Come Follow Me D&C 23-26 Emma and her children

 

BYU Studies has a WEALTH of resources linked here for all of these sections.

https://byustudies.byu.edu/come-follow-me/doctrine-and-covenants/12

 

I want to focus on Emma (D&C 25)

Many years ago at a conference I attended, a presenter – maybe Susan Easton Black? – gave us an overview of LDS Church History by talking about what was happening in the church at the time of the births of each of Emma and Joseph’s ELEVEN children (including the Murdock twins).  I was so fascinated by that approach that I copied it for a couple of presentations I have done.

Here is a brief summary of those births and the corresponding Church events.

1.       15 June 1828 – Alvin

Harmony, Pennsylvania. 

Emma had helped as a scribe for the Book of Mormon translation during her pregnancy, along with others.  After Martin Harris borrowed the 116 finished pages, Emma gave birth to a son, named for Joseph’s oldest brother who had died in 1823.  Baby Alvin died soon after birth and Emma was in fairly critical condition for two weeks.  Joseph took care of her, delaying his quest to recover the 116 pages.  Then the angel Moroni came and took back the gold plates.  This was a very dark time for the Smith family.

2.       -3.    30 April 1831 – Twins, Thaddeus and Louisa

Morley Farm near Kirtland, Ohio

The final leg of Joseph and Emma’s journey to a new home for the church in Ohio in January of 1831 was by sleigh.  At one point, the sleigh overturned and the pregnant Emma was thrown out on the roadside.  This may have added to stresses that led to premature labor and delivery of twins in April.  Neither Thaddeus nor Louisa survived. 

Liz Lemon Swindle

5. 4. – 5.That night, 30 Apr-1 May 1831,  in Mentor, just north of Kirtland, John Murdock suffered the loss of his wife Julia Clapp Murdock in childbirth, leaving surviving twins, a boy and a girl, and a total of five children under the age of 7. John Murdock took his twin babies to the Smiths to raise as their own, and the Smiths adopted them on 9 May 1831. Those babies were named Joseph Murdock Smith and Julia Murdock Smith. The baby boy, Joseph, died the next year 29 March 1832, at the Johnson Farm in Hiram, Ohio from measles and possibly from exposure to cold air during attack on Joseph Smith six days earlier, when he was beaten and tarred and feathered by a mob. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had received the vision of the three degrees of glory (D&C 76)  the month before

6.    6 November 1832 – Joseph Smith, III.

                Newel K Whitney Store, Kirtland OH.  Joseph Smith had traveled to Independence, Missouri, identifying it as Zion, the New Jerusalem in April, 1832. In September, he received D&C 84, the revelation on the priesthood and was working on the Inspired Translation of the bible when Emma gave birth to their first child who lived.  Within months, Emma’s comments about cleaning up the mess from chewing tobacco in the School of the Prophets – the room across the hall from Joseph and Emma’s bedroom - prompted Joseph’s questioning the Lord, leading to the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89).

7.    29 June 1836 – Frederick Granger Williams Smith

Kirtland Ohio

In 1835, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants had been published by Frederick Granger Williams. The "Doctrine" part of the book consisted of a theological course now called the "Lectures on Faith". The lectures were a series of doctrinal courses used in the School of the Prophets.  The "Covenants" part of the book contained a total of 103 revelations. When the D&C was finished, Williams then printed the first edition of Emma Smith hymnbook which she had been commanded to make in July, 1830 (D&C 25). The print shop was just west of the Kirtland Temple, which was dedicated during Emma’s fourth pregnancy in March-April, 1836. Grateful to have the book finally in print, Emma named her son for her publisher, Frederick Granger Williams.

                          

Joseph Brinkley

Liz Lemon Swindle

8.    2 June 1838 – Alexander Hale Smith

Far West, Missouri.

Emma was pregnant again when the Mormons were forced out of Kirtland, Ohio in January 1838  and Jackson County, Missouri.  She was 7 month pregnant when they finally arrived in Far West.  There Joseph was betrayed and spent months in Liberty Jail.  Meanwhile, Emma gave birth to another son and named him after Alexander Doniphan, who had refused an order to execute Joseph Smith, and then was Joseph's defense attorney during Joseph's incarceration at Liberty Jail.

9. 13 June, 1840   Don Carlos Smith

Nauvoo, Illinois

In February 1839, Emma crossed the frozen Mississippi River to Illinois, carrying baby Alexander with 3 other young children clinging to her skirt, under which she carried the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon in a bag tied around her waist.  Joseph and Hyrum were allowed to escape from Liberty Jail in April.  Together in Illinois, the Mormons built a new city, Nauvoo. In June, 1840, Emma gave birth to another son, named Don Carlos after Joseph Smith’s brother.  Both the brother and baby would die in 1841.

   

Liz Lemon Swindle

     

10.   6 February 1842 – unnamed stillborn son

Nauvoo, Illinois.

On March 17, 1842, just 5 weeks after giving birth to a stillborn son, Emma Smith was appointed president of the newly organized Women’s Relief Society in Smith’s redbrick store in Nauvoo, Illinois. 

11. 17 November 1844 – David Hyrum Smith

Nauvoo, Illinois

Emma was 4 month pregnant with another son when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were arrested and taken to
Carthage Jail in Illinois, where they were killed 27 June 1844.

 

Rebecca Holt Stay   March 2025

CFM D&C 20 Constitution of the Church

 

So many amazing resources on D&C 20: a Constitution for the new Church. 

1.       The Joseph Smith Papers project has photos.  Read the original document!   Articles and Covenants https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/articles-and-covenants-circa-april-1830-dc-20/1

 

2.       The LDS.org website has lots of historical resources to assist your study this year.

D&C CFM Historical resources: photos, biographies, maps, timelines https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/doctrine-and-covenants-historical-resources-2025/10?lang=eng

 

3.       The Religious Study Center at BYU (established to assist CES- seminary and institute- instructors) has a wide variety of good articles.

A.      John Welch paper on Book of Mormon language in D&C 20     https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-12-no-2-2011/book-mormon-keystone-church-administration

B.      Fayette: The Place the Church was Organized by John K. Carmack https://rsc.byu.edu/sperry-symposium-classics-doctrine-covenants/fayette-place-church-was-organized

C.      The Articles and Covenants: A Handbook for New Branches by Craig James Ostler https://rsc.byu.edu/firm-foundation/articles-covenants-handbook-new-branches     or

https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/The_Articles_and_Covenants.pdf

 

4.       Scripture Central has great stuff, as always:

A.      Video: what occurred at Whitmer home : 1830  https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/section-20/

B.      Introductory video to D&C 20     https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/section-20/

C.      Video: Lynne Wilson addresses questions about the Organization of the Church   https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/section-20/

D.    Harper, Steven C. “Section 20.” In Doctrine and Covenants Contexts, 39–41   https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/section-20

E.       D&C 20 verse by verse commentary by Casey Griffiths https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/sections/commentary-on-dc-20/

 

Note that D&C 21:8 connects permission for Joseph Smith to rejoice with remission of his sins.              (see my CFM D&C 18 notes)

 

Rebecca Holt Stay : March 8, 2025

CFM D&C 19 Atonement

 

Jordan Ring-Sakabe

Recently there has been some interesting discussion among LDS members whether Jesus suffered for every individual sin of each of the billions of people who have lived, or whether He took upon himself the pains, afflictions and suffering typical to any mortal. Scripture is a little ambiguous on this question.

The basic idea of Atonement Theology posits that Jesus' death was necessary in some tangible, cosmic way, as a "sacrifice" for the sins of humanity. Further, it suggests that this sacrifice is the "salvific" work of Jesus; the moment that Jesus' earthly ministry is complete.

HOW exactly the atonement works is widely debated. 

1.      Moral Influence: This theory focuses on not just the death of Jesus Christ, but on His entire life as influencing people to make better choices through their own will to be more Christlike, bringing them to repentance and change..

2.      Ransom : in this act of Ransom Christ frees humanity from the bondage of sin and death. He has bought us with his blood

3.      Christus Victor: In this theory, Jesus Christ dies in order to defeat the powers of evil (such as sin, death, and the devil) in order to free mankind from their bondage, victory rather than payment.

4.       Satisfying Justice:  Jesus Christ’s death is understood as a death to satisfy the justice of God. Satisfaction here means restitution, the mending of what was broken, and the paying back of a debt, In this theory, God is acted upon by the Atonement (i.e. that Jesus satisfies God).

5.      Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus is punished in the place of sinners  in order to satisfy the justice of God and the legal demand of God to punish sin.

6.      Government theory : Jesus Christ suffers punishment of our sins in general, not particular and propitiates God’s wrath, but only for those who are members of his church. Thus the Church becomes a hiding place from God’s wrath.

7.      Scapegoat :  Jesus Christ dies as the Scapegoat of humanity.  “Christianity is a priestly religion which understands that it is God’s overcoming of our violence by substituting himself for the victim of our typical sacrifices that opens up our being able to enjoy the fullness of creation as if death were not.”

Various philosophical theories use the words Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Sacrifice, Propitiation, and Satisfaction. In human interpersonal relationships, atonement may be necessary to repair breaches of trust: descriptions of how to atone include: Apology, Repentance, Giving a True Account, Moral Reformation and Transformation, Reparation /Restitution /Recompense /Satisfaction, Penance, Punishment, and Third Party Assistance.

[For an interesting philosophical discussion of ‘atonement’, see https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atonement/  ]

The OT uses the word ‘atonement’ to translate the Hebrew  כָּפַר  kāp̄ar which means “to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch [as with Noah’s ark].  ‘Atonement’ is always spoken of in relation to animal sacrifices made at the tabernacle or later temple. The cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies was called כַּפֹּרֶת kapōreṯ : “mercy-seat, place of atonement; the golden plate of propitiation on which the High Priest sprinkled the seat 7 times on the Day of Atonement symbolically reconciling Jehovah and His chosen people; the slab of gold on top of the ark of the covenant which measured 2.5 by 1.5 cubits; on it and part of it were the two golden cherubim facing each other whose outstretched wings came together above and constituted the throne of God.”

Perhaps the single most complete description of the atonement (never using that word) is

Isaiah 53: 5f “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6. . . the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. . . 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; . . . For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken. . . .10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 . . .  he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

The English words “atone” and “atonement” are derived from the expressions “make at one”, and “at onement”. Usage of the latter phrase can be traced to as early as the 1300s in the writings of John Wycliffe. The word thus carries at its heart the notion of putting parties at one—unifying, or reconciling. The Oxford English Dictionary offers several definitions of atonement: 1. “the condition of being at one with others”, 2. “the action of setting at one, or condition of being set at one, after discord or strife”, 3. “reconciliation or restoration of friendly relations between God and sinners”, and 4. “propitiation of an offended or injured person, by reparation of wrong or injury; amends, satisfaction, expiation”.

What did Jesus have to say on the matter (as reported by his disciples)?

1.      Luke 4:18 "He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 

2.      Mat 8:16-17:  “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

3.      Matt 16:21 :  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

4.      Matt 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

5.      Matt 26:27-8: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

6.      Luke 22:19-20 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

7.      John 6:51, 54 : I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.. . . Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

8.      John 10:15, 18: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

9.      John 12:32-3: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.

10.  John 14:3, 6: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. . . . Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

11.  John 17:4,6,19: I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. . . .I have manifested thy name unto them which thou gavest me . . . . And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Paul uses a lot of terms in speaking of Christ’s mission: propitiation, justification, sanctification, reconciliation.

Peter says that Jesus “suffered for us, . . .his own self bare our sins.”

John taught that “the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin, he taketh away our sins.”

The English word ‘atonement’ is used only once in the NT: Romans 5:11  “ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”  The Greek translated here is καταλλαγή  katallagē: which means ‘an exchanging equivalent values, adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favour.”

Latter-Day scripture adds a lot:

Nephi says that “he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin.” “It must needs be an infinite atonement.” “God raises you from everlasting death by the power of the atonement.”

Jacob urges us to “be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ.”

King Benjamin taught his people 3:16-18 : “And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins. 17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. 18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.”

Mosiah quotes Isaiah 53.

Alma taught the people in Gideon  7:11-13 : “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God  suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance. . .”

The risen Christ introduces himself in 3 Nephi 11: 13 “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: 14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.”

The Doctrine and Covenants says

D&C 18:11-13 : 11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. 12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. 13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

D&C 19:16-19 : 16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; 18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

D&C 29:1 : Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;

D&C 76:69: 69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.

D&C 138:2-4: 2 And reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world; 3 And the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; 4 That through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved.

However you understand the atonement of Christ, His actions were a great gift to us enabling us to forgive others and ourselves and live lives of joy

 Rebecca Holt Stay : March 2025

My daughter sent me this:   I appreciated this take on the atonement and it was a theory of atonement I hadn't encountered before. I'd be interested to hear what others think of it, what critiques you might have.

https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/the-atonement-of-lov

My son wrote this:

I have a thought about the atonement that I haven't seen expressed much. The idea is that the atonement acts as a psychological solution to some otherwise unsolvable psychological problems.

We all feel guilt at having done wrong, and that we ought to be punished for it. If that punishment doesn't come, we feel there is injustice that needs to be fixed.

We also all feel like others have wronged us, and until they are punished, the universe is out of balance. But revenge, of course, leads to an unending cycle of violence.

So what the atonement does is to tell us, in a visceral way that our heart can accept, that the punishment has already happened, that justice has been served, and that all we have to do is accept that. It's like this black hole that you can throw your feelings of injustice into, both because it was the worst injustice, and because it was done to make things right. Having accepted that, we are in a psychological state more conducive to doing good, no longer self-hating, no longer other-hating.

I like it as a theory because it doesn't require any new supernatural things to be added to the universe, like a pain conservation law. It's clean in that Occam's Razor way

Another son wrote this in response: In the third to last paragraph, the author identifies what could be the main shortcoming of this theory if love is the only factor at play in the atonement: "Why wouldn’t God just love us enough to save us instead of requiring that such love come through Christ’s expansively mortal life? If Atonement is all about Love, in other words, why isn’t the Love of God enough?"

Or in my words, "If God knows everything already, then surely he knows us thoroughly enough to love us, so Jesus need not become mortal to gain that knowledge on God's behalf. There must be more to the atonement and incarnation than just that, or Jesus didn't have to suffer and die."

Alma addressed that same concern in Alma 7:12-13 "...and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things [so the Spirit already knows how to succor his people, even without Christ suffering]; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

D-  I like what you wrote about the psychological problems. I think the law Jesus had to satisfy was not some arbitrary law of the universe or a demand of God the Father alone, but rather a fundamental truth about how a community of gods must function. It's part of the HOA covenants in the celestial neighborhood because conscious beings feel that wrongs have to be righted. We all demand the "black hole that you can throw your feelings of injustice into", so when God set up the plan of salvation, he had to include a Savior who experienced and accomplished what Jesus did.

And so it's fundamentally relational, as the author of this essay argued.

CFM D&C 18 Notes from Hebrew (and a bit of Greek)

 D&C 18:9 And now, Oliver Cowdery, I speak unto you, and also unto David Whitmer, by the way of commandment; for, behold, I command all men everywhere to repent, and I speak unto you, even as unto Paul mine apostle, for you are called even with that same calling with which he was called.

Apostolos in its broader sense means “one sent out or away, emissary,” thus NOT necessarily one of the 12 disciples given an additional commission to be part of the governing body of the church. 

In this particular historical moment, Cowdery and Whitmer are being ‘sent out’ with the particular mission of searching out the future 12.

D&C 18:11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

Discuss this next week

D&C 18:13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

Context: Joy and rejoicing in OT: 4 major reasons for Joy and Rejoicing

1.       Forgiveness of sins at the temple thru sacrifices : meat not burned or given to priests as pay for their help, was taken by the offerer, cooked, and shared with family and friends: this meal was a big part of ‘rejoicing before the LORD.’

Neh 12:43  Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

Psa 27:6 . . . therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

Ecc 9:7  Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Deu 16:11  And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.

Deu 27:7  And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the LORD thy God.

Psa 31:7  I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy

2.       Marriage

Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with 

3.       Having righteous children

Pro 23:24  The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

 Pro 23:25  Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

4. Defeating enemies in battle

D&C 18:17 Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation.

First, SALVATION or SAVIOR is Jesus’ name.  In Hebrew, Yeshua [often translated as Joshua]is the short form of the name Yehoshua יְהוֹשׁוּעַ yᵊhôšûaʿ: Jehovah Saves.  Isaiah (whose name is יְשַׁעְיָה yᵊšaʿyâ  or “Jehovah saves” or “Jehovah will be Jesus” sang  [Isa 12:2] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Remember, in Matthew 1:21, Joseph is told “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

So D&C 18:23 contains a play on words: only thru Salvation/the Savior can a person be saved.   Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;

The ROCK  : Jacob stood his stone pillow up after his dream vision of the LORD and named it EBEN-ezer or stone that helped me. [Gen 28:22] And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house:

Exo 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Moses is the first in the OT to call the LORD “the Rock” in the Song of Moses (Deut 32:4):  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Deu 32:15 But [Israel] waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Hannah also connects Salvation and the Rock in her song of praise [1Sa 2:1-2] And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

David often referred to the LORD as the Rock of his Salvation [Psa 18:2, 31, 46]  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 31  For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?  46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Isaiah also sings of the rock [Isa 17:10]  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength

D&C 18:18  The NAME“ Ask the Father in my name in faith, believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men.

D&C 18:21 Take upon you the name of Christ, and speak the truth in soberness.

D&C 18:22 And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

D&C 18:25 Wherefore, if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of my Father.

After the golden calf incident, Moses was talking with the LORD, face to face as a man speaks with his friend [Deut 33:11] and he asks the LORD, “Tell me your name.” So in Exodus 34, when Moses goes up on the mountain with two tablets of stone (get it? The LORD’s words are written on rocks, stones) to get the 10 commandments a second time, the LORD met him there:

[Ex 34:5-7]  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD [Jehovah], The LORD [Jehovah] God [Elohim], merciful [rechem] and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, [offering] mercy [chesed] for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;

These qualities are the LORD’s name.  We need to obtain those qualities ourselves to be saved: we need to be totally covered [immersed, baptized] in those attributes.  If we have not taken that name, if we do not know the name, we cannot be saved.

In other words, the ritual of baptism is NOT what saves us: we are saved everyday by being kind, merciful, long suffering, and forgiving others.  We are ‘saved’ eternally by learning to be LIKE Christ, enabling us to feel comfort in His presence.

D&C 18:19 Defining terms:“And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.

A.    Faith in Hebrew is אֱמוּנָה 'ĕmûnâ or amanah.  It does not mean believing without proof: it means to be FAITHFUL, TRUE, LOYAL, STEADFAST.  It means that if you make a promise, you keep it.

 

B.    Hope in Hebrew is תִּקְוָה  tiqvâ or tiqvah.  To long for or expect good things.  Job 6:8  Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Job has a beautiful metaphor for hope in Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.  That is how strong our hope should be, that even if we die, yet shall we live again.

 

C.    Charity translates several words in Hebrew. 

1.       Elder Bednar introduced us to one: Chesed חֶסֶד  cḥeseḏ means ‘loving kindness.’ The LORD treats his children with ‘chesed’ : Gen 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy [chesed] and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. In return, He asks us to be merciful, to show loving kindness to others

2.       רָחַם  rāḥam or rechem is often translated as compassion, pity, mercy.  [2Ki 13:23]  And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion [rechem]on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   The original meaning of rechem is womb, or uterus. Rechem is the compassion a mother has for the child in her womb, giving her life for the child.

 

D&C 18:29 And they are they who are ordained of me to baptize in my name, according to that which is written;

יָסַד  yāsaḏ  ordain, establish, lay a foundation [usually of the temple], put in order 1Ch 9:22All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.

שׂוּם   śûmo set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix;to set or make for a sign    1Ch 17:9   Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more

שָׁפַת  šāp̄aṯ     to put or place (rare) Isa 26:12  LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

Generally, ‘ordain’ originally, in a biblical context, meant to appoint, or place someone in a position and give them authority to act.  LATER in the restoration, this term becomes associated with being given authority to act in a particular priesthood office.

38 And by their desires and their works you shall know them.

Somehow, members think they are not supposed to ASK for callings or opportunities to serve, Yet Jesus often said, “Ask, seek, knock, and it shall be given you.” Almost the only time we formally ask to serve is in our papers seeking to serve missions,  Do you want to proselyte? Go on a service mission? Do humanitarian work? Do you want to use your medical or legal skills? 

Yet, the 12 apostles are to be called ‘according to their desires.’

DESIRE in OT Hebrew : בָּקַשׁ   bāqaš to want to do; to ask, requestGen 37:15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

Exo 10:11  [Pharaoh to Moses] Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire.

 שָׁאַל  šā'alto enquire, enquire carefully; to ask for (also the name Saul)

חֵפֶץ    ḥēp̄eṣ   that in which one takes delight, pleasure   2Sa 23:5  . . .  yet he [God] hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire

 

Psa 1:2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

WORKS see below v.44

D&C 18: 44 And by your hands I will work a marvelous work among the children of men,

עָבַדʿāḇaḏ; avodah : work or serve; service    Exo 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

Exo 8:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. [service to God is WORSHIP] 

THUS, Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. = When you work to help others, you are WORSHIPPING God!

מַעֲשֶׂה   maʿăśê  works, deed, thing done, act; work, labour; the things you do   from the verb  עָשָׂה    ʿāśâto do, fashion [God fashioned man in Genesis 2], accomplish, make; to do, work, make, produce

Exo 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest:

יְגִיעַ    yᵊḡîaʿ : toil or work; products of toil   Job 10:3   Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work   [yegiyah] of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

 יָד   yāḏ literally, hand; that which you do with your hands  Exo 14:31And Israel saw that great work [yad]  which the LORD did [asa] upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

מְלָאכָה   mᵊlā'ḵâ [same word as ANGEL] occupation, business, workmanship, service, use; actions, works, deeds done with authority from KING [ מֶלֶךְ   meleḵ]  Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his workwhich he had made [asa]; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Exo 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work [Malaka] of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service [avodah], and for the holy garments.

Probably the word used in Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work [what I do as KING] and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

MARVELOUS

פָּלָא  pālā't    to be marvellous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action; To be beyond one's power, be difficult to do; To be difficult to understand;to be wonderful, be extraordinary; to separate, set apart (an offering); to do extraordinary or hard or difficult thing, a miracle; to make wonderful, do wondrously; to show oneself wonderful or marvellous

Isa 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder:

Miraculous birth : Gen 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Plagues of Egypt :Exo 3:20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

Covenant promises Exo 34:10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation

Nazarite vow (like John the Baptist, missionaries, or members who meet temple recommend requirements) Num 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

Wonders Joshua 3:5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Temples : 2Ch 2:9  Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.