Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 25
Introduction
Growing up in the Church of England, I had a very
different view of the Priesthood than I do now. At that time there were
no women priests—it was unheard of—I had no idea that there was an ordination
per se until my brother was ordained to be a Vicar (priest) in the Church of
England after I had joined the LDS Church (a very different ceremony than is
carried out in the LDS chapels). I recognized our local vicar as a man of God—somehow
the white collar set him apart from the rest of us, but I didn’t think of Priesthood
as power and authority to act for God, necessarily, more a mystical conduit. And
it involved removing oneself from normal life and going through schooling.
Obviously because of my brother, I now understand a good deal more about what
it means to be a priesthood holder in the Church of England—at least the
functionality—but although his responsibilities are great and similar, there is
a world of difference in how the two of us understand the term Priesthood.
The additional material for this lesson is highly
instructive. As always I have posted links at the end of this blogpost. It
serves to make me very grateful that everything has long been established and
we are not struggling to know how to administer things. Remarkably, order was
established in a fairly short time as revelations flowed aiding the early
Saints in restoring the administrative system inaugurated by the Savior
Himself.
The manual starts out asking us why we are grateful to be
members of the Church. Which forces us to ponder what makes The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints different from all other churches. I am sure many
of you will have seen Pres. Uchtdorf’s television interview in Frankfurt during
the open house of the Frankfurt Temple. He was in charge of the open house, as
well as the local Stake President, and a full-time airline pilot at that time.
Knowing the opposition to that temple, and the length of time it took to get
permission to build it, this was a crucial interview. In it, I believe Pres.
Uchtdorf answers the question the manual puts to us, and we realize that
without the Priesthood of God, almost none of it would be possible.
1. Order in the restoration of the priesthood and its
offices
Here is the time sequence:
- · Aaronic Priesthood: 15 May 1829 (D&C 13)
- · Melchizedek Priesthood: May or June 1829 (D&C 128:20)
- · Apostles, elders, priests, teachers, and deacons: April 1830 (D&C 20:38–60)
- · Bishop: 4 February 1831 (D&C 41:9–10)
- · High priests: June 1831 (heading to D&C 52)
- · First Presidency: 1832–33 (D&C 81; 90)
- · Patriarch: 18 December 1833 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1976], 38–39)
- · High council: 17 February 1834 (D&C 102)
- · Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: 1835 (D&C 107:23–24)
- · Seventies: 1835 (D&C 107:25)
- · First Quorum of the Seventy: 1835 (D&C 107:26, 93–97)
It is interesting to note that as the Church grew, and
the need for continuity increased, the High Council, Quorum of the Twelve, and
Seventies were fairly quickly revealed and organized. This basic organization
has not changed much since that time; notably Area Authority Seventies have
been introduced and number of Quorums of the Seventies increased.
2. The oath and covenant of the priesthood
Regarding the oath and covenant of the priesthood, Pres.
Monson said:
The oath and covenant of the
priesthood pertains to all of us. To those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood,
it is a declaration of our requirement to be faithful and obedient to the laws
of God and to magnify the callings which come to us. To those who hold the
Aaronic Priesthood, it is a pronouncement concerning future duty and
responsibility, that you may prepare yourselves here and now. . . . Brethren, great promises await us if
we are true and faithful to the oath and covenant of this precious priesthood
which we hold. May we be worthy sons of our Heavenly Father. May we ever be
exemplary in our homes and faithful in keeping all of the commandments, that we
may harbor no animosity toward any man but rather be peacemakers, ever remembering
the Savior’s admonition, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.”[1]
There is a very good essay referenced at the end of the
blog that deals with women’s role in the priesthood. Here are some excerpts:
The priesthood authority exercised by
Latter-day Saint women in the temple and elsewhere remains largely unrecognized
by people outside the Church and is sometimes misunderstood or overlooked by
those within. Latter-day Saints and others often mistakenly equate priesthood
with religious office and the men who hold it, which obscures the broader
Latter-day Saint concept of priesthood.
Today, Latter-day Saint women lead
three organizations within the Church: the Relief Society, the Young Women, and
the Primary. They preach and pray in congregations, fill numerous positions of
leadership and service, participate in priesthood councils at the local and
general levels, and serve formal proselytizing missions across the globe. In
these and other ways, women exercise priesthood authority even though they are
not ordained to priesthood office. Such service and leadership would require
ordination in many other religious traditions.
Here is Joseph Fielding Smith:
The blessings of the priesthood are
not confined to men alone. These blessings are also poured out … upon all the
faithful women of the Church. … The Lord offers to his daughters every
spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons, for neither is
the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord (Joseph
Fielding Smith, Improvement Era, June 1970, 66)
In D&C 84, Priesthood holders covenant to:
- · Be faithful in obtaining the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood (verse 33).
- · Magnify their callings (verse 33).
- · Receive the Lord’s servants (verse 36).
- · Give diligent heed to the words of eternal life (verses 43–44).
In return, the Lord covenants to
- · Sanctify us by the Spirit (verse 33).
- · Renew our bodies (verse 33).
- · Give us the blessings promised to Abraham and his posterity (verse 34).
- · Make us His elect, or chosen (verse 34).
- · Give us all that the Father has (verse 38).
- · Give His angels charge over us (verse 42).
I do not feel that the covenanted blessings are limited
to men, as long as women sustain their menfolk in their priesthood
responsibilities, magnify their callings, receive the Lord’s servants, and give
diligent heed to the words of eternal life.
3. Principles for using the priesthood
D&C 121:34–46 details these principles, but as we
look at them, are they not applicable to all who would love one another as He has
loved us, especially 41–46? Are these not the attributes of godliness that we
all seek to emulate? However, there is a warning; here is Elder Ballard
Those who hold the priesthood must
never forget that they have no right to wield priesthood authority like a club
over the heads of others in the family or in Church callings. … Any man who …
seeks to use the priesthood in any degree of unrighteousness in the Church or
in the home simply does not understand the nature of his authority. Priesthood
is for service, not servitude; compassion, not compulsion; caring, not control
(Ensign, Nov. 1993, 78).
Elder Jörg Klebingat talked about how we can fulfil the
promise in 121:45
Yours is the privilege, if you want
it, to come to know for yourself, today or soon, that you are pleasing God in
spite of your shortcomings. I testify of a loving Savior who expects us to live
the commandments. I testify of a loving Savior who is so very anxious to bestow
His grace and mercy. I testify of a loving Savior who rejoices when we apply
His Atonement daily with the calm and happy assurance that we are facing in the
right direction. I testify of a loving Savior who is anxious for your
“confidence [to] wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45).
And the final promise to have the Holy Ghost as our
constant companion. What does that mean to each of us?
Last Sunday, since I am convalescing from surgery, two
faithful priesthood holders, and beloved members of our ward came over to my
house to bring me the Sacrament. I saw and felt for myself the power of
godliness made manifest through the priesthood of God. It was a defining moment
for me, a milestone in my journey along the path by the iron rod.
Additional resources for this lesson
· “Restoring
the Ancient Order”: This article describes the origins of priesthood
councils and quorums.
·
“Within
the Walls of Liberty Jail”: This article gives context for the
revelation contained in Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123.
· “Joseph
Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women”: This Gospel Topics
essay gives an overview of Joseph Smith’s teachings involving the priesthood
and women.
· “Revelation,
22–23 September 1832 [D&C 84]”: This page from the Joseph Smith Papers
website gives an in-depth historical introduction for Doctrine and
Covenants 84.
· “Priesthood
Offices Restored”: This infographic illustrates the restoration and
organization of priesthood offices leading up to the Kirtland Temple dedication
and the subsequent restoration of additional priesthood keys.
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