In
the past few days there’s been much reported about the name of the Church –
here in 1990 is one of the many talks regarding the name of Church. As many of
you might like your name spoken correctly – Heavenly Father and the Savior His
Only Begotten Son do also!
“Thus Shall My Church Be Called”
President of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles *when given 1990
Today I would like to speak about a name. We are all pleased when
our names are pronounced and spelled correctly. Sometimes a nickname is used
instead of the real name. But a nickname may offend either the one named or the
parents who gave the name.
The name of which I shall speak is not a personal name, yet the
same principles apply. I refer to a name given by the Lord:
“Thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” (D&C 115:4.)
Note carefully the language of the Lord. He did not say, “Thus
shall my church be named.”
He said, “Thus shall my church be called.”
Years ago, its members were cautioned by the Brethren who wrote: “We feel that
some may be misled by the too frequent use of the term ‘Mormon Church.’” (Member-Missionary
Class—Instructor’s Guide, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1982, p. 2.) Before any other name is considered
to be a legitimate substitute, the thoughtful person might reverently consider
the feelings of the Heavenly Parent who bestowed that name.
Surely every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord is
precious. So each word in this name must be important—divinely designated for a
reason. If we study the key words in that name, we can better understand the
name’s full significance.
Saints
The last word in the title is Saints. I
smile when I remember a comment made after my call to the Quorum of the Twelve.
A doctor friend relayed a report made at a professional meeting that “Dr.
Nelson was no longer practicing cardiac surgery because his church had made him
‘a saint.’”
Such a comment was not only amusing but
revealing. It evidenced unfamiliarity with the language of the Bible, in which
the word saint is used much more frequently than is the
term Christian.
The word
Christian appears
in only three verses of the King James Version of the Bible. One verse
describes the historical fact that “disciples were called Christians first in
Antioch” (
Acts 11:26); another quotes a sarcastic
nonbeliever, King Agrippa (see
Acts 26:28); and the third indicates that one
known as “a Christian” must be prepared to suffer (
1 Pet. 4:16).
In contrast, the term saint (or saints)
appears in thirty-six verses of the Old Testament and in sixty-two verses of
the New Testament.
Paul addressed an epistle “to the saints
which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” (
Eph. 1:1.)
To recent converts there he said, “Ye are no
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God.” (
Eph. 2:19; see also
Eph. 3:17–19.)
In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul used
the word saint at least once in every chapter!
Despite its use in ninety-eight verses of
the Bible, the term saintis still not well understood. Some
mistakenly think that it implies beatification or perfection. Not so! A saint
is a believer in Christ and knows of His perfect love. The giving saint shares
in a true spirit of that love, and the receiving saint accepts in a true spirit
of gratitude. A saint serves others, knowing that the more one serves, the
greater the opportunity for the Spirit to sanctify and purify.
A saint is tolerant, and is attentive to the
pleadings of other human beings, not only to spoken messages but to unspoken
messages as well. A saint is different from an individual whose response to a
concern might be a selfish “What do
I care” attitude. A real
saint responds, “What? I
do care!”
Do is
an action verb, and it becomes the driving force in the reply of one who will
care for another in need. (See
1 Cor. 12:25–27;
2 Cor. 7:12.)
A saint “refrain[s] from idleness” (
Alma 38:12) and seeks learning by study, and
also by faith. Education not only helps in communication with others, but it
enables one to discern truth from error, particularly through studying the
scriptures. (See
D&C 88:118.)
A saint is honest and kind, paying financial
obligations promptly and fully, treating others as she or he would want to be
treated. (See
Matt. 7:12;
3 Ne. 14:12;
D&C 112:11.)
A saint is an honorable citizen, knowing
that the very country which provides opportunity and protection deserves
support, including prompt payment of taxes and personal participation in its
legal political process. (See
D&C 134:5.)
A saint resolves any differences with others
honorably and peacefully and is constant in courtesy—even in traffic at the
rush hour.
A saint shuns that which is unclean or
degrading and avoids excess even of that which is good.
Perhaps above all, a saint is reverent.
Reverence for the Lord, for the earth He created, for leaders, for the dignity
of others, for the law, for the sanctity of life, for chapels and other
buildings, are all evidences of saintly attitudes. (See
Lev. 19:30;
Alma 47:22;
D&C 107:4;
D&C 134:7.)
A reverent saint loves the Lord and gives
highest priority to keeping His commandments. Daily prayer, periodic fasting,
payment of tithes and offerings are privileges important to a faithful saint.
Finally, a saint is one who receives the
gifts of the Spirit that God has promised to all His faithful sons and
daughters. (See
Joel 2:28–29;
Acts 2:17–18.)
Latter-day
The term latter-day is an
expression especially difficult for translators who labor in languages in which
there is not a good equivalent term. Some translations may suggest last day.
It is true that scriptures foretell the
final days of the earth’s temporal existence as a telestial sphere. The earth
will then be renewed and receive its paradisiacal, or terrestrial, glory.
(See
A of F 1:10.) Ultimately, the earth will
become celestialized. (See
Rev. 21:1;
D&C 77:1;
D&C 88:25–26.) But its
last days
must be preceded by its
latter days!
We live in those latter days, and they are
really remarkable. The Lord’s Spirit is being poured out upon all inhabitants
of the earth, precisely as the Prophet Joel foretold. His prophecy was of such
significance that the angel Moroni reaffirmed it to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
(See
Joel 2:28–32;
JS—H 1:41.)
For millennia, methods of farming, travel,
and communication were largely unchanged from ancient techniques. Developments
since the birth of Joseph Smith, however, have risen in remarkable contrast.
Joseph Smith had long been foreordained as
God’s prophet for the restoration of the gospel in the fulness of times.
(See
2 Ne. 3:7–15.) Twenty-five years after his
birth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially
organized.
Later in that same century, the telegraph
was developed, the Atlantic Ocean was first crossed by a steamship, and the
telephone, the automobile, and motion pictures were invented.
The twentieth century has been even more
extraordinary. Farming has become mechanized.
Modern transportation allows travel to
nearly any destination in the world within a day or two.
Computers have been developed that allow the
Church to serve living members and to organize information relative to
progenitors who live on the other side of the veil. People throughout the
world, once little concerned with family history, now search for roots of their
ancestral heritage using technologies unavailable a century ago.
Long-distance telephone, telefax, radio,
television, and satellite communications have become routine. In these latter
days it is possible for the word of the Lord to be broadcast from world
headquarters of His Church and heard in the most remote areas of the globe.
The divine promise is being fulfilled that
this restored “gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people.” (
D&C 133:37.)
Political changes have occurred recently in
many countries. Previous restrictions of personal liberties have been relieved.
The shell of spiritual confinement has been shattered. Swelling shouts of
freedom fill the air. Surely the hand of the Lord is apparent. He said, “I will
hasten my work in its time” (
D&C 88:73), and that time of hastening is
now.
Jesus Christ
By divine directive, the title of the Church
bears the sacred name of Jesus Christ, whose church this is. (See
D&C 115:3–4.) He so decreed more than once.
Nearly two thousand years ago, the Lord said, “Ye shall
call the
church in my name; …
“And how be it my church save it be
called in
my name?” (
3 Ne. 27:7–8; italics added.)
We worship God the Eternal Father in the
name of His Son by the power of the Holy Ghost. We know the premortal Jesus to
be Jehovah, God of the Old Testament. We know Him to be “the chief corner
stone” upon which the organization of His Church is based. (
Eph. 2:20.) We know Him to be the Rock from
whom revelation comes to His authorized agents (see
1 Cor. 10:4;
Hel. 5:12) and to all who worthily seek Him
(see
D&C 88:63).
We know that He came into the world to do
the will of His Father, who sent Him. (See
3 Ne. 27:13.) His divine mission was to effect
the Atonement, which was to break the bands of death and enable us to receive
immortality and eternal life.
The living Lord’s divine mission still
continues. One day we will stand before Him in judgment. He has foretold that
event:
“Whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name
shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold
guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.”
(
3 Ne. 27:16.)
We revere the name of Jesus Christ. He is
our risen Redeemer.
The Church
The first two words of the name the Lord
chose for His earthly organization are The Church.
Note that the article
The begins
with a capital letter. This is an important part of the title, for the Church
is the official organization of baptized believers who have taken upon
themselves the name of Christ. (See
D&C 10:67–69;
D&C 18:21–25.)
The foundation of the Church is the reality
that God is our Father and that His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is the
Savior of the world. The witness and inspiration of the Holy Ghost confirm
those realities.
The Church is the way by which the Master
accomplishes His work and bestows His glory. Its ordinances and related
covenants are the crowning rewards of our membership. While many organizations
can offer fellowship and fine instruction, only His church can provide baptism,
confirmation, ordination, the sacrament, patriarchal blessings, and the
ordinances of the temple—all bestowed by authorized priesthood power. That
power is destined to bless all children of our Heavenly
Father, regardless of their nationality:
“The keys of the kingdom of God are
committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth
unto the ends of the earth.” (
D&C 65:2; see also
Dan. 2:37–45;
D&C 109:72.)
Admission into His church is by baptism.
This sacred ordinance is reserved only for children after they reach the age of
accountability and for adults who are truly converted, prepared, and worthy to
pass this scriptural test:
“Ye are desirous to come into the fold of
God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s
burdens, that they may be light;
“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those
that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand
as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye
may be in.” (
Mosiah 18:8–9.)
Through the ordinance of baptism, we take
upon ourselves the name of the Lord and covenant to be saints in these latter
days. We covenant to live by the doctrines of the Church as recorded in sacred
scriptures and as revealed to prophets, ancient and modern.
“We believe all that God has revealed, all
that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and
important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” (
A of F 1:9.)
These revelations include fundamental truths
essential to our everlasting happiness and joy. They teach of priorities with
eternal potential, such as love of God, family, mother, father, children, and
home; self-mastery; care of the poor and needy; service; and thoughtful
consideration for others.
This church, established under the direction
of Almighty God, fulfills promises made in biblical times. It is part of the
“restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began.” (
Acts 3:21.) It has been restored and given a
name by the Lord Himself.
He issued this solemn warning: “Let all men
beware how they take my name in their lips.” “Remember,” He added, “that which
cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care.” (
D&C 63:61, 64.) Therefore, just as we
revere His holy name, we likewise revere the name that He decreed for His
church.
As members of His church, we are privileged
to participate in its divine destiny. May we so honor Him who declared, “Thus
shall my church be called … The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints,” I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“What is a Name”
cji
8/19/18
A name is by what one
is known
a name is the example
shown
a name is what one
expects hearing
a name is one’s
identification badge
a name is both
eternal and mortal
what is a name then
to Father
when he calls our
name we’ve to answer
to be accountable for
our actions
these actions
tangible and intangible
coming forth as
either good or evil
a name is by what one
is known!
Copyright
© 2018 – cji
