Garments Made White

In a vision, Nephi saw the Savior appear to the Nephite people and ordain 12 disiciples to minister unto them. as he viewed this most sacred of events, the angel told him:

"Because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood."

- 1 Nephi 11:10

In a 1977 General Conference Address, Bruce R. McKonkie said:

"The Holy Ghost is the Sanctifier. Those who magnify their callings in the priesthood “are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” (D&C 84:33.) They are born again; they become new creatures of the Holy Ghost; they are alive in Christ.

"Of such faithful persons among the ancients, Alma says: “They were called after this holy order”—that is, they held the Melchizedek Priesthood—“and [they] were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceeding great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.” (Alma 13:11–12.)"

The scriptures seem to make it clear that this santification only comes when we can turn our hearts to the Lord and serve him with our mights, constantly exercising faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed we must be truly converted to obtain this santification symbolized by our garments being made white. 

Elder Hartman Rector Jr., once taught  "Conversion does away with all [ungodly] conduct and thus is the foundation of the society of God. Conversion not only indicates an awareness and acceptance of these growth principles, but also encompasses the principle of endurance. Faith unto repentance, and precise persisting in righteousness, is the saving power of the gospel."

So what does that endurance entail? The Revelation of John provides some great insights into what it takes to be truly converted. In Revlation 7:13-17, we read:

"What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir, thouh knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the  throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

I have highlighted two key phrases in this verse.

1- Those who have their garments made white (e.g. are sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost through their faith in Christ) do not do it without great sacrifice. These who were arrayed in their white robes, the utmost symbol of purity and devotion to God, made it to that point only through "great tribulation." It is easy to know that the gospel is true. The true measure of our character is the degree to which we are able to translate what we know into what we do, and indeed who we are. The key determinant of how white our garments are is based on the degree to which we live what we know to be true in the face of tribulation, hard times, trials, and perhaps in the more difficult circumstance of when everything in life is going smoothly. Do we want our garments to be pure white or do we settle for a beige-like devotion to living the principles of the gospel and exercising faith in Christ?

2- Those who John spoke of served the Lord "day and night in his temple." Clearly in this mortal state it is not possible to be in the temple 24 hours a day. But, it is possible to make our homes a holy sanctuary focused on serving the Lord. It is possible, to take the fundamental message of the temple, that is dilligently striving to walk back to the presence of the Father and helping those around us do the same, and apply it to every facet of our lives. 

A state of happiness

This post is not from my normal reading of the Book of Mormon, but the verse has been on my mind lately. 

In Alma 40:12, Alma teaches his son Corianton about about life after death. He says, "And then it shall come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, as state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their torubles and from all care, and sorrow."

What an amazing promise to those that are righteous.

If you posterity is obedient

As Nephi was confronted with the choice of killing Laban to get the brass plates, he remembered a promise that the Lord made him in the wilderness. "If your posterity keeps my commandments, then they will prosper in the promised land" (1 Nephi 4:14). Nephi realized that his choice at that point in time would not only affect his own life, but also have a great impact on the lives of his children and his children's children. This prompted me to ask myself, "what am I doing to insuree that my posterity will be able to inherit their own promised land?" I believe that this question provides ample opportunity for introspection to all those who ponder it. It is a good question to ask ourselves when we face hard choices in life. 

As the Lord Liveth

Nephi and his brothers have just gone back to get the brass plates from Laban. On the first attemp, Laman went to Laban's house and asked for the plates. He was run out of the house and came back to tell his brothers that Laban was not going to give them the plates. They were about ready to give up and return to the wilderness when Nephi starts to testify about their mission. He says that they cannot return without the plates. one phrase in particular caught my attention: "As the Lord liveth and as we liveth" (1 Nephi 3:15). Nephi compares God's existence to his own existence. As I read these words, it came across to me as an absolute. There was no doubt in his mind that God lives. What a great example of faith. 

Each Individual is Entitled to Personl Revelation

In the opening verse of 1 Nephi Chapter 3, Nephi write:

"After I Nephi returned from speaking with the Lord."

I don't see any evidence that Nephi spoke with the Lord face to face, although it is possible that he did so. Rather, in my opinion it is likely that Nephi spoke with the Lord through fervent prayer and listening to the voice of the Spirit. My point is that we don't have to have a grand vision or visitation to speak with the Lord. Each of us can do so daily through prayer. 

In the October 1979 session of General Conference Boyd K. Packer stated:

"We succeed in the Church, by and large, in teaching our members to pray. Even our little ones are taught to fold their arms and bow their heads, and with whispered coaching from their parents and from brothers and sisters, they soon learn to pray.

There is one part of prayer—the answer part—that perhaps, by comparison, we neglect."

By spending more time listening or as Elder Packer puts it, focusing on the "answer part" we can not only speak to the Lord, but speak with Him as Nephi did. 

The Promised Land

A couple days ago I wrote about how when we give something up for the Lord, we are given something even greater in return. I inferred that by giving up their land of inheritance, Lehi's family was prepared to inherit an even greater land. As I was reading last night, I found something to back up that inference. In 1 Nehphi 2:20 it reads:

"Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, evena land which I have prepared for you, yea a land which is choice above all other lands."

Sometimes we have situations in life that are pretty good. These situations might include good jobs, health, a calling we enjoy, etc... When the Lord has a different plan in mind than the status quo, we need to keep in mind that as we are obedient to his will, we will find "a land which is choice above all other lands." The really interesting thing about this verse is that this is the first time a "land of promise" is mentioned in the Book of Mormon. As far as I can tell, Nephi did not know that the Lord was going to prepare a new land that was better than his home in Jerusalem. As far as he knew when Lehi asked them to pack up and leave, his family was simply being led into the wilderness. What a great example of faith in the Lord!

Seeking in Dilligence

The context of the verse below is that Nephi has been praying to know if the things that his father has asked him to do (e.g. leave Jerusalem and go into the wilderness) are right. After he receives the confirmation, He tells Laman and Lemuel and they basically tell him that he doesn't know what he is talking about. Sam on the otherhand believes Nephi and gains a testimony as well. 

Here is what Nephi says:

"Blessed art thou Nephi, because of thy faith for thou hast sought me dilligently with lowliness of heart."  (1 Neph 2: 19)

Here is one of the reasons why I love reading the Book of Mormon in Chinese. I hear this verse quoted often, but it has become quite cliche. I read it in Chinese and it the translation means the same thing but it is written somewhat differently. Here is what it says literally in the Chinese:

"you have continuing happiness because you use a heart of humility to dilligently seek and solicit/request me."

Now that that is out of the way, here are the insights that I gained when I read this:

1. When we are humble we recognize that we have to have the Lord's help. We really can't do it on our own. 

2. With this type of attitude we "seek [Him]" just as Nephi did. I really like how "seek" is translated here because it involves requesting the Lord's help.