I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me for Doctrine and Covenants 14-17. If you missed last week’s insight, Doctrine and Covenants 12-13 and Joseph Smith History 1:66-75 click here for it. Please share this with your friends or use this picture to save this pin to read later.
Eternal Life.
“And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
Doctrine and Covenants 14:7
Eternal Life and Salvation are two different things. Salvation comes to every human who has ever lived with the exception of the sons of perdition, it is a gift from our Savior Jesus Christ, a gift that cost His life. Whereas Salvation which is entering into any Kingdom of Glory including the Telestial, Eternal Life is far more. Eternal life comes only to the faithful, it comes to those who seek the Fathers face, it requires works.
But our works will not earn us Eternal Life, but through faithfully keeping our covenants we have made with our Father through the power of the Priesthood we can access the Atonement and endure to the end; or as John put it, overcome. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21
Remember, “the Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome the spiritual death that results from sin and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life.”
Dallin H. Oaks
Our Desires.
“And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone” Doctrine and Covenants 15:3
Our desires determine our actions. When someone says something like “I just don’t have time to read my scriptures/go to the temple/do my home teaching.” What they are really saying is I don’t desire that thing enough.
We know that “The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that the desires of our hearts can be transformed and our motives can be educated and refined.” Elder Michael T. Ringwood
We are accountable for not just for our actions but also our desires. And if we want Eternal life we must have some self-introspection. “Like it or not, therefore, reality requires that we acknowledge our responsibility for our desires. Brothers and sisters, which do we really desire, God’s plans for us or Satan’s?” Neal A. Maxwell
Witnesses
“And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.”
Doctrine and Covenants 17:2
The story of the three witnesses is amazing. It is a story that we often hear bits and pieces of. In February 1972 Ensign I found the complete telling of the story of the three witnesses in the article, Joseph Smith’s Testimony. I wanted to share that with you.
In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the Lord, to whom He would grant that they should see the plates from which this work (the Book of Mormon) should be translated; and that these witnesses should bear record of the same, as will be found recorded, [in the] Book of Mormon, book of Ether, chapter 5, verses 2, 3, and 4 [Ether 5:2–4]; also 2 Nephi, chapter 11, verse 3 [2 Ne. 11:3]. Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and the aforementioned Martin Harris that they would have me inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of him the privilege to be these three special witnesses. [Inquiry was made of the Lord, and it was revealed that these three should be the special witnesses.]
Not many days after the above commandment was given, we four, viz., Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in the above revelation—that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer’s house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises.
According to previous arrangement, I commenced by vocal prayer to our Heavenly Father, and was followed by each of the others in succession. We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our behalf. We again observed the same order of prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in rotation, but with the same result as before.
Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he expressed himself, that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished for. He accordingly withdrew from us, and we knelt down again, and had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates. … He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer and said, “David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments;” when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, “These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.”
I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin Harris, whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently engaged in prayer. He soon told me, however, that he had not yet prevailed with the Lord, and earnestly requested me to join him in prayer, that he also might realize the same blessings which we had just received. We accordingly joined in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, at least it was again opened to me, and I once more beheld and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy, “Tis enough; ’tis enough; mine eyes have beheld; mine eyes have beheld;” and jumping up, he shouted, “Hosanna,” blessing God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly.
Having thus, through the mercy of God, obtained these glorious manifestations, it now remained for these three individuals to fulfil the commandment which they had received, viz., to bear record of these things.”
It is amazing to realize that these men never forsook their testimony. Even though all three of them left the Church. Their testimony is something that detractors never can explain away. You might also like this video explaining the difference between signs, testimonies, witnesses, and anti: