Entry 9 THE WORD OF GOD

The Word of God

I have heard the phrase “The Word of God” used a lot in a variety of religious settings.  I’ve noticed that there are a few different definitions that are applied to the term.  Some use the term God’s Word and they are strictly speaking about the Bible.  Some use the phrase “The Word of God” and they are speaking about prophets, and still others are speaking about the Holy Ghost.  The term “Word of God” is defined exactly by John in the New Testament.  He defines it as the Son of God meaning Jesus Christ.  Nephi in the Book of Mormon provides a second witness to this definition. 

I believe an understanding of this definition is important, otherwise we are easily led into idolatry.

In this context, I am using Idolatry with the following definition:  The belief or act of placing faith in something other than God for redemption.  An Idol is a substitute God. 

This use of the term is a little different than the Elder’s Quorum Sunday School definition which generally includes examples of idolatry such as buying a Red Ferrari, Working on Sundays or Putting Work ahead of Family.  Sometimes a boat is given as the example instead of the Ferrari.  And the Elders’ definition varies somewhat from the Relief Society definition of idolatry which often includes examples such as watching too much sports, fly fishing instead of helping with the kids, watching the Super Bowl because it is on The Sabbath, and sometimes hunting for sport.   Oddly enough these are actions only an Elder could be guilty of.

In the context I am using for Idol Worship or Idolatry, I am strictly speaking about misplaced faith, which is Faith that is not in God.  It is the belief that some other thing can bring you Redemption.  The Ferrari is not idol worship unless you actually believe that this vehicle will drive you to Heaven directly into the presence of God.  Now the purchase of it might be worldly or unwise due to living outside your means or neglectful of the poor, but that still does not make it an idol. 

Having a great regard for a sports hero does not make the sports hero an Idol in the sense used here.  To “idolize” the sports hero might include putting up a poster on the wall, attending the performances as often as possible, mimicking the actions of the particular individual.  Still this is not Idolatry unless you actually believe that the athlete will take you by the hand and redeem you from the fall and bring you back in to the presence of God the Father.  

An Idol is a substitute for God.  Using that definition, we can have a better understanding of why it is important to correctly define the “Word of God”.  If we use a different definition of this term than the definition God has defined than we are practicing idolatry.  No matter how good our intentions may be, it is idolatry when we replace God with anything other than God.  If we misidentify the “Word of God” then we are substituting with something other than God intended and this will not lead to the end results we hope to receive from God.

The term “Word of God” is specifically a title for The Son of God who is Jesus Christ.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” (John 1:1)

John provided a witness of the identity of the Word of God.  He explained that this Word of God was the creator of all things and still provides life to all things and will continue to be the source of life for all things, including men.  John teaches us that Jesus Christ is the “Word of God”.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.” (John 1:14)

As the “Word of God”, Christ explained His purpose.

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13)

Nephi also provided the same definition for the Word of God when he gave the account of his dream.  That dream was initially given to his father and Nephi, wanting to know the interpretation of it, went to the Lord in prayer and received a visitation teaching him about the dream.  (Which is an example of how we are to receive any revealed statement, dream or scripture offered by another.  We must receive a witness of the truthfulness of it for ourselves with a direct relationship with God in prayer).

“And after he had said these words, he said unto me:  Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.  And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.” (1 Nephi 11:24-25).

The Rod of Iron is the Word of God.  The Word of God is the Son of God.  The Son of God leads us to the fountain of living waters, which represents the Love of God.  The Love of God is received in its fullness by entering into the presence of God the Father.  We receive a small measure of that love in the same degree or amount of our own willingness to do the will of God.  Christ, who did nothing save it be the will of the Father making Him the iron rod we must hold fast to if we are to receive and understand the will of God. 

We hold fast to that rod of iron by hearkening to His words that He delivers to us (1 Nephi 8:30).  Those who hold fast to this iron rod are not described as the ones who fell away from the path nor wandered away after sampling the Love of God.  Those who hold fast to the Word of God are they which endure the mocking of the world after having received a measure of the Love of God until after their patience is tested and they receive the Love of God in full measure.

Recognize how the angel speaking to Nephi first identified who the Word of God is.  This was done by showing the birth and life of the Savior as the interpretation of the dream is taught.  Also provided are examples of how the Word of God (Christ) will communicate to us (2 Nephi 11:26-36).  Christ will send a prophet to prepare the way before Him (2 Nephi 11:27).   Christ will condescend to speak to us in person (2 Nephi 11:26-27).  Christ will send apostles (2 Nephi 11:28).  Christ will send angels to descend upon the children of men and administer to them (2 Nephi 11:30).  He uses a variety of mediums to communicate to us.  In all these things we can find his words for us.

Before this world was created, there was Jesus Christ who was with God the Father.  And previously having been under trial and proven to do the will of God the Father in all things, Christ was given the power to be as God the Father.  With that power, Christ made this world.  All things which we see, hear and experience are driven by this power.  It is His (Christ’s) power which gives life to all things.  Because He created all things, He knows how all things must fit together to increase and grow, to prosper and fulfill their full potential and have joy. 

This world is fallen from its original condition and there is also much darkness here.  The light is not completely gone because without the light (Christ’s power) all things would pass away and die.  And so these things are mixed, light and darkness. 

Christ (who created all things) communicates through all things.  He does this for the purpose of restoring all things to their former glory.    The glory from Him is the original love which these things once enjoyed.  This is His purpose.  It is to communicate with each soul and bring that soul back to its original state of Love found in the presence of God.  He hopes all things will receive the power of life which comes only from Him.

We must learn to recognize His voice in all things without being distracted by the darkness.

Just as His voice is in all things, so too is the opposition.  Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, Purity and Corruption, these are mixed into every source of communication.  The iron rod that Lehi and Nephi saw went through the mists of darkness.  The two necessarily go together.  Without the mists of darkness, there would be no need for an iron rod.  If I can see fifty miles ahead down the path, what purpose would the iron rod have?  If I was not separated from the Love of God then what purpose would a Savior have? Therefore, so long as you are separated from God, you are fully reliant upon the Word of God to find that restoration.

Truth and Lies are grow together like wheat and tares.  The guidance of Christ can be recognized among the tares but in this world it is always opposed by those messages which seek to choke out the voice of Christ.  The two are harvested together and we are required to separate them as we seek to prepare the harvest.  This is true of every source of knowledge save one.  There is only one one source that is free of an element of falsehood.  There is only one pure source of Christ’s voice and this is Christ in persona.  He alone is the pure form of the “Word of God”.  After all, He is the Word of God.

This point is critical to understand.  So I will restate it.  Only Christ is the pure source of communication from God because He is the Word of God.  No other source is without some form of corruption.

This concept is difficult to accept.  We need that pure source of Truth.  We need that Love of God to flourish or to even survive.  Yet if we are unwilling to give up some measure of the darkness within us, we cover our sin and vanity with the illusion of pride.  We pretend that we already have something we call The Truth.  We pretend that we already have that Love only He offers.  And we masquerade that lie behind an Idol.  We claim the idol is the Truth or the Love.  We pretend that the idol is the source of these things.  And so an idol can be anything that we pretend is an acceptable substitute for the Word of God.  We accept that idol as a substitute for Christ Himself. 

Some examples of idols include a Talisman, Statue, Temple, Ceremony, Ritual, Book, Preacher, Teacher or Prophet.  Idols can even come in the form of a Spirit or Angel.  It is anything you use to justify yourself and stop repenting by using that thing as if it is the Word of God itself.  In essence, you accept a certain measure of the communication from God because you have actually received the portion of the idol which does have good within it.  However, you demonstrate an unwillingness to receive more from God because you limit the form of communication to only that idol.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are very skilled at recognizing this form of idolatry among other Christian denominations.  We often quote the following:

“And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say:  A Bible! A Bible!  We have got a Bible, and there cannot by any more Bible.”  (2 Nephi 29:3-10)

We think that refers to those “other churches who don’t accept the Book of Mormon.”  Yet we fail to recognize that it is actually referring to us.  It is a warning given to us who have received the Book of Mormon itself.  Review 2 Nephi 27:8 and notice that the record is rejected and remains sealed because of our wickedness and abominations.

“Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people.  Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.” (2 Nephi 27:8)

The book is kept from the wicked and abominable. 

(As a side note, abomination means to take something that is given by God and misuse it in a manner unintended by God.) 

It actually makes no difference how wicked and abominable the rest of the world is, the book is available to any who will receive it.  Notice how Lehi lived in a religious group that was slated for destruction and he still received scripture directly from the Lord (1 Nephi 1:11).  The lack and limitation to receiving these things is due to your own personal wickedness and your own personal abomination and is unrelated to the unworthiness of others.  Though we see the idolatry in other denominations, we fail to recognize our behavior in which we have turned the Book of Mormon into an idol by calling out, “A Book of Mormon! A Book of Mormon! We have got a Book of Mormon, and there cannot be any more Book of Mormon!”  We engage in this behavior by rejecting the communication from Christ that is delivered to us from other sources.

It is not intended that we remain solely reliant on only one source of communication from God.  God provides multiple witnesses because any one single witness can be misconstrued.

“And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.” (Ether 5:4)

“And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.” (2 Nephi 11:3)

And here is a third quote from the Bible to help prove the case:

“But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:16)

These witnesses are not just found in the spoken testimony of those who have witnessed the Savior, although they do include such witnesses.  The witness is found in all things if you will receive the witnesses.  The law of three witnesses can be established in the written word as well. 

We can receive communication from God while we read the scriptures. The primary purpose of the scriptures is in fact to point us to God.  This was the intent for which they are written.  Frequently and easily we can receive communication from God as we read them. 

The scriptures contain the capacity to convey communication from the Word of God, but they are not the Word of God itself.  Remember that the Word of God is only Christ.  The scriptures are not free from corruption.  There is both error in the writing itself as well as error in the interpretation of the words as we read them.  If misapplied it can be used in a manner that directly opposes the will of God.  A review of the scriptures themselves will prove that this is the case. 

Review the original title page of the Book of Mormon and notice the last line:  “And now if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ.”

In its opening argument, the Book of Mormon tells us that it is not necessarily pure.  It acknowledges that men have the capacity to introduce faults into its pages.  It is asking us in the very same sentence to hold onto those parts which are pure, which are of God despite the faults of men which may have been introduced into its pages or the faults which men may impose upon it with their interpretation of its words (Alma 13:20).

Moroni spoke “somewhat concerning these things.”  He said “And I said unto him, “Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;  And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands.”

Moroni made his best attempt to convey in written words those things which he had been taught by Christ.  However, he recognized a disparity between that which the people could express because of the Holy Ghost and that which could be conveyed by the written word. 

And yet the written word was necessary for a “wise purpose”.  The Lord promised that those who mocked these things or took advantage of the weakness of Moroni would eventually mourn for their foolishness.  Moroni also included this admonition to those of us who accept the Book of Mormon as scripture:  “And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these.  Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.” (Mormon 8:12)

And so we find that the Lord places a great deal of weight and responsibility upon the written word, but it is incomplete.  There are things which cannot be made known by reading the written word.  “Were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.”  We also receive this great promise that if we accept that portion which is of God from the written word, he will make known of “greater things than these”.

The scriptures are not free of error and it is important to recognize this is the case as we ponder their verses.  There is a purpose in this.  It causes us to rely upon the Lord and not upon men for understanding and ultimately redemption.  The Lord expects us to receive as much as we can from the written words with patience for the limitations, as well as forgiveness for the limitations of the men who wrote them.  And yet not to simply accept everything that is presented, but to examine the written word with discernment.  As we do so, the Lord will guide us through the scriptures, speaking to us through them.  It is His voice we hear through the written word, but we will have to learn to discern which parts are correct and which are error.  We must gain the skill of interpreting by the guidance of the Lord.  By doing so, we learn to rely on His Voice, rather than the voice of a book.

Here is a small example of an error in the Book of Mormon:

“And never have I showed myself unto man who I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast.  Seest thou that ye are created after the mine own image?  Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.” (Ether 3:15) 

Here the Brother of Jared is being described as the first to see the Lord since man was on the earth because “never” before has anyone had the faith to receive it.  And yet in the very same book of Ether, we are told the following “And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.  And behold one of these was the brother of Jared.”  (Ether 12:19-20)  Here the narrator explains that actually this was not a singular event.  It happened to others as well.  The very purpose of the example is to demonstrate that the witness of the Savior is available to all who walked the earth.  Their example of faith is an example of how faith should be.

So was the Brother of Jared the “very, very first” one to see the Lord?

“And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying: …. And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me:  Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations.” (Moses 7:1 & 4).

Enoch was before the flood.  The Brother of Jared was after the flood.  So we have an eye witness account of the Lord from before the flood, but we also have an eye witness account after the flood.  The latter has a statement claiming that it is the first of such an experience.  There is no need to pop a spiritual circuit breaker over such an inconsistency.  It is simply an error.  A mistake was made.  We do not need to do strange mental gymnastics to try to reconcile the incongruence because we can approach the scriptures in the same manner we should approach all things in life:  hold fast to that which is good, forgive that which is bad and do not throw away that which is correct because of that which is incorrect.  Do as Joseph Smith did and pray to the Lord to receive the corrections.  As Joseph felt inspired to correct the Bible and make his own translation, so too may we correct Joseph.  “And rarely have I showed myself unto man who I have created, for rarely has man believed in me as thou hast.  Seest thou that ye are created after the mine own image?”  By this process you begin to rely upon the Lord for answers and not merely some book and not merely some man.

 

The same discernment must be used when we listen to men and women who speak about their witness of Christ.  These are the prophets.  The prophets are those souls who receive the Lord in person and are given a message from Him to deliver to the people.  “Behold I am Jesus Christ whom the prophets testified should come into the world.  And behold, I am the light and life of the world; and I have drunk out of the 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 Nephi 11:10-11)

Prophets deliver a true message of Christ, but Prophets are not without error. Moses led the children of Israel with many miracles, but sinned in his failure to have faith that the Lord could make weak things strong (Exodus 4:16), failed to complete an ordinance (Exodus 4:24-27), and took upon him the glory of a miracle (Numbers 20:1-13).  Jonah fled from the assigned mission to preach repentance to the Ninevites.  When the Ninevites repented, he desired their destruction with vengeance in his heart.  Balaam was a prophet who spoke with God and had visitations from an angel, but he aided the enemy for the temptation of worldly possessions.  Judas walked with the Lord and was called to be an apostle by the Lord.  Yet he traded the Lord for a small sum of money.  Peter was rebuked by the Lord for his failure to understand the will of God.  He was later cautioned that he would deny the Lord three times, but still he made the denial.   The errors are recorded for us to understand something significant about prophets.  They are prophets when they testify of Christ and are doing the Will of God, but they are susceptible to error and fault.  We must accept the Lord’s words when they are delivered by prophets but we must never follow them in their faults.   Should we glory with Moses for the miracle?  Should we lust for revenge on the hillside with Jonah?  Should we sell out the Israelites to live the high life with Balaam, go shopping with Judas’ silver coins, and turn our backs on the Lord like Peter?

These examples are far removed from us emotionally.  It was a different time, a different culture.  We are not invested in the success of Moses, Jonah, Balaam, Judas or Peter.  It is easy to recognize their failings for what the failings are and forgive them and learn from their lessons.  They are gone, they offer no threat of repentance to us today.  But we do have prophets in whom we have an invested interest.   We must recognize the failings for what they are so that we do not participate in them. If we think they don’t have these errors, then we have already joined them in their failings. This necessarily requires that we understand the difference between God’s communication delivered through a prophet and the words of a man who is speaking only as a man though he carry the title of a prophet. 

This caution is true of every prophet for a wise purpose in the Lord.   The Lord has created a test that is more thorough and clever than anything you have possibly imagined.  The Lord has a reason for this. 

Once there was an angel of light, a son of the morning who was high in authority in the presence of God.  This son of the morning rebelled and led a third part of the hosts of heaven away.  That son fell from his grace.  You already know this story (D&C 76:25-27).

If such a being of light and authority could turn from God, then so could any of us.  If such a being could draw away so many souls from the Love of God, then so could any of us.  How much responsibility can the True God place upon your shoulders?  How much intelligence or rather, light and truth can the True God give to you?  If He gives authority to you, what are you going to do with it?  Will you forget that He is the source of that Light and Truth?  Will you begin to feel as if you are actually the source?  Will you gather other souls around you and anoint yourself up to be a king and queen among them?  Will you immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion?  What better way to test the hearts of men, then to give them a little authority as they suppose and then see how they will run with it?   

God does not desire that you are led away by a being of light, even an angel.  Neither does God desire that you become a being of light or an angel that then turns and draws away others.  And so he created a test.  He gives His words to those souls upon the earth that will listen.  He blesses them and then He waits to see what they will do with His words.  He waits to see what they will do with those blessings. 

For your benefit, he does not give the prophet full and complete understanding, he just gives the prophet enough to prime your heart and get you started back towards Him, the True and Living God.  He gives a little light to the Prophet and a little blindness to the Prophet, just enough to test YOU.  To see if YOU can hear His Words delivered through the other soul or if you will be coerced into following that other soul.   Can you differentiate between the voice of God and the voice of the man?  Or do you simply accept all of the man’s words and thus put your faith in the man, allowing the man to loosen your hold upon the iron rod, which is Jesus Christ.  Thus making the prophet the idol by putting the prophet between you and the Lord.  In this way, God can test you to see if you can be fooled into practicing Idolatry.

Moses and the Children of Israel provide the archetype of our day.  We can understand our pattern by observing their pattern.  Observe how the Lord tried to prepare the people to enter into His very presence, but that the individuals needed to be purified first that the light of Christ could enter into them and transfigure them.

“And he said unto Moses, Thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger be kindled against thee also, and I destroy thee, and thy people; for there shall no man among them see me at this time and live, for they are exceedingly sinful.  And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any at any time, that shall see my face and live.” (Exodus 33:20 JST Joseph Smith Translation)

But the people of Moses would not repent and therefore could not see the face of the Lord (which is the meaning of the phrase “to enter into his rest”).   They rejected the offer to enter into the presence of the Lord and so they received only a shadow of the things that they might have received, a shadow of the Law and a shadow of the blessings.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst;  therefore my holy order, and the ordinances thereof, shall not go up in their midst, lest I destroy them.  But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage.  Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai.” (Exodus 34:1-2)

The people were satisfied to have a prophet.  They wanted to hear the words of God through a prophet, but they rejected the very purpose of the prophet.  The prophet was sent to lead them into the presence of God.  Instead of repenting and preparing to enter into the presence of God, the people turned the prophet into an idol.  They made the prophet stand between them and the Lord.

“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear:  but let not God speak with us, lest we die.  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not:  for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”    (Exodus 20:18-21)

Moses understood what it meant to be transfigured by the Lord and enter into His presence.  He had been filled with glory, that is light and truth.  He had in his hand a testimony that would provide the people with a law that if they followed, they too could receive the same glory of light and truth.

“And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with two tables of testimony in Moses hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him [the Lord].  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.” (Exodus 34:29-30)

But the people would not have these things.  They did not want to repent and give up the darkness.  They did not want the light.  They made a form of religion but denied the power of godliness.  They made the golden calf and worshipped at its feet.  They wanted to pretend to hear the words of God through the prophet but did not actually listen to the words God would have them receive.

“And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graven tool, after he had made it a molten calf:  and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought the up out of the land of Egypt.”  (Exodus 32:3-4).

Having rejected God, the Lord delivered them to a lower law.  This lower law provided a type for them to repent and follow.  If some of them would repent, they might have the shadow of these things to remember the Lord and by that perhaps some individual might awake and receive the Lord.  For that purpose Moses gave them the lower law.

With that lower law, they were led into the wilderness to wander about until they woke up sufficiently or another generation passed away.

It can be shone that the same idolatry that existed among them, does exist among us now as a people.  The golden statue is now placed at the pinnacle of every tabernacle that has been raised in the wilderness.  We are still worshiping beneath the feet of a golden statue.   So to, the prophet in Moses Seat is now made to stand between the people and the Lord.  The story of Moses is given to us to provide an example of our idolatry that perhaps a few of us might awake and repent.  Shall we continue to worship beneath the foot of the golden statue?

Well, much more could be said about the Word of God.  For now, please remember that it is not the Holy Scriptures, nor the Holy Prophets which constitute the Word of God.  These provide only a medium through which God can communicate to you on an individual basis.  These tools are meant to lead you directly to Jesus Christ Himself.  Jesus Christ is the Word of God.  To hold fast to the Word of God which is Jesus Christ is to listen and obey His voice as you hear it from whichever source He chooses to deliver unto you.  You must differentiate between His voice as it is delivered and the voice of distraction that must necessarily emanate from the same source.  These two are always mixed together, except in only one circumstance.  Only Christ is the pure form of the communication from God.

May God Bless You.