D&C 66

Section 66 is directed to William E. M’Lellin of which DJR gives background saying, “After becoming acquainted with the Prophet, William E. McLellin asked him to inquire of the Lord for him (which resulted in section 66). William had approached the Lord previously, in secret prayer, and specifically asked him to answer five questions for him. He shared this information with no one, but after the revelation of the Lord through Joseph Smith, Brother McLellin wrote, ‘I now testify in the fear of God, that every question which I had thus lodged in the ears of the Lord of the Sabbath, were answered to my full and entire satisfaction. As we proceed with our study of this brief section, we will see that William E. McLellin has many good attributes and must potential but also that he has some weaknesses about which the Lord warns him.” I think that that can be said of all of us, that we have good attributes and potential, but also weaknesses. The IM asks “What was the spiritual condition of William E. M’lellin when this revelation was given?” And answers with “Though he later apostatized, at this time William E. M’Lellin was in good fellowship in the Church, though verses 3 and 10 suggest he did have some problems. President Joseph Fielding Smith, speaking of Brother M’Lellin, said that ‘through his repentance and the sincere desire to do right, the Lord declared that he was clean, ‘but not all.’ There had come to him forgiveness, but still there lingered in some manner, evidently in his mind and thoughts, some thing from which he had not cleansed himself by full repentance. The Lord read his soul. He was commanded to go forth and preach the Gospel ‘from land to land, and from city to city in the regions round about where it has not been proclaimed.’ He was instructed not to go up to the land of Zion at that time, and he was to think more of the world of the Lord than of his property. In his preaching he was to have as a companion Samuel H. Smith, brother of the Prophet. This was a wonderful revelation to William E. M’Lellin and should have been a great blessing and incentive to him to remain faithful. One besetting sin, so the Lord revealed, was the temptation of sexual sin. He was not accused of committing such a sin, but the dangers, because of his failings, which lay in this direction.’” All I have to say is that I’m glad my sins and thoughts are not published in the scriptures.

66:1-13 - The Lord begins by telling William that he is pleased with his progress so far, “inasmuch as you have turned away from your iniquities, and have received my truths… blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fullness of my gospel.” There is a promise here of personal revelation, the Lord says that he is “clean, but not all” and that the Lord will show William what it is that is “not pleasing in my sight” and that he will show him “my will concerning you.” This is a pretty incredible promise to him and us, and definitely one of my favorite concepts. The Lord knows each of us perfectly, so he knows when we are ready to learn a certain lesson, or to overcome a certain personal obstacle, and he pushes us just as much as he knows we need to be pushed so that we can grow incrementally. I know that for me personally, I am working on issues that I never would have been able to deal with previously, or even recognize as problems, and I’m sure that I’ll feel that way about the next ones too. If we ask, the Lord will not only tell us what he wants us to do, but he will show us our weaknesses so that through him they can become strengths to us. The Lord continues by commanding William to go with Samuel Smith to preach the gospel. I think that this is a great example of bringing one soul “unto me,” because while yes, I’m sure that the gospel seeds were sown by him, it seems that this would be an excellent opportunity for him to further cement his testimony in the Lord while on this mission. William is blessed with the ability to heal the sick, advised to be patient and prayerful, to forsake all unrighteousness, and “commit not adultery- a temptation with which thou hast been troubled.” This is pretty intense, like I said, I’m happy that all my temptations aren’t on display for the whole church to see. Concerning the seriousness of sexual sin, the IM quotes President Spencer W. Kimball as teaching, “To want, to desire, to crave- that is to lust. So when the thought is born which starts a chain reaction, a sin has already been committed. If the thought is sown, then develops into lust, it is almost certain to bring eventually the full harvest of the act of the heinous sin, adultery… adultery is not the result of a single thought. There first is a deterioration of thinking. Many sinful chain-thoughts have been coursing through the offender’s mind before the physical sin is committed. Yes, as a man thinketh, so does he. If he thinks it long enough he is likely to do it, whether it be theft, moral sin, or suicide. Thus the time to protect against the calamity is when the thought begins to shape itself. Destroy the seed and the plant will never grow. Man alone, of all creatures of earth, can change his thought pattern and become the architect of his destiny.” The Lord finishes by promising that if he will “continue in these things even unto the end, and you shall have a crown of eternal life at the right hand of my Father, who is full of grace and truth.”