Doctrine and Covenants 88
“Establish ... A House of God”
August 11 - August 17
scripture
quotes
Testimonies Come Slowly
<p>Revelation and testimony do not always come with overwhelming force. For many, a testimony comes slowly—a piece at a time. Sometimes it comes so gradually that it is hard to recall the exact moment we actually knew the gospel was true. The Lord gives us “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30).</p> <p>In some ways, our testimony is like a snowball that grows larger with every turn. We start out with a small amount of light—even if it is only a desire to believe. Gradually, “light cleaveth unto light” (D&C 88:40), 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), when “in due time [we] receive of his fulness” (D&C 93:19).</p>
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Potential, Your Privilege”, April 2011 General Conference
The Lord is Here
<p>Whatever the scale of things, the Lord is there! Whether in speaking of how sun, moon, and stars show “God moving in his majesty and power” (D&C 88:47) or in describing the lilies of the field as being better arrayed than Solomon in all his finery, who is better qualified than the Creator to make such descriptions of the heaven and such comparisons between raiment and flowers (Matt. 6:28–29)?</p>
Neal A. Maxwell, “Yet Thou Art There”, October 1987 General Conference
commentaries
Commentary on D&C 88:42–45
<p>God is the great Lawgiver. Whether it is the moral laws that govern our daily interactions with each other or the laws of physics that govern the movement of planets in their orbits, the source of these laws is God Himself. The order of the universe is one of the great proofs of the existence of God. When confronted by the anti-Christ Korihor, Alma argued: “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).</p> <p>However, we should not assume that the way the laws function for us here on earth is the way they function in all parts of God’s creations. The formula given in verse 44, which equates all minutes, hours, weeks, months, and years as being “one year with God,” contradicts other formulations of time given in the scriptures if it is taken literally (see Abraham 3:4; Facsimile 2:1, Moses 3:17; Abraham 5:13; Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). The overall message of these verses appears to be that time works differently for God than it does for mortal men and women on earth. Rather than taking all of these statements literally, it is probably best to look to the statement of Alma the Younger that “all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8).</p>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
Commentary on D&C 88:46–50
<p>Some might argue that God is incomprehensible to mortal minds, but both ancient and modern scripture argue to the contrary. The majesty and breadth of God’s power and dominions might be incomprehensible to a mortal, but the character, attributes, and perfections of God are something that a mortal can and must comprehend in order to fully exercise faith in Him. Jesus taught, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Joseph Smith taught that “if men do not comprehend the character of God[,] they do not comprehend themselves.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> God promises in verse 49 that at some future time (most likely after our resurrection), we will be able to comprehend everything about the nature of God. </p> <p>Joseph Smith further expounded on this subject in an 1834 letter written to the Church: </p> <blockquote> <p>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 man approaches perfection, the more conspicuous are his views, & the greater his enjoyments, until he has overcome the evils of this life and lost every desire of sin; and like the ancients, arrives to that point of faith that he is wrapped in the glory and power 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 into the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, till his mind was capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equity, and consistency of the same.<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> “Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Willard Richards,” in Joseph Smith, Journal, 1 March 1844–22 June 1844, p. 67, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Letter to the Church, circa February 1834, p. 135, JSP. </p> </div>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
Commentary on D&C 88:51–61
<p>One pair of commentators has labeled this passage “the parable of the multitude of kingdoms.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> This passage, along with others in modern revelation, serves to illustrate that God is not just the God of the whole earth but the Ruler of the universe. There are a multitude of worlds among the creations of God, and many are inhabited by the sons and daughters of God (D&C 76:24). When the Lord spoke unto Moses, He explained: </p> <blockquote> <p>Worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. (Moses 1:33–35)</p> </blockquote> <p>Each of these worlds undoubtedly has its own history and literature and hosts a multitude of cultures as complex and beautiful as the ones in our world. But the gospel is fundamentally the same no matter where it is taught, and the people of other worlds “are sav’d by the very same Saviour of ours; And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons, By the very same truths, and the very same pow’rs.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a> The gospel pattern remains the same— on all of these worlds, God calls prophets who teach and testify of the power of Jesus Christ to save. The work is much bigger in scope than we can conceive. However, the scriptures are clear that even though the work of Christ is infinite, on an individual level it is still intimate for each of us.</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, <em>A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, </em>2004, 3:51–61.</p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Poem to William W. Phelps, between circa 1 and circa 15 February 1843, JSP. </p> </div>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
