Tuesday, August 31, 2010

2 Nephi 32: 1-2

2 Nephi 32: 1-2:

"And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?"

It is the program of the Gospel that communication and understanding of God's will should be obtained through revelation. That revelation comes from contact with, and communication by, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is able to tell you "all things." (Moses 6: 61; Moroni 10: 4.)

You don't need another source once you are in contact with the Holy Ghost. It possesses the "record of heaven." (Moses 6: 61.)

Nephi is assuring us that we can come into possession of the fullness of truth by the means he has been explaining as the "doctrine of Christ." As a central, active part of that doctrine, the line of communication between you and God is opened. It is another reminder of counsel found in Deuteronomy 30: 11-14: "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it."

Forget all the cultural assumptions and extras you hang on to. Leave them all behind and keep it simple:

You were a spirit before you were born.  (Abraham 3: 22-28.) You were there when some were chosen to be "rulers," or in other words, teachers. (2 Nephi 5: 19.) You have within you a spirit that was in that group. You saw and participated in what went on, and have that somewhere still inside you. It is kept from you by the "veil of flesh" now covering your spirit. (Heb. 10: 20.) Somewhere within you lies the "record of heaven." Or more correctly, the Record of Heaven. (Moses 6: 61.) If you gain access to it, it has the capacity to teach you the "truth of all things." (Moses 6: 61.)  Within it is such an abundance of truth that the things of God are not hidden from you, neither far off. It is not in heaven, so that you ask: who will go to heaven to bring it to us.  It is not beyond the sea that you should ask who can go to bring it to us? But is is very close to you, in your own mouth, in your own heart, that you can do what is asked of you. (Deut. 30: 11-14, above.)

Hence the saying of Christ that the Comforter will bring things to your remembrance. (John 14: 26.)

Christ taught the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17: 20-21.)

Why is it that the body is animated, with power of thought and communication, alive and vital while there is a spirit within it? But when the spirit departs, what then of the body? The power to live and breathe and move and do according to your will is gone at that point.  But from whence came that power? (Mosiah 2: 21.) If it is God who is "lending you that power" then how closely are you connected to God? How immediate is His presence within you?

If you can gain access to God, will you need to go out, or will you instead need to go within?

Our minds are corrupted. I've spent time dealing with the corrosive influence of cultures from Babylon to today in Nephi's Isaiah. All that must be "ground to dust" and blown away. (Daniel 2: 34-35.) That will occur within you. You are the battleground where the conflict is being fought. You are potentially the Temple of God. (1 Cor. 3: 16.)

Awake and arise! Come to yourself and realize who you are. This "doctrine of Christ" will teach you all things you must know for life and salvation. But you ought not look to another to find what you already have. You must instead repent and return to God, who is your home.

8 comments:

  1. "If it is God who is "lending you that power" then how closely are you connected to God? How immediate is His presence within you?"

    I have often heard in blessings given "He is closer than you know" or "He is right here close to you" How can that be if He is like us...

    Also, deep meditation and prayer, where you can feel truly the Holy Ghost, can only be done and felt by ones self. No one else can make you feel this.

    Just some thoughts that came to mind while reading this post this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to make sure I’m not pondering down the wrong path as I think about this post and an earlier post a few days ago. Are you stating that the Holy Ghost is our own pure spirit when it is connected to God, which happens when we truly follow the doctrine of Christ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another question in regards to the Holy Ghost. In Nephi’s vision recorded in 1 Nephi 11 he says he first was visited by “The Spirit of the Lord” which he thereafter refers to the Spirit. Nephi said “I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord (verse 11)” Talmage identified this Spirit of the Lord as the Holy Ghost. Nephi latter is attended by an angel that came down from heaven (verse 14), which would be a different personage than the Spirit of the Lord (illustrating that the Spirit of the Lord is different than an Angel). So my question is: Was the “Spirit of the Lord” that Nephi spoke to actually the Holy Ghost? If so, how does that relate to what Denver is saying about the Holy Ghost?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Of interesting note:

    We each get to go through 3 phases of life. First we are spirits that live in Holiness.

    Then we become "sons" as we take upon ourselves mortal flesh (partake of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil).

    Next we can rise to become Fathers. This last part of the journey begins when we partake of the Tree of Life and become Christ's children. There is no other Father whose heritage is Eternal Life.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The influence of the Holy Spirit and the real-time connection to the 'Record of Heaven' noticeably increases as I overcome the desire for validation from external sources, and as I simply trust the intelligence that flows easily from within. Any other process seems to complicate things exponentially in my life. Thank you for this powerful invite to awake, arise, and to return fully to God.

    ReplyDelete
  6. John C, is it possible that the Spirit of the Lord Nephi was speaking to was not the Holy Ghost but the spirit personage of Christ, so literally, the Lord's Spirit. I don't know, just an idea.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Spirit of the Lord refered to by Nephi was indeed the Spirit of the Lord, just as seen by the Brother of Jared, and yes he does proclaim himself.

    ReplyDelete

What Say You?