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178th
Annual General Conference
Sunday Afternoon, April 6, 2008
Talk Excerpts
“My Works are Without
End, and … My Words … Never Cease”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. © 2008 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Some Christians, in large measure because
of their genuine love for the Bible, have declared that there can
be no more authorized scripture beyond the Bible. In thus pronouncing
the canon of revelation closed, our friends in some other faiths
shut the door on divine expression that we in The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints hold dear — the Book of Mormon,
the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and the ongoing
guidance received by God’s anointed prophets and apostles.
It is, at least in part, because of
this fundamental disagreement on the closure of the canon that we
have been denied by some the title of “Christian.” Imputing
no ill will to those who make such a judgment, we respectfully but
resolutely reject such an unscriptural characterization of true
Christianity.
One of the arguments often used in
any defense of a closed canon is the New Testament passage recorded
in Revelation 22:18. “For I testify unto every man that heareth
the words of … this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book.”
However, there is overwhelming consensus
among biblical scholars that this verse applies only to the book
of Revelation, not the whole Bible. Virtually every scholar of our
day acknowledges a number of New Testament “books” that
were almost certainly written after John’s revelation on the
Isle of Patmos was received. Included in this category are at least
the books of 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, the three Epistles of John, and
probably the entire Gospel of John itself.
But there is a simpler answer as to
why that passage in the final book of the current New Testament
cannot apply to the whole Bible. That is because the whole Bible
as we know it — one collection of texts bound in a single
volume — did not exist when that verse was written.
For centuries after John produced his
writing, the individual books of the Bible were in circulation singly
or perhaps in combinations with a few other texts, but almost never
as a complete Bible as we now know it, and all 34 of those were
compiled after the year 1000 A.D.
The fact of the matter is that virtually
every prophet of the Old and New Testament has added scripture to
that received by his predecessors. If the Old Testament words of
Moses were sufficient, as some could have mistakenly thought them
to be, then why the subsequent prophecies of Isaiah? Or Jeremiah
who follows him? To say nothing of Ezekiel and Daniel, of Joel,
Amos, and the rest.
If one revelation to one prophet in
one moment of time is sufficient for all time, what justifies these
many others? What justifies them was made clear by Jehovah Himself
when He said to Moses, “My works are without end, and …
my words … never cease” (Moses 1:4).
One Protestant scholar has inquired
tellingly into the erroneous doctrine of a closed canon. He writes,
“On what biblical or historical grounds has the inspiration
of God been limited to the written documents that the church now
calls its Bible? … If the Spirit inspired only the written
documents of the first century, does that mean that the same Spirit
does not speak today in the church about matters that are of significant
concern?”
Continuing revelation does not demean
or discredit existing revelation. The Old Testament does not lose
its value in our eyes when we are introduced to the New Testament
and the New Testament is only enhanced when we read the Book of
Mormon, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
In considering the additional scripture
accepted by Latter-day Saints, we might ask: Were those early Christians
who for decades had access only to the primitive Gospel of Mark,
generally considered the first of the New Testament gospels to be
written, were they offended to receive the more detailed accounts
set forth later by Mathew and Luke, to say nothing of the unprecedented
passages and revelatory emphasis offered later yet by John? Surely
they must have rejoiced that ever more convincing evidences of the
divinity of Christ kept coming. And so do we rejoice.
Ask in Faith
Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Elder David A. Bednar.
I long have been impressed with the
truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and
consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before
we can obtain them, and prayer, as a form of work, is an appointed
means for obtaining the highest of all blessings. We press forward
and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer after we say “amen”
by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father.
Asking in faith requires honesty, effort,
commitment, and persistence. Let me provide an illustration of what
I mean and extend to you an invitation.
We properly pray for the safety and
success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And
a common element in many of our prayers is q request that the missionaries
will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive
the message of the restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility
and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach.
Missionaries are full-time teachers;
you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as life-long missionaries
should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!
If you and I would truly pray and ask
in faith, as did Joseph Smith — if we would pray with the
expectation to act and not just to express — then the work
of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way.
Such a prayer of faith might include some of the following elements.
- Thanking Heavenly Father for the
doctrines and ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
which bring hope and happiness into our lives.
- Asking for courage and boldness
to open our mouths and share the gospel with our family and friends.
- Entreating Heavenly Father to help
us identify individuals and families who will be receptive to
our invitation to be taught by the missionaries in our homes.
- Pledging to do our part this day
and this week — and petitioning for help to overcome anxiety,
fear, and hesitation.
- Seeking for the gift of discernment
— for eyes to see and ears to hear missionary opportunities
as they occur.
- Praying fervently for the strength
to act as we know we should.
Gratitude would be expressed, and other
blessings might be requested in such a prayer — which would
be closed in the name of the Savior. And then the consecrated work
of that prayer would continue and increase.
“We Will Not Yield, We Cannot Yield”
Elder W. Craig Zwick
Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
Elder W. Craig Zwick.
My young friend, Ethan, approached
his mother with a weighty question. Ethan, like most teenagers,
wants to be independent, self-sufficient and surrounded by good
friends. He is trying to make good choices on his own. He is exceedingly
valiant, works hard on his grades and studies the scriptures daily.
Like all young people, Ethan faces
tremendous temptations. It comes in the halls of his school, on
the Internet, in the movies and music. It can be heard in bad language
and seen in provocative clothing. That which is wrong is often made
to look right. Anxiety and fear of rejection are common among teenagers.
Peer pressure is often overpowering. Ethan was feeling bombarded
with opposing values.
This is the question he asked his mother.
Mom, do I need to lower my standards to keep my friends?
It is a profound question for each
of us to consider at all stages of life. Are we lowering our standards
to fit into our neighborhoods? Are we altering our values to suit
the situation in the workplace or to be popular at school?
Ethan’s loving mother answered
him with a resounding, “no.”
I, too, unequivocally answer, “Don’t
do it Ethan. Never forget that you are a son of God and He loves
you. Live by your standards. Stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes
it is not easy and you may be standing alone for awhile. Look for
friends who show integrity and character, then go to them and express
appreciation for their example. You might even find someone who
has been feeling as lonely as you. Pray for the guidance and protection
of the Lord. He will sustain you. He will become a trusted friend
and you will discover that your example will attract many friends
who will take courage from your strength of character.”
Nephi taught us a powerfully simple
principle in recounting his father’s dream of the tree of
life. He described a strait and narrow path leading to a tree and
a great and spacious building. This building looked down on the
tree and it was filled with people who were dressed in exceedingly
fine and fashionable clothing. They were all in an attitude of mocking
and pointing fingers towards those who were partaking of the fruit
of the tree. They were all in an attitude of mocking and pointing
fingers towards those who were partaking of the fruit of the tree.
They were putting pressure on those finding their way on the path
to enter the building.
From all appearances the people inside
seemed to be having a great time. What an indelible image of temptation
and scorn! Elder Maxwell concluded, “The laughter of the world
is just loneliness trying to reassure itself.”
The Power of Light and Truth
Elder Robert R. Steuer
Of the Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Robert R. Steuer.
As a young boy I discovered amazing
power in a small flashlight. Turning it on at night, I saw a large
lighted spot wherever I pointed it. My excitement increased when
shining the flashlight inside a dusty barn. A cone of light was
projected through the air. But, the most interesting discovery came
when I pressed the flashlight firmly against the palm of my hand.
My entire hand glowed in the dark. The light was actually within
me! To observe the physical properties of light can be exciting,
but discovering the properties of spiritual light and truth is even
more awe-inspiring and essential.
We live in marvelous times, yet also
an hour when peace has been taken from the earth. To prosper in
these times, spiritual light must burn within us…
In 1832, the Lord revealed to the Prophet
Joseph Smith a true and powerful doctrine about spiritual light:
the Light of Christ—“Which light proceedeth forth from
the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—The light
which is in all things, which giveth life to all t hings, which
is the law by which all things are goverened, even the power of
God who sitteth upon his throne…” (D&C 88: 12-13).
President Boyd K. Packer reinforced
this truty in saying, “…the Light of Christ is also
described in the scriptures as ‘the Spirit of Jesus Christ’…The
Spirit of Christ can enlighten the inventor, the scientist, the
painter, the sculptor, the composer, the performer, the arachitect,
the author to produce great, even inspired things for the blessing
and good of all mankind.”
Recent scientific thinking on the fundamental
properties of light is indeed stunning. Today scientists even describe
light as “carrier,” or “messenger,” or “mediator.”
How profound are the doctrines of the Lord.!
One among the Crowd
Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander
Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander.
One of the most well known crowds in
the Book of Mormon is the one that occupies the great and spacious
building in Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life. The building
was filled with people, old and young, male and female, who were
mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who were partaking
of the fruit of the tree.
Unfortunately, some who had tasted
of the fruit listened to the crowd and “fell away into forbidden
paths and were lost.” There were others, however, who partook
of the fruit and paid no heed to the crowd. These were the ones
who enjoyed the full blessings of the Tree of Life.
In reality these stories are not about
crowds, but individuals among those crowds. They are really about
you and me. All of us are among the crowds of this world. My experience
has taught me that almost all of us who like the woman who, despite
the crowd, comes to the Savior. We all have faith hat just a touch
will bring healing to our aching souls and relief to our innermost
needs.
I have observed that new members of
the Church in many lands are often like Alma. They hear the words
of life when no one else in their family or circle of friends does.
Yet, they still have the courage to accept the gospel and chart
a course through the crowds. I think each one of us understands
what it means to partake of the fulfilling fruit of the Tree of
Life within sight and sound of those who mock, and what it means
to exert every courageous effort to pay them no heed.
Struggling through the crowds of the
world can be lonely and hard. Their pull and tug on the individual
who wishes to step away to something better can be very strong and
very difficult to overcome.
Who can reach, support and ultimately
rescue the one among the crowd better than the Savior? He understands
what it is to persevere among a disrespectful crowd and still remain
true. The worldly crowds do not recognize Him, saying that “he
hath no form nor comeliness” and that “there is no beauty
that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). King Benjamin says
that the world “shall consider him a man” (Mosiah 3:9).
Isaiah further describes Christ’s place among the crowds of
the world with these words:
He is despised and rejected of men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief … he was despised,
and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted (Isaiah 53:3,4).
…Yet ultimately, this Firstborn
Son of God who is so often misjudged and misunderstood, will emerge
from being one among the crowd as “The Anointed One,”
the Savior and Redeemer of the world. This emergence is humbly predicted
in the Savior’s statement to certain chief priests and elders
that, “the stone which the builders rejected, the same has
become the head of the corner” (Matthew 21:42).
Today
Elder Lance B. Wickman
Of the First Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Lance B. Wickman.
Our infantry battalion had been in
Vietnam for several months. I was a lieutenant, the leader of a
rifle platoon. We were involved almost constantly in combat operations.
That day dawned with our battalion deep in hostile territory. Very
early, we sent out a reconnaissance patrol of about ten men. One
of them was Sgt. Arthur Morris. Several of the men were wounded
in a firefight, including Sgt. Morris, who received a slight flesh
wound. Eventually the men of the patrol limped back to our lines.
We radioed for a medical evacuation
helicopter. Loading the wounded men on the chopper, I urged Sgt.
Morris also to get aboard. He demurred. Again, I urged him. Again,
he demurred. Once again, I admonished him. Once again, he refused.
Finally, I said “Sgt. Morris, get on that chopper.”
He looked at me, his eyes earnest, pleading — “Please,
sir” — and then these words that will forever haunt
me, “They can’t kill a tough old bird like me.”
The entire scene is etched in my mind
like a battle tableau — the jungle clearing; the impatient,
throbbing rotor blade of the helicopter; the pilot looking at me
expectantly; and my friend begging to stay with his men. I relented.
I waved away the chopper with its lifeline to Tomorrow. Before the
sun had set that very day, my dear friend — Sgt. Arthur Cyrus
Morris — lay dead upon the ground, felled by hostile fire.
And echoing in my mind, over and over again, I hear his exclamation
— “They can’t kill, they can’t kill, they
can’t kill…”
Of course, in one sense he was dreadfully
wrong. Mortality is so fragile. Only one heartbeat, the drawing
of a single breath, separates this world from the next. One moment,
my friend was a vital, living person; the next, his immortal spirit
had fled, leaving his mortal tabernacle a lump of lifeless clay.
Death is a curtain through which each must pass, and — like
Sgt. Arthur Morris — none of us knows when that passage will
occur. Of all the challenges we face, perhaps the greatest is a
misguided sense that mortality goes on forever, and its corollary
— that we can postpone until tomorrow the seeking and offering
of forgiveness, which as the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches, are
among mortality’s central purposes.
This profound truth is taught by Amulek
in the Book of Mormon:
For behold, this life is the time for
men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is
the da for me to perform their labors…Therefore, I beseech
of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until
the end … For that same spirit which doth possess your bodies
at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have
power to possess your body in that eternal world (Alma 34:32-34).
A Book with a Promise
Elder Craig C. Christensen
Of the Seventy
Elder Craig C. Christensen.
Several months ago, a friend and I
had the opportunity of presenting a set of scriptures to an associate
who is not a member of the Church. Knowing that this might be a
life-changing event for him—and for us—we took the time
to have his name embossed on each volume. As we presented these
sacred records to him, we could tell he was deeply moved by the
significance and sincerity of our offering. For several minutes
he examined each book without speaking, rubbing his hand on the
cover and turning some of the pages.
Recognizing the importance of the moment,
we helped him turn to the title page of the Book of Mormon and began
to explain that the Book of Mormon was another testament, or witness
of Jesus Christ. He then asked a question that all missionary-minded
members are anxious to hear: “Why do we need additional witnesses
of Jesus Christ other than the Bible?” Rather than responding
quickly, we asked him why he thought his might be important. His
answer seemed even more inspired than his question. He suggested
that since there appeared to be so many variations of the bible
and its teachings, we needed some kid of clarifying voice, something
that would help us understand the Bible better. His observation
opened the door for us to share our feelings and testimonies regarding
both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Daughters of God
Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
Elder M. Russell Ballard.
There is no one perfect way to be a
good mother. Each situation is unique. Each has different challenges,
different skills and abilities, and certainly different children.
The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family.
Many are able to “full time moms,”
at least during the most formative years of their children’s
lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part
or full time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives
into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a
mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion
she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.
I am impressed by countless mothers
who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that
can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives
with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one fourth of
a parent’s life. And the most formative time of the all, the
early years in a child’s life, represent less than one tenth
of their normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for
the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the Lord’s
help, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. This
eternally important work falls to mothers and fathers as equal partners.
I am grateful that many fathers are more involved in caring for
their children. But I believe that the instincts and intense nurturing
involvement of mothers with their children will always be the major
key to their well being. In the words of the Proclamation on the
Family, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture
of their children.”
We need to remember that the full commitment
of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult. Through
my own four-generation experience in our family, and through discussions
with mothers of young children throughout the Church, I know something
of a mother’s emotions that accompany her commitment to be
at home with young children. There are moments of great joy and
incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of
inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive
little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes,
even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands upon their wives.
As a Church, we have enormous respect
and gratitude for you mothers of young children. We want you to
be happy and successful in your families and to have the validation
and support you need and deserve. So today, let me ask, and briefly
answer four questions. While my answers may seem extremely simple,
if the simple things are being tended to, a mother’s life
can be most rewarding.
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