May 2024

Instruction From the Temple

King Benjamin's speech is among a very select group of speeches that inform our understanding of our relationship with Heavenly Father. It does so with a simplicity and clarity that often obscures its sheer brilliance. That it was delivered in a temple setting is a testimony not only to the significance of the temple to the religious among us, but also to the importance of the temple as a beacon of both spiritual and secular learning in the larger society. 

John W. Welch made the followng comment about its focus on repentance, which is fundamental to an understanding of the doctrine of the priesthood, as taught in the temple:

After Benjamin's five "believe" statements and five "repent" statements (4:9–10), he added two "knowledge" statements (4:11); he followed it with two mentions of the word "remember," particularly that we must "retain in remembrance" what God has done for us (4:11). It is not enough to know something; you can forget it next week. We must not only know it and remember it, but always retain it in remembrance. Notice how Benjamin has moved from one thought to another. He did not use a simple repetition; he used elevation of the thought as it went along. He was guiding people step by step. He moves here from having believed, then done, then known, and then remembered, then humbled ourselves, then called on the name of the Lord daily, and at that point you shall rejoice and be filled with love. This will allow us to "retain a remission of our sins," grow in the knowledge of the glory of God, and then to know what is just and true. We achieve this goal one step at a time, and Benjamin marvelously sets out the step-by-step sequence. All of this is so that we can obtain a remission of our sins."

And remember that remembering in this sense is not just a matter of remembering intellectually. We truly remember when we remember to do certain things. And thus, toward the end of the next section of his speech, Benjamin will return again precisely to the idea of retaining a remission of sins (see 4:26). 

When I was a bishop, a girl who had transgressed—not terribly, but it was very troublesome to her—came to me, and she tried to repent. She kept coming back, and I would give her some ideas and she would feel better. Then she would come back two weeks later feeling bad again. She wondered why those bad feelings kept coming back. Benjamin's words came to my mind, and I realized that her problem was that she had not retained a remission of her sins. I had never heard anyone talk about this step in the repentance process; but I had recently had Benjamin on my mind. So we read out loud Mosiah 4:26, together with its injunction to "retain" a remission of sins by giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and administering to their relief both spiritually and temporally. This additional step is actually a step in the repentance process. When we think of the R's of repentance, certainly retain is one we should add.

That was a "Benjamin moment" for me, in which these words took on powerful life and meaning, impelling us to go and do something. We set out some things that she was going to go do, and two weeks later she came back to my office and said, "Bishop, it has worked! I feel totally different." I told her to keep at it in order to always retain that remission. Benjamin has given us really profound guidance."

What a wonderful testimony! It's something that I think would be really good for ministers to keep in mind as they counsel with others. I like this quote from President Eyring: "When answers to my prayers seem delayed, I have learned to follow the counsel of President Nelson to review my life for opportunities to repent."

Finding Peace

Steven J. Hafen (BYU Administrative Vice-President) delivered an address entitled Our Path to Lasting Personal Peace. I pulled a couple of quotes that I wanted to share and wrote them below, but the entire talk is only around 30 minutes, and well worth the listen - lots of temple references.

'My hope today is that my message will in some way influence you to learn or, maybe more importantly, to feel something new about our Savior’s Atonement, which Bruce R. McConkie once described as “the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things.”

As Tad R. Callister, who later became a member of the Seventy, once explained:

The pursuit of this doctrine requires the total person, for the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most supernal, mind-expanding, passionate doctrine this world or universe will ever know.

I cannot conceive of a more important time to be pursuing “the most supernal, mind-expanding, passionate doctrine this . . . universe will ever know.” Why? Because, as President Russell M. Nelson recently said, “we are presently living in what surely is a most complicated time in the history of the world.”5

And yet, with his familiar optimistic tone, President Nelson also noted times of wonder and beauty ahead with this reassuring promise of peace:

My dear brothers and sisters, so many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. . . .

. . . Despite the distractions and distortions that swirl around us, you can find true rest—meaning relief and peace—even amid your most vexing problems.6

Think about that! Even in the midst of poignant personal challenges, difficult decisions, and tribulation caused by living in “a most complicated time in the history of the world,” we can experience peace through “the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.”

[The following five blessings originate] from the transformative power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, leading us on our path to lasting personal peace:

Our Savior's Atonement Purifies our impure thoughts and actions. In the book of Mosiah, King Benjamin taught that “the natural man is an enemy to God . . . unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit . . . and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.”

As we repent of our shortcomings—both minor and major—we are sanctified and become Saints, or more pure. President Nelson has taught us that “daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power.”

Our Savior's Atonement enables us to progress beyond seemingly disabling challenges, events, and decisions. Elder David A. Bednar has helped us all better understand the enabling power of the Atonement. He said:

Many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us. . . . But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires . . . not only to direct us but also to empower us.

Our Savior’s Atonement Assures. President Nelson reinforced this great blessing:

Each time we partake of the sacrament, we promise again to take the name of the Savior upon us, to remember Him, and to keep His commandments. In return, God assures us that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us.

Our Savior’s Atonement Comforts. While I don’t know many of you personally, I believe I can confidently say that many here today are likely experiencing some level of discomfort in their lives. During the Last Supper, when the Savior promised His apostles peace, He also said this:

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. . . .

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Sister Linda S. Reeves, a former member of the Relief Society general presidency, once said:

Nothing that happens is a shock or a surprise to [Jesus Christ]. He is all-knowing and all-loving. He is eager to help us, to comfort us, and to ease our pain as we rely on the power of the Atonement.

Through our Savior’s Atonement, we can experience the promise that He will never leave us comfortless. What an amazing blessing this is!

Our Savior’s Atonement Exalts. Exaltation is the reason for Christ’s Atonement. And it is the ultimate desire that Heavenly Father has for each of us. In the October 2006 general conference, Elder Richard G. Scott closed a beautiful talk on the Atonement with this testimony:

I testify that with unimaginable suffering and agony at an incalculable price, the Savior earned His right to be our Redeemer, our Intermediary, our Final Judge. . . . The secure anchors of His laws will assure safety and success as you scale the challenges you will face. . . . Yours will be a life of peace and happiness crowned with exaltation in the celestial kingdom.

As the crowning blessing of the greatest event in the history of the human condition, the exalting power of the Atonement provides the bridge from mortality to the highest state of eternal glory. While this incomprehensible blessing is not something we experience in this life, I do believe our loving Heavenly Father allows us to taste of this fruit (to reference Lehi’s dream) at times.

I have had very few of these cherished moments. But one such moment occurred as I knelt around an altar in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple with my family on the morning of November 15, 2008. This was the day that [our adopted daughter] Taya was sealed to our family for eternity!

We are literal sons and daughters of Heavenly Father. This primary, divine identity gives us access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But that divine access comes by action, not by accident. 

In summary, our Savior’s Atonement

Purifies
Enables
Assures
Comforts
Exalts

With this in mind, how do we ensure that our daily actions thus align with our desires to experience lasting personal peace? While the answer to this question may vary based on personal reflection and circumstance, perhaps there is one answer that stands on its own in importance.

[Here is] my single invitation: Completely commit to keep all your covenants.

How grateful I am to our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, for helping us to further focus on our sacred covenants. Here is just one of the many quotes I could share from him as he has made covenants one of his key prophetic priorities:

Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power. And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.

Most of us here today have made sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. But the door that opens as we make covenants will begin to close if our covenants become dormant. Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we are passive covenant makers or active covenant keepers. Heavenly Father cannot completely bless us with peace unless we use Christ’s Atonement to completely keep all our covenants—a beautiful balance of justice and mercy rooted in holy love.'

Think Celestial!

'We cannot abandon our faith when challenges come our way. We will not turn away; we will not retreat; we will not become discouraged. We will move boldly and clearly forward and be an example for all those around us in modesty, humility, and faith. Being steadfast and immovable is a personal quest that has eternal rewards, for if we do so, “Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life.”'(King Benjamin in Mosiah 5:15)

-- Former Relief Society General President Mary Ellen W. Smoot

Temple Moments

At this point we were already a family of six with four wonderful children. In the subsequent weeks as the discussions continued, I found myself searching for and sharing a variety of reasons with Brooke on why we should not pursue adoption.

Brooke’s strong impression compensated for my weakness, and she continued to nudge me to discover my own answer on adoption. So I spent several weeks doing research, writing down my thoughts, and praying. Over time, I became frustrated that I was not finding a clear answer. After an additional conversation, Brooke and I thus agreed to fast and attend the temple with this exclusive purpose.

As Brooke and I prepared to go to the temple for an answer, I recall kneeling in prayer. But rather than just asking Heavenly Father to bless me with an answer, this time I focused much of my prayer on a contemplative and exhaustive acknowledgment of my weaknesses. While I didn’t believe I had made major mistakes that would have prevented personal revelation, I remember a desire to be more humble and thorough in my quest for forgiveness this time.

My experience in the temple was uplifting, as it always is, but I felt slight disappointment as I was preparing to leave without the distinct answer I was seeking. I exited the dressing room and went to the lobby to wait for Brooke. After I had been waiting a few minutes, a couple from one of our early BYU married student wards who I hadn’t seen in nearly ten years walked into the lobby.

After exchanging some pleasantries, I asked them what was new in their lives. Their response surprised me: they shared that after having had four children, they had recently adopted a child.

As you might assume, this was exciting news to me! I asked them several detailed questions about their adoption experience. It was abundantly clear that they already viewed the adoption as a huge blessing to their family. As they were leaving, I sat back down, contemplating what they had just shared.

And then it happened! I was flooded with a spirit so undeniably strong that I will never forget it. With tears welling up, I felt these words enter my mind: “This is your answer. Move forward with adoption.”

While I haven’t had many experiences in my life that were this dramatic, I have had many times in which questions have been answered or decisions were simplified through revelation. And I am so grateful for this experience and testify that it came because of the purifying power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

-- Steven J. Hafen