Spiritual Consecration

As we have been discovering in class, by studying the early history of the LDS Church with regard to the revelations received by the prophet Joseph Smith through the valuable resource we now know as the Doctrine and Covenants, it is plainly manifest that the saints of that time had a realistic goal in mind. The goal that they so desperately wanted to achieve, enough to “pray for it continually”, was that of a Zionist Society, one in which they could share the sociality of the Savior continually in their midst. They understood the reality of this goal because of the restored doctrine taught to them through the revelations contained in the Pearl of Great Price, more specifically in the book of Moses as Joseph Smith, through the blessing of continued revelation, added back those “plain and precious truths” that were inadvertently removed from the records of the Old Testament. The goal of Zion was taught more fully through the example of the great prophet Enoch and the progress he made with his city.

With Zion in their hearts they prayed to know what they could do to gain the same blessings as these earlier saints and obtain rest from this world. In answer to their prayers and desires for that blessing the Lord, in His Eternal wisdom, gave unto them the law that would correspond with their desired blessing. The law that was given was the Law of Consecration. This Celestial Law of Consecration was designed to help them live with “one heart and one mind” making sure there was no poor among them. First the Lord gave to them the temporal or worldly aspect of the law. This required that they learn to sacrifice what they perceived to be their individual earthly possessions for the building up of the kingdom, for the greater good of the whole. They were then taught so beautifully the principle of “stewardship” versus ownership, acknowledging the true owner of all is the Lord Himself.

In Section 46, the saints then learned about the Spiritual side of the Law of Consecration by learning about the Gifts of the Spirit. In verse 10 the Lord is very specific about who those gifts are given to:

10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.

Just like He is the owner of all that the Earth has to offer and we are simply his stewards that are given the responsibility of taking care of His creations, He is also the giver of gifts and He gives them to His Church, through the medium of the Holy Ghost. Each of us individually are given gifts that can be used by all, for the building up of His kingdom here on the earth.

9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

As we each become consecrated individuals we become something much bigger than just “us”. Working together with our “one heart and one mind” we become like a fine tuned machine or instrument, all using our gifts for the benefit of one desired goal, ZION. This the apostle Paul described so beautifully to the people of Corinth with the analogy of the body.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one abody, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the ahead to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be amore feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The prophet Moroni also knew how important it was that we, as His Church, understand this great principle of Spiritual Consecration, for his final words before burying up the record is in regard to this very principle.

Moroni 10:17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

We have been told three different places in our scriptures almost the exact same thing in regard to these Spiritual Gifts, the Doctrine and Covenants, The Book of Mormon, and The New Testament. Three times we have been instructed. This is important stuff to know, but more importantly to share!

But this is not all the cool stuff in Section 46...more insights tomorrow.

Green Pastures

Yesterday was an amazing study day for me. I had the opportunity to study the Old Testament with some dear friends in the morning, which spilled into the afternoon. Then I spent the day researching “Spiritual Gifts” so that I could share some insights, through the spirit, with my dear friends in Institute class. Finally in the evening I got the joy of facilitating a discussion on Section 46 in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Last night was one of those amazing times when the spirit simply taught the class and we were all edified together. How I love those wonderful Young Single Adults and the beautiful spirit they bring to class each week. The insights that they so freely share add to the learning experience and make for a perfect place to “lie down in green pastures.”

Perhaps the strong spiritual guidance was in part due to the subject matter of spiritual gifts itself. We felt first hand the gift of learning given to us through the spirit.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught “Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no respecter of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who seek him and serve him and keep his commandments.”

Feeling extremely blessed today, I am just going to “chew my cud” and write about what we actually were taught tomorrow.

Understanding Who We Are Is Simply A Memory Away

As I was listening to the Jesus of Nazareth talk tape by Truman Madsen, while walking on my treadmill this morning, I heard a quote by Orson F. Whitney that really stood out to me.

In the talk Truman Madsen expounded about the way he felt that Jesus came to know his mission on this earth as a boy. He pondered on the feelings of familiarity that Christ must have felt as he read the scrolls, which were known as the scriptures, as He came to understand His role through the written word. That same familiarity is exhibited in the instance when Jesus called his apostles to their ministry, as they straight way left their nets and followed. These men must have somehow felt that familiar essence from the presence of their Savior that they would have been acquainted with in the pre-mortal realm, allowing them to follow unconditionally.

Later in the morning I stumbled upon an article in the Meridian Magazine featuring an article written by Truman Madsen as a tribute to the memory of this great man who passed away this past week. The article was called "How We Know What We Know". The article I read contained the same quote by Orson F. Whitney that I had focused on earlier as I walked. It had a familiar ring.

“Why are we drawn toward certain persons and they to us as if we had always known each other? Is it a fact that we always have? Is there something after all in that much abused term affinity? In all events, it is just as logical to look back upon fond associations as it is to look forward to them.

We believe that the ties formed in this life will be continued in the life to come. Then, why not believe that we had similar ties before and that some of them at least have been resumed in this state of existence.

After meeting someone whom I had never met before on earth, I have wondered why that person's face seemed so familiar.

More than once, upon hearing a noble sentiment expressed, though unable to recall that I'd ever heard it until then, I found myself in sympathy with it, was thrilled by it, and felt as if I had always known it.

The same is true of some strains of music, some perhaps heard today. They are like echoes of eternity. I do not assert pre-acquaintance in all such cases but, as one thought suggests another, these queries arise.

When it comes to the Gospel, I feel more positive. Why did the Savior say, "My sheep know my voice?" Did the sheep ever know the voice of a shepherd it had never heard before? They who love the truth, and to whom it most strongly appeals, were they not acquainted with it in a previous life? I think so. I believe we knew the Gospel before we came here, and that is what gives it a familiar sound.” Orson F. Whitney

This familiarity that Elder Whitney expounded on is exhibited as the Savior refers to His elect, for Christ explained, “the elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts.” This familiarity is found as those, who hear the message of the glorious gospel for the first time, claim that it sounds of clarity and is recognizable to their spirit. We lived before we came to this earth as spirit children of a Heavenly Father who taught us all the lessons that a loving Father would teach to His child.

Truman Madsen explained, “Now add the lines from Eliza R. Snow that we sing and feel, ‘Ofttimes a certain something whispers, 'You're a stranger here.'’ A friend of mine calls this ‘celestial homesickness.’ But also, I would add, that there is a feeling that we are here on purpose--that we haven't just wandered ‘from a more exalted sphere’ but are where we ought to be. This sometimes comes through in a sense that we have seen or felt or experienced a thing before. And so I suggest a premise rather unique to our tradition, that recognition, spiritually speaking, is indeed REcognition, that some discovery is REcovery, that recollection is the REcollection of images from before.”

So, when we feel that feeling of familiarity, or have that “déjà vu” type of moment, simply remember that we quite possibly are recalling experiences we have already been through to lead us to this very moment in our life. This is our search for happiness... and it is just a memory away.

Elder Bednar and the Four Phases of Creation

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch a CES Fireside featuring David A. Bednar as the main speaker. The discourse he gave was titled, “Things as They Really Are.” As always I believe that Elder Bednar beautifully used the proper teaching techniques to instruct us on so many levels that night. The transcripts for his talk are available at this link. Please make sure you read and study this master sermon and be taught by the spirit the fine points of doctrine that Elder Bednar shared with us.

Most would probably proclaim that Elder Bednar’s talk was about becoming too involved in a virtual world through the Internet and video games. At one level that is exactly what he was speaking about. I would like to discuss another level that I perceived by hearing his teachings.

I believe that Elder Bednar used this forum to teach us the different phases of the Creation in a way that I have never seen before.

The doctrine of The Creation is truly an important one to study. We have been given four different accounts of the Creation, three in the scriptures themselves and one in the Temple ceremony. This repetition of teaching makes me feel that it is a doctrine that is a priority to understand. Many different scholars have also taught on the phases of creation and how each of the versions that we have been given seem to overlap somewhat when they are explained in the different mediums.

I believe that the four phases of creation are as follows:

1)Spiritual Creation

2)Spiritual/Physical Creation

3) Physical Creation

4)Immortal Creation

As Elder Bednar used the images, or renderings, of the temple rooms to show us “real” versus virtual, he also beautifully illustrated the different steps of the creation process. Things are spiritually created first by our mind and will, they then are made into a “blueprint” or rendering. This rendering is a physical creation of a spiritual idea. It takes effort and work, but it is still an image of what is actually going to be created. There is a physical amount of effort involved to produce a physical image of what will ultimately be a physical creation itself. This “rendering” is the step of creation that is normally hard to visualize and is often skipped in the process of explaining the Creation. Elder Bednar used these “renditions” to show us the difference of creations that are spiritual/physical and those that have substance or are “real” or physical.

The spiritual/physical creation of Adam and Eve provided them with bodies that were tangible, but immortal or non-corruptible. The Fall brought about the physical creation that was needed to make the spiritual/physical creation a reality. It provided Adam and Eve with the bodies that were necessary to live in the “real” world and have “real” experiences, ultimately resulting in the process of growth and death. It was a necessary step to progression. It is the reason that Satan seeks to take away the experiences we are having in reality and replace them with a virtual world, one that would provide a counterfeit immortality and thwart the plan of the Father.

There is only one way for us to receive that immortal physical body in the way the Father ordered and that is through the power of the Atonement. It is through death and resurrection that we are created for the last time, an Immortal creation where “all things become new.”

By tampering with our reality, Satan is still attempting to make us wish for a world where physical experience is not needed. That has always been his opposing view from the beginning.

See if you can visualize the different phases of The Creation as explained by Elder Bednar in his talk. What do you think? Are you glad you kept your first estate? Isn’t it worth it to be the “actual” thing?

Sustaining The Great Plan of Happiness

I believe that one of my favorite scripture passages comes from the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. In fact, it is even a Scripture Mastery scripture from the Seminary list of 100 important scriptures to know.

Abraham 3:22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

President Spencer W. Kimball expounded more fully on that scripture when he explained, "A passage of scripture familiar to all of you . . . reads as follows: '. . . intelligences that were organized before the world was and among all these were many of the noble and great ones . . . and he said: These I will make my rulers;' These leaders whom Abraham referred to were noble, good and they had been proven, thus God could entrust them with great responsibilities in his Kingdom on this earth. Were you among those who were noble, good, and tested? The Prophet Joseph Smith said, ' Every man who has a call was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of Heaven.' Yes, you were among those rulers . . ."

I do believe that each of us was there among those noble and great ones. We heard the plan presented by the Father and "sustained" it.

So what was the plan for us, His spirit children?

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

Our Heavenly Father, through His son Jesus Christ, desired to provide us with the experience we needed to show our obedience, by way of proof. This required an experience in which our faith could be tested; therefore an “earth” was created for us to dwell on, to prove our faith and obedience in all that He commanded us. We know that we heartily “sustained” the plan in this “first estate” because of the glory that was added upon our spirit called a body. This body is our very own earth, and it is certainly glorious. Those who did not keep the “first estate” or "opposed" the plan, were never given the glory of their own earth, or in other words, they were not provided with a body in which they could progress.

Now we are living in our “second estate”. By having our body we know we made a righteous decision to sustain our Father in His plan, and therefore are given another opportunity to do it again. Every time we choose to obey and walk by faith, we are in essence raising that sustaining hand, like we do in Sacrament meeting. Conversely, each time we choose to sin we are exercising our right, given to us because of the gift of agency, to “oppose” His plan. In this estate we are constantly reminded of what was told as Adam and Eve in the Garden by the Father, to “choose for ourselves” with the caution of “nevertheless I forbid it” attached. The promised blessing of having been proven in this “second estate” is the “glory added upon our heads forever and ever.” This is the promise of Eternal Life.

Will we mess up at times? You betcha...so Heavenly Father’s plan included a way to repair the mess.

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.

By applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives we can continually become perfectly obedient and faithful in this “second estate”. It is the proof that the Father requires to show we are responsible and worthy of added glory. It is our way to show Him that we “sustain” Him and His plan for our happiness.

Are there any opposed?

A Prayer For America

“I testify that America is a choice land. God raised up the founding fathers of the United States of America and established the inspired Constitution. This was the required prologue for the restoration of the gospel. America will be a blessed land unto the righteous forever and is the base from which God will continue to direct the worldwide latter-day operations of His kingdom.” Ezra Taft Benson

"Now, what of America’s future? How can we best show our appreciation to God for these marvelous blessings of freedom, of a place where his true and everlasting gospel was restored, of the preparation and divine guidance in every event leading to that most significant event? We must remember what the Lord told the Jaredites when they were first brought to this land: “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.” (Ether 2:12; italics added.)

Many years ago in a volume entitled Beacon Lights of History, Dr. John Lord, referring to the discovery of America, said, after speaking of her great potential, “The world has witnessed many powerful empires which have passed away and left ‘not a rack behind.’ What remains of the antediluvian world? … What remains of Nineveh, of Babylon, of Thebes, of Tyre, of Carthage—those great centers of wealth and power? What remains of Roman greatness even, except in laws and literature and renovated statues? … What is the simple story of all the ages?—industry, wealth, corruption, decay, and ruin. What conservative power has been strong enough to arrest the ruin of the nations of antiquity?

“Now if this is to be the destiny of America—an unbounded material growth, followed by corruption and ruin—then Columbus has simply extended the realm for men to try material experiments. Make New York a second Carthage, and Boston a second Athens, and Philadelphia a second Antioch, and Washington a second Rome, and we simply repeat the old experiments.

“But has America no higher destiny than to repeat the old experiments and improve upon them and become rich and powerful? Has she no higher and nobler mission? If America has a great mission to declare and to fulfil, she must put forth altogether new forces, and these not material. And these alone will save her and save the world. … The real glory of America is to be something entirely different from that of which the ancients boasted. And this is to be moral and spiritual—that which the ancients lacked.”

We are all a part of America’s future. Our job is to learn and benefit from the past and to go forward in righteousness, keeping the commandments of God. In this connection the prophet Lehi said, “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.” (2 Ne. 1:7.)

As we pray daily to God for guidance, we should all make the same plea as George Washington did in his prayer for our country:

“Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will.

“Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners.

“Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way.

“Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought out of many kindreds and tongues.

“Endue with the spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be peace and justice at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.

“In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail.

“All of which we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”"

Excerpt taken from a speech given at April Conference 1976 by President N. Eldon Tanner.

Sustain or Oppose

Isn’t it interesting to note, that anytime someone is given a calling in church, it is announced over the pulpit and, as a congregation, we are asked to “sustain” or “oppose” the call. This act, that might seem insignificant to some, is really a great way to “jog our memory” or teach us about the pre-existence.

Despite what is sometimes taught for truth, there really was only one plan when it came to our salvation and progression on this earth. That one plan was presented by God the Father. We were given a choice to either “sustain” or “oppose” that plan.

Daniel H. Ludlow explained:

“In the process of time each of our intelligences was clothed with a spiritual body by heavenly parents, and we became personages of spirit with bodies of eyes and ears and hands and feet. All of us on this earth had the same Father of our spiritual bodies, and because he lives in heaven, we have been rightfully taught to refer to him as “our Father in heaven.”

Our spirit bodies were capable of tremendous accomplishments, but they also had some serious limitations. There were some laws that they could not obey, and therefore there were some blessings not available to them. Thus, our Heavenly Father called us into a grand council in heaven where he proposed a plan that would give us further opportunities of growth and development by giving us further opportunities of choice. There the importance of moral free agency and its four necessary and essential conditions were explained to us: first, we must have the opportunity of choice—that is, the operation of law; second, there must be the possibility of the existence of opposites—good and evil, virtue and vice; these two make possible the third, the freedom of choice—that is, free agency; then finally, a knowledge of the law and its consequences. All four of these conditions are necessary in order to accomplish the progression that would enable us to become as our Father in heaven, which was the main purpose of the new earth plan that he proposed.

When we lived with our Father in heaven, we did not need to exercise a fullness of faith in whether or not he existed. We knew that he lived because we saw him; we walked and talked with him. We knew he existed and were convinced of his existence, but we were not necessarily converted to him and to his great principles because our knowledge of him had come from external sources without virtually any effort on our part. So that we would come to a knowledge of him in and of ourselves, our Heavenly Father proposed that when we came into this earth life a veil of forgetfulness would be placed over our minds so that we would not remember our pre-earthly existence with him. Only then could the choices that we made here upon this earth truly come from within us. Our Father in heaven then promised us that while we were here on earth he (1) would give us law, (2) would provide the possibility of opposites, (3) would give us free agency, and (4) would send angels and prophets to teach us and give us scriptures so we could learn the laws and understand why we should keep them. Thus, he promised us the necessary conditions on this earth so that we could become morally free.

The nature of law was more than likely explained in that pre-earthly council—that each law has consequences, opposite and equal. Whenever a law is kept or obeyed, the consequence is a blessing which results in joy or happiness. Whenever a law is broken or disobeyed, the consequence is a punishment that results in misery or unhappiness. This simple and perhaps over-generalized explanation of the law of justice portrays how order is accomplished, for in the payment of the law of either obedience or disobedience, the law is brought back into a state of balance and thus order prevails. The law of justice, then, always requires a payment.

But another law also operates in the moral realm—the law of mercy, which in no way robs or violates the law of justice but which makes possible the vicarious payment of broken law. For example, the law of mercy permits the disobedience of a person to be atoned for or paid for by the obedience of the Savior, providing that the person who disobeyed the law will cease being disobedient—in other words, providing that the person repents.

The great plan of salvation and exaltation must also have been explained to us including an explanation of why the possibility of opposition must exist upon the earth and how it would occur through the fall of man, how the law of justice would require a payment for the broken law and how the law of mercy would make the Atonement possible.

When this great plan was presented to us, it was soon evident that because of the Atonement and the principle of free agency, this earth life could become a great testing and proving period. If we proved faithful to all the laws given to us by our Heavenly Father, we would become even as he is and share with him his power and glory. Perhaps it was when we realized this that the “sons of God shouted for joy,” as recorded in the book of Job. (Job 38:7.)

There were some, however, in that pre-earthly council who did not shout for joy. They either lacked faith in our Heavenly Father, in the Savior, or in the gospel plan, or they lacked faith in their own ability or willingness to keep the law that would be given to them. Thus, they actively opposed the plan of our Heavenly Father. Their leader was called Lucifer, “the son of the morning”; he is also known as the devil or Satan.

Lucifer not only opposed the plan of our Heavenly Father, but he sought to amend and change the terms of salvation by denying men their free agency and by preempting our Heavenly Father. The exact words of Lucifer’s boast are contained in the book of Moses: “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.” (Moses 4:1.)

We do not know all of the details of Lucifer’s amended proposal, but we do know from revelation that he “sought to destroy the agency of man.” (Moses 4:3.) This could be accomplished in many ways, including denying us either the opportunity of choice or the freedom of choice. In either case, not “one soul” would have been lost. It is sin that causes a soul to be lost, but how can a person sin if he does not have the opportunity to sin? That is, how can a person disobey a law if he does not have a law?

Lucifer’s proposed amendment appealed to some, but it did not appeal to any of us in this audience. We saw that under his plan we would lose the challenge of growth and progression. We did not want to live in a world where we would be on the same plane forever. We had enough faith in our Heavenly Father and in his plan, in Jesus Christ, and in ourselves that we wanted to live in a world where there would be opportunities for further development. At the same time I am sure we realized that if we were not faithful to these laws and opportunities we might even be worse off than we had been before.

Thus there was a great war in heaven, and a key issue in that war was whether or not man was to be a morally free agent while upon the earth. A vote was taken. (By the way, that in itself indicates that we had our free agency there; in a sense Lucifer exercised his free agency in an attempt to deny us the right to exercise our free agency.) Two-thirds of those present voted for the plan of our Heavenly Father; one-third voted against the plan and did not participate in it.”

Remember...there was only one plan, and it was presented by our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ said He would sustain the plan, and Satan opposed the plan, or created opposition to the plan. We had the opportunity to “sustain” or “oppose” that plan just like they did. Because we have a body, we evidently “sustained” the plan set forth at that time. Today we still have the choice and obligation to “sustain” that plan. When we look at disobedience as “opposing” the plan, it puts our actions in a very different light, don’t you think?