential to the existence of the Church in an organized state on the earth. If to have authority to preach the Gospel, and administer in the ordinances of the same, a man must be called of G.o.d, "by prophecy"[879] it is evident that in the absence of direct revelation, the Church would be left without authorized officers, and would, in consequence, become extinct. The prophets and patriarchs of old, the judges, the priests, and every authorized servant from Adam to Malachi, were called by direct revelation manifested through the special word of prophecy. This was true also of John the Baptist,[880]

of Christ Himself, and of the apostles,[881] and lesser officers[882]

of the Church, as long as an organization recognized of G.o.d remained on the earth. Without the gift of continual revelation there can be no authorized ministry on the earth; and without officers duly commissioned there can be no Church of Christ.

[879] See Lecture x, page 184.

[880] Luke i, 13-18.

[881] John xv; Acts i, 12-26.

[882] Acts xx, 28; I Tim. iv, 14; t.i.tus i, 5.

=17.= Revelation is essential to the Church, not only for the proper calling and ordination of its ministers, but also that the officers so chosen may be guided in their ministrations:--to teach with authority the doctrines of salvation; to admonish, to encourage, and if necessary to reprove the people; and to declare unto them by prophecy the purposes and will of G.o.d respecting the Church, present and future. The promise of salvation is not limited by time, place, or persons. So taught Peter on Pentecost day, a.s.suring the mult.i.tude of their eligibility to blessing:--"For the promise is unto you," said he, "and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our G.o.d shall call."[883] Salvation, with all the gifts of G.o.d, was of old for Jew and Greek alike;[884] the same Lord over all, rich unto those that call upon Him, without difference.[885]

[883] Acts ii, 39.

[884] Rom. x, 12; Gal. iii, 28; Col. iii, 11.

[885] Rom. iii, 22.

=18. Alleged Objections in Scripture.=--The opponents of the doctrine of continual revelation quote, with gross perversion of meaning, certain scriptural pa.s.sages to sustain their heresy; among such scriptures are the following. The words of John with which he approaches the conclusion of his book are these:--"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, G.o.d shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, G.o.d shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."[886] To apply these sayings to the Bible as it was afterward compiled is wholly unjustified, for surely John did not write with a knowledge that his book would be the concluding section of any such compilation of the scriptures as we now possess in our Bible. John had reference to his own words, which, having come to him by revelation, were sacred; and to alter such, by omission or addition, would be to modify the words of G.o.d. The sin of altering any other part of the revealed word would be equally great.

Moreover, in this oft-quoted pa.s.sage, no intimation is given that the Lord may not add to or take from the word therein revealed; the declaration is that no man shall change the record and escape the penalty.

[886] Rev. xxii, 18-19; see also Doc. and Cov. xx, 35.

=19.= A similar injunction against altering the message of Divine command was uttered by Moses, over fifteen centuries before the date of John's writing;[887] and with a similarly restricted application.

Another alleged objection to modern revelation is offered in Paul's words to Timothy, regarding the holy scriptures "which are able to make thee wise unto salvation,"[888] and which are "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of G.o.d may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."[889] And the remarks of the apostle to the elders at Ephesus are quoted with the same intent; the pa.s.sage reads: "Ye know ... how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house.... For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of G.o.d."[890] It is argued that if the scriptures known to Timothy were all-sufficient to make him "wise unto salvation," and the man of G.o.d "perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works," the same scriptures are sufficient for all men to the end of time; and that if the doctrines preached to the Ephesian elders represented "all the counsel of G.o.d," no further counsel is to be expected. In reply, it is perhaps sufficient to say that the objectors to continued revelation who defend their unscriptural position by strained interpretation of such pa.s.sages, if consistent, would be compelled to reject all revelation given through the apostles after the date of Paul's utterances, including even the Revelation of John.