The following was originally posted March 17, 2018 “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” -John 17:22 The early Christians were different than what people see Christians as today. They were pacifists, they enjoyed communal living, and their focus was on love. One might say they embodied the spirit of ubuntu.
When Joseph Smith Jr. walked into the grove to pray, after reading James 1:5, he had a miraculous experience. We do not know exactly what occurred, but we do know that he had a revelation. We are tole that he was asked not to join any of the denominations he had explored. Why not? And does this revelation mean that all churches were evil? And if they were, are they still today?
As human beings we tend to separate then regroup things. Yet God asks us to bring things together (see John 17). And so many ask themselves, how can we rely fully on grace if we do good works? How can we do good works if we rely on grace? And most importantly, if the path is that narrow, how can we know if we are truly saved? The answers are simple: we receive what we receive, do what we do and know what we believe is true because we are on the path of teshuvah. We know because we know.
When one enters the ministry they are ordained to the priesthood. We are then, being clean, given the Garments of the Priesthood. In the Book of Remembrance, the Lord God sends Raphael to teach us the deeper symbolism of the Garments
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” -Galatians 5:14 In Mormon Kabbalah there is a theme of change. We grow in Grace, and as we do we grow from Egoism to becoming Godlike – altruistic. This is because as we grow to love God more, we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves to greater degrees. What is this Egoism we’re trying to shake off?
Every being on the planet, human, animal and plant. Respect life as it comes from the same divine Source as yourself.