I give my sincere appreciation to President
Lee and to those who have planned these important
days for you and for this opportunity to be
with you, brothers and sisters. My appreciation
goes to Michael Ballam for the beautiful music
and, just as important, for the quality of
his and his wife’s personal discipleship.
The title of my address, “The Inexhaustible
Gospel,” is intended to convey the vastness
and preciousness of that enormous body of
knowledge we call the gospel and—if I am
at all successful—some of my ever-growing
excitement over it.
Before using terms like truth, knowledge,
intelligence, education, and wisdom, I stress
at the outset that the scriptural definitions
of these terms give us, as Latter-day Saints,
an added understanding of these concepts.
They differ from those of the world—markedly,
in fact. Each is “added upon” by the relevant
revelations. These differences are especially
worth noting during an Education Week. Please
be patient while I attempt to note certain
of these distinctions.
For example, our being saved by gaining knowledge
obviously refers to a particular form of knowledge,
a “knowledge of God” and knowledge of
the things of God. Nephi lamented, as you
know, over those who “will not search knowledge,
nor understand great knowledge." Clearly he
was referring to a particular kind of knowledge.
In fact, Joseph Smith’s translation of Jesus’
lamentation—about how those in his time
had lost the “key of knowledge”—provides
a definition; it adds five words defining
what the word key means: “the fulness of
the scriptures." So we view knowledge differently.
Furthermore, Latter-day Saints know that certain
knowledge comes only by revelation and, thereby,
is only “spiritually discerned." So we are
in some important respects on a different
footing from the people of the world.
In addition, brothers and sisters, multiple
scriptures make it clear that knowledge is
meant to be closely associated with other
virtues such as patience, humility, charity,
and kindness.
Truth includes, but is not limited to, knowledge
that corresponds to reality—things as they
were, things as they are, and things as they
will be. Gospel truth is “morally richer,”
therefore, than the world’s definition of
truth, as Terry Warner has written. Jesus
is “the way, the truth, and the life." He
has “received a fulness of truth." Hence,
we are to seek to have “the mind of Christ."
Furthermore, as to the “manner” of people
we are to become, it is clear we are to strive
to become “even as” Jesus is. If we keep
the commandments, the promise is that we will
receive “truth and light” until we are
“glorified in truth and knoweth all things."
Therefore, gaining knowledge and becoming
more Christlike “are two aspects of a single
process." This process is part of being “valiant”
in our testimony of Jesus. Thus, while we
are saved no faster than we gain a certain
type of knowledge, it is also the case, as
Richard Bushman has observed, that we will
gain knowledge no faster than we are saved.
So we have a fundamentally different understanding
of knowledge and truth—behaving and knowing
are inseparably linked.
So defined, the gospel is inexhaustible because
there is not only so much to know, but also
so much to become! The vital truths are not
merely accumulated in the mind but are expressed
in life as well.
Intelligence is “the glory of God,” as
we all know. It is defined as “light and
truth." The revelations also inform us that
if we have “more knowledge and intelligence
in this life,” we will have “so much the
advantage in the world to come." I do not
pretend to be able to be definitive with regard
to this last verse, but, clearly, what we
carry forward, brothers and sisters, involves
developing our capacity for cognition as well
as application. This sets us apart from the
world. I hope we understand some of the implications
of all these things. Certainly, what we will
carry forward is more than what we now term
as IQ or databases. It is the entire being
of the individual. Hence our approach to knowledge,
truth, and wisdom is markedly different.
What are some of the implications of the foregoing?
First, some of us—and I include myself—sometimes
casually speak of education for eternity.
Brothers and sisters, it is clear from the
verses of scripture that some truths may turn
out to have a place in a yet-to-be-revealed
hierarchy of truth that the world doesn’t
understand. The scriptures tantalize us by
saying, “All truth is independent in that
sphere in which God has placed it". One even
wonders if truths, like planets, belong to
a particular order. But we do not now know.
The highest education, therefore, includes
salvational truths, bringing us a knowledge
of “things as they really are, and of things
as they really will be." This focus can be
achieved without leaving the usual educational
chores “undone." Scholars like the president
of Brigham Young University, Rex Lee, have
surely demonstrated this.
Ultimate orthodoxy—and orthodoxy isn’t
a popular word nowadays—is expressed in
the Christlike life that involves both mind
and behavior. Christ’s manner of life is
truly “the way, the truth, and the life,”
and he has directed us to pursue his example.
Another important implication of what we have
been discussing is that all knowledge is not
of equal significance. There is no democracy
of facts! They are not of equal importance.
Something might be factual but unimportant,
as Elder Spencer Condie has observed. For
instance, today I wear a dark blue suit. That
is true, but it is unimportant. The world
does not quite understand this. As we brush
against truth, we sense that it has a hierarchy
of importance. We are dealing with some things
of transcending importance. Some truths are
salvationally significant, and others are
not.
Another important insight is that knowledge
is intended to travel in a convoy of other
Christian virtues. It does not have final
meaning by itself. If one possesses some knowledge,
as Peter said, but “lacketh” these other
qualities, he cannot “see afar off." A most
interesting concept! Precious perspective
is missing unless knowledge is accompanied
by these other truths.
Other insights bear down upon us as Latter-day
Saints. Brilliance, by itself, is not wholeness,
nor happiness. Knowledge, if possessed for
its own sake and unapplied, leaves one’s
life unadorned. A Church member, for instance,
might describe the Lord’s doctrines but
not qualify to enter the Lord’s house. One
could produce much brilliant commentary without
being exemplary. One might be intellectually
brilliant but Bohemian in behavior. One might
use his knowledge to seek preeminence or dominion.
Such are not Jesus’ ways, for he asks that
perception and implementation be part of the
same spiritual process. In Alma’s words,
we are to “give place” in our lives for
the good seed of the gospel to grow—which
involves a form of knowing that combines cognition
as well as implementation.
As we all know, Christ does not dominate by
his intellect. He leads by example and love.
There is no arrogance flowing from his, the
keenest of all intellects. He seeks neither
to conquer nor to prosper “according to
his genius."
Given these foregoing views of restoration
theology as they pertain to knowledge, truth,
education, and wisdom, there is, finally,
no comfort zone for vanity or hypocrisy. There
is no sanctuary for them.
Clearly, in such a situation as I have attempted
to describe altogether too briefly, a few
individuals in the Church end up “looking
beyond the mark,” missing the already obvious.
These few individuals let their minds seek
to run far ahead of their confirming behavior.
For them, exciting exploration is preferred
to plodding implementation. Speculation and
argumentation are more fun than consecration
for these individuals. Some even try to soften
the hard doctrines. What happens, however,
is that by their not obeying, they lack knowing,
as we are discussing knowing today. Thus,
since they cannot defend the faith, a few
of them become critics instead of defenders.
As far as salvational truths are concerned,
therefore, the secular knowledge explosion
in recent years—with all of its many and
unarguable benefits to mankind—has not been
a bang at all. It has been merely a whimper.
It was the Restoration that provided the explosion
of salvational knowledge.
I now hasten to add, having said these preliminary
things, that the role of secular knowledge
is very important. Latter-day Saints should
have all the genuine excitement others have
in the traditional adventure of learning,
including learning secular truths—and we,
of all people, should have a little more!
In fact, when we are so learning and so behaving,
we are truly “about [our] Father’s business.”
This should bring to us a special and genuine
zest for learning.
Furthermore, those of us who have spent much
of our lives involved with traditional education
regard it as one of mankind’s most useful,
productive, and cost-beneficial enterprises.
It is even more beneficial, however, when
it has the spiritual dimension added to it.
Secular education wisely does not pretend
to give us answers to the great “why”
questions—any more than you and I, brothers
and sisters, would read a telephone directory
in search of a plot!
Our different frame of reference should never
cause us to preen or to be insensitive to
the uncertainty or despair some feel in the
world precisely because they believe sincerely
that man exists in “godless, geometric space.”
I have always had a special appreciation for
my friends who, though resolutely irreligious
themselves, were not scoffers. Instead, though
doubtless puzzled by me and their other religious
friends, they were nevertheless respectful.
I admire the day-to-day decency of such men
and women. Though detached from theology,
their decency is commendable.
I now share a lamentation from one character
in a story that illustrates the confusion,
despair, and pain felt by many. He says,
Are all men’s lives . . . broken, tumultuous,
agonized and unromantic. . . . Who knows?
. . . I don’t know. Why can’t people have
what they want? The things were all there
to content everybody, yet everybody got the
wrong thing. . . . It’s beyond me. It’s
all darkness.
As if speaking to this very point, the Prophet
Joseph Smith observed,
Knowledge does away with darkness, suspense
and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge
is.
There is no pain so awful as that of suspense.
Joseph, of course, was speaking about a particular
kind of knowledge.
Thus our view of education is the same as
that Jesus prescribed with regard to our other
Christian duties: namely, the weightier matters
should receive their deserved prominence without
leaving the lesser learning chores “undone."
The Prophet Joseph also observed, “If you
wish to go where God is, you must be like
God, or possess the principles which God possesses."
God possesses perfect knowledge, but he also
possesses perfect love and mercy. What a contrast
he is to those mortals who are bright but
bad, who are clever but carnal! Even genius
without goodness can be dangerous.
No wonder, therefore, “to be learned is
good if [we] hearken unto the counsels of
God” instead of setting them aside as if
we have somehow outgrown them. How can one
ever outgrow Christ’s example of knowing,
behaving, and doing? What happens, however,
is that some easily fall into the trap described
by Paul, “Ever learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth." One
might learn a great deal about the physical
characteristics of this planet earth but yet
be ignorant of why it was created in the first
place.
Certainly during Education Week we need to
know the plan for the week, what the presentations
are, in which room, and at what time. Such
information, for the moment, is essential.
But compare having that information to knowing
the truth about God’s plan of salvation!
For mortals, therefore, the gospel is inexhaustible,
because “the Spirit searcheth all things,
yea, the deep things of God." Jacob’s words
are strikingly similar to Paul’s: “For
the Spirit speaketh the truth . . . of things
as they really are, and of things as they
really will be." Unsurprisingly, the scriptural
definition of truth matches. It is the “knowledge
of things as they are, and as they were, and
as they are to come." What vastness!
While encountering and exploring such vastness,
we sometimes know more than our tongues can
tell. Indeed, knowledge that is “spiritually
discerned” is not always easily communicated.
But the ultimate place we hope to be in is
one where “in the presence of God, . . . all
things . . . are manifest, past, present,
and future, and are continually before the
Lord." What a wondrous God we worship! The
Prophet Joseph Smith said “the past, the
present, and the future were and are, with
[Jehovah], one eternal ‘now.'" How different
the Lord’s “now” is from ours!
In exploring this comprehensiveness and everlastingness,
there will be some surprises. Our understanding
of some things will be restructured and expanded,
especially in the world to come, for “Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love
him." In eternity, when the faithful receive
“all that [the] Father hath,” this will
include an enormous enlargement intellectually.
However, some divine disclosure can begin
even now in mortality:
For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and
by my power will I make known unto them the
secrets of my will—yea, even those things
which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor
yet entered into the heart of man.
Having been given so many marvelous truths,
we are to share them in order that “wise
men and rulers may hear and know that which
they have never considered." So much of the
gospel we bring is what people have “never
considered.”
Quite understandably, given its very nature,
God’s latter-day work will be regarded with
much skepticism by many. The Lord foresaw
this, saying he would “bring to pass my
act, my strange act, and perform my work,
my strange work, that men may discern.”
By accessing the inexhaustible divine data
bank—through meekness and righteousness,
thereby utilizing the Spirit, scriptures,
and prophets—special wisdom is opened to
us as the Spirit teaches us of “things as
they really are, and of things as they really
will be." President Brigham Young, who had
his share of spiritual experiences, said,
“The honest in heart savor the gospel with
with the inward taste,
and see with the inward eyes."
In God’s “strange work,” his ways of
informing mankind are likewise unusual:
Therefore he sent angels to converse with
them, who caused men to behold of his glory.
And they began from that time forth to call
on his name; therefore God conversed with
men, and made known unto them the plan of
redemption, which had been prepared from the
foundation of the world.
Ironically, many refuse to examine gospel
truths simply because of how God reveals them.
These very methods swell skepticism among
many. Furthermore, these divine disclosures
are not democratically dispensed because such
things are “made known unto them according
to their faith and repentance and their holy
works."
However, when people are left alone—without
angelic visitations, without divine disclosures,
without prophets, without scriptures, without
the Spirit—many cease believing. Belief
in the basics is the first thing to go, as
happened with Book of Mormon peoples who ceased
believing in God, in the resurrection, and
in a redeeming Christ.
Many in the world hold back from making the
“leap of faith” because they have already
jumped to some other conclusions—often the
Korihor conclusions, which are: God never
was nor ever will be; there is no redeeming
Christ; man cannot know the future; man cannot
know of that which he cannot see; whatsoever
a man does is no crime; and death is the end.
The number of adherents to the Korihor conclusions
will grow.
When so positioned, many mortals do not accept
the fulness of the gospel. Their reactions
to the gospel range from indifference to contempt.
Happily, there are some who are meek enough
to consider that which they have “never
considered” and “never had supposed."
When Moses was schooled by the Egyptians,
what he learned there did not compare in eternal
significance to what he learned from God’s
revelations, things he said he “never had supposed."
The great “who,” “what,” and “why”
questions are those on which the transcending
revelations focus. “What,” for instance,
is God doing?
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to
bring to pass the immortality and eternal
life of man.
“Who” is involved?
By him, and through him, and of him, the worlds
are and were created, and the inhabitants
thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto
God.
God’s revelations do not usually give us
answers to the “how” and “when” questions,
such as details concerning the creation of
the earth. Yes, there are revelations such
as that on the building of Noah’s ark—a
revelation not reusable, by the way—and
on other tactical matters, but the recurring
themes of the revelations are spiritual.
Thus the Creator of the Universe does not
choose to dazzle his audiences with data concerning
the Creation. Rather, as a Perfect and Loving
Shepherd, he is interested in the central
needs and concerns of his sheep in his many
folds.
These revealed truths carry behavioral as
well as intellectual responsibilities. When
informed, we are accountable. Solomon, for
instance, was widely celebrated for his wisdom.
Impressively wise as Solomon doubtless was
in many respects, he was not wise enough to
keep all God’s commandments.
Individuals are often otherwise commendable,
as was Morianton, who “did do justice unto
the people, but not unto himself because of
his many whoredoms." In gospel wisdom, knowing
and behaving are irrevocably linked!
One basic limitation of worldly wisdom is
its lack of longitudinality and of precious
perspective. Worldly wisdom cannot “see
afar off,” and, without a spiritual memory,
past mistakes are repeated; folly is resumed!
Winston Churchill chose, by the way, as the
motto for his last volume of World War II
history these words:
How the Great Democracies Triumphed, and so
Were able to Resume the Follies Which Had
so Nearly Cost Them Their Life.
The world in its search for physical security,
for instance, tends to build Maginot Lines
while naively neglecting its northern flank.
It seeks to control the diseases flowing from
sexual immorality but without honoring the
principles of fidelity and chastity. The world
in its wisdom constantly seeks to accommodate
the natural man while gospel wisdom constantly
urges us to put off the natural man. This
is a pivotal point, and it makes all the difference!
Being so immersed in the gospel framework,
we sometimes fail to realize how illuminating
gospel truths are with regard to so many issues
of the day. For instance, given the plan of
salvation with our need to experience this
mortal school, to acquire a mortal body, and
then knowing the very preciousness of human
life—we see the awful practice of widespread
abortion differently. Similarly, struggling
to have the “mind of Christ” includes
purity of thought and letting virtue garnish
our thoughts unceasingly. Hence we view pornography
as an awful and enslaving thing. We cannot
feel otherwise concerning such practices as
abortion and pornography, even if practices
such as abortion and pornography are legally
and constitutionally protected.
This is not to say we expect others to share
our views or even to understand them. Some
will not even tolerate our views but, instead,
attempt to shame us. If we really are “saints
of the Holy One,” we will endure the “crosses
of the world,” and despise “the shame
of it." Whether it is worldly shame or worldly
temptations, like Jesus, we should give “no
heed unto them."
Salvational truths combine longevity and relevancy;
they contain both span and significance! Education
that is only “for a season” is narrow;
it pertains only to a knowledge of things
as they temporarily are, like today’s weather
forecast or an airline schedule. Temporary
facts are useful but terminal. Jesus noted
the intensity of the children of this world,
but said their operative framework was only
“in their generation."
Given such significant gradations among knowledge,
we can resonate to T. S. Eliot’s lamentation:
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
Thus our consuming of certain information
is like consuming our daily bread. We need
it, but it is perishable. We will soon hunger
again. Instead, the bread of life is inexhaustible!
Ultimate wisdom enables us to see Jesus as
the Light of the World, but, further, we also
come to realize that it is by his light that
we are to see everything else! The gospel’s
bright and illuminating light thereby helps
us see God, ourselves, others, the world,
and the universe more correctly and more deeply.
Indeed, as Paul declared, “in [Christ] all
things hold together."
For now, though we can mercifully see something
of our eventual possibilities, you and I are
aware of our present limitations. Tolkien
wrote wisely:
It is not our part to master all the tides
of the world, but to do what is in us for
the succour of those years wherein we are
set, uprooting the evil in the fields that
we know, so that those who live after may
have clean earth to till. What weather they
shall have is not ours to rule.
Hence we desperately need the gospel’s wisdom
not only for eternity, but also “for the
succour of those years wherein we are set,”
in order “to do what is in us.” Enoch
obtained revelation and reassurance and gratefully
exclaimed of God, “Yet thou art there."
This is what you and I want to know of him:
Does he know me, love me, and care for me?
We can have the same reassurance given to
Enoch.
How intellectually amazing the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ is! The gospel is truly inexhaustible!
It is marvelous! It is a wonder!
Yet orthodoxy is required to keep all these
truths in essential balance. In orthodoxy
lies real safety and real felicity! Flowing
from orthodoxy is not only correctness but
happiness. Orthodoxy is especially vital in
a time of raging relativism and belching sensualism.
The world’s morality is constantly being
improvised. Some views are politically correct
one day, but not another.
One writer recently observed that the relativistic
forces at work
should warm every atheist’s heart. For if
God is a socially conscious political being
whose views invariably correspond to our own
prejudices on every essential point of doctrine,
he demands of
us no more than our politics require. [H]ow
would our worship of [this kind of being]
constitute more than self-congratulation for
our own moral standards?
The writer continued:
As an atheist, I like this God. It is good
to see him every morning while I am shaving.
Yes, being learned is good! It can supply
us with the needed facts and help us develop
a facility with facts and a discernment among
facts. It can train us to use our minds, to
cultivate an intellectual adroitness in connecting
various patches of truth and insight. It certainly
furthers the calisthenics of the intellect.
Finally, however, you and I should be fully
qualified and certified in traditional education
and its processes for yet another very good
reason: bilinguality. The men and women of
Christ should be truly educated and articulate
as to secular knowledge but should also be
educated and articulate in the things of the
Spirit!
I close now by speaking further of Jesus,
our Perfect Shepherd. His atoning experience
placed upon him the sicknesses, sorrows, griefs,
and pains of the human experience in order
“that he may know according to the flesh
how to succor his people according to their
infirmities." He “suffered the pain of all
men,” women, and children and was “touched
with the feeling of our infirmities." Thus,
in the agony of the Atonement, Jesus “descended
below all things, in that he comprehended
all things." How marvelous the “mind of
Christ,” which we are to try to come to
have.
Jesus, our Perfect Exemplar, was astonishingly
exemplary even in the hours surrounding the
awful but glorious Atonement. The intrigue
of Pilate and Herod, for instance, who had
earlier been “at enmity” but who “made
friends together” because of Jesus, presented
opportunities for Jesus to “shrink” from
going through with the Atonement. Herod, who
had been desirous “to see [Jesus] of a long
season,” “hoped to have seen some miracle
done by him." Yet Jesus, under heavy questioning
from Herod, “answered him nothing." Jesus’
integrity and intellect were not for sale!
Amid temptation, he maintained his integrity—even
in the midst of an opportunity that a lesser
individual would have seized to reduce his
suffering and to increase the praise of men.
Ironically, when Jesus’ enemies came for
him, the Light of the World, they came with
lanterns and torches. Jesus, who by then might
have understandably been so swollen with sorrow
and self-concern that there was no time to
think of others, nevertheless restored the
severed ear of a hostile guard. Amid irony
he kept his poise. He also kept his way, which
is not the way of the sword.
Christ spoke only several sentences on the
cross. One of them was to insure that his
mother, Mary, would be cared for by John.
Another sentence reassured a thief on an adjoining
cross. He had empathy amid his agony.
Finally, he maintained his consecration in
the midst of the deepest deprivation anyone
can know. President Brigham Young taught us
that in the course of the astonishing Atonement,
the Father withdrew both his presence and
his Spirit from Jesus, and, further, even
cast a veil over Jesus. Thus Jesus became
utterly and totally alone! There then came
that great cry of forsakenness! “Nevertheless,”
Jesus did not “shrink,” but, instead,
“finished [his] preparations unto the children
of men." Just as he promised premortally,
even when he might have reflected a little
credit upon himself for the glorious Atonement,
meek Jesus, instead, gave all the glory to
the Father.
We need not apologize for regarding Jesus
as “the way, the truth, and the life." We
need not apologize for regarding salvational
knowledge, revealed by him, as being the most
precious. Indeed, in Christ “all things
hold together,” for he is perfect in knowing
and perfect in doing. And, most marvelously,
he has challenged us to become like him.
Of him, I testify! Of his standard of truth
and knowledge and behavior, I testify! He
is the Light of the World! May we reflect
his light in our lives, distinguishing between
the things of the moment—including the facts
that dissolve—and the supernal, transcending
knowledge of spiritual things, the great blessing
he has given us through the restored gospel.
This is my humble, heartfelt prayer, in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
