Joseph Smith on the Mysteries of Godliness
Posted onApril 27, 2012byldschurchquotes
“The Savior has the words of eternal life. Nothing else can profit us. There is no salvation in believing an evil report against our neighbor. I advise all to go on to perfection, and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness. A man can do nothing for himself unless God direct him in the right way; and the Priesthood is revealed for that purpose.” Joseph Smith, Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 364
“There are two Priesthoods spoken of in the Scriptures, viz., the Melchizedek and the Aaronic or Levitical. Although there are two Priesthoods, yet the Melchizedek Priesthood comprehends the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood, and is the grand head, and holds the highest authority which pertains to the Priesthood, and the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth, and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation, and every important matter is revealed from heaven.
“Its institution was prior to ‘the foundation of this earth, or the morning stars sang together, or the Sons of God shouted for joy’ [seeJob 38:4–7], and is the highest and holiest Priesthood, and is after the order of the Son of God, and all other Priesthoods are only parts, ramifications, powers and blessings belonging to the same, and are held, controlled, and directed by it. It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing His glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which He has continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time, and through which He will make known His purposes to the end of time.”7
Joseph Smith Jr.
History of the Church Volume 4:207
Temple Ordinances Necessary to Enter Church of Firstborn
The sacred ordinances performed in the temple are essential in becoming a member of the Church of the Firstborn. This was made clear by Joseph Smith. On May 4, 1842, the day the Prophet introduced the temple ordinances of the washing and anointing and the endowment in this dispensation, he wrote:
I spent the day in the upper part of the store . . . in council with General James Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessing which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds. (History of the Church5:1-2;Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.237; emphasis added)
In line with this, Brigham Young who was in attendance on this occasion later stated: "The ordinances of the house of God are expressly for the Church of the Firstborn" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.397; andJournal of Discourse, 8:154).
Though D&C 76:51-53 (quoted earlier) does not specifically state that temple ordinances are necessary for entrance into the Church of the Firstborn, it is, however, implied in verse 53 which states that one of the prerequisites for those who qualify for the celestial kingdom are those "who overcome by faith." In 1835, Joseph Smith taught the Quorum of the Twelve that temple ordinances were a necessary part of overcoming all things: "You need an endowment, brethren, in order that you may be prepared and able to overcome all things" (History of the Church, 2:309;Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.91).
Joseph Fielding Smith taught necessity of temple ordinances to become a member of the Church of the Firstborn in these terms:
The higher ordinances in the temple of God pertain to exaltation in the celestial kingdom. . . . In order to receive this blessing, one must keep the full law, must abide the law by which that kingdom is governed; for, "He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." So being ordained an elder, or a high priest, or an apostle, or even President of the Church, is not the thing that brings the exaltation, but obedience to the laws and the ordinances and the covenants required of those who desire to become members of the Church of the Firstborn, as these are administered in the house of the Lord.
He then stated:
To become a member of the Church of the Firstborn, as I understand it, is to become one of the inner circle. We are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized and confirmed, and there are many who seem to be content to remain such without obtaining the privileges of exaltation. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:42).
Again, on another occasion, he wrote:
Each person baptized into the Church is under obligation to keep the commandments of the Lord. He is under covenant, for baptism is a "new and an everlasting covenant." (D.C. 22:1.) When he has proved himself by a worthy life, having been faithful in all things required of him, then it is his privilege to receive other covenants and to take upon himself other obligations which will make of him an heir, and he will become a member of the "Church of the Firstborn."(The Way to Perfection, p.208)
Finally, he taught:
The Lord has made it possible for us to become members of the Church of the Firstborn, by receiving the blessings of the house of the Lord and overcoming all things. Thus we become heirs, "priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory," who shall "dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever," with full exaltation. Are such blessings worth having?(Doctrines of Salvation, 2:42-43)
Likewise, Bruce R. McConkie testified: "The temple ordinances open the door to gaining all power and all wisdom and all knowledge. Temple ordinances open up the way to membership in the Church of the Firstborn" (Conference Report, October 1955, p.13).