Elder Neal A. Maxwell said of this incident, "“When Jesus first began to preach strong doctrines (the scriptures refer to these as ‘hard sayings’), many of those who followed Him ‘went back, and walked no more with him.’ (John 6:66.) Once His doctrines really began to make demands of people, it was too much for many.
I think that Jesus' discourse is better understood now, and thus does not produce a mass exodus from His gospel. Jesus is the source of spiritual life and His sacrifice grants all of God's children who come here to receive a physical body a resurrection and immortality. Jesus' doctrine was simple, but misunderstood by those looking for something other than what He was teaching as the truth. Other teachings such as Sabbath Day observance brought similar results. The doctrine He taught was often too difficult for many to swallow and so they left the fold.
“There are equivalent ‘hard sayings’ about our secular societies that one hesitates to utter but which need to be heard. They are not popular. … A truth may touch us, bore us, or merely make us uncomfortable. But those are reactions to truth, and reactions do not alter the reality of truth itself. … Hard sayings … when pondered, may make it easier to let go of the world. …
“Nephi lamented the fact that so many people will not ‘understand great knowledge.’ (2 Nephi 32:7.) Complexity is scarcely the cause, for the gospel is so plain and simple. Rather, the failure to comprehend seems to be rooted in a resolute refusal to let go of the world long enough to ponder the precious truths in the message of the Master” (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward [1977], 6–7, 22).
James E. Talmage explained what Jesus was really teaching when he said, "“To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ was and is to believe in and accept Him as the literal Son of God and Savior of the world, and to obey His commandments. By these means only may the Spirit of God become an abiding part of man’s individual being, even as the substance of the food he eats is assimilated with the tissues of his body.
“… The figure used by Jesus--that of eating His flesh and drinking His blood as typical of unqualified and absolute acceptance of Himself as the Savior of men, is of superlative import; for thereby are affirmed the divinity of His Person, and the fact of His preexistent and eternal Godship. The sacrament of the Lord’s supper, established by the Savior on the night of His betrayal, perpetuates the symbolism of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, by the partaking of bread and wine in remembrance of Him. Acceptance of Jesus as the Christ implies obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel” (Jesus the Christ, 342–43).
I think that Jesus' discourse is better understood now, and thus does not produce a mass exodus from His gospel. Jesus is the source of spiritual life and His sacrifice grants all of God's children who come here to receive a physical body a resurrection and immortality. Jesus' doctrine was simple, but misunderstood by those looking for something other than what He was teaching as the truth. Other teachings such as Sabbath Day observance brought similar results. The doctrine He taught was often too difficult for many to swallow and so they left the fold.
Today there are a multitude of doctrinal issues that are causing people to "walk no more with Jesus", and to be "offended" over His doctrine. Today the "Bread of Life" doctrines that cause such offenses include the place of women within the church, and whether they should be ordained to the priesthood. This post is an effort to offer a doctrinal perspective on these issues in order to show that "all are alike unto God...male and female", and that the ordination of women is not necessary for them to receive all of the blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for all of His faithful children, regardless of gender, race, or country of origin.
The central focus of God's plan as taught within His church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is stated by President Boyd K. Packer in his April 2012 General Conference address:
Harold B. Lee said it another way, “It seems clear to me that the Church has no choice—and never has had—but to do more to assist the family in carrying out its divine mission, not only because that is the order of heaven, but also because that is the most practical contribution we can make to our youth—to help improve the quality of life in the Latter-day Saint homes. As important as our many programs and organizational efforts are, these should not supplant the home; they should support the home.”
In other words, everything that the Lord does, and everything He helps us do in His church is designed to help His children to become like Him and to perpetuate the family unit into the eternities. This is where the highest blessings come now and in the hereafter. As Sister Dew said in October 2001 Conference, "Our Father knew exactly what He was doing when He created us. He made us enough alike to love each other, but enough different that we would need to unite our strengths and stewardships to create a whole. Neither man nor woman is perfect or complete without the other. Thus, no marriage or family, no ward or stake is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose, respecting and relying upon each other’s strengths."
Our Heavenly Father has shown us what a family unit is intended to be. He showed us first with Adam and Eve when He joined them in marriage in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, Adam and Eve demonstrated family life as they began to procreate (Moses 5:2-3) and to teach the truths of the gospel to their children (Moses 5:12). It is important to note that it required a male and female of the human species in order to create a family. It is also important to note that "they" taught their children together. The wording is important in verse 12 as it indicates a partnership based on equality and unity - the example of what our marriage relationships should look like. As Spencer W. Kimball taught:
“When we speak of marriage as a partnership, let us speak of marriage as a full partnership. We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner.”
Some of the gospel truths that Adam and Even were taught and taught to their children were that there are ordinances (Sacred rites and ceremonies. Ordinances consist of acts that have spiritual meanings - see https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs?lang=eng) that are necessary for us to receive all of the blessings that God has in store for us. These ordinances are administered to by those who have received the priesthood (The authority and power that God gives to man to act in all things for the salvation of man). Therefore priesthood is necessary in order for ordinances to be performed and for all available blessings to be received from our loving Heavenly Father. These ordinances and their associated blessings are available to any who desire and qualify for them and are certainly not gender specific.
To elaborate on this issue, we might look to how the male and female work together in their separate, equal and differing responsibilities. Moses 6:59 states that, "by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory."
Elder Christofferson shared this passage and then said that, "nothing relative to our time on earth can be more important than physical birth and spiritual rebirth, the two prerequisites of eternal life." It is very interesting to note that the elements described in Moses 6:59 are present in both our physical birth and our spiritual rebirth. It is very instructive to note that our Mothers (women) provide physical birth through the power God delegated to them, and Fathers (men) provide the ordinances necessary for spiritual rebirth. Then as we understand that in both birth and rebirth men and women are necessary components, it becomes clear that although we do not experience equality in "sameness", we do experience equality in responsibility.
Physical birth and spiritual rebirth are both essential. One is not more important than the other. Thus God offers us a plan with a marriage between a man and a woman where each parent has a different but equal responsibility in the salvation of their children. Combine that with the fact that neither a man or woman can receive a fullness of the blessings of the priesthood independent (or separate) from one another, the perfection of God's plan becomes even more clear, and the importance of gender in that plan is magnified.
The central focus of God's plan as taught within His church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is stated by President Boyd K. Packer in his April 2012 General Conference address:
"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children might be happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood.
Every law and principle and power, every belief, every ordinance and ordination, every covenant, every sermon and every sacrament, every counsel and correction, the sealings, the calls, the releases, the service—all these have as their ultimate purpose the perfection of the individual and the family..."Harold B. Lee said it another way, “It seems clear to me that the Church has no choice—and never has had—but to do more to assist the family in carrying out its divine mission, not only because that is the order of heaven, but also because that is the most practical contribution we can make to our youth—to help improve the quality of life in the Latter-day Saint homes. As important as our many programs and organizational efforts are, these should not supplant the home; they should support the home.”
In other words, everything that the Lord does, and everything He helps us do in His church is designed to help His children to become like Him and to perpetuate the family unit into the eternities. This is where the highest blessings come now and in the hereafter. As Sister Dew said in October 2001 Conference, "Our Father knew exactly what He was doing when He created us. He made us enough alike to love each other, but enough different that we would need to unite our strengths and stewardships to create a whole. Neither man nor woman is perfect or complete without the other. Thus, no marriage or family, no ward or stake is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose, respecting and relying upon each other’s strengths."
Our Heavenly Father has shown us what a family unit is intended to be. He showed us first with Adam and Eve when He joined them in marriage in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, Adam and Eve demonstrated family life as they began to procreate (Moses 5:2-3) and to teach the truths of the gospel to their children (Moses 5:12). It is important to note that it required a male and female of the human species in order to create a family. It is also important to note that "they" taught their children together. The wording is important in verse 12 as it indicates a partnership based on equality and unity - the example of what our marriage relationships should look like. As Spencer W. Kimball taught:
“When we speak of marriage as a partnership, let us speak of marriage as a full partnership. We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner.”
Some of the gospel truths that Adam and Even were taught and taught to their children were that there are ordinances (Sacred rites and ceremonies. Ordinances consist of acts that have spiritual meanings - see https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs?lang=eng) that are necessary for us to receive all of the blessings that God has in store for us. These ordinances are administered to by those who have received the priesthood (The authority and power that God gives to man to act in all things for the salvation of man). Therefore priesthood is necessary in order for ordinances to be performed and for all available blessings to be received from our loving Heavenly Father. These ordinances and their associated blessings are available to any who desire and qualify for them and are certainly not gender specific.
To elaborate on this issue, we might look to how the male and female work together in their separate, equal and differing responsibilities. Moses 6:59 states that, "by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory."
Elder Christofferson shared this passage and then said that, "nothing relative to our time on earth can be more important than physical birth and spiritual rebirth, the two prerequisites of eternal life." It is very interesting to note that the elements described in Moses 6:59 are present in both our physical birth and our spiritual rebirth. It is very instructive to note that our Mothers (women) provide physical birth through the power God delegated to them, and Fathers (men) provide the ordinances necessary for spiritual rebirth. Then as we understand that in both birth and rebirth men and women are necessary components, it becomes clear that although we do not experience equality in "sameness", we do experience equality in responsibility.
Physical birth and spiritual rebirth are both essential. One is not more important than the other. Thus God offers us a plan with a marriage between a man and a woman where each parent has a different but equal responsibility in the salvation of their children. Combine that with the fact that neither a man or woman can receive a fullness of the blessings of the priesthood independent (or separate) from one another, the perfection of God's plan becomes even more clear, and the importance of gender in that plan is magnified.
It is so important that we understand that "men are not the priesthood" (Elder Oaks October 2005). The priesthood is God's power and men in the church are ordained to administer in the ordinances of the priesthood (Article of Faith 5). However, all in the church are blessed by the priesthood; men, women and children. There are no restrictions to who can receive the blessings of priesthood power. All who are willing to follow God's laws have access to the power of the priesthood and the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Elder Andersen said in a talk on the power of the priesthood in October 2013, "We
sometimes overly associate the power of the priesthood with men in the
Church. The priesthood is the power and authority of God given for the
salvation and blessing of all—men, women, and children.
A
man may open the drapes so the warm sunlight comes into the room, but
the man does not own the sun or the light or the warmth it brings. The
blessings of the priesthood are infinitely greater than the one who is
asked to administer the gift.
To
receive the blessings, power, and promises of the priesthood in this
life and the next is one of the great opportunities and responsibilities
of mortality. As we are worthy, the ordinances of the priesthood enrich
our lives on earth and prepare us for the magnificent promises of the
world ahead."
Priesthood is a power that is intended to save and exalt God's children. It is "the power by which the heavens and the earth were created...the power the Savior used in His mortal ministry to perform miracles, to
bless and heal the sick, to bring the dead to life, and, as our
Father’s Only Begotten Son, to endure the unbearable pain of Gethsemane
and Calvary—thus fulfilling the laws of justice with mercy and providing
an infinite Atonement and overcoming physical death through the Resurrection." (Elder Ballard April 2013). However, it is important to recognize that the priesthood's purpose to save and exalt God's children wouldn't even be possible if it weren't for another power involved...the power of motherhood.
The purpose of the Earth's creation was so that it could be inhabited by God's children where they could be tested, tried and prepared for eternal glory with their Father. (Moses 1:39, Abraham 3:22-25, 1 Nephi 17:36, Alma 12:24). Without women (mothers), the entire creation would have been for naught, and our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation would have been frustrated. Their divine power to create life gives purpose to the plan. As Elder Oaks stated in the church's most recent general conference:
The simple point I am trying to illustrate is that we have different roles and responsibilities in God's plan, but the bottom line is that our Heavenly Father only offers 100% access and privilege to those who come to him in an authorized marriage partnership (1 Corinthians 11:11, Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4). God's greatest blessings are only available to a man and woman together. As Elder Oaks said so well, "In the eyes of God, whether in the Church or in the family, women and men are equal, with different responsibilities."
Sister Dew also said this (in her same talk referenced above): "My young sisters, some will try to persuade you that because you are not ordained to the priesthood you have been shortchanged. They are simply wrong, and they do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge “armed” with power. The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates all of the righteous against the powers of darkness. Most significantly, the fulness of the priesthood contained in the highest ordinances of the house of the Lord can only be received by a man and woman together. Said President Harold B. Lee: “Pure womanhood plus priesthood means exaltation. But womanhood without priesthood, or priesthood without pure womanhood doesn’t spell exaltation.” Sisters, we as women are not diminished by priesthood power, we are magnified by it. I know this is true, for I have experienced it again and again."
President Benson, speaking of the highest blessings offered to the children of God, explained that, "The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government where a man and woman enter into a covenant with God—just as did Adam and Eve—to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality."
We label it the "patriarchal order" because of how it was passed down, not because the blessings are mutually exclusive to the females of the species. It requires a man and a woman, with the blessings sealed upon them in the temple, to receive all of the blessings of the priesthood. One cannot receive all that God has to offer without the other.
We are all alike unto God, whether male or female (2 Nephi 26:33), and God does not love His sons any more than His daughters (or vice versa). His intent is to give us eternal life and joy through His Son Jesus Christ. The full blessings that He offers to us only come in a true marriage partnership, where husband and wife become one in purpose and ultimately one in the receipt of all available blessings. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:11, "Neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord."
My prayer is that we can recognize the different responsibilities that we have as sons and daughters of God, while also recognizing that those responsibilities ultimately lead us to the same goal... which is achieved and received together! I hope that these doctrines will not lead us to be offended and leave Him who has granted us life, and that we will understand these doctrines and continue to walk with Him on the path of eternal life. I express my gratitude for this knowledge and my witness to the truth of our Heavenly Father's plan in the name of His Holy Son, Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the Earth's creation was so that it could be inhabited by God's children where they could be tested, tried and prepared for eternal glory with their Father. (Moses 1:39, Abraham 3:22-25, 1 Nephi 17:36, Alma 12:24). Without women (mothers), the entire creation would have been for naught, and our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation would have been frustrated. Their divine power to create life gives purpose to the plan. As Elder Oaks stated in the church's most recent general conference:
"The
greatest power God has given to His sons cannot be exercised without
the companionship of one of His daughters, because only to His daughters
has God given the power “to be a creator of bodies … so that God’s
design and the Great Plan might meet fruition.” Those are the words of President J. Reuben Clark.
He
continued: “This is the place of our wives and of our mothers in the
Eternal Plan. They are not bearers of the Priesthood; they are not
charged with carrying out the duties and functions of the Priesthood;
nor are they laden with its responsibilities; they are builders and
organizers under its power, and partakers of its blessings, possessing
the complement of the Priesthood powers and possessing a function as
divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood
itself.”
Allow me to use a simple analogy to illustrate the point. Before doing so, I recognize the fallibility of analogies and that they have plenty of holes, but I hope that people will take it for its intent. This analogy is not intended to be a perfect doctrinal parallel, but simply to demonstrate the point I am trying to make.
Suppose my wife and I purchase a home in Utah as "joint tenants." We each have 100% legal right to the home, but cannot do anything with the home (mortgage, sell, etc.) without the agreement of the other. In our situation, I am the only one that signs on the actual mortgage deed which gives us the ability to purchase the home (with the associated down payment, etc.). My wife is not obligated on the mortgage, only I am. I am responsible for the repayment of the loan. However, my wife still has 100% access and legal right to the property, with the ability to enjoy all the benefits (and responsibilities) that come along with home ownership. It doesn't matter that my wife didn't sign on the mortgage, she can still enjoy all the privileges of owning the home, while both of us are obligated to counsel with one another regarding any decisions on the home and have to agree together to accomplish anything with the home.
While I am the only one who signed the mortgage, we share the mutual goal of making our house a home. The way that we work towards that goal might look different with different responsibilities for her than it will for me, but the point is that our goal is shared. We want to maintain our home and make it a place where our children can learn, grow, be happy and experience joy. My responsibilities and efforts in this goal, although they might be different than my wife's, are not more or less fulfilling than the hers. Nor is the opposite true. We are working to achieve the same purpose and receive the same joys along the journey to that purpose.
Sister Dew also said this (in her same talk referenced above): "My young sisters, some will try to persuade you that because you are not ordained to the priesthood you have been shortchanged. They are simply wrong, and they do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge “armed” with power. The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates all of the righteous against the powers of darkness. Most significantly, the fulness of the priesthood contained in the highest ordinances of the house of the Lord can only be received by a man and woman together. Said President Harold B. Lee: “Pure womanhood plus priesthood means exaltation. But womanhood without priesthood, or priesthood without pure womanhood doesn’t spell exaltation.” Sisters, we as women are not diminished by priesthood power, we are magnified by it. I know this is true, for I have experienced it again and again."
President Benson, speaking of the highest blessings offered to the children of God, explained that, "The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government where a man and woman enter into a covenant with God—just as did Adam and Eve—to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality."
We label it the "patriarchal order" because of how it was passed down, not because the blessings are mutually exclusive to the females of the species. It requires a man and a woman, with the blessings sealed upon them in the temple, to receive all of the blessings of the priesthood. One cannot receive all that God has to offer without the other.
We are all alike unto God, whether male or female (2 Nephi 26:33), and God does not love His sons any more than His daughters (or vice versa). His intent is to give us eternal life and joy through His Son Jesus Christ. The full blessings that He offers to us only come in a true marriage partnership, where husband and wife become one in purpose and ultimately one in the receipt of all available blessings. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:11, "Neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord."
My prayer is that we can recognize the different responsibilities that we have as sons and daughters of God, while also recognizing that those responsibilities ultimately lead us to the same goal... which is achieved and received together! I hope that these doctrines will not lead us to be offended and leave Him who has granted us life, and that we will understand these doctrines and continue to walk with Him on the path of eternal life. I express my gratitude for this knowledge and my witness to the truth of our Heavenly Father's plan in the name of His Holy Son, Jesus Christ.
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