D&C 20:5-9

20:5-7 - After the first few instructions, which were the assignment of the office of first and second elders. Now the Lord goes into something that I don’t quite understand, but as far as I understand it, it’s telling JS that he has “received a remission of his sins, he was entangled again in the vanities of the world.” This, I think, references the time between the First Vision and when Moroni appeared to him 3 years later. The IM quotes him as saying that during that time, “I was left to all kinds of temptations; and mingling with all kinds of society, I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature; which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations, offensive in the sight of God. In making this confession, no one need suppose me guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to commit such was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been. But this will not seem very strange to any one who recollects my youth, and is acquainted with my native cheery temperament.” When I first heard JS’s take on these three years and saw that he felt that he had behaved poorly, it was interesting to me, because it’s like when Nephi exclaims “O wretched man that I am,” and we think “really, Nephi, what could you have done that was so wrong?” and then compared our flawed nature with his. I want to think that if I had their problems I would be doing pretty well, but then again, I’m sure someone is saying the same thing about me, not because I’m so awesome and spiritual but just because we are all in different places spiritually, and the grass always looks greener on the other side. When it comes to the concept of associating with “jovial company” is complex because we should have fun, have a good sense of humor, etc., but it’s when the Spirit leaves because of the company that you keep that it becomes a problem. I had this same thing happen to me today, I was talking to someone, I don’t remember where it was, probably at work, but either they said something or I said something and I immediately felt the Spirit leave, He was gone so fast. That wasn’t something that I could necessarily control, but it did affect me, because I was the one who lost the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I love that I’m at a place where I can be sensitive to whether or not I have the Holy Ghost, and sometimes it almost feels like I can almost feel a warning, like when I’m about to say something negative about someone or something, I can hear something like, “don’t say it,” and sometimes, more lately, I listen, and when I do, I feel good, like I’ve averted some sort of spiritual train wreck. But when I say it anyway, I usually feel pretty bad afterwards, and I usually only get one warning, meaning, if I ignore the warning to keep my mouth shut, then the Holy Ghost lets me go fall down that negativity spiral that I choose for myself, and it usually takes me so much longer to get back up onto spiritually positive ground. For instance, at work today, I was good until I got here and started to get angry at people and things and situations, and instead of just letting it go and doing my job, like I should have, I started running my mouth to a co-worker, and then all of a sudden I’m having a bad day, when today was going so incredibly well, like I legitimately feel really really bad. But this is where I am, I am learning to control my mouth and my feelings and the way that I treat others, and I’m usually basing that off of how I feel before and after I say something, and this is new for me, it’s not as cut and dry as some of the other concepts that I’ve dealt with, it’s more subjective and gray area and I’m so happy that I’m at this point, but I’m struggling with it, and I guess that’s the point, I’m learning and repenting and hopefully growing, however painfully slowly. Verse 7 introduces an interesting concept, and that is the role of commandments in our lives, meaning are they rules to keep us from having fun or guard rails to keep us safe? The moment that I stopped believing that it was a sacrifice to keep the commandments and began to understand that it was a privilege to keep them was a very liberating day in my life. The Lord says, “And gave unto him (Joseph Smith) commandments which inspired him.” From a juvenile stand point, commandments don’t inspire or protect or bless, they restrict and limit agency, but from a more mature spiritual standpoint, commandments give opportunity for inspiration by keeping our lives clear for the Holy Ghost and by giving us opportunity to take what we know, that the commandments are for our good, and learn about what we don’t know. For instance, the word of wisdom, some can take that as “I don’t ever get to drink or smoke or whatever” but by keeping the commandment even though you don’t fully understand it lets us grow closer to the Savior and then allows us to be taught at this hand the mysteries of the kingdom. In the most recent April 2015 general conference address entitled “Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth” Cheryl A. Esplin quoted President Dieter F. Uchtdorf as teaching, “The Everlasting and Almighty God… will speak to those who approach Him with a sincere heart and real intent. He will speak to them in dreams, visions, thoughts, and feelings.’ President Uchtdorf continued: ‘God care about you. He will listen, and He will answer your personal questions. The answers to your prayers will come in His own way and in His own time, and therefore, you need to learn to listen to His voice.” Interestingly, in the March 2015 Ensign article entitled “When Doubts and Questions Arise,” the article says, “One problem with doubt is the intent to obey only after the uncertainty is resolved to the satisfaction of the doubter. This is the attitude personified by Korihor, who said, ‘If thou wilt show unto me a sign… then will I be convinced of the truth.’” It’s while we keep the commandments that our testimony grows because we are receptive to the truth and worthy of it. If we are waiting for all the answers and complete understanding before we will obey, that is more compulsion and less agency. That’s not to say that you just blindly keep the commandments and hope for the answers sometimes before you die, I promise you that the answers come. God is a loving, merciful, just Father, and he wants us to know him just as desperately as we want peace and happiness, but he will not force us to know him, he will not force that knowledge on us, because to do so would be to our condemnation. But when we are true seekers for knowledge so that we can more fully serve and worship Him, the answers come. DJR comments that “Too many people look upon commandments which they must obey or they will be in trouble. This is sad. Verse 7, above, shows us the true role of commandments from God in our lives. They are to inspire and bless us, to provide safety, security, and happiness for us. In fact, in D&C 59:4, the Savior tells us that if we are faithful, we will be blessed ‘with commandments not a few.’” 20:8-9 - The Lord continues by stating that JS was given “power from on high, by the means which were before prepared, to translate the Book of Mormon; Which contains a record of a fallen people, and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also.” I’ve seen this answers several ways. One was by Hugh Nibley who disputed that the temple ordinances weren’t contained in the Book of Mormon by saying something to the effect of “well you just don’t know where to look, because the dozen or so discourses on the atonement are full of temple imagery.” Another explanation is by DJR, and I really like it, he says, “Some people wonder how the Book of Mormon can have the ‘fulness’ of the gospel when, for instance, nothing is specifically mentioned with its pages about temple marriage, the three degrees of glory, or work for the dead. No details are given about a number of doctrines contained in the Doctrine and Covenants. Since we know that the Book of Mormon is true, whenever we see something which appears on the surface to be a contradiction, we know that it is our understanding which is flawed, rather than the word of God. Therefore, whenever we come to a word or phrase we may not understand, there is wisdom in looking at other possible meanings for it, especially paying attention to the context in which is it set. When we do this, we find a number of possibilities. For instance, ‘fulness,’ in this context, could easily mean the gospel of faith, repentance, baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost followed by the lifestyle of Christ-like charity and humility which will lead to exaltation. An example of this would be the Nephites in the land of Zarahemla, who welcomed their former enemies, Lamanites who had been converted, gave them land on which to live, and defended them with their lives. Charles W. Penrose, who served as a counselor in the First Presidency, explained ‘fulness of the gospel’ as follows: ‘We are told that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel, that those who like to get up a dispute, say that the Book of Mormon does not contain any references to the work of salvation for the dead, and there are many other things pertaining to the gospel that are not developed in that book, and yet we are told that book contains ‘the fullness of the everlasting gospel.’ Well, what is the fullness of the gospel? You read carefully the revelation in regard to the three glories, section 76, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and you find there defines what the gospel is. There God, the Eternal Father, and Jesus Christ, his Son, and the Holy Ghost, are held up as the three persons in the Trinity- the one God, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, all three being united and being one God. When people believe in that doctrine and obey the ordinances which are spoken of in the same list of principles, you get the fullness of the gospel for this reason: if you really believe so as to have faith in our Eternal Father and in his Sin, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, and will hear him, you will learn all about what is needed to be done for the salvation of the living and the redemption of the dead. When people believe and repent and are baptized by Divine authority and the Holy Ghost is conferred upon them as a gift, they receive the everlasting gospel… and when the Holy Ghost as a gift is conferred upon people, young or old, as an ‘abiding witness,’ as a continuous gift, as a revelating spirit, they have the beginning, and I would not say the end, but they have the substance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have that which will bring salvation, for the gift of the Holy Ghost is such that it will highly enliven everyone who receives it.’” The IM says, “Our revelations say that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel. This is true in the sense that the Book of Mormon is a record of God’s dealings with a people who had the fullness of the gospel, and therefore the laws and principles leading to the highest salvation are found recorded in that book.” Some interesting points there. What really does the “fulness of the gospel mean?” Is it every mathematics problem that governs the universe? Is it how the atonement can apply to all of God’s children, or how the atonement even works? I’m a firm believer that just because everything about someone or something is revealed all at once in the beginning doesn’t mean that what they do reveal is a lie. So yes, saying that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel, but not spelling our every mystery in the kingdom to us or through the Book of Mormon, makes that statement any less true.