God's Many Works

When trying to understand how God touches us, it is better to start with His many works instead of a vocabulary. In fact, we often are misled into believing that once we know a vocabulary term we then understand what the term means. Last week the "Holy Spirit" and the "Holy Ghost" were used both in selected scriptures and in my comments. Forget for a moment what term applies to what attribute, and focus on attributes first.

God's many works are held together and organized by His power. A description of this is given in Section 88, which states the following about Christ:

He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.  As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;  As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. (D&C 88: 6-10.)

This describes Christ. He both ascended and descended to enable Him to be "in all and through all things." What does that mean? Why would He necessarily need to ascend above and then descend below in order to be "in all and through all things?" How is this related to being Christ? How does this activity stretching Him above and below relate to Him becoming "the light" to all?

How does this description relate to Christ's introduction of Himself (containing His definition of who He is) to the Nephites, which states:

Behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. (3 Ne. 11: 11.) Is there a direct relationship between ascending, descending, and becoming "the light and the life of the world?" In other words, must Christ move into all the realms to bring the truth throughout in order to become the "light and life" throughout? 

Is there a connection between these requirements and Christ becoming "the power thereof by which it was made?" The things listed above in Section 88 are physical objects. The sun and its power, the moon and its power, the stars and their power and the earth upon which we stand are all physical things. These things rely on Christ's "power" to have been "made." If Christ's stewardship required Him to be above and below, and throughout all in order to become "the light" unto all, then does Christ's "power" extend beyond just redeeming them all? How does Christ's ministry also relate to the "power" to bring these things into existence? How does Christ become "the light of Christ" which spreads throughout all creation? If His power extends to make the sun, moon, stars and the earth, how far does the "light of Christ" extend? Is it merely a moral force for good? Does it also include physical creation and power? What does the "light of Christ" have to do with "the power of the sun?" How dependent is all life, including plant, animal and human, upon the power of the sun? Without sunlight, what happens to this world?

How literally should we take "the light of the sun" to be a product of Christ's light? What does it mean if Christ is "the power of the sun?" 

We tend to view "the light of Christ" as a moral source. That is, the "light of Christ" is most often spoken of as a moral conscience. From these verses, however, that view is too limited for this force or power. It is something much greater.