Differences between The light of Christ, manifestations of the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the aholy Ghost

Dallin H. Oaks

In highlighting the gift of the Holy Ghost as a distinguishing characteristic of our faith, we need to understand the important differences between (1) the Light of Christ, (2) a manifestation of the Holy Ghost, and (3) the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Light of Christ, which is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of God, "giveth light to every man that cometh into the world" (D&C 84:46). This is the light "which is in all things, which giveth life to all things" (D&C 88:13). The prophet Mormon taught that "the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil" (Moro. 7:16; see also Moro. 7:19; 2 Ne. 2:5; Hel. 14:31). Elder Lorenzo Snow spoke of this light when he said, "Everybody has the Spirit of God" (in Journal of Discourses, 14:304). The Light of Christ enlightens and gives understanding to all men (see D&C 88:11).

In contrast, a manifestation of the Holy Ghost is more focused. This manifestation is given to acquaint sincere seekers with the truth about the Lord and his gospel. For example, the prophet Moroni promises that when we study the Book of Mormon and seek to know whether it is true, sincerely and with real intent, God will "manifest" the truth of it unto us, "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moro. 10:4). Moroni also records this promise from the Risen Lord: "He that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true" (Ether 4:11).

We Who Wear Wristwatches

“When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing,

we really are suggesting that we know what is best.

Strange, isn’t it-

we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him

 who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars.”

E. Maxwell, E. 11/1998:63

The Trial of Faith

“Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; 

wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, 

for ye receive no witness 

until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). 

Thus, every time you try your faith—that is, act in worthiness on an impression—you will receive the confirming evidence of the Spirit. 

As you walk to the boundary of your understanding 

into the twilight of uncertainty, 

exercising faith, 

you will be led to find solutions 

you would not obtain otherwise. 

With even your strongest faith, 

God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. 

Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, 

when it will yield the greatest advantage.

 Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time 

before that answer comes. 

That causes your faith to increase 

and your character to grow.

Elder Richard G. Scott

E. 11/2010

The Transforming Power of Faith and Character

Holy Ghost Knows All Things....So Trust Him

Here is a great one from Gerald N. Lund
"Life is too complex for a rule book. No set of guidelines, no, not even the holy scriptures, could be written in a way so as to give specific guidelines for every person in every possible situation. There is only one hope for us mortals if we are ever to return to live with the Father in eternal life; we need the personal guidance, the constant teaching, and the daily tutoring of God. And this is the function of the Holy Spirit. He knows all things and so can guide us, warn us, teach us, and comfort us as we strive to make our way back to the Father."
'The Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ"
Found on the BYU Religioius Studies website.

Holy Ghost Knows All Things.

Here is a great one from Gerald N. Lund
"Life is too complex for a rule book. No set of guidelines, no, not even the holy scriptures, could be written in a way so as to give specific guidelines for every person in every possible situation. There is only one hope for us mortals if we are ever to return to live with the Father in eternal life; we need the personal guidance, the constant teaching, and the daily tutoring of God. And this is the function of the Holy Spirit. He knows all things and so can guide us, warn us, teach us, and comfort us as we strive to make our way back to the Father."
'The Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ"
Found on the BYU Religioius Studies website.

The Storms of Life Shall Have no Power over you

“The apostolic and prophetic foundation of the Church was to bless in all times, but especially in times of adversity or danger, times when we might feel like children, confused or disoriented, perhaps a little fearful, times in which the devious hand of men or the maliciousness of the devil would attempt to unsettle or mislead. Against such times as come in our modern day, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are commissioned by God and sustained by you as prophets, seers, and revelators. …

“… Such a foundation in Christ was and is always to be a protection. … In such days as we are now in—and will more or less always be in—the storms of life ‘shall have no power over you …’ [Helaman 5:12]” 

Elder Holland Ensign, Nov. 2004

A Bomb!

Family prayer is a powerful and sustaining influence. During the dark days of World War II, a 500-pound bomb fell outside the little home of Brother Patey, a young father in Liverpool, England, but the bomb did not go off. His wife had died, so he was rearing his five children alone. He gathered them together at this very anxious time for family prayer. They “all prayed … earnestly and when they had finished praying, the children said: ‘Daddy, we will be all right. We will be all right in our home tonight.’


“And so they went to bed, imagine, with that terrific bomb lying just outside the door half submerged in the ground. If it had gone off it would have destroyed probably forty or fifty houses and killed two or three hundred people. …


“The next morning the … whole neighborhood was removed for forty-eight hours and the bomb was finally taken away. …


“On the way back Brother Patey asked the foreman of the A. R. P. Squad: ‘Well, what did you find?’


“‘Mr. Patey, we got at the bomb outside of your door and found it ready to explode at any moment. There was nothing wrong with it. We are puzzled why it did not go off.’” Miraculous things happen when families pray together.

Joseph's humble prayer

Daniel Tyler, an associate of the Prophet, recalled an important occasion: “At the time William Smith and others rebelled against the Prophet [at Kirtland], … I attended a meeting … where ‘Joseph’ presided. Entering the school-house a little before [the] meeting opened, and gazing upon the man of God, I perceived sadness in his countenance and tears trickling down his cheeks. … A few moments later a hymn was sung and he opened the meeting by prayer. Instead of facing the audience, however, he turned his back and bowed upon his knees, facing the wall. This, I suppose, was done to hide his sorrow and tears.


“I had heard men and women pray--especially the former--from the most ignorant, both as to letters and intellect, to the most learned and eloquent, but never until then had I heard a man address his Maker as though He was present listening as a kind father would listen to the sorrows of a dutiful child. Joseph was at that time unlearned, but that prayer, which was to a considerable extent in behalf of those who accused him of having gone astray and fallen into sin, [was] that the Lord would forgive them and open their eyes that they might see aright--that prayer, I say, to my humble mind, partook of the learning and eloquence of heaven. There was no ostentation, no raising of the voice as by enthusiasm, but a plain conversational tone, as a man would address a present friend. It appeared to me as though, in case the vail were taken away, I could see the Lord standing facing His humblest of all servants I had ever seen. … It was the crowning … of all the prayers I ever heard.”

Pres Faust. E. 5/2002. The lifeline of Prayer

Opposition

“Opposition turns up almost anywhere something good has happened.”   

Elder  Holland

3 Nephi Templeless

The rapid growth of the power and audacity of the Gadianton robbers in this period caused the righteous Nephites and Lamanites to withdraw from the “temple-city” of Zarahemla and gather together for seven years in order to starve out these enemies. The strategy worked, but during this time, the people had no access to the spiritual protection of their temple. Welch explained:

During these extremely vile and temple-less years, Satan was on a rampage. Indeed, the name Satan appears in greater concentration in these chapters than anywhere else in the Book of Mormon. Satan knew that Jesus had been born, and in response he did everything he could to reign with horror and bloodshed upon this world.[6Welch, “Third Nephi as the Holy of Holies,” 39-40.

Family Arrangements

A prophet of God once offered me counsel that gives me peace. I was worried that the choices of others might make it impossible for our family to be together forever. He said, “You are worrying about the wrong problem. You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”

To all of those whose personal experience or whose marriage and children—or absence thereof—cast a shadow over their hopes, I offer my witness: Heavenly Father knows and loves you as His spirit child. While you were with Him and His Beloved Son before this life, They placed in your heart the hope you have of eternal life. With the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ working and with the Holy Spirit guiding, you can feel now and will feel in the world to come the family love your Father and His Beloved Son want so much for you to receive.

I testify that as you live worthy of the celestial kingdom, the prophetic promise that “family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine” will be yours.

Pres. Eyring E. 8/2016

Calling and Election Made Sure

This, then, without amplifying, without saying more, is the doctrine that is involved. It is a true doctrine; it is a sound doctrine. What does it mean to us? It is not something that is beyond us; it is not outside the realm of our capabilities. The Lord would not offer baptism to a people and say, "Be baptized and you can be saved in my kingdom," unless he knew that the people had it within their power to enter into baptism and to do the things that will result in the promised salvation. And the Lord would not offer to a people celestial marriage and say to them, "Now enter this order of matrimony and keep the covenant and you will have eternal life," unless he knew that the people had the talent and the spiritual capacity and ability to gain the promised reward. And the same thing applies to making our calling and election sure. The Lord would not say to us, "Make your calling and election sure," unless he knew it was within our spiritual potential -- unless we had the capacity and ability to press forward in steadfastness and devotion until that desired eventuality occurred.
Now, I am suggesting that this is within the realm of possibility and of probability for the members of the Church today. Many in this dispensation have obtained such a status. This ought to cause us to make a firm and unshakable determination to gain the blessings and benefits of baptism; to gain the blessings and benefits of celestial marriage; and in each instance those blessings accrue on condition that we keep the covenants that we make in connection with those holy ordinances. And then we ought to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, keeping the commandments and living by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God, so that our calling and election shall be made sure. In one manner of speaking, this is the most glorious doctrine that there is in the Church. It is the doctrine that assures people of eternal reward in the kingdom of God. By the grace and glory and goodness of a merciful Father, he has restored in this, our day, the knowledge, the doctrine, the keys, the priesthood, the powers -- everything that is needed to seal men up unto eternal life. Our objective, our goal, our aim, our determination in this life is to press forward with that steadfastness and devotion which will give us complete peace and satisfaction and joy in this life and assure us of eternal life in the world to come.  McConkie BYU Devotional 1969

Repentance flows from Faith

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
“Repentance means more than simply a reformation of behavior. Many men and women in the world demonstrate great will-power and self-discipline in overcoming bad habits and the weaknesses of the flesh. Yet at the same time they give no thought to the Master, sometimes even openly rejecting Him. Such changes of behavior, even if in a positive direction, do not constitute true repentance. …
“… True repentance is based on and flows from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior (see Alma 5:13)” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 71).

NO less Serviceable

President Howard W. Hunter 

“Even though Helaman was not as noticeable or conspicuous as Moroni, he was as serviceable; that is, he was as helpful or useful as Moroni. …

“Not all of us are going to be like Moroni, catching the acclaim of our colleagues all day every day. Most of us will be quiet, relatively unknown folks who come and go and do our work without fanfare. To those of you who may find that lonely or frightening or just unspectacular, I say, you are ‘no less serviceable’ than the most spectacular of your associates. You, too, are part of God’s army.

“Consider, for example, the profound service a mother or father gives in the quiet anonymity of a worthy Latter-day Saint home. Think of the Gospel Doctrine teachers and Primary choristers and Scoutmasters and Relief Society visiting teachers who serve and bless millions but whose names will never be publicly applauded or featured in the nation’s media.

“Tens of thousands of unseen people make possible our opportunities and happiness every day. As the scriptures state, they are ‘no less serviceable’ than those whose lives are on the front pages of newspapers.

“The limelight of history and contemporary attention so often focuses on the one rather than on the many” (“No Less Serviceable,” Ensign, Apr. 1992, 64).

Faith Unto Repentance

“How much faith do I need for the atonement of Christ to work for me?  …The prophet Amulek taught this simple but grand principle: “The Son of God,…bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.’Alma 34:15-17

Please note those three words: faith unto repentance.  That is the clue.  Four times in three verses he uses that expression…So the combination of faith in Christ plus faith unto repentance is vitally important.  That concept is one of the greatest insights we have into the importance of simple, clear faith-faith sufficient to repent.

Apparently faith great enough to move mountains in not required; faith enough to speak in tongues or to heal the sick is not needed; all that we need is just enough faith to recognize that we have sinned and to repent of our sins, to feel remorse for them, and to desire to sin no more but to please Christ the Lord.  Then the greatest miracle of all, the Atonement, whereby Christ rescues us from our deserved punishment, is in effect in our behalf.”

Elder Rober E Wells, “The Liahona Triad” found in The BofM Insitute Student Manual 2009, p229-230.

Tongue of Angels

Tongue of Angels- 

Holland E 5:2007

So, brothers and sisters, in this long eternal quest to be more like our Savior, may we try to be “perfect” men and women in at least this one way now—by offending not in word, or more positively put, by speaking with a new tongue, the tongue of angels. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail. I pray that my words, even on this challenging subject, will be encouraging to you, not discouraging, that you can hear in my voice that I love you, because I do. More importantly, please know that your Father in Heaven loves you and so does His Only Begotten Son. When They speak to you—and They will—it will not be in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but it will be with a voice still and small, a voice tender and kind. It will be with the tongue of angels.

Atonement purifies

Pretty neat experience related by D. Todd Christofferson...
The power of the Atonement to pardon, to sanctify, to give new life, even eternal and immortal life, came to me in a simple but powerful experience some years ago. Again, it is one of many witnesses. On this occasion I had been assigned by the First Presidency to interview a woman for the possible restoration of her temple blessings. She had committed some grievous transgressions, had been excommunicated, then baptized again, and now had applied for the privilege of returning to the temple. That required this interview and the ordinance of laying on of hands to restore those blessings and rights to her. As I prepared for that interview and read the summary of what had happened in her life, I was astonished. I could not believe that there could be so much of the sordid and evil in one life. As I read, I asked myself, How could the First Presidency ever suppose that this person would again qualify to enter the house of the Lord? When she came into the room to be interviewed, she seemed to have a glow about her, a light within. As we spoke, there came upon me a sense that she was pure—perhaps one of the purest souls I had ever met. I looked at her and I looked at the paper describing the past, and I could not believe it was the same woman. And in a real sense, she was a different person. The Atonement had transformed her. It gave me to understand, powerfully, the depth and breadth and scope of the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. He is real, and His grace is very real.

Satan's lie

“Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures.  Choose to take time to study them.  Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media.  You may need to reorganize to provide time for study of the word of  God.  if so, do it!”

Elder Richard G Scott E 11/14:92

Christ is always near

Thankfully, Christ is always near,
Waiting,
And willing to help us when we pray for help
and are willing to repent
 and come unto Him."


melvin J Ballard
God is at the Helm'. E11/15

Holy Ghost is the greatest gift for mortals

“Speaking from the perspective of eternity, eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts of God.  But narrowing the perspective to this life only, the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift a mortal can enjoy.”

Bruce R. McConkie Doctrines of the Restoration p.99

Sabbath

McConkie  The Promised Messiah p 390-391
“Sabbath worship, that system which singles out one day in seven to be used exclusively for spiritual things, is a sign which identifies the Lord’s people. ...True religion always has and always will call for a Sabbath on which men rest from their temporal labors and work exclusively on spiritual matters.  True religion requires-it is not optional; it is mandatory-that one in seven be devoted exclusively to worshiping the Father in Spirit and in truth.  Without a Sabbath of rest and worship, men’s hearts will never be centered on the things of the Spirit sufficiently to assure them of salvation....It is in no sense an exaggeration nor does it overstate the fact one whit to say that any person who keeps the Sabbath, according to the revealed pattern, will be saved in the celestial kingdom.”