In the Sunday morning
session of the April 2012 General Conference, Elder Christofferson delivered a
message entitled, “The
Doctrine of Christ”. He addressed
the issue of persisting doctrinal confusions, talked about correcting doctrinal
deviations, spoke concerning the overall power and authority of the President
of the Church, and reaffirmed the teaching that a prophet is a prophet only
when he is acting as such. He stated in part the following:
. .
. We have seen of late a growing public interest in the beliefs of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is something we welcome because,
after all, our fundamental commission is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ,
His doctrine, in all the world (see Matthew
28:19–20; D&C
112:28). But we must admit there has been and still persists some confusion
about our doctrine and how it is established. That is the subject I wish to
address today. . .
We
value scholarship that enhances understanding, but in the Church today, just as
anciently, establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal
deviations is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with
apostolic authority. . .
In
1954, President J. Reuben Clark Jr., then a counselor in the First
Presidency, explained how doctrine is promulgated in the Church and the
preeminent role of the President of the Church. Speaking of members of the
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he stated: “[We] should
[bear] in mind that some of the General Authorities have had assigned to them a
special calling; they possess a special gift; they are sustained as prophets,
seers, and revelators, which gives them a special spiritual endowment in
connection with their teaching of the people. They have the right, the power,
and authority to declare the mind and will of God to his people, subject to the
over-all power and authority of the President of the Church.
The
President of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelation
to him (see, for example, D&C 138).
Doctrinal exposition may also come through the combined council of the First
Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see, for example, Official
Declaration 2). Council deliberations will often include a weighing of
canonized scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in
the end, just as in the New Testament Church, the objective is not simply
consensus among council members but revelation from God. It is a process
involving both reason and faith for obtaining the mind and will of the Lord.
At
the same time it should be remembered that not every statement made by a Church
leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. It is commonly
understood in the Church that a statement made by one leader on a single
occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, not
meant to be official or binding for the whole Church. The Prophet Joseph Smith
taught that “a prophet [is] a prophet only when he [is] acting as such.”
President
Clark, quoted earlier, observed: “To this point runs a simple story my father
told me as a boy, I do not know on what authority, but it illustrates the
point. His story was that during the excitement incident to the coming of
[Johnston’s] Army, Brother Brigham preached to the people in a morning meeting
a sermon vibrant with defiance to the approaching army, and declaring an
intention to oppose and drive them back. In the afternoon meeting he arose and
said that Brigham Young had been talking in the morning, but the Lord was going
to talk now. He then delivered an address, the tempo of which was the opposite
from the morning talk. …
“… The
Church will know by the testimony of the Holy Ghost in the body of the members,
whether the brethren in voicing their views are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’;
and in due time that knowledge will be made manifest.”
Does being sustained as
prophets, seers, and revelators by the members of the church automatically give
men a special spiritual endowment in connection with their teaching of the
people? Does the sustaining vote of church members by common consent give the
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve the right, the power, and authority
to declare the mind and will of God to his people? How does a man become a
prophet of God? What kind of servant does God ordain? D&C
50:26-29, D&C
18:31-38
What is required to become a
servant of God who speaks His word, which “shall not pass away, but shall all
be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is
the same?” D&C
1:38 Is there a difference between a “holy man” and a “natural man”? If so,
what? Is it necessary for a servant of God to first be redeemed from the fall,
brought back into His presence, and become a holy man?
If God ordains and speaks
through holy men, are God’s words subject to the overall power and authority of
the President of the Church, who is sustained by the members of the church? Has
God called, chosen, and ordained the President of the Church? Are the First
Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve all holy men who have been
ordained by God? If not, why? If so, how did they become such? Would holy men
ordained by God and acting in His name ever contradict each other?
Would it be necessary for a
chosen servant, who is declaring the mind and will of God, to entertain council
deliberations, which often include a weighing of canonized scriptures, the
teachings of Church leaders, and past practice? In the light of knowing that
not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily
constitutes doctrine, would the weighing of teachings of Church leaders and
past practices be reliable and valid?
Would it be useful to know
when a prophet is speaking as a prophet of God? Would it be valuable to know
when the words of a prophet only represent a personal, though well-considered
opinion, not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church? Would it be
helpful to be able to recognize, discern, and know the difference between
binding prophecies of God and the mere opinions of men? Would it be fundamental
and essential to know when a man is talking nonsense versus when God is
speaking with clarity and power?
Can those who claim to be
endowed with apostolic authority change doctrine that was established before
the foundation of the world? Can any natural man establish the doctrine of
Christ? Can any council of men change it? Hasn’t the doctrine of Christ already
been established? Many prophets have spoken plainly on this subject 2
Nephi 31 & 32. Can a man or group of men vote and, with authority,
modify God’s ordinances or doctrines? Isaiah 24:5
Would God change the ordinances because he discovered he didn’t quite get it
right the first time? Are altered ordinances valid? What ordinances have been
changed in our day? Is the doctrine of Christ unchangeable, consistent, and reliable? Are
there laws, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations
of this world, upon which all blessings are
predicated? D&C
130:20
a prophet [is] a prophet only when he [is] acting as such.
ReplyDeleteEven this might not be true. Joseph said to a couple guys that they would find someone to purchase the copyrights to the BoM in Canada and then they could use that money to print the book. Well, it didn't happen. When they asked Joseph why he replied that sometimes men receive revelation from God, other times from oneself, and sometimes from the devil.