the Light of Christ (Brigham Young)

Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh into it.  No son or daughter of Adam ever lived on the earth, or ever will, but has had or will have the light of Christ within them.

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:158

A Life Founded in Light and Truth (Eyring)

Obedience to commandments is the way we build a foundation of truth. Here is the way that works, in words that are so simple a child could understand. The truth of most worth is to know God our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and Their plan for us to have eternal life with them in families. When God communicates that priceless truth to us, He does it by the Spirit of Truth. We have to ask for it in prayer. Then He sends us a small part of that truth by the Spirit. It comes to our hearts and minds. It feels good, like the light from the sun shining through the clouds on a dark day. He sends truth line upon line, like the lines on the page of a book. Each time a line of truth comes to us, we get to choose what we will do about the light and truth God has sent to us. If we try hard to do what that truth requires of us, God will send more light and more truth. It will go on, line after line, as long as we choose to obey the truth. That is why the Savior said that the man who obeyed His commandments built on a rock so solid that no storm or flood could hurt his house.

In another place in the scriptures, the Lord described in a beautiful way how that foundation could be built so that we could finally come to know all He knows and become like Him and our Heavenly Father. Listen to His words. His words are truth. And listen to see if something comes into your mind that you should do, because these words are true.

I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace. [D&C 93:19–20]

And then a few verses later the Lord says:

And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;

And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.

The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;

And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.

He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. [D&C 93:24–28]

Now you can understand why President Joseph F. Smith made building on a foundation of truth sound like a long list of things to do. He seems to be describing work rather than the exciting adventure that it is. I remember President Benson saying with a smile about his service, “I love this work. And it is work.” Here is President Smith’s description of the work it takes to build an imperishable foundation of truth. You will notice that the work is simple obedience. It is not complicated things–it is not fancy things or getting great spiritual manifestations. This is work within the abilities of the most humble and the least educated. Here is his list:

But the men and the women who are honest before God, who humbly plod along, doing their duty, paying their tithing, and exercising that pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, which is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflictions and to keep oneself unspotted from the world, and who help look after the poor; and who honor the holy Priesthood, who do not run into excesses, who are prayerful in their families, and who acknowledge the Lord in their hearts, they will build up a foundation that the gates of hell cannot prevail against; and if the floods come and the storms beat upon their house, it shall not fall, for it will be built upon the rock of eternal truth. [GD, 7–8]

It sounds so simple to build on a foundation of truth that you may wonder why everyone doesn’t succeed. For one thing, it takes great humility. It is hard to repent, to admit you are wrong on faith alone, before the coming of the evidence of a feeling of being forgiven and the appearance of light. But that is the way it has to be. First comes obedience, and then come the confirming assurances, the revelation of truth, and the blessing of light.

Henry B. Eyring, “A Life Founded in Light and Truth”, Education Week, August 15, 2000


http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=1147&x=62&y=4

Whatever principle of intelligence we gain in this life will rise with us in the resurrection

“When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all of the principles of exaltation.  But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them.  It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:306-7; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on April 7, 1844, in Nauvoo Illinois

“We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer a man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power of glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him.  But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality and consistency of the same.”

Joseph Smith, “Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith” pp. 63-64

“That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”

D&C 50:24

“…he that will ^cnot harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”

Alma 12:10

“For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more…”

2 Nephi 28:30

“And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.”

D&C 78:18

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain to in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much more the advantage in the world to come”

D&C 130:18-19

Teaching with the Spirit

“An Elder of Israel may preach the principles of the Gospel, from first to last, as they were taught to him, to a congregation ignorant of them; but if he does not do it under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, he cannot enlighten that congregation on those principles, it is impossible.”

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Volume 1, January 1853

“And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.”


D&C 42:14

“Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question–unto what were ye ordained?  To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.  And then ye received spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this thing are ye justified?…Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  And if it be by some other way it is not of God.  And again, he that receiveth the words of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or by some other way?  And if it be some other way other way it is not of God.  Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?  Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth understand one another and both are edified and rejoice together.  And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.  That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.  “


D&C 50:13-24