D&C 78-82

1. D&C 78-82 Law of Consecration And The Priesthood

2. D&C 78 • Verse 6-7: George Q. Cannon states, “He does not design to make us of equal height; He does not design that we should all have the same colored hair or eyes, or that we should dress exactly alike. This is not the meaning of the word ‘equality,’ as it is used in the revelation; but it means to have an equal claim on the blessings of our Heavenly Father--on the properties of the Lord’s treasury, and the influences and gifts of His Holy Spirit. . . . Until we attain to this equality we cannot be equal in spiritual things, and the blessings of God cannot be bestowed upon us until we attain to this as they otherwise would” (JD, April 6, 1869, 13:99)

3. Bruce R. McConkie: “The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth’s sake--our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all things, even our very lives if need be. • But what the scriptural account means is that to gain celestial salvation we must be able to live these laws to the full if we are called upon to do so. Implicit in this is the reality that we must in fact live them to the extent we are called upon so to do” (CR, April 1975, pp. 74-75)

4. Verses 8-12: Joseph Fielding Smith states, “The Lord does not think in temporal terms; his plan is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). In his eyes, therefore, all the commandments that have to do with our present welfare, are considered to be but steps on the way to his eternal salvation. Therefore in the spirit of faith and humility, free from selfishness or envy, we should labor that we may be equal here and then will come the equality hereafter.” (CHMR, 1948, 2:76-77) • Verse 11: Stephen L. Richards, “I believe that no one is entitled to the full measure of its blessings unless he subjects himself to all the conditions upon which those blessings are predicated, and I construe that covenant to be broad enough to embrace every principle of the gospel” (CR, Oct 1922, p. 67)

5. Verse 19: James E. Talmage, “Gratitude is an ennobling quality in man; and he in whose soul it has no place is a defective . . . . • “Gratitude is twin sister to humility; pride is a foe to both. The man who has come into close communion with God cannot fail to be thankful; for he feels, he knows, that for all he has and all he is he is indebted to the Supreme Giver; and one would think that there is no need of commandment in the matter of thanksgiving” (Sunday Night Talks by Radio, 1931, pp. 483, 486)

6. D&C 79 • Verses 1-4: John Taylor, “it is for us to magnify our calling and honor our God in any and every position that we may be called upon to fill. . . . I would say that this Priesthood is not for the honor of man, not for his exaltation alone; but it is imparted to man in order that he may be made the medium of salvation to others . . . .” (JD 24:35-36) • Verse 3: “God has in reserve a time, or period appointed in His own bosom, when He will bring all His subjects, who have obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, into His celestial rest. This rest is of such perfection and glory, that man has need of a preparation before he can, according to the laws of that kingdom, enter it and enjoy its blessings” (History of the Church, 2:12)

7. D&C 81 • Verse 1: Anton H. Lund, “It took time for the work to grow; but the Lord had given revelation upon the subject, and when the proper time came the Presidency of the Church was organized, with the Prophet Joseph Smith as President and Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams as his counselors” (CR, Oct 1901, p.75) • Verse 2: Joseph Fielding Smith, “These keys are the right of presidency; they are the power and authority to govern and direct all of the Lord’s affairs on earth. Those who hold them have power to govern and control the manner in which all others may serve in the priesthood. All of us may hold the priesthood, but we can only use it as authorized and directed so to do by those who hold the keys” (CR, Apr. 1972, pp. 98-99)

8. D&C 82 • Verses 3-4: George Albert Smith, “We will not be judged as our brothers and sisters of the world are judged, but according to the greater opportunities place in our keeping. We will be among those who have received the word of the Lord, who have heard His sayings, and if we do them it will be to us eternal life, but if we fail condemnation will result” (CR, Oct. 1906, p. 47) • Verse 3: James E. Talmage, “Are men to suffer penalty in the hereafter because they cannot understand what is required of them in mortality? The degree of their culpability is to be determined by the fundamental cause of their ineptitude in matters spiritual. Failure to comprehend may be due to bias or to lack of desire to know.” • Willful ignorance of Gospel requirements is sin. Man is untrue to his divine lineage and birthright of reason when he turns away from the truth, or deliberately chooses to walk in darkness while the illuminated path is open to his tread” (The Vitality of Mormonism, 1919, pp. 280-282)

9. Verse 4: Brigham Young, “So it is; it always has been, and it always will be so: when light comes, if the people reject that light, it will condemn them, and will add to their sorrow and affliction” (JD, Aug 15, 1852, 6:288). • Verse 7: Brigham Young, “When an individual refuses to comply with the further requirements of Heaven, then the sins he had formerly committed return upon his head; his former righteousness departs from him, and is not accounted to him for righteousness: but if he had continued in righteousness and obedience to the requirements of heaven, he is saved all the time, through baptism, the laying on of hands, and obeying the commandments of the Lord and all that is required of him by the heavens--the living oracles” (JD, 8:124)

10. Verse 10: James E. Talmage, “. . . God holds himself accountable to law even as he expects us to do. He has set us the example in obedience to law . . . . He operates by law and not by arbitrariness or caprice. He is no tyrant to be propitiated and placated by honeyed words. He cannot be moved by wordy oratory. He is not a judge sitting to be influenced by the specious pleas of crafty advocates; and yet there is an eloquence that moves Him; there is a plea that influences Him. The eloquence of prayer from a broken heart and a contrite spirit prevails with him” (CR, Apr 1930, p. 96) • Verse 19: Joseph Fielding Smith, “It is verly true that before we can enter into the celestial kingdom we will have to learn how to live in unity with the love of our fellows at heart, desiring their good as well as our own, and not preferring ourselves before them” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1: 322)