“‘That Ye May Believe’—Part 1,” That Ye May Believe (2022)

“Part 1,” That Ye May Believe

“That Ye May Believe”—Part 1

Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Institute of Religion Devotional, University of Utah, August 28, 2022

Susan and I are delighted to participate in this devotional with you. We thank and commend you for your faithfulness, devotion, and goodness.

Austin M. Farrer, a renowned English Anglican philosopher, theologian, and biblical scholar, made the following insightful statement:

“Though argument does not create conviction, the lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced, but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.”¹

My purpose is not simply to make a rational argument for the truthfulness of the restored gospel and Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. Rather, I hope to discuss with you spiritually essential truths in a way that may allow belief to flourish. I pray for the help of the Holy Ghost for all of us as we now learn together about the Savior, His gospel, and His restored Church.

Satan’s Strategies of Deception and Spiritual Destruction

As each of us reads and studies the Book of Mormon, we can learn valuable lessons about the cunning plan of the devil and his designs to destroy the work of God in the latter days.² And precisely because this sacred volume of scripture was written for our day,³ we can expect to find the adversary’s strategies and tactics of deception and spiritual destruction on vivid display in the episodes contained in the record.

Korihor’s Work of Deception

For example, recall how Korihor the anti-Christ ridiculed the Savior, His Atonement, and the spirit of prophecy:

“O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.

“Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.

“How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.

“Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.”⁴

Please note how Korihor demeans, disparages, and devalues the faithful and their beliefs. He uses the word foolish three times to belittle the prophets, the doctrine they taught, and the people who followed their teachings. He also described believing individuals as having “frenzied” and deranged minds. I believe the modern translation of his accusations might be “wildly insane” minds lacking any good sense or judgment.

Korihor also identifies an extremely restrictive methodology for coming to know what we know in his statement “ye cannot know of things which ye do not see.” That one simple assertion denigrates any means of knowing other than seeing; it falsely sweeps away all historical knowledge, all knowledge obtained through vicarious learning, all individual or collective intuition, all knowledge resulting from cognitive construction and dismisses the existence of objects or places not personally seen. In summary, if we do not see or experience something, we cannot know it.

Comparing and contrasting the teachings of Alma and Korihor is most instructive. Alma declares that “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”⁵ According to Alma, with Christ-focused faith, believing that which is true but not visible is in fact seeing.

The anti-Christ proclaims precisely the opposite—that only by seeing can we believe. Thus, Korihor grounds his attacks in the fallacious foundation of a secular, counterfeit, and empirical brand of faith that requires no true faith at all.

I wholeheartedly and emphatically reject Korihor’s arguments that belief in Jesus Christ and His mortal mission is the result of foolish traditions and frenzied and deranged minds. I testify that we come to know many things through means other than sight, especially spiritual things. In fact, I believe Korihor’s limited epistemology reveals that the only person in this scriptural account with a frenzied and deranged mind is Korihor—a reality he himself will acknowledge after being stricken dumb in consequence of the repeated and emphatic pronouncements of his own pseudo-intellectual demands.⁶

The Ministry of Samuel the Lamanite

In the 16th chapter of the book of Helaman in the Book of Mormon, we learn about Samuel the Lamanite and his ministry among the people just a few years before the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem:

“But the more part of [the people] did not believe the words of Samuel. …

“[And] it came to pass in the ninetieth year of the reign of the judges, there were great signs given unto the people, and wonders; and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled.

“And angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy; thus in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled.

“Nevertheless, the people began to harden their hearts, all save it were the most believing part of them, both of the Nephites and also of the Lamanites, and began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own wisdom, saying:

“Some things they may have guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken.

“And they began to reason and to contend among themselves, saying:

“That it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come; if so, and he be the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, as it has been spoken, why will he not show himself unto us as well as unto them who shall be at Jerusalem? …

“But behold, we know that this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers, to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvelous thing which should come to pass, but not among us, but in a land which is far distant, a land which we know not; therefore they can keep us in ignorance, for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true.”⁷

Again, we find widespread acceptance of the false assumption that we can only know if we see. Interestingly, this episode in the Book of Mormon occurs approximately 70 years after the deceptive work of Korihor, and we learn how false ideas and subtle deception can affect people negatively across many generations.

I am fascinated by two specific elements of this scriptural account. First, “Some things they may have guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken.”⁸ The unbelievers discounted miraculous events by attributing them primarily to guesswork and random chance. And how exactly did the doubters “know” that many great and marvelous works could not come to pass? What visual evidence supports their assertion? Since, according to Korihor, seeing is knowing and because the events had not yet occurred and could not have been seen, the logic among the unbelievers clearly is inconsistent and contradictory.

The second element is “it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ [should] come.”⁹ It is not reasonable? This weak rationalization is used by the unbelievers because “[they] cannot witness with [their] own eyes that they are true.”¹⁰

Again, I wholeheartedly and emphatically reject the propositions that the believers at the time of Samuel the Lamanite “guessed right,” that seeing is the best and only way of knowing, and that it is unreasonable such a being as a Christ should come. In fact, I believe it is unreasonable to claim that faith in Jesus Christ is unreasonable.

The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times

For more than 50 years, as a full-time missionary, as an active Church member, as a husband and father, and in a variety of Church callings, I have been blessed to teach and testify of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, of His divine Son and His atoning sacrifice, and of the Restoration of the gospel and the Savior’s Church in these latter days. Over those years, just like all of you, I have met and talked with many people who are critical of our Church, our doctrine, and our practices. And I believe the basic arguments used by our contemporary detractors have not changed much since the days of Korihor and Samuel the Lamanite.

Some individuals find our claim that the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son appeared to the boy Joseph Smith to be unreasonable.

Some individuals believe the account of Joseph translating the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God is preposterous. “Show me the golden plates,” some say, “and then I will believe.” Sound familiar? Other critics declare the canon of scripture is closed and that the word of God as contained in the Bible is all that is needed.

Some individuals firmly believe that the heavens are closed and no need exists for ongoing revelation in our day.

I could list many more such objections, but I am confident you already know them as well as I do.

To support my contention that it is unreasonable to suggest the Restoration of the Lord’s gospel and Church in the latter days is unreasonable, I briefly will discuss five key doctrinal truths in the context of the theological ideas about which Joseph Smith himself spoke—those he appears to have heard circulating in the Manchester, New York, area; those which weighed upon him; and those which provoked the questions in his heart and mind.

In addition to what he was taught in his home, Joseph’s early religious understanding was largely formed by the revival ministers associated with the Low Church Protestant Second Great Awakening (circa 1795–1835).¹¹

In her history of her son, Lucy Mack Smith stated, “Joseph was less inclined to the study of books than any child we had.”¹² Thus, the claim that Joseph “derived some of his religious and theological ideas from the old Manchester Rental Library” seems unlikely.¹³ Much of what Joseph believed prior to the First Vision grew out of what the family had discussed and what he had heard various ministers of his day espouse.

The five doctrinal truths we will consider are (1) the nature and character of the Godhead, (2) Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, (3) the importance of mortality and a physical body, (4) the Creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve, and (5) the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

As we consider each of the doctrinal truths, I invite you to draw your own conclusions about whether:

Seeing is the best and only way of knowing what we know.
Joseph Smith was influenced by false traditions.
Believers have frenzied and deranged minds.
Prophets merely guessed right.
The Restoration of the Savior’s gospel and Church is unreasonable.

The Nature and Character of the Godhead

We should begin at the beginning. So the first doctrinal truth to consider is the nature and character of the Godhead.

The most common way the Godhead would have been explained by those from whom Joseph was learning in the second decade of the 1800s¹⁴ is one divine “being” who appears in different “modes” or forms, sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. Thus, Joseph would have almost certainly entered the Sacred Grove with the false assumption that God the Father was the same being as the Son and Holy Spirit.

Joseph Smith recorded in his history: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”¹⁵

At the very onset of the ongoing Restoration, Joseph Smith learned his first lessons about the attributes, character, and perfections of the Godhead—and that the Father and the Son are separate and distinct Beings.

Joseph declared that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are corporeal beings: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.”¹⁶

Through the Prophet Joseph we also learn that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God in spirit and in the flesh; He progressed until He became even as the Father.¹⁷

Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation

The second doctrinal truth to consider is Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. One of the basic elements of God’s plan seems to have weighed heavily on Joseph’s mind and heart: the loss of any soul who died “unchurched.”

Joseph’s brother William explained: “Hyrum, Samuel, Katherine, and mother were members of the Presbyterian Church. My father would not join. He did not like it because a Rev. Stockton had preached my brother’s funeral sermon and intimated very strongly that he had gone to hell, for Alvin was not a church member, but he was a good boy.”¹⁸

The pastor of the congregation Lucy had joined held that membership in a church and, presumably, baptism into that church, were requisite for salvation. As a consequence, Joseph had every expectation that Alvin was lost for eternity.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ declares that we lived as spirit children of God before our mortal birth and Heavenly Father instituted a plan to allow His children to become like Him: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”¹⁹

Through the Prophet Joseph, we learn that in a grand council in heaven we were informed about the Father’s plan of salvation and His selection of Jesus Christ as our Savior.²⁰

God’s plan provides opportunity for all His children to receive the gospel and the blessings of eternal life:

“All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also, all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom. … All children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.”²¹

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ emphasizes that the Lord invites all people to come unto Him and receive the blessings of salvation and exaltation: “He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.²²

The Importance of Mortality and a Physical Body

The third doctrinal truth to consider is the importance of our mortal experience and a physical body.

Some Christians in the 1800s believed that the principal purpose of this life was to determine whether each person will go to either heaven or hell. In addition, many believed that our physical bodies are prone to sin and a “curse” of sorts, a “prison” that hinders rather than facilitates spiritual progress. However, the prevalence of these views in Joseph Smith’s day and particular location cannot be identified specifically. Thus, I am presuming Joseph may have had some exposure to or knowledge of these teachings.

The restored gospel helps us to understand that mortality is a period of learning, proving, and preparing to return to the presence of God: “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.”²³

Revealed gospel truths also expand our understanding of the various degrees of eternal glory spoken of by the Savior: “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”²⁴

We learn from the vision given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon that all God’s children, except sons of perdition, ultimately will be saved in a kingdom of glory. He also explained that three degrees of glory exist in the kingdoms of heaven: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial.²⁵

We believe that our physical body is a sacred gift from God which allows us to become more like Him and to receive a fulness of joy. Joseph Smith declared: “We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment.”²⁶

Joseph also taught, “God clearly manifested to Enoch the redemption which He prepared, by offering the Messiah as a Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world; and by virtue of the same, the glorious resurrection of the Savior, and the resurrection of all the human family, even a resurrection of their corporeal bodies, is brought to pass.”²⁷

Intermission

Perhaps at this point in my message, some of you may have concluded that my content is tedious and boring—and my delivery uninteresting. And you may be wondering how much longer this devotional is going to last, since we have only covered three of the five doctrinal truths I promised to discuss. I invite you to join me in a brief intermission as we consider several additional and relevant facts.

The Prophet Joseph was the instrument in the hands of the Lord through whom truly novel and revolutionary religious teachings were revealed in the dispensation of the fulness of times. Consider the following important topics, in addition to the three we already have reviewed:

The majesty of the Savior’s infinite and eternal Atonement
The need for a Restoration of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days in preparation for the Savior’s Second Coming
The reality of continuing revelation from God to His children on the earth
The blessing of additional volumes of scripture, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price
The importance of priesthood authority and keys
The commandment to proclaim the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people²⁸ and to those in the spirit world²⁹
The purpose of temple ordinances and the necessity of vicarious work for the dead
And many, many more concepts than I have time to recite

In addition, consider the fact that Joseph Smith was a young and uneducated man. He was 14 at the time of the First Vision, 17 at the first visit of the angel Moroni, 21 when he received the golden plates, and 23 when he completed the translation of the Book of Mormon in about 65 to 75 working days. Over half of the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were received through the Prophet Joseph Smith while he was 25 years of age or younger. He was 26 when the First Presidency was organized and 30 when the Kirtland Temple was dedicated. He was 33 when he escaped from prison in Missouri and resumed his leadership of the Saints gathering in Nauvoo. Joseph was 38½ when he was martyred.

Because most of you also are young, I hope you stand all amazed at all that was accomplished in such a short period of time through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Can you imagine introducing to the world so many spiritually important issues at your age? Think of the sheer volume of the content and written material Joseph produced between the ages of 23 and 38.

The only way any person at any time anywhere in the world could have done what young Joseph Smith did is with God’s help and inspiration. In my judgment, to believe that he accomplished all that he accomplished with his limited mortal capacity is unreasonable.

Now our intermission is over, and we will consider two additional doctrinal truths.

The Creation of the Earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve

The fourth doctrinal truth to consider is the Creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve.

Some Christians at the time of Joseph Smith believed that God spoke and created the earth and all things thereon ex nihilo, or out of nothing. They also did not believe that a spiritual creation preceded the physical creation.

Additionally, many Christians believed the Fall of Adam and Eve was a tragic error and a disruption of God’s designs. And because of the “original sin” of Adam and Eve, each human being is born into a state of sin.

However, the specific teaching of these particular views in Joseph Smith’s time and community cannot be identified definitively. Again, I am presuming Joseph may have had some exposure to or knowledge of these teachings.

According to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, God created all things spiritually before they were created temporally.³⁰ And the earth was organized from existing elements, which are eternal.³¹

The Savior’s restored gospel helps us understand that the Fall was necessary to bring to pass Heavenly Father’s plan of offering the blessings of eternal life to His children:³² “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.”³³

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

The fifth doctrinal truth to consider is the infinite and eternal Atonement of Jesus Christ.

At the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith, understanding of and teachings about the redemptive role of Jesus Christ and of His atoning sacrifice varied significantly in various denominations.

One prevalent view propounded that sin is an injustice that creates an imbalance in the divine scale of justice. Christ died to rebalance those divine scales.

Another belief about the Savior’s Atonement was that sins have penalties attached to them, and a price must be paid for the wrongs committed. Because we as individuals cannot pay the price ourselves, Jesus stood in as our substitute, or surrogate, suffering in our stead and meeting the demands of justice.

Other Christians believed that Jesus died in our place to satisfy God’s wrath but did not suffer the exact punishment we deserve. Rather, His death pays for sin in a general way.

The restored gospel teaches that prophets from Adam down to the coming of Christ knew of the Savior’s Atonement and exercised faith in Him unto repentance.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that “through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”³⁴

Furthermore, in the Book of Mormon Nephi addresses a fundamental question about the relationship between the grace of Christ and individual works: Are we saved by grace, by works, or by some combination of grace and works? “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”³⁵

As part of His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and took upon Himself the pains, sicknesses, and infirmities of all mankind so He would know according to the flesh how to succor and strengthen us.³⁶

Therefore, What?

I began our review of doctrinal truths by inviting you to use five basic criteria to draw your own conclusions about the contrast between basic Christian beliefs and the doctrine of the restored gospel as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Is seeing the best and only way of knowing what we know?
Was Joseph Smith influenced by false traditions?
Do believers have frenzied and deranged minds?
Have the prophets merely guessed right?
And is the concept of the Restoration of the Savior’s gospel and Church unreasonable?

I now invite you to accept Alma’s invitation to “awake and arouse your faculties” and to “exercise a particle of faith.”³⁷ Though you cannot see or touch it, does the “word” of truth “begin to swell within your breasts,” and do these restored truths “enlarge [your] soul”?³⁸ Can you feel by the power of the Holy Ghost the truth of these doctrinal foundations which cannot be touched or seen but which begin to “enlighten [your] understanding” and “increase your faith”?³⁹

Promise and Testimony

My beloved brothers and sisters, during our time together we have discussed so much, and yet so much more needs to be discussed. Fundamental doctrinal truths about the nature and character of the Godhead, Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, the importance of mortality and a physical body, the Creation and the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ are but a beginning glimpse into the vast scope, depth, breadth, and eternal importance of the restored gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yet to be addressed are truths such as the role and importance of priesthood authority and keys; prophets, apostles, and revelation; additional latter-day scripture; sacred covenants and ordinances; and holy temples and vicarious work for the dead. My message tonight is part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 will be presented later this fall in a devotional message at another university.

I pray that your asking, seeking, and knocking will continue with increased focus, sincere hearts, and real intent. As you do so, I promise you will be blessed by the power of the Holy Ghost to know the truth of all things that are essential to your salvation and exaltation.

Brothers and sisters, if all you know about the gospel of Jesus Christ is what others have told you, you will never know enough. If all you know is what you have read in books written by others, you will never know enough. There is a need to pay an individual price to learn for yourselves. You cannot live on borrowed light.

You have to go into the scriptures. You have to ask, seek, and knock. You have to have an individual, personal knowledge of these things. The covenants into which you enter are individual and personal. They are administered one by one. It is necessary for each one of us to have an individual covenant connection with the resurrected and living Lord Jesus Christ.

Reason is important and useful; however, it is neither the best nor the only way of knowing. A witness of truth by the power of the Holy Ghost that we invite into our soul produces a spiritual knowledge, an illumination, and a conviction more sure, more powerful, and more enduring than can be received through seeing, hearing, touching, or rational argument alone.

The sacred and personal testimony I now declare to you stands independent of any other person and transcends the five physical senses. I witness that God the Eternal Father is our Father and He is the Author of the plan of happiness. I further testify and witness that Jesus Christ is the Father’s Only Begotten and Beloved Son; He is our Savior and our Redeemer. His atoning sacrifice is central in and essential to the Father’s plan.

I witness that the Father and the Son appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, thus initiating the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. And I witness that the Restoration is ongoing. The heavens are not closed, and the Savior continues to reveal His mind and will to His servants the prophets. The covenants and ordinances of the gospel yoke us to and with the resurrected and living Lord.

With all the energy of my soul, I witness that these things are true. I so testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.