This week, I'm going to record my thoughts about Martin Harris' commandment to sell his property in order to help with the printing of the Book of Mormon, revelations given in this section that further our understanding of the Plan of Salvation, and how revelations in this section differ from those of other Christian faiths.
In this section, Martin Harris tells Joseph Smith that he needs to have a commandment in order to sell his property. As I read the accounts listed in the assignment, it seemed to me as though Martin Harris was lacking a little faith. Joseph Smith said to him that he needed to "fulfill what you have got." If we are asked to do something such as Martin Harris was, we need to obey, whether it is an official commanded or not. If God asks us to do something, it is a commandment. It doesn't need to be written down in order for us to obey it. We need to have faith that God is asking us to do something that will benefit us; He always has a reason for what He does.
Next, I was asked to look through this section and find other revelations that help us further understand the Plan of Salvation.
Verse 13: "Wherefore, I command you to repent, and keep the commandments which you have received by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., in my name." This scripture brings together two very important parts of the plan and of the gospel: We need to always repent and keep the commandments, but we also believe that God gives us commandments through His servants, the prophets. (Amos 3:7) When the prophets give us advice and tell us things we need to improve, we know those words come straight from God. In Amos 3:7 it says that "Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
Verse 19: "Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." This scripture helps us understand that everything Christ did and still does is in the name of the Father, and we must do the same. Everything we do should be in the name of the Father. When Christ presented the Plan of Salvation, He told Heavenly Father that the glory would be in His name. He would not take any of the glory for himself.
Verses 25 and 26: "And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife; nor seek thy neighbor's life. And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property..." This scripture teaches us all about how the Lord does not want us to covet what those around us have, but it also teaches us that we shouldn't covet what we already have. If we have something that the Lord wants us to give up in order to receive something better later, we must sacrifice it because it's a commandment that will bring us blessings. Tithing is a great example of sacrifice. If money is really tight, and we have to choose between paying rent and paying tithing, we should choose to pay our tithing. If we pay our tithing with faith, the Lord will make sure we are taken care of.
The Book of Mormon lists many revelations that the Saints believe in that other Christian faiths do not believe in. Because of this, those other Christian faiths are under the impression that we are not Christians and other such beliefs. At the County Fair in Oregon, there is always a booth that hands out "Jesus loves you" cards and attempts to teach the people that pass by how to be saved. I once heard that to be saved, all we have to do is accept Christ as our Savior. Although that is one of the things we must do, there is still much more to it. We are saved by the grace of God after all we can do. Verse 4 says, "And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless." In order to be saved, we must also repent of our sins. We sin so much every week, and we need to take responsibility for what we have done. A lot of other Christian churches believe that if we accept Christ as our Savior, He will do the rest, and we won't have to worry about anything. However, we must do all we possibly can in order to show our faith and love for God.
Although God can and will punish us, He does it for good reason. He will punish us when he do not obey Him. He will punish us when we deny Him. However, when we are punished, God has our best interests in mind. When He gives us commandments, He knows they will bless us. When He tells us to always believe in Him and follow the commandments, He knows that good things will come of it. If we are punished by God, we are actually receiving mercy. God teaches us through punishment. We have such a merciful God that is willing to give us as many chances as we need to get it right.
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