Heavenly Hearsay

​Do you know what word Jesus never used during His mortal ministry (at least as recorded in the Gospels)?

"Covenant."

Feel free to check my math (I suppose Jesus came close when He used the word "testament" at the Last Supper; they have the same connotation.)

This is pretty shocking, isn't it, considering the heyday covenants are having in Church nowadays (see, Russell M. Nelson, "The Everlasting Covenant," October 2022).

On the other hand, guess what word Jesus used 41 times in the Gospels?

"Faith."

The point: Jesus preached a gospel of faith and repentance and baptism of water and fire; not a theology of covenants, conditions, and commandments.

Covenants Galore

Speaking of covenants, if you haven't read Clark Burt's latest on the subject, I highly recommend doing so; it lays out the problem better than anything else I've come across (see, "Repentance: The Lord Covenanteth With None Save it be With Them That Repent," Given By the Finger of God, March 13, 2024).

Now, don't get me wrong: I love covenants.  The Lord covenanted with Abraham and his posterity ― and He continues to covenant with those who love Him, "who will have him to be their God" (1 Nephi 17:40).

But there's a difference between the collective covenants offered to the Lord's people, and the personal covenants we receive directly from the Lord Himself.

Make no mistake, I am not talking about the covenants we attach to the temple ― not the plug-and-play covenants surrounding (1) priesthood, (2) posterity, and (3) promised lands, which I've written about before (perhaps someday we'll return to the covenants associated with Israel, which some call the Sinai covenant, because it figures prominently in the Lord's plan).

But today I'm talking to about something else: getting our own blessing from God.  How?  How do we wrestle with the Lord like Jacob, who "touched the hollow of his thigh" and whose faith declared, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Genesis 32:25-26)?

Can we secure God's blessing and obtain a covenant with God one-on-one, like Jacob?  Like Noah?  Like Enoch?  Like Melchizedek?  The type of covenant that is symbolized by the conferral of a new name?

   And he said, Thy name
   shall be called no more Jacob,
   but Israel: for as a prince
   hast thou power with God
   and with men, 
   and hast prevailed.

(Genesis 32:28)

The answer is yes, through faith, we can.  It would be sad if we went through life thinking we merely inherited the hand-me-down promises of old.  I declare in all soberness that God speaks and offers a covenant directly to His children, personally, as a Father blessing His own child.

This fact does not diminish Abraham's covenant at all, but rather honors Abraham's example, as we approach the Lord and obtain His word personally, as Abraham did, receiving a blessing upon our own heads like Lehi, by God's own voice.

   And it was delivered unto men
   by the calling of his own voice,
   according to his own will,
   unto as many as believed
   on his name.

(JST Genesis 14:30)

What did we think our faith was for?  Why did Jesus spend so much time talking about faith and about His Father?

   And every one
   that hearkeneth
   to the voice of the Spirit
   cometh unto God,
   even the Father.
   And the Father
   [who?]
   teacheth him
   of the covenant.

(D&C 84:47-48)

Now that is the sort of covenant I get excited about.

"The Night Cometh"

To understand the time-sensitive nature of mortality (because, after all, don't we have all eternity?), we need to examine Jesus's words carefully:

   I must work the works
   of him that sent me,
   while it is day:
   the night cometh
   when no man can work.

(John 9:4) 
 
There's a lot to unpack in this verse.  First and foremost, I find it interesting that Jesus did not exempt Himself from this statement.  Let that sink in.

The Lord's use of "night" is clearly a metaphor; but a metaphor for what?

There are a couple important things to remember about the "night":

   1.  Night is inevitable.  It "cometh" whether we want it to or not, whether we've been good or not.  It's coming!  Period.  There’s no avoiding it.

   2.  Knowing "night" is coming, we would be wise to prepare for it.  Isn't that what the "wise" virgins did?  They prepared with lamps and oil.

   3.  Morning is also inevitable.  Yes, that's right, let's not forget that night doesn't last forever.  The light shall break forth.  Night invariably yields to Day.

   4.  I want to be clear: Satan does not rule the night; God does.  Let's not associate "day" with good things and "night" with bad things.  It doesn't work like that.  Both are good (or bad, depending).

   5.  Nighttime is an essential part of God's Plan.  For isn't nighttime a season of growth and rest?  A time when teenagers sleep soundly in their beds, allowing their bones to grow; and for spirits to be refreshed before the next Day-cycle?

   6.  So we mustn't fear the night.  And we won't, if we are prepared.

How can we be ready for the coming night?

"When No Man Can Work"

   7.  The primary, defining characteristic of night is this: it is a time "when no man can work" (John 9:4).  But what sort of "work" is the Savior referring to?

   8.  This principle was reinforced in the Lord's parable of the virgins.  Remember the reason the foolish virgins couldn't rush off and buy oil at the market?  Simply because it was night, and the stores were closed.

   9.  Every farmer knows there is a particular season for sowing seeds in his fields.  Let's call that season "Day."  During the daytime, we sow and we water and we weed and ― if we're lucky ― we harvest.

   10.  People don't labor in the fields and prune trees during the nighttime (except the enemy, of course) (Matt. 13:25).  In fact, this is the tell-tale sign of the enemy: the fact he labors during the night, while "men slept."

   11.  Perhaps one of the adversary's greatest faults is the fact he does not respect the times and seasons (Daniel 7:25).  So we see a curious aspect of "evil": to labor at "night" ― by which I mean, to seek to secure fruit out-of-season, beyond the "times" ordained of God.

   12.  "Day," then, refers to the appointed season or time that is given by the Father for us to labor, or to obtain a blessing from Him (in other words, to enter into and receive His covenant).  For we cannot enter into His rest until we have received His Day-blessing:

   Well done, good and faithful
   servant; thou hast
   been faithful
   over a few things,
   I will make thee ruler over
   many things:
   enter thou
   into the joy
   of thy lord.

(Matt. 25:21)

To avoid confusion, I am NOT talking about having our calling and election made sure (2 Peter 1:10).  Good heavens, I just wrote about the Baptism of Fire; I need some time before jumping back into the deep end.

We're discussing something else entirely: the work of faith.  By faith we "obtain a good report," even if we have not received the promises (Hebrews 11:39).

In any event, there is nothing so tiresome as a bunch of fellows waving their "privileges" and specialness in the air, trusting in their spiritual badges, thinking it confers some sort of authority upon them.  Many are called. . . .

​Jesus never bragged about His spiritual endowments; He simply let His works speak for themselves.

   I speak not of myself:
   but the Father
   that dwelleth in me,
   he doeth the works.

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

(John 14:10-11)

A lot of folks make grandiose claims and believe they are Mighty and Strong; but listen, how many of them are raising the dead and restoring sight to the blind; how many of them are turning rivers from their course?
​
So give me faith any-day-of-the-week over the vanity of one's calling and election.  The evidence of faith will be found in the works we do ― whether they be the works of our Father.

And among all of God's works, the ones I am specifically watching for are those that bear the fruit of repentance.

What "Day" Are We Currently In?

Would it surprise you to know that not all days are the same?  Some days it rains, others have sunshine, and some days we curl up with a good book and rest.

So the question naturally arises, what Day is it?  During this mortality, what are we supposed to be doing?  What seeds need planting; and what fruit deserves preserving?

For the answer, let's turn to Amulek:

   I beseech of you
   that ye do not procrastinate
   the DAY of your repentance
   until the end;
   for after this DAY of life,
   which is given us to prepare
   for eternity, behold,
   if we do not improve our time
   while in this life,
   then cometh the NIGHT
   of darkness wherein
   there can be no labor
   performed.

(Alma 34:33)

This Day is simply one of preparation; it is divinely ordained to be a Day of Repentance.

This resolves a mystery, I think: it explains why the Lord employs servants in the vineyard when He could easily do all the work Himself (and far better than we ever could).  But there's one thing the Master cannot do Himself: repent for us.

That's the "labor" the Lord expects from us during this Day.  So while we can knock ourselves out with a thousand other concerns, let me reassure you: we're not here to solve the universe's problems or the world's problems.  That's God's work.  Our work is simply that of repentance.

In other words, this is the Season for us to prepare for the coming Night, and the only way to do so is to repent.

Why Repentance?

"Tim," someone says, "I thought this Series was about faith!  Why are you talking about covenants and repentance now?"  Well, I hate to break it to you, but I am going to add one more cannon ball into the mix.

Pop Quiz:  The glue that tied all of Jesus's teachings together was:

   a.  Tithing
   b.  The Word of Wisdom
   c.  Covenants
   d.  The Kingdom of God
   e.  Honeycomb and fish

If you answered (D), give yourself a pat on the back.  Without question, the thing that Jesus preached more than any other was the doctrine of the Kingdom:

   From that time
   Jesus began to preach,
   and to say, Repent:
   [why?] 
   for the kingdom of heaven
   is at hand.

(Matt. 4:17)

Why did Christ emphasize the Kingdom so much?  (And why don't we?)  How do faith and repentance and covenants relate to the Kingdom?

Jesus spent His ministry describing a Kingdom without borders, a non-geographic realm defined by faith.  This realm transcends time and space and matter. 

How do we enter the Kingdom?  Well, that was sort of the whole point of Christ's ministry.  Through faith and repentance.  The only way to get into the Kingdom is to be born into it.

   I say unto thee,
   Except a man be born
   of water and of the Spirit,
   he cannot enter
   into the kingdom of God.

(John 3:5)

The more I've pondered the Savior's message in the New Testament, the more convinced I become that it was all with an eye toward getting us INTO HIS KINGDOM.

This appears to be the "work" that needs to be accomplished before Nightfall, when the doors close (and the doors cannot be reopened until Dawn).

So one way to view Christ's ministry and gospel is Him being our Shepherd, leading us into the Kingdom of God.  After all, Jesus is the Door (the Gate) to the Kingdom as well as its King.

Once we're in the Kingdom (once we're citizens of it) we're able to receive covenants and promises pertaining to future estates.

The kingdom of God is a light upon a hill; not because we can see it, but because by it, we can see everything else.  (I’m paraphrasing something, but I can’t remember what).

The Straight and Narrow Path

Jesus's parables describe how the Kingdom operates, so it's not a mystery.  The Gospels are an instruction manual for how the Shepherd cares for His sheep.

And God's Kingdom looks nothing like the gentile kingdoms we're so familiar with.  Nothing drives me wild more than the fact that we're always trying to reshape God's Kingdom in the image of Babylon's worldly kingdoms.

God has no interest in ruling the world; He's interested in saving it.  That is why the chief characteristic of the Kingdom of God is faith.  

   He that believeth on me,
   believeth not on me,
   but on him that sent me
   [the Father].
   I am come a light
   into the world,
   that whosoever believeth
   on me should not
   abide in darkness.

(John 12:44, 46)

Why is Faith the foundation of God's Kingdom?  Faith leads directly to (drum roll) repentance (that shouldn't surprise anyone who has heard of the 4th Article of Faith).  As Amulek taught, faith's fruit is always going to be repentance:

   Begin to exercise your faith
   unto repentance,
   that ye begin to call
   upon his holy name,
   that he would have mercy
   upon you.

(Alma 34:17)

Repentance means "to turn" to God, and isn't that what faith is for?  It's a packaged deal.

And what is the fruit of repentance?  It's baptism (Moroni 7:25).  And the fruit of baptism?  The visitation of the Holy Ghost, which "filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth" (Moroni 7:26).

All this to say, if we exercise faith and embark upon the straight and narrow path that leads to the Tree of Life, we'll discover that faith and charity are the two bookends between which all of the other principles of the gospel are sandwiched.

   After ye have done
   all these things
   if ye turn away the needy,
   and the naked, and visit not
   the sick and afflicted,
   and impart of your substance,
   if ye have, to those
   who stand in need―
​   I say unto you. . .
   your prayer is vain,
   and availeth you nothing,
   and ye are as hypocrites
   who do deny the faith.

(Alma 34:28)

That is, incidentally, the same thing that John the Baptist taught (and the same thing that Jesus taught, for that matter).  So we can confidently summarize the most basic doctrine of the Kingdom: have faith in God and care for one another.  The rest is just gravy.

   For without faith
   it is impossible
   to please God.

(Hebrews 11:6)

I would add to that sentiment, saying, without faith it is impossible to please God no matter what else we've thrown into our spiritual and religious observances ― including the kitchen sink; including all the covenants and temples and meetings and ordinances and whatever else we throw in.

A Kingdom Unexpected

​Once we are in the Kingdom, we discover it is not what we expected.  After the dazzling Las Vegas lights of the devil's kingdom, the Kingdom of God by comparison lacks a certain je ne sais quois.

We discover that the Kingdom of God isn't as cushy as we expected.  Quite the opposite.  It lacks the perks of Babylon.  I mean, nobody expected a babe born in a humble manger (in the backwater of Bethlehem no less, far away from Rome's bustling metropolis) to be humanity's hope ― which is a perfect metaphor for the Kingdom.

Instead of being treated like royalty, the princes in the Kingdom of God act more like stable boys or shepherd girls, shoveling manure and removing burrs from wool, cleaning foot-rot from the hooves of dirty animals and sleeping on stony ground.

Did I mention it's an unpaid position?

Jesus contrasted the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world in His parable of the wise man and foolish man.

The parable describes two very different kinds of faith (Matt. 7:24-27).  But remember, both men had faith!  Don't forget that part.

They produced fruit in the sense they both built homes for their families.  I think it should be noted that the foolish man's home looked just like the wise man's; in the parable nothing distinguishes the houses.  Just their foundations.

For two thousand years we've seen the kind of ground churches in Christendom have chosen to build their houses upon.  Ignore the sand for a moment; if we just focus on the finery, on the gold and silver, sacraments and proper attire ― then it's easy to ignore the foundations (or lack thereof), when the earth is still and the winds are calm.

In the parable the Savior used the word "house."  There is rich symbolism in that word.  "House" can refer to our family clan; it can refer to our hearth; it can also refer to our bodies.

The point of the parable was to not build on a sandy spot; the foolish man's house could not stand.  What is the "sand" the Lord is warning us about?

The parable only makes sense when we place it in context; if we look at the preceding passage that comes immediately before the parable, it will be quite eye-opening:

​   Many will say to me
   in that day, Lord, Lord,
   have we not prophesied
   in thy name? and in thy name
   have cast out devils?
   and in thy name done many
   wonderful works?

   And then will I profess
   unto them, I never knew you:
   depart from me,
   ye that work iniquity.

(Matt. 7:22-23)

The "sandy" foundation, then, appears to be all the "wonderful works" we've done.  Huh.  That's odd, isn't it?  Did you notice how many times the wicked servant invoked his Lord's name?  So we see the servant's faith stemmed primarily from the belief that he had authority to work in Christ's name.

Nothing describes the kingdoms of this world better than (1) unrighteous dominion and (2) the love of money.

Ask yourself: In whose kingdom are we?  The easiest way to tell is to follow the money, which I call Mammon's Law.

I'll conclude with Hugh Nibley's words, which he spoke at the height of the Vietnam War and at the tail end of the cultural revolution of the 1960s:

"The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence of proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism.

"The haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances."

(Hugh Nibley, Joseph Smith Lecture Series, 1972-73, "What is Zion?")

When our faith is swayed by appearances, that is an indication we stand upon sand.

For God's "royal army" acts neither royal nor as an army. 

[This post grew like Jack's beanstalk: more than expected.  I apologize for its length.  Pace yourself?  Stretch first?  Wear comfortable shoes?  Anyway, I decided not to split it up into multiple posts because I wanted to keep the threads together in one place.  Love to you all, and may the Lord's grace abound as you read it. Tim]

Campfire Stories

Lately I've come across a lot of discussions online about the baptism of fire (yes, online, since this topic doesn't come up at Church).

There are people who seem obsessed with it.  They're encouraging others to "get it" ― as if it were as simple as heading down to the local gas station and filling up our tank with God's fiery fuel.  Listening to them speak, I'd expect the baptism of fire to be the most important thing in the world.

Look, I generally don't get involved in other people's doctrinal foci (heaven knows I've got enough of them myself to deal with).  But I have found little wisdom in what is being said online, so here I am, entering the fray like a fool.

I have not written about the baptism of fire before.  The reason is simple: I don't think much needs to be said on the subject.  Why?  Because, frankly, the baptism of fire is something that happens of its own accord ― like puberty.

Just think of the Lamanites who were baptized with fire and "knew it not" (3 Nephi 9:20).  Likewise, many of us received the baptism of fire and didn't even realize it ― until one day someone remarks, "Your voice is different.  Is that stubble on your chin?"  

As a rule of thumb, I always try to keep an open mind when it comes to the workings of the Lord: He works through a diversity of operations.  There is no "one right way" or single recipe for how He does things.  Yes, He operates through patterns and promises; and yes, there is a straight and narrow path: but it's not an assembly line.  We are all different; the path is divinely tailored for each individual's needs and capacity.

In other words, the universal "standard" is merely to walk with God; He'll handle the details and travel arrangements.  Anyone walking with God is on the straight and narrow path, period (regardless of what the scenery looks like, or what religion they belong to).

Take, for example, the novelty of Adam's baptism.  He was caught away by the Spirit and laid in the water.  See, who are we to judge another's baptism?

   And thus Adam was baptized,
   and the Spirit of God
   descended upon him,
   and thus he was born of the Spirit,
   and became quickened
   in the inner man.

   And Adam heard a voice
   out of heaven, saying:
   Thou art baptized with fire,
   and with the Holy Ghost.
   This is the record of the Father,
   and the Son, from henceforth
   and forever.

(Moses 6:65-66)

Those two verses teach us everything we need to know about the baptism of fire.  I hope we'll see in this post that, indeed, the record of the Father is true.

​  And it is in you.

In Plain Sight

The baptism of fire is a basic part of the gospel plan.  It is not a particularly deep doctrine; those who would like us to believe it is mysterious, and to believe we are special if we have received it, are just preaching vanity.

The Lord Himself included the baptism of fire in His definition of the gospel:

   And THIS is my gospel―
   repentance
   and baptism by water, and then
   cometh the baptism of fire
   and the Holy Ghost,
   even the Comforter,
   which showeth all things, and
   teacheth the peaceable things
   of the kingdom.

(D&C 39:6)

So this belongs in the Doctrine of Christ.  All of the heavy-hitters who have preached the gospel of Jesus Christ have written about the baptism of fire in some capacity; for example:

John the Baptist:

   I indeed baptize you with water
   unto repentance, but he
   shall baptize you
   with the Holy Ghost,
   and with fire.

(Matt. 3:11)

I think it is noteworthy that the baptism of fire is specifically part of the Lord's ministry.  I believe He takes a "hands-on" approach.

Nephi:

   The voice of the Son unto me,
   saying: After ye have repented
   of your sins, and witnessed
   unto the Father that ye
   are willing to keep
   my commandments,
   by the baptism of water,
   and have received
   the baptism of fire
   and of the Holy Ghost. . . .

(2 Nephi 31:14)

Joseph Smith:

"The baptism of water with the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it ― all three are necessary and inseparably connected.  There is one God, one Father, one Jesus, one hope of our calling, one baptism; that is, all three baptisms make one." (Joseph Smith, April 7, 1844, Nauvoo; DHC 6:316-7)

Thus we see this isn't some esoteric, fringe doctrine; there are no masonic rites associated with it.  Chances are, if you are reading this, you have received your baptism of fire.  Congratulations!  Now let's get back to work.

Don't Shy Away From the Mysteries

Even if we consider the baptism of a fire to be one of the "mysteries of godliness," it is certainly not a well-kept secret.  ​The Savior promised:

   I will reveal all mysteries,
   yea, all the hidden mysteries
   of my kingdom from days of old.
   Yea, even the wonders
   of eternity shall they know.

(D&C 76:7-8)

The early part of this dispensation was marked by childlike curiosity, an innocent desire to peek into heaven and see what the Lord was up to.  James One-Five was our motto.

   And if thou wilt inquire,
   thou shalt know mysteries
   which are great and marvelous;
   therefore thou shalt exercise
   thy gift, that thou mayest
   find out mysteries,
   that thou mayest bring many
   to the knowledge of the truth.

(D&C 6:11)

One of the neglected spiritual gifts is to know and "find out mysteries."  That is a pretty cool gift, in my opinion, and would come in handy as we navigate the mists of mortality.

But I have observed that it is one thing to know the mysteries of God, and quite another to be able to teach them plainly.  Few possess the plainness of Nephi, sadly.

Most of what I have heard on the subject of the baptism of fire has not been very helpful; in fact, much of it has been dreadful (which is unsurprising, considering the internet is not a great source for finding out God's mysteries) (but admit it: we've all tried!).

Lucky for us, at the last day we will all be judged out of the books ― not the blogs ― that have been written.  So feel free to sift through my words and keep whatever you deem worthy, and cast the rest to the wind.

Perhaps someday when we're all in heaven, waiting for the calluses on our fingertips to heal from playing the harp in our Rock Band (named for Him who is our Rock, of course), we can attempt to systematize this material into a lesson for the angel's Sunday School.

Until then this will have to do as my contribution to the subject.  I daresay this post will either delight you or bore you to tears.

   Here we go.

One Plus One Equals Three?

It will help if we understand the concept that 1+1=3.

For example, if we have the color blue and yellow, how many colors do we have?  Two?  Well, yes, technically.

But because we have the potential to combine the two colors in order to create a third color (green), we actually have THREE colors.

This is the principle of emergence.  Emergence occurs in all complex systems.  When we blend two distinct things, we create a third thing.  This new thing bears the properties of the originating two ― but (here's the important part) it also exhibits characteristics that are uniquely its own.  This is what makes the third thing "emergent" rather than just "resultant."

As another illustration, take day and night.  There is a time when it is neither day nor night, but both.  We call it twilight ("TWI" = two; "LIGHT" = light).

For now, just remember that when there are two things, we have the potential for three (or more).

This principle is going to be very important as we proceed; it was taught in the Lectures on Faith in a way that has caused a lot of confusion.

In the Fifth Lecture, the early leaders wrote that the Son possesses "the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit" (5:2).

Since I promised plainness, let me say it (even though it may sound odd): the Holy Spirit is the emergent (not resultant) entity that arises from the union of the Father and the Son. 1+1=3.  The Godhead is far more than we dreamt; and because it is a mystery, we've been taught a lot of nonsense about the Holy Ghost that is best forgotten. 

Now, the surprising thing is that this same pattern we see among the Father and the Son is replicated in each person created in Their image ― which is another mystery that has attracted a lot of foolishness as people teach that means to be created in humanoid form. (Apologies to those in heaven.)  Oh well.

Once the groundwork is laid, I believe it will be obvious that we all possess the attributes of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In this way we were created "in the image of God" ― not because we're bipedal mammals with high intelligence and male/female sex organs.

   But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Mind and Intelligence

For several years I have tried to teach something about the nature of intelligence.  "The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth" (D&C 93:36).  I haven't done a very good job at explaining what intelligence is (it would be stating the obvious to point out I am not the most qualified for the task.  I only entered the ring because attendance was low and I didn't want the circus animals to get lonely).

Some equate "intelligence" with our spirits (or mind); others with a kind of prenatal spiritual matter that was unindividuated and unconscious, and then shaped into spirit bodies through a premortal process.  (If you're keeping score, Joseph Smith believed the former; he never taught spirit-body-birth, or spiritual procreation, which was a decidedly-Brigham doctrine.)

If we turn to the scriptures, we find the doctrine of "intelligence" to be a unique feature of LDS theology.  The irony is that "intelligence" is the key to understanding the doctrine of the Godhood that has baffled Christianity from the beginning (looking at you, Nicene).

Our latter-day scriptures teach that "intelligence" was "not created or made, neither indeed can be" (D&C 93:29).  That statement, if true, is astounding in its implications ― because it would entail the fact that you and I were not created or made.  If that is so, we are uncreated, eternal beings seeking to be "added upon." 

Added upon with what, exactly?  With greater glory.

This is what we learn in the Book of Abraham.  The Lord devised a plan whereby "they who keep their first estate shall be added upon" (Abraham 3:26).  Whereas those who followed Lucifer and kept not their first estate "shall not have glory in the same kingdom" as those who received physical bodies.

Interestingly, the cycle continues in the same way after the second estate: "they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads" (Abraham 3:26).

If your eyes have glazed over, let's start over.  What is the "light of truth" (D&C 93:29), precisely?  Just to be clear:

   Intelligence = the light OF truth (D&C 93:29).

   Intelligence/Glory = light AND truth (D&C 93:36)

The Lord indicated "if there are two spirits, one shall be more intelligent than the other" (Abraham 3:18).  This has always perplexed me, this notion that intelligences are unequal, when God's work is specifically to make us equal, as "one."

But how?  How does God stand in the midst of inferior intelligences and bring them up to His level?  The way God makes uncreated intelligences of various levels "equal" is to add glory upon them.

   And the glory of the celestial
   is one, even as the
   glory of the sun is one.

(D&C 76:96)

For now, just remember that glory is shared among divine beings.

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

(John 17:22)

There was a lot of ink spilled 100 years ago on this topic, thanks to B.H. Roberts (we don't delve into metaphysics much at Church anymore); they argued over whether "intelligence" is the same as the plural "intelligences" we find in Abraham.

   Now the Lord had shown
   unto me, Abraham,
   the intelligences
   that were organized
   before the world was;
   and among all these
   there were many 
   of the noble and great ones.

(Abraham 3:22)

​Notice it says that the intelligences were "organized."  If you accept the proposition that we were uncreated intelligence in the beginning, then being "organized" would not speak to our spirit bodies or nature, but to being organized into community.

Organized, I presume, into families.

The Elements: Batteries Not Included

I am moving quickly and this is a very cursory treatment of the subject, but I presume you are familiar with the issues.  Joseph taught:

"God had materials to organize the world out of chaos; chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory.

"Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element, are principles that can never be destroyed. They may be organized and re-organized; but not destroyed."

(Joseph Smith, Discourse, 7 April 1844, as published in Times and Seasons, p. 615, The Joseph Smith Papers.)

Watch now, we're going to make some leaps.  The way spirits obtain glory is to fuse themselves (meld themselves) with elemental matter.  The way God gives us glory is to engender our spirits with elemental matter through a series of births and rebirths.  When such a union becomes permanent (in the resurrection, for example) our joy becomes full at last.

Joseph: "God [found] himself in the midst of spirits and glory."

See two distinct things, there?  (1) Spirits and (2) glory (which we know is housed in elemental matter).  We have two things!  So we begin looking for an emergent Third.

For our purposes here, let's just say the universe is composed of two fundamental things: (1) spirit matter and (2) elemental matter.

   There is no such thing
   as immaterial matter.
   All spirit is matter,
   but it is more fine or pure,
   and can only be discerned
   by purer eyes;
   We cannot see it,
   but when our bodies
   are purified
   we shall see it is all matter.

(D&C 131:8)

Now that we know what the universe is made of, we can begin to comprehend the forces by which spirit and elements interact.  Faith is the bridge between them.

Faith is the force that binds spirit and element, by which intelligence (glory) increases when the two become infused.  Both uncreated intelligence and eternal elemental matter are endless; what is NOT endless, however, is their ability to stay joined, or to be "one."

The power of life (of eternal life, specifically) is the ability to seal together, inseparably, spirit and element ― but there's a catch.  The joining cannot be compelled; it must be without coercion, compulsion, or force of any kind.

This is the tricky part: the union of spirit and element must be enticed, not forced.  Their joining must be willing, arising without compulsory means.  Faith brings them together; charity keeps them joined.

Jesus's spirit is in all things, including us (D&C 88:41).  Jesus's spirit (His intelligence) is so great that it spreads throughout all of the elemental matter in our universe, including our physical bodies that have been formed from the dust of this earth's elemental substance (His footstool).  

I share this to point out that our glory is limited only by the amount of God's glory we can comprehend; the greater amount of God's glory we are able to absorb into our elemental form, the greater our intelligence.  Some day our spirit shall encompass planets and stars as easily as it does this mortal coil, 6 feet tall and a few hundred pounds.

Read the following verses in this context:

   The sun giveth his light by day,
   and the moon giveth her light
   by night, and the stars also
   give their light, as they roll
   upon their wings in their glory,
   in the midst of the power of God.

   Unto what shall I liken these
   kingdoms, that ye may
   understand?

   Behold, all these are kingdoms,
   and any man who hath seen
   any or the least of these
   hath seen God moving
   in his majesty and power.

(D&C 88:45-47)

In case we thought the Lord was being hyperbolic, He emphasizes the fact we have seen Him:

   I say unto you,
   he hath seen him (!)
   nevertheless, he who came
   unto his own
   was not comprehended.

(D&C 88:48)

Standing in God's Presence Without Being Consumed to a Crisp

There's a very good reason we are not in God's presence and have a veil between us.  It is because we would be consumed and die in His presence.  By "die" I mean our spirits would be jolted out of our physical bodies, causing our bodies to die (though our bodies cannot be destroyed, true; they can, however, decay and decompose and return to their constituent elemental parts).  

​But why would we die before God's brightness?  Think of lightning striking your house, surging electricity through your home's wiring circuits.  (This is why we have our computers plugged in to surge protectors.) 

By crude analogy, a similar thing happens to our spirits in His presence if we are unsanctified.  If God were to pour His glory into us it would burst the brittle wine-bag of our flesh, since our spirits would be unable to hold their grip on our bodies under such spiritual force.  It would fry our spiritual switchboard.  We would flee these flimsy bodies and beg the mountains to cover us, seeking shelter from His glory.  (The solution?  Have God come down as a man without His glory.  We call it "the condescension of God.")

When we're resurrected, our bodies will not be made of different elements (still the same atoms and elements out there), just as Jesus proved when He showed his body of flesh and bone to His disciples.  In other words, don't expect to be a better person in the resurrection just because we've got a new body.  For Alma taught the same spirit which possesses our body here will possess our body there.  And in the resurrection we get the best-possible body that our spirits are able to handle.

In other words, in the resurrection we'll be given a body with the maximal amount of glory our spirits are able to remain connected to without flipping the breaker circuit.

This explains the confusion over whether there's progression between kingdoms; how I wish we'd stop thinking of kingdoms geographically, as places.  The kingdom we inhabit (or "dominion") is nothing more or less than the body we can govern; hence, here in the telestial kingdom, our bodies possess a degree of glory (but not the fulness) commensurate with our spiritual development.

In Christ's case, His kingdom (dominion) spans the known universe; in my case, I can barely make my body get out of bed in the morning without a jolt of bacon grease and orange juice.

If all of this was confusing (sorry), please read the following verse, but replace the word "dominion" with "bodies":

   Then shall thy confidence
   wax strong in the presence
   of God

Our confidence derives from the fact we aren't consumed in the brightness of His glory like a box of Cornflakes doused in kerosene.  Why are we able to endure His presence?  Because our spirits can retain their connection to our bodies in the presence of One whose glory far exceeds our own.

   and the doctrine
   of the priesthood
   shall distil upon thy soul
   as the dews from heaven

Remember what our "soul" is?  "The spirit AND body [so spirit and element] are the soul of man" (D&C 88:15).  This is fascinating, I think, to see that the priesthood of God has a physiological as well as spiritual dimension.

   The Holy Ghost shall be
   thy constant companion,
   and thy scepter
   an unchanging scepter
   of righteousness
   and truth; and
   thy dominion . . .

Okay, we made it to "dominion."

   shall be an everlasting
   dominion, and without
   compulsory means
   it shall flow unto thee
   forever and ever.

(D&C 121:45-46)

So even if we lay down our physical bodies, under the doctrine of the priesthood (not the version we are taught at Church), we shall be able to take up again our bodies "forever and ever."

"But Tim!" someone says, "I thought we were going to learn about the baptism of fire.  What does this have to do with that?"

   Glad you asked!

Brains of the Operation

We each possess a neural network in our physical brains that contains something called "the associative processing system" (sounds like something we'd find in a 1990s Microsoft motherboard, right?).

This processing system is the way our brain navigates and understands what is happening in real-time ― now, at this exact moment ― using previously-stored life experiences (and you know, emotional baggage).  Consider the fact that our spirits need some means of physical expression and perception; that's the whole point: intelligence increases (glories upon glories) as our spirits are able to tame the elemental creation, establishing a greater dominion.

But there’s an interesting wrinke: our associative processing system is mostly non-conscious.  It is working behind-the-scenes, constantly feeding data to our prefrontal cortex.  This all happens faster-than-thought; we aren't aware of the trillions of operations occurring in our brains each minute.

Yes, you read that correctly: trillions.  An estimated six trillion operations per minute is the speed with which our brains function.  Isn't that remarkable?  Neuroscience really is a marvel; how glorious is the temple of our God!  Picture the minds of His children connecting in a sort of spiritual, neural network across time and cosmos, becoming one: past, present and future.  This is the Holy Spirit.  This is the Record of Heaven.

Anyway, I explain this to give some context to the following statement: "Scientists estimate 90% of our thinking, feeling, judging and acting is driven by our non-conscious automatic processes."
 
This statement raises profound implications.  How are we "judged according to [our] works" (Alma 41:3) when those works are performed primarily in a non-volitional state?

Are we only judged for willful conduct?  How would we even begin to draw a line around what is "willful" when so much of what we "think" and "do" is the consequence of unconscious, biological factors?  (If you have trouble believing our personality is largely a function of our biology, just look at mind-altering drugs and antipsychotics.)

Why is this significant?  Well, it has massive implications for "sin," for starters.  What is sin?  This all strikes at the heart of the question: Who are we?  What makes us the way we are, and do the things we do?  Are we able to change our fundamental nature?

  And if so, how?

Free Agents

Agency is closely associated with intelligence (not talking about our IQ, but our eternal nature, which becomes "divine" when we receive the Holy Ghost).

The law of divine agency used to be emphasized a lot more in the Church than it is today ― back when we talked about "next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man" (David O. McKay, Conference Report, Apr. 1950, p. 32). 

Agency is the power to act, versus the opposite, to be acted upon.

Now imagine what it means to be "acted upon" by ourselves.  This is the meaning of the scriptural terms "flesh" or "natural man."  And my favorite, to be "carnally-minded" (2 Nephi 9:39).

Our spirits desire to direct our physical bodies, but often they have trouble getting through all the chemical reactions and electrical charges in our braincells, wrangling the hormones and physical impulses.  There's a lot of physical "noise pollution" that makes hearing the voice of the Mind (yes, in the Lectures on Faith they actually capitalize it like in a sci-fi novel), or Spirit of God, difficult.

But here's my overarching point: the work of the Spirit is simply to entice our internal physical hardwiring to become more susceptible to the light of truth.

It's not easy; our neural networks have been shaped and reinforced for many years; we've laid a lot of tracks that have become deep wagon-wheel ruts in our brains ― so blazing new trails requires help.  We are stuck.  In a way, we are captives of our own bodies.

This gives new insight into Amulek's chilling statement (riffing on Jacob's monsters, death and hell), when we see our predicament is physical as well as spiritual:

   All mankind
   must unavoidably perish;
   yea, all are hardened;
   yea, all are fallen
   and are lost,
   and must perish
   except it be
   through the atonement.

(Alma 34:9)

Enter: Christ.  Yes, that's right: Jesus provides divine intervention for all of us.  "But Tim," someone says, "Not in my case.  I've never seen a vision, or been visited by an angel ― much less seen the Lord.  And besides, I'm Buddhist."  Doesn't matter!

But I am not kidding.  God's program was genius.  As part of our hardwiring, we each enter into this world and receive bodies of elemental matter that are connected to God, being infused with the light of Christ as part of His dominion.   Whatever our culture ― whether we're born in China three thousand years ago or live today in the Jell-O Belt of the Wasatch mountains ― the test is identical: will we "heed" the inner light, or Spirit, that is in us?

Do you see, now, why Lucifer and his fallen angels COULD NOT have received physical bodies?  It was not a punishment so much as it was a consequence of their desire to have nothing to do with Christ, since the bodies of all those who enter into this world are drenched in Him and His light.

​One of the upshots of this is that little children "are redeemed from the foundation of the world through Mine Only Begotten" (D&C 29:47).

But Satan saunters up to us (who have reached the age of accountability) and seeks to "taketh away light and truth" (D&C 93:39).  
How does the devil siphon away our light?  "Through disobedience" (D&C 93:39).  But disobedience to what?  Our parents?  No.  Our leaders?  No.  Our light of Christ?  Yes!

   Happy is he
   that condemneth
   not himself
   in that thing
   which he alloweth.

(Romans 14:22)

At the end of the day, "sin" is to do what we know, deep down, to be wrong.  Not because we were told so, but because the Spirit in us knows-so.  Thus we see the subjective nature of sin; what is sinful for one person may not be for another, and vice-versa.  This explains Paul's curious saying:

   All things are lawful
   for me, but all things
   are not expedient:
   all things are lawful
   for me, but all things
   edify not.

(1 Cor. 10:23)

There's small lower-case "sin" and then there's the Sin Against the Holy Ghost.  When we remember 'the Holy Ghost' is referring to us (more on this in a moment), it shows there comes a point of disobedience at which even God cannot reconcile our spirit to His.  Jesus Himself, our loving Lord, taught something so awful it makes me shudder whenever I read it:

   He that shall blaspheme
   against the Holy Ghost
   hath never forgiveness,
   but is in danger
   of eternal damnation.

(Mark 3:29)

The Mind-Body Problem

Picture an old telephone operator’s switchboard, with wires going every-which-way.  Our current physical wiring dictates, to a large measure, how we see the world and how we live in it.

Nobody wants to cruise through life on "autopilot."  Nobody wants to believe their personalities and decisions are a product of synapses and cells and hormone clusters.

So we have to ask: is it possible to retrain our associative processing system to become more Christlike?

The principle of faith is situated squarely in the Mind-Body Problem (and I suspect may hold the key to its solution).

If you're not familiar with the Mind-Body Problem, just know for now it is something nobody has been able to solve: that is, the relationship between our mind (consciousness) and our physical body.

Not even our best scientists and philosophers can figure out how our "mind" (spirit) functions in tandem with our brains.

The apostle Paul hinted at the problem when he said his "flesh" made him do things he did not want to do (see Romans 7:18-24).

Paul went so far as to describe the relationship between his body and inward mind as "war" (Rom. 7:23).

"Warring" members is a strong verb to use.  Was Paul saying that our spirits and bodies are enemies?  Are we at war with ourselves?  What is the resolution to the enmity between the natural man and the Spirit of God?

​​Paul taught the way we reconcile ourselves with ourselves (yes, you read that correctly), and to God, is through the Holy Ghost "renewing" our minds.
 
   Be ye transformed
   by the renewing of your mind,
   that ye may prove
   what is that good,
   and acceptable,
   and perfect,
   will of God.
 
(Romans 12:2)

This verse contains several pearls of great price.  First, the answer is, yes, it IS possible to be "transformed."  The way we transform our sinful nature into a Christlike one is through (here's the clincher) "the renewing of our mind."

Only a mind that is "renewed" is able to discern, apparently, what is "good" and "acceptable" to God.  Why is that?  Because a renewed mind is connected to God's Mind; and so you know you're not operating based on a case of indigestion or devilish deception.

So this is certainly important!  You're probably wondering, "Okay, sounds good.  How do we renew our minds?"

We'll go to Ephesians to see Paul's explanation, where he shows us what he means to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind":

   Put off your old self,
   which is being corrupted
   by its deceitful desires;
   to be made new
   in the attitude
   of your minds;

   and to put on the new self,
   created to be like God
   in true righteousness
   and holiness.

(Eph. 4:22-23, NIV)

That's all well-and-good, Paul, but we want practical, step-by-step instructions on how to become "new."

Okay, I aim to please.  Let me tell a story to see if it can become clearer.  (And yes, I haven't forgotten that this is all leading to the baptism of fire.)​

Johnny and Suzy: A Case Study in Opposites

As we've seen, the way we figure out God's will is through the "renewing our minds" by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, God's will is manifest as we allow our faith in Him to rewire our preconceived beliefs, notions, prejudices, temperament, and habits.  (Sounds like repentance, doesn't it?)  Good.
 
Pretend little Johnny grows up as a Seventh Day Adventist.  His parents were very strict about Sabbath worship.  A critical, essential part of his religious identity was worshipping on Saturday, not Sunday.
 
Little Johnny grew up into a fine young man.  But his mind, still, is firmly hard-wired to embrace Saturday-as-the-Sabbath; in fact, his mind is quite judgmental towards those who believe it's okay to worship on Sunday.  He thinks those folks are sinning.

We see that his brain has been conditioned and reinforced to accept God's will is a fait accompli, unchangeable as the concrete "commandments" he grew up with.

You know, we're all a little like Johnny, carrying around brain-chemistry that has calcified the false notions and beliefs of our childhood and youth like plaque in our arteries.  Christ's blood has trouble pumping through such clogged veins.  As adults, we desperately to be "renewed" and refreshed!
 
One Sunday (yes, on Sunday, which is just another day of the week for him), while reading Romans Chapter 14, the Spirit of God brushes up against Johnny's mind as he sips a root-beer float at the local Soda Shoppe.  (I told you he's a good boy; he's studying his Bible during his lunch break!)

Driving by in a car on her way to Church is a young woman named Suzy.  She sees Johnny through the picture windows of the Soda Shoppe, sipping his root-beer, and feels a hint of judgment enter her mind, that Johnny is sinning and breaking the Sunday-Sabbath.
 
Back to Johnny.  With his Bible open, he reads the apostle Paul testify (in the New Living Translation, since that is what he was raised with) that:
 
   I know and am convinced
   on the authority
   of the Lord Jesus
   that no food,
   in and of itself,
   is wrong to eat.
 
   In the same way,
   some think one day
   is more holy than another day,
   while others think
   every day is alike.

   Those who worship
   the Lord on a special day
   do it to honor him.
   So let’s stop condemning
   each other.

   For the Kingdom of God
   is not a matter of what
   we eat or drink,
   but of living a life
   of goodness
   and peace
   and joy
   in the Holy Spirit.
 
(Romans 14:14, 3, 5-6, 13, 17, NLT)
 
Here is the crucial moment.  This is what matters: will Johnny allow his mind to be renewed and enticed by the Holy Spirit ― which is whispering that God's okay with him worshipping on any day he pleases (even if it will break his parents' hearts) ― or will he reject the intimations of the Holy Spirit and settle on his old ways?

   Here is the agency of man,
   and here is the condemnation
   of man; because that
   which was from the beginning
   is plainly manifest unto them,
   and they receive not the light.
   And every man whose spirit
   receiveth not the light
   is under condemnation.

(D&C 93:31-32)

Meanwhile, Suzy is in her young women's class at the LDS chapel, and they're studying Romans 14.  She reads the same text as Johnny.

Suzy raises her hand, "Sister Smith," she asks her leader, "Paul says here that no food or drink, in and of itself, is wrong.  So why can't I drink coffee?"

Sister Smith responds, "Suzy dear, we have living prophets to guide us."

Notice: in what direction did Sister Smith point Suzy?  Did she point her toward the light of Christ and voice of the Spirit (which we call "the word of God")?

And so Suzy, abstaining from coffee, thinks herself justified, while her mind remains unrenewed.

But the angels rejoice over Johnny, who goes home and tells his parents, "Mom and Dad, I love you.  Today the Spirit has taught me that God's will for me does not depend on keeping a holy day, but in keeping His holiness with me always."

While Suzy grew up and had many children, who overheard her many times chastise the "evil coffee drinkers."

Ask yourself: whose mind did expand (Alma 32:34)?

Enticement

For the record, I have never drank coffee (although I love its smell).  Why?  Why would I refrain from doing something in which I see no wrong?  The answer is simple; as Paul wrote:

   Let no man put
   a stumbling-block
   or an occasion to fall
   in his brother's way.

   For if thy brother be grieved
   with thy meat,
   how walkest thou
   charitably?

(Romans 14:13, 15)

So long as I belong to a faith community that eschews coffee, I will "walk charitably" and seek to give no offense.

I feel the same way about tithing.  All of you know how I feel about tithing (don't get me started!).  I have written extensively on the subject on this blog.

But I still pay tithing with a clear conscience to the Church.  And I have absolutely no qualms towards those of you who choose to not pay tithing.

If you're wondering how I am able to pay tithing and sleep at night, when I know the way the Church treats tithing grieves the Lord deeply, I'll tell you the reason.

For several years I wrestled with what to do, personally, with tithing.  I counseled with my wife about it (since my decision also affects her).  I have never been the sort to play the authority-card, or the God-told-me-so-card.  I think the Lord wants us to be easily entreated, so I met repeatedly with my bishop and Stake President trying to help them understand the law of tithing from my point of view (that's a story for another day).

I prayed and asked the Lord for direction (seeking to have my "mind renewed") with a willing heart to do whatever the Lord required, no matter the consequences.  I was prepared to turn over my temple recommend.  Because the only thing that matters to me is being true to God.  And the Lord has been pretty clear with me about the evils of priestcraft in our midst.

Then, as I drove around the neighborhood one sleepless night, the voice of His Spirit whispered to me:

   Resist not evil: 
   And whosover
   shall compel thee
   to go a mile,
   go with him twain.

(Matt. 5:39, 41)

The words were accompanied by a strong impression that if I stopped paying tithing, the Lord was absolutely fine with that; but if I chose the path of submission to unrighteousness (as He had), He would bless me ten fold.  Whichever decision I made (He was leaving it up to me), He would approve.

I apologize for the personal trip down memory lane.  I just wanted to point out that the Holy Spirit entices us constantly.  There are layers upon layers of nuance to the complexity of human affairs.  I reflect often on the strange cultural rift created by the COVID vaccine, how divisive it became.  I remembered Paul's counsel, to do whatever we do unto the Lord, and allow others the same privilege.  For the kingdom is more than food and drink and vaccinations.

The Lord's Spirit is always with us:

   Yield to the enticings
   of the Holy Spirit,
   and putteth off
   the natural man.

(Mosiah 3:19)

But neither Satan nor the Spirit can force or compel us.

What is the Baptism of Fire?

Maybe you've noticed I haven't commented on the symbolism of fire: how it heats, consumes, cleanses, and lights; how it is one of the four classical elements (along with earth, water and air); how anciently fire was associated with the constellation of Leo, the lion; and how it is prophesied the elements shall melt with fire's fervent heat at the Lord's return.

Fire is an apt metaphor.  Especially since fire is associated with love and passion.  Nephi said:

   He hath filled me
   with his love,
   even unto the consuming
   of my flesh.

(2 Nephi 4:21)

It's interesting that there are three baptisms that only make one (water, spirit, and fire), just as there are three Gods who only make one (Father, Son and Holy Ghost).

Let's return now to what we read at the beginning regarding Adam's baptism:

   And thus Adam was baptized,
   and the Spirit of God
   descended upon him,
   and thus he was born
   of the Spirit,
   and became QUICKENED
   IN THE INNER MAN.

   And Adam heard a voice
   out of heaven, saying:
   Thou art baptized with fire,
   and with the Holy Ghost.
   This is the record of the Father,
   and the Son, from henceforth
   and forever.

(Moses 6:65-66)

​What does it mean to be "quickened in the inner man"?  I want to suggest that the baptism of fire is the sign of this quickening.

It's that simple.  The baptism of fire is the quickening of the "inner" man, awakening us to the Record of the Father (the Holy Ghost).

A babe is "quickened" in its mother's womb and begins to kick; we are quickened spiritually when we begin to perceive (hear) the voice of God.

My favorite illustration of this are the Lamanites in Helaman 5; what did their baptism of fire allow them to do?  To hear God's voice!

   When they heard this voice,
   and beheld that it was
   not a voice of thunder,
   neither was it a voice
   of a great tumultuous noise,
   but behold, it was a still voice
   of perfect mildness,
   as if it had been a whisper,
   and it did pierce
   even to the very soul.

(Helaman 5:30)

And being encircled about in fire, what does it say happened to the Lamanites?

   They were . . . full of glory.
   And the Holy Spirit of God
   did come down from heaven,
   and did enter into their hearts.

(Helaman 5:44-45)

Good; and the culmination of their spiritual awakening was to hear God speak directly to them, personally:

   There came a voice unto them,
   yea, a pleasant voice,
   as if it were a whisper, saying:
   Peace, peace be unto you,
   because of your faith
   in my Well Beloved.

(Helaman 5:46-47)

All this, and the Lamanites "knew not" that they had been baptized in fire.

Conclusion

What does the baptism of fire signify?  That a lock has been opened; that our uncreated intelligences and physical bodies have yielded to God's Spirit, and now, as one, are able to commune with the Holy Spirit unto the renewing of our minds and the sanctification of our bodies.

This is the doctrine of the priesthood, that such:

   are sanctified
   by the Spirit
   unto the renewing
   of their bodies.

(D&C 84:33)

And some day, in and through Christ Jesus, we shall attain unto the resurrection of the dead, when the Father (you) and the Son (your flesh) and the Holy Ghost (your Mind) become one.

If that sounds like heresy, please consider the following:

   Behold, I come unto my own . . .
   to do the will both of the Father
​   and of the Son―
   of the Father because of me,
   and of the Son
   because of my flesh.

(3 Nephi 1:14)

Jesus was the Father and the Son, and what does it mean for the Spirit to "bear record" of Him?  Now we comprehend. 

This verse might make more sense now:

   And after this manner
   shall ye baptize in my name;
   for behold, verily I say
   unto you, that the Father,
   and the Son, and the Holy Ghost
   are one; and I am in the Father,
   and the Father in me,
   and the Father and I are one.

(3 Nephi 11:27)

And these words:

   And because he dwelleth
   in flesh he shall be called
   the Son of God,
   and having subjected
   the flesh to the will
   of the Father, being
   the Father and the Son―

   The Father, because
   he was conceived
   by the power of God;
   and the Son,
   because of the flesh;
   thus becoming the Father
   and Son―

   And thus the flesh
   becoming subject
   to the Spirit,
   or the Son to the Father,
   being one God,
   they are one God, yea,
   the very Eternal Father.

(Mosiah 2-3, 5, 4)

"Wait! Tim, I thought we believed the Son and Father were separate Personages.  Do you believe in modalism?"

No, no.  This is not modalism.  There are two distinct Persons, whom we both call Father.  The Father we know as Jesus Christ (by nature and by parentage) and His Father and His God, are two Fathers.  And remember, a third there will always be when two are joined.  We can become One with Them.

What I believe is that we each have the potential to become the Father and the Son, being in God's image: creatures of spirit and flesh, from which the glory of the Holy Spirit emerges, so that our voices are added to the heavenly Record.

The baptism of fire is Their welcome to the Conversation.​

Part 1:  A Faith Beyond
Part 2: A Faith Beyond
Part 3: A Faith Beyond
Part 4: A Faith Beyond
Part 5: A Faith Beyond
Part 6: A Faith Beyond
Part 7: A Faith Beyond
Part 8: A Faith Beyond
Part 9: A Faith Beyond
Part 10: A Faith Beyond
Part 10.5: On Occasion of My 45th Birthday

​Mind Over Matter

Faith is often replaced with (and mistaken for) sincerity and earnestness and effort.

But in the concluding part of The Lectures on Faith ― when they pulled together all of faith's threads, as in the final chapter of a detective novel ― we are thrown a plot-twist:

"When a man works by faith, he works by mental exertion instead of physical force" (Lecture 7:3).

"Mental exertion."  Really?  I thought Adam, when he was tossed out of the Garden, was told:

   By the sweat of thy face
   shalt thou eat bread.

(Moses 4:25)

"Sweat" is decidedly physical.  And isn't it true that faith is demonstrated by our works (James 2:18), which are also physical?

So if faith is a faculty of the mind (our spiritual muscle) ― as opposed to the physical body ― how do we account for the "sweat" President Nelson extols when he claims "the Lord loves effort"?  Does that make you picture lots of sweaty men and women with pickaxes under a hot sun, digging irrigation ditches and hewing granite for the temple, one block at a time?  Is that a good representation of our faith, the old pioneer spirit?

Well yes, for many of us that is exactly what we think of when we think of faith.  Effort.  Sacrifice.  Suffering and persecution for our beliefs.
​
I want to offer an alternative perspective.  Effort is generally a sign of faith's absence ― a sign we're relying upon the flesh and not trusting in God's word alone, trying to jerry-rig blessings from a rock that is not cooperating by striking it rather than speaking to it.

If you're unfamiliar with that last allusion, please read Numbers 20:8-11.  You see, the Lord told Moses to "speak unto the rock," promising him water would flow out of it so the Israelites and their animals could rehydrate.

Simple, short, and sweet.  "Speak!"  But apparently that was not good enough for Moses, who added his own flair when the time came.  "And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice" (Numbers 20:11).  Not once, but twice!  Just for good measure.

Now, that may not seem like a big deal to you and me; after all, it was only a minor deviation from what the Lord had said.  But by small and simple deviations does the devil bring to pass (thanks to the Butterfly Effect) great and marvelous apostasy.

Moses' little stunt was enough to have the Lord forbid him from entering into the Promised Land.  Oof.

So next time we get an itch to add a bit of "effort" to what the Lord has spoken, remember Moses.

"Let There Be Light"

We find an interesting example of "mental exertion" in Lecture 7 of the Lectures on Faith, which cites Genesis 1 to illustrate what faith actually looks like:

   God said,
   Let there be light:
   and there was light.

(Genesis 1:3)

I think this is a bit confusing.  How does God speaking demonstrate faith?  And how can that be considered a "mental exertion"?

Does this mean we just need to know the proper incantation, like reading words from a spell book, and we will get the desired result?

I fear many of us have the idea that if we just believe something "hard" enough, that faith will flourish.  "Don't doubt!  Doubt your doubts!"

See the problem?  Where is our focus?  Is it on our "effort" to believe, or on the object of our faith?

How often do we approach desired blessings like Luke Skywalker trying to use the Force to raise his X-Wing from the swamp on Dagobah, thinking if we only exert enough "faith" and squint long enough, it will somehow do the trick?  "God, can you see my sweat?  Now you know I'm really serious about wanting this.  You've got to grant my desire now or it wouldn't be fair, after all the effort I've put into it."

This ignores the law of the harvest; for we cannot gather figs from thistles, which is what we try to do whenever we think that, if we just have enough faith, we can turn this tomato plant into a giraffe ― when God never promised us a herd of giraffes in the first place.

That's the sticking point: we will not reap the promises of God by trusting in something other than Him and His actual words.

"Difficult to see.  Always in motion is the future."  ― Yoda.

Faith is not the Force; faith is not performing spiritual magic.  Faith is not a way to trap God in our genie-bottle.

What "Faith in Christ" Really Means

I want to suggest that faith is simply the power by which men and women obtain the word of God (His promises).  Securing a promise from God is a big deal.  Since He cannot break His promises, and because God's word cannot fail ― though the heavens and the earth pass away ― this is the way our faith becomes "unshakeable," when it is tied to God's specific utterances.

This explains, I think, something we find in the Lectures on Faith, which comes to a very plain conclusion: "Faith, then, works by words" (Lecture 7:3).

But it's not our words; not the words we speak.  This is talking about faith in ― and arising from ― God's word.

"But Tim!" someone objects.  "Having faith in 'God's word' sounds so impersonal.  I thought we were supposed to have faith in Christ!"

That's a very good point.  Having faith in God's word IS what it means to have "faith in Christ" ― who IS the Word of God (John 1:1), and who IS the fulfilment of all of God's promises as His Messenger (Malachi 3:1).  Because God speaks only truth, in Jesus we find "the truth of the world" (Ether 4:12). 

This is why the best definition I have found in scripture for "faith" does not even mention the word:

   For you shall live
   by every word
   that proceedeth forth
   from the mouth of God.

(D&C 84:44)

The last line is very important.  Whose mouth?  In whose lips is the truth of life found?  Not mine (like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips). 

Christ's lips contain the kiss of eternal life.  (How else would we be sealed, but with a kiss?)  Not just Christ, but all those of you who speak by the power of the Holy Ghost the words of Christ, as with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 32:3).  I call that a French kiss.

Just to be clear, it does absolutely no good to have "faith" in anything other than in what God has spoken.  God's word instills life.  Why would we place our faith in that which is lifeless?
​
I hear all the time the old notion, "Just do what your priesthood leaders say, even if they are wrong, and God will bless you for it."  I've written before about this spiritual fallacy; please don't expect to use the Nuremberg defense at the last day.

Where is God's Word?

Those who are seeking greater faith know the million-dollar question: Where is God's word found?  It all depends on this!

Did you answer, "The scriptures"?  That's a good start, but watch out.  We mustn't assume everything we read in the scriptures is "God's word."  Just look at how many churches believe in the Bible, and yet can't agree on what it means.  Even the LDS faith has splintered into more than 40 separate churches who cannot see eye-to-eye on latter-day doctrine.  We can't even resolve simple differences between the Community of Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Restoration movement (the sticking point, by the way, always comes to down to who has authority, which is the modern Golden Calf we worship).  How are we going to bring all of Christianity together, if we can't even share the keys to the ward library? 

This troubles me, especially considering the fact that the Lord has been emphatic that His children need to:

   be established in one;
   for there is one God
   and one Shepherd
   over all the earth.

(1 Nephi 13:41)

So while the scriptures are useful for getting us to turn unto God, they haven't succeeded in bringing us into a unity of the faith.

The scriptures contain many valuable principles and prophecies, but always remember, they cannot save us ― as Jesus pointedly told the Scribes (John 5:39-40).

Our only hope is found in Christ; in other words, in the "words of eternal life" (D&C 84:43) He uniquely possesses ― not in a book.

Now, this may sound outlandish, but I am going to say it: the words of eternal life come to us personally by the power of the Holy Ghost, and no other way.

   For the word of the Lord is truth,
   and whatsoever is truth is light,
   and whatsoever is light is Spirit,
   even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

(D&C 84:45)

When God speaks His word into our minds and hearts ― not with paper and pen and ink, but with power and fire and blood ― then His word is found in us.

   Behold I say unto you:
   This is the plan of salvation
   unto all men, through the blood
   of mine Only Begotten.

   Therefore, it is given
   to abide IN YOU;
   the record of heaven;
   the Comforter.

(Moses 6:62, 61) 

In the end, we "come unto Christ" not through attending Church or studying the scriptures or fasting or making temple covenants (although all of these things can be helpful), but through receiving His word into our souls (recall what we just read: "word" = (1) truth, (2) light, (3) Spirit, (4) Christ).

This is what the gospel is all about; this is the "good news" Christ brings, bearing God's word; this is what it means to "receive" the gospel.

   He that receiveth my gospel
   receiveth me.

(D&C 39:5)

And strangely, this "good news" is something "the world cannot receive" (John 14:17).  Why?  Why is the world incapable of receiving it?

   Because the world
   seeth him [the Spirit of truth] not,
   neither knoweth him: 
   but ye know him;
   for he dwelleth with you,
   and shall be IN YOU.

(John 14:17)

This is why it always makes me laugh, the way we speak about Judgment Day, like it's going to be some big production (I wonder if Cecil B. DeMille is available to direct).  I expect the whole thing will be undramatic because there's no "big reveal."  The only question will be: Is God found "in us"?  You can answer that right now.  Today.

As I've read people's near death experiences over the years, I am always intrigued by the pageantry they often describe, testifying, "Yup, you need to know the handshakes to get past the Sentinels; it's just like the temple!"

No.  Please don't worry about the secret handshakes.  We aren't saved because we know the keywords; we are saved because we know Him Crucified.

And how do we know if we know Him?  
Of Jesus it was written:​

  The Father was with him,
  for he dwelt in him.

(D&C 93:17)

Lost in Translation: Faith

I hope this post explains, partly, why there are so many disappointed and disillusioned Christians.  I think one reason people are "losing faith" in the Church and in Christianity as a whole is because they were told to "have faith" in things God did not speak.  And that is why we have not observed the fruit we were promised.

In other words, they tried to believe.  But we were taught to believe in something that was not given by God.  We placed our faith in the things preached by pastors and prophets who flattered our faith, and thereby choked it.

As Nephi predicted, the churches in Christendom have failed to make our faith fertile ― I speak of the way our churches have fallen victim to the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of the world, creating stony soil (Matt. 13:5) and hard hearts ― who have fed the flock with "the leaven of the Pharisees" (Matt. 16:12) in order to build bigger barns and finer sanctuaries, as Ezekiel warned (Ezek. 34:2-3).
​
Worst of all is the rampant spirit of sectarianism that has gripped the world ― yes, even those of us in the LDS Church ― who cry, "I am the Lord's" (2 Nephi 28:3), and who equate faith with belonging to the "right" religion and in holding the "correct" beliefs, rather than in doing justly, and loving mercy, and walking humbly.

And so we have witnessed the crumbling foundations of Babylon, seeing the mischief caused by people following "hearsay" rather than getting their truth straight from the Lord.  Cultural standards replace God's word.  Traditions squeeze out and quench His Spirit.  Authoritarianism spreads through the body of Christ as a disease, and churches resemble a worn-out hand-me-down that looks nothing like the original garment.

And God doesn't have time, apparently, to play the Telephone Game and iron out all of the confusion (i.e., He doesn't put new wine in old bottles).  Instead, God speaks anew.

"Speak Lord, we are listening."

[Pause; taking a breath.]  Now, I have said some pretty bold things, but I hope I have not been over-bearing.  There are some in my family who wish I would tone-down my rhetoric.  But what good is the Book of Mormon as a voice of warning, if we heed not the warning?

And so, watch in the following verses for how the Lord describe His vision for "faith" in our day:

   That man should NOT counsel
   his fellow man,
   neither trust in the arm of flesh―
   But that every man
   might speak in the name of God...
   That faith also might increase
   in the earth.

(D&C 1:19-21)

If we reverse it upside-down, it becomes even clearer:

   That faith also might increase
   in the earth:
   [here's the divine formula]
   [Let] every man speak
   in the name of God,
   That man should NOT counsel
   his fellow man,
   neither trust in the arm of flesh.

Okay, third time's the charm.  What I am going to do now is rephrase this in the negative.  Let's see what happens:

   The reason faith has decreased
   in the earth is because
   select men believe they are
   authorized to speak
   in the name of God
   more than every man,
   And those men counsel 
   their fellow men
   to trust in the arm of flesh.

(D&C 1:19-21, upside down and inside-out)
​
Now, don't worry.  Faith, like hope, springs eternal whenever it hears the word of God.  Faith may have long been dormant, or even dead ― but at the sound of God's voice she springs alive in an instant.

   Just ask Lazarus!​