4/26/2018 - Section 93:1

April 26, 2018

Section 93:1

Testimony,  My Testimony,

Historically this section was given 3 years after the church was organized. The saints were gathered in two main places: Kirtland, Ohio and Jackson County, Missouri. The School of the Prophets was well organized in Kirtland and was a place of learning and revelation. And the saints in Jackson County were working to prepare a place for all the members of the church. But this was also the time that there were many problems and then mobs began to gather to persecute the saints in Jackson County. In members of the church apostatized in both areas, and turned against their former leaders. And this was the time the Lord revealed section 93.

V 1 delineates the path to KNOWING the Lord. It is a beautiful promise to people everywhere: “…every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.”  I’ve said before: I don’t feel any need to see His face, for I KNOW now that He is there and stands behind every promise He has ever given.

I love Spencer W. Kimball’s quote: “I have learned that where there is a prayerful heart, a hungering after righteousness, a forsaking of sins, and obedience to the commandments of God, the Lord pours out more and more light until there is finally power to pierce the heavenly veil and to know more than man knows….” I think the secret is to not make a sure testimony a one time event. This path is not like something we put on our bucket list of things we want to do before we die. This path needs to be our daily path—just like the path we physically take at the end of each day to come home, after a sometimes hard and grueling day or after a wonderful and satisfying and uplifting day, to the place we know we will find safety and comfort and love.

8/27/2021 – D&C 93:1-29

“In April of 1833 mobs gathered to persecute the Saints in Missouri. In both Kirtland and Independence members of the Church apostatized and turned against their former brethren, and Joseph was faced with the possibility of a schism between the Church in Missouri and in Ohio. On 6 May1833 the Prophet received the revelations in Doctrine and Covenants 93, which comforted the Saints and gave instruction on several gospel themes.” (from the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, page 234)

In v’s 1&2, Christ is telling us who He is and how we can come to truly know Him. Verse 2: “…I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”  Verse 1: “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;” That assures me that we can all come to truly know Him. He has given us the map. All we have to do is to follow and to stay on that map. 

President Spencer W. Kimball put it this way: “I have learned that where there is a prayerful heart, a hungering after righteousness, a forsaking of sins, and obedience to the commandments of God, the Lord pours out more and more light until there is finally power to pierce the heavenly veil and to know more than man knows. A person of such righteousness has the priceless promise that one day he shall see the Lord’s face and know that he is.” (“Give the Lord Your Loyalty,” Ensign, Mar. 1980, p. 4.)

Verse 6 is a promise that there is more scripture to come: “And John saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory, and the fulness of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed.”  But the scripture we already have from John helps us and leads us the right way. He explains that we all can grow in the gospel, but that growth comes line upon line: “And I, John, saw that he [Christ] received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace until he received a fulness.” (v’s 12-13)

In verses 18-20, Christ gives us much of that map, and he lets us know that WE determine the extent of our journey and our blessings. “And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John. 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.”

Christ is trying to give the saints a greater understanding of the gospel and how to follow the Lord. He does this as he knows they are coming into difficult times…and some of that is because of their failure to truly follow in His chosen ways. He has given the saints “…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 on who was a liar from the beginning.” (v’s 24-25) We have been given the truths of the gospel. All we have to do is to follow them to the best of our ability.

Christ repeats the plan for us over and over to help us to understand it: “…no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments. He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.” (v’s 27-28)