Life Eternal: Becoming Acquainted with the Divine Nature

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" 

-John 17:3

In Book VII of The Republic, Plato uses a vivid allegory to illustrate the challenge humankind faces in attempting to become acquainted with the Divine: He describes a group of men, chained down, facing a wall inside a cave dimly lit by a distant fire, watching passing shadows on the wall and taking them for reality. When one of those men leaves the cave, and sees the light of the sun, not only is he pained, dazzled, and disoriented, he is perplexed by the suggestion that this bright, blaring, confusing world is in fact more "real" than the shadows on the cave wall with which he is so familiar. Moreover, he will not even be able to look at the outside world for a time--it will be too bright, too foreign, to confusing. Rather, he will look at shadows, then reflections in water, then objects themselves. Later he will be able to contemplate the moon and the stars, and only eventually, growing by degrees, will he be able to look upon the sun itself, and appreciate it in all its brilliance. 

The Greek philosopher's purpose in this allegory to highlight the metaphysical contrast between the intellectual "world of forms" and the physical world of perception in which we currently find ourselves--the prisoners in the cave representing the majority of humankind, whose thoughts never extend far beyond the mere shadows we think we see about is in the world of the senses. I bring up this story for another purpose, however--as an illustration of the path we must take out of these "shadowlands", as C.S. Lewis called them, and into the upper world if we are to gaze for ourselves upon the Divine, and to come acquainted with the true nature of God. 

Why Try to Leave the Cave at all?

If leaving the cave in Plato's allegory brings such pain and disorientation, one is inclined to ask why any of the prisoners would be inclined to leave at all. Indeed, much of secular human history over the last several thousand years is essentially an account of humankind's attempt to make the cave more comfortable and to enjoy the moving shadows on the wall. As Plato himself observes, most efforts to remove individuals from their comfortable seats in the darkness are met with extreme dissatisfaction. 

So why should we try to leave the cave? Why is a knowledge of the Nature of God of such value? As recorded in the Gospel of John, and quoted at the beginning of this post, the Savior of the World taught his Apostles just before his Crucifixion that knowing God is the essence of Eternal Life. Teaching the same principle in different words, the Prophet Joseph Smith told early Latter-day Saints that "if you wish to go where God is, you must be like God." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 223) Understanding the nature of God prepares us to live in His presence, because as the Apostle John taught in his first general epistle, "we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) It appears, then, that the knowledge of God goes hand in hand with our progress towards becoming like Him, and our ability to dwell in His presence; as John continues in the same epistle, "every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (ibid., v.3) We want to know what God is like, so that we can become more like Him, and prepare to return to live with Him. 

We must come to know God not only so that we can emulate His character, but also so that we can develop that kind of faith in Him that is necessary for our salvation. In the Lectures on Faith, we read that "three things are necessary in order that any rational intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation: First, the idea that he actually exist; Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to His will." (Lectures on Faith, 3:2-5) If we are to place our full faith and confidence in a Divine Being, we must know just what sort of Being He is. If we hope to have access to God's mercy, we must first understand that He is a merciful Being. To rely on his unmatched power, we must first see that He is omnipotent. To feel His Divine Love, we must first know that He is Love. Thus, as we come to understand the nature of God, we are able to exercise greater faith in Him, and are enabled to become more like Him. 

To Grow in the Knowledge of God

Seeing that it is essential for our ultimate happiness and eternal salvation to come to comprehend the nature of God, how shall we proceed? As the prisoners in Plato's allegory, we cannot simply step out of the shadows and look directly into the sun; we would not be able to comprehend God's nature if He were to reveal himself to us in our unprepared state. Rather, we must grow in our knowledge of God, receiving knowledge as the Prophet Isaiah taught, line upon line, precept upon precept, for "he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more lightl and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (Doctrine and Covenants 50:23)  I submit that there are four primary ways in which we can become better acquainted with the nature of God: Study of the scriptures, the teachings of living prophets and Apostles, personal revelation, and a personal knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

 Study of the Scriptures

As I have discussed in an earlier post, God is quite interested in revealing Himself to us, His children. However, as we are all in different stages of preparation, He has established a pattern for revealing Himself to us by increasing degrees as we grow more an more prepared to know Him. One step in that pattern is that He commands those who already know Him to keep a record of His dealings with humankind. From the Ancient Near East, many of those records were compiled into what we know now as the Holy Bible--literally, a sacred library, or collection of books. From the Ancient Americas, those records were compiled and abridged by the Prophet Mormon, and translated and published in English by Joseph Smith, as The Book of Mormon. In modern times, God has again revealed himself to prophets and Apostles, beginning with Joseph Smith, and we read modern prophetic words in The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.  From these four sacred books, together known as the "Standard Works". Through these books, we see God's dealings with man, and thus can grow to better understand His nature. We learn, for example, that "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend," (Exodus 33:11), that "[God] created all things both in heaven and in earth...that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and earth..." (Mosiah 4:9), and that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8). Thus through the writings of those with first-hand knowledge of God, we can gain a basic understanding of His nature. This, however, is only a first step, like beginning to see shapes, shadows, and reflections in water, as we ascend toward a more sure knowledge of our God. 

The Words of Living Prophets and Apostles

As I mentioned, God's method of revealing Himself to us follows a pattern--thus, it has not ended, but continues. As God called Moses to teach the ancient Israelites, or Isaiah to preach to the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, as God chose Jeremiah, Joel, Amos, and Lehi to warn the people of Jerusalem of impending destruction, as He called Alma, Helaman, Nephi, and Lehi to prepare the Nephites for the coming of Christ, as He called Joseph Smith to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and with it a more correct understanding of God's nature and attributes, so today He sends messengers, called as prophets and ordained as Apostles, to teach the human race of their origin and destiny, and the nature of the Being who created us. Perhaps that sounds a bit fantastical to the modern ear, but is there any reason to believe that God spoke to Abraham, to Moses, to Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, but that He cannot or does not speak today? The skeptic is invited to listen for himself or herself, and judge--can these truly be messengers of the Living God? As Jesus said when teaching his disciples to distinguish between true and false prophets, we know them by their fruits. Twice each year, these fifteen prophets and apostles, along with other men and women called and chosen to preach His word, address the world in a General Conference, yet another avenue for insight into the will and nature of God. The next opportunity to hear such a conference comes in one week, October 4-5, 2014. 

Personal Revelation

The final chapter of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ invites the reader to pray and ask God for verification of the book's authenticity as holy scripture, including the promise that "By the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). This same promise applies to our quest to understand the nature of God. As we read the words of ancient prophets, or hear the words of modern prophets, we receive some idea of what God may be like, but we will not know what He is like, for ourselves, until we seek Him for ourselves, and He reveals himself to us, through the power of His Spirit. "Draw near unto me," He invites, "and  I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63). As we seek to know God, He will reveal Himself to us. Indeed, this is the only way we can actually claim to know Him--through His revelations to us, as Brigham Young taught, "without the revelations of God, we know not who we are, whence we came, nor who formed the earth on which we live, move, and have our being," (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p.43) 

A Relationship with Jesus Christ

After growing accustomed to the shadows and reflections, looking upon the moon and the stars, there is only one power, one individual, who can prepare us to look upon the face of our Eternal Father--His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter taught that it is through the Divine Power of Jesus Christ that we are given "great and precious promises, that by these [we] might be partakers of the Divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4). Not only can we learn about the nature of God the Father through observing His Divine Son, but as we receive the Grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are enabled, as Peter says, to partake of the Divine Nature, so that as John says in his first epistle (cited earlier) when we see Him, we will see Him as He is, understanding His nature because through the miraculous power of Christ's atoning blood and our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, our natures will have become His Nature. Our sanctification, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance of sins, and obedience to the ordinances of salvation, give us "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh," (Hebrews 10:19-20) Thus through the flesh of Christ, bruised and broken for us, we are able to pass into the presence of  God the Eternal Father, to look upon His face, to see as we are seen, and know as we are known. 

Foundations: The Nature of God

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home: -From William Wordsworth,  "Intimation of Immortality"

The Existence of God

Sometimes it helps to go back and start at the very beginning. Before any of the ideas I'm sharing here will make any sense, or will have any relevance whatsoever, we must be willing to accept one fundamental premise: We are not alone here, on this blue-green marble floating around a small yellow star campfire in space. We must open ourselves to the idea that there is a supreme Being in the Universe with all knowledge, and all power--the Creative force behind all things we perceive in the material world. 

Aristotle, the Greek Philosopher, and the early Christian thinker Anselm, seemed to conceive of God as a logical necessity. To Aristotle, God was the Prime Mover--the First Cause in the long chain of causes and effects we see around us in Nature. The effects provide proof for the existence of some initial cause. Anselm had a similar, though slightly harder to grasp argument--that God is "that being than which none greater can be conceived." In other words, the ability of our minds to conceive of a Supreme Being provides evidence of His existence. 

I am looking for a more intimate, personal knowledge of God than these philosophers can provide, though--not simply a logical conclusion I accept as the necessary result of so many premises, nor the purely emotional clinging to some idea of Divinity to avoid slipping into the chasm of existential angst. I am looking for a knowledge of God that can only come through the sort of relationship that exists between intelligent beings. 

Joseph Smith is taught that "three things are necessary in order that any rational an intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation: First, the idea that He actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of His character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to His [God's] will" (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 3:2-5) So, beyond simply the idea that God exists, which Anselm or Aristotle or any other of a number of self-proclaimed teachers would tell me, I need to know what He is actually like, and further, I need to know what He expects of me, so that I can order my life according to His will. 

The Nature of God

If we want to really know someone, we can imagine what they might be like, or we can ask them; the latter approach is by far the more effective one. Similarly, we cannot expect to come to know God by bouncing postulates, hypotheses, and guesses off of one another. The best source of information about God comes directly from God, either to our souls directly, or by way of those who have had personal interaction with Him. Searching through the sacred accounts found in the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, we can find many of the attributes of God as described by individuals who interacted with Him face to face as Moses did. The Apostle John teaches us that "God is Love," (1 John 4:7), and the Apostle Paul teaches that He is the Father of our Spirits, and the source of all Life, Action, and Being (Acts 17:27-28. Hebrews 12:9). Over and over as I read about God's attributes, I see two themes repeated--His Creative Power, and His Perfect Love--both of which are key elements in His role as our Eternal Father. For this reason, I feel it is more useful to refer to God by that title- Father in Heaven or Heavenly Father, rather than by any other: It clearly and definitively describes the Nature of God, and our relationship to Him. 

The term "father" comes laden with all sorts or baggage for many members of the human race, but that is because mortal fatherhood is only a shadow, or a reflection, of true Eternal Fatherhood. I have been blessed with a mortal father who truly understands the Eternal Nature of fatherhood, and has used his role to teach me what it actually means to be a father, but I recognize that not all have been so fortunate, and I mourn with those whose relationships with their fathers are troubled, painful, or non-existent. However, the aberrations and imperfections in the mortal reflections of the Divine Reality do not negate that reality. Our Father in Heaven does love us perfectly, even if some of our mortal fathers hurt us. He is mindful of us, even when mortal fathers walk out on some of us. He has created this earth for us, and is mindful of our needs, even when some mortal fathers shirk their duty to provide for and protect their offspring. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, even when some mortal fathers allow their own ignorance and pride to limit their children's growth. He is what all mortal fathers should strive to be, and so we can rely on Him and have faith in Him regardless of our circumstances and station in life. 

Messengers

Knowing we have a Perfect, Loving, All-Powerful Father in Heaven is a great foundation, but as was noted earlier, we also need to know that our choices are in accordance with His will--we need to find out what our Heavenly Father wants for us. Some elements of the Father's will are imbued in us from before birth, little sparks of light we carry inside, the "clouds of glory" spoken of by Wordsworth.  But these are only hints, clues along the path--we need more guidance to understand who our Father is, who we are, and who we can become. To some, God reveals himself more completely, more directly, face to face. For the rest of us, we look to these messengers, commissioned by God, given His Divine authority, to teach His truth. These messengers are more than just moral philosophers or great teachers--they are Prophets and Apostles (Apostle literally means "one who is sent"). They are given authority by our Father in Heaven to teach us His will for us. These messengers were sent in Ancient times--we know them as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John, and Paul to name a few. These men understood that all of us are God's children, and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sent to save us from ourselves. They taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even before Christ was born, for souls in the time of Noah or Abraham were as precious to God as souls in the time of Christ. These messengers came to deliver the Good Tidings of salvation through Christ, and some accepted their words, but most rejected them. The messengers of God have never been terribly popular with  society as a whole. 

 Further messengers have been sent in modern times, beginning with Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration. 170 years ago this past week, Joseph Smith was murdered by an angry mob of men who opposed the truths he taught. Yet these were not Joseph's truths--they were God's truths, taught then by Joseph, and taught today by Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorff--the current Prophet and his two counselors, as well as the members of the modern day Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Pattern continues--our Father loves us and wants us to know who He is, and so He has sent messengers to point us to Christ, who will then escort us back to the Father. 

From YouTube's Mormon Channel, "Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration" 

A Royal Priesthood: Reflections on the Restoration of Keys, Power, and Authority in the Latter-days

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

-1 Peter 2:9

The Prophet Joseph Smith is surprisingly quiet in his history on the events surrounding the restoration of the Priesthood authority in the spring of 1829; indeed, the earliest and most descriptive written account of the visit of John the Baptist comes from Joseph's associate and scribe, Oliver Cowdery: 

"But, dear brother, think, further for a moment, what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed...when we received under his hand the Holy Priesthood as he said, 'Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer this priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon the earth..."

(Oliver Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, vol.1, (Oct. 1834), p.14-16).

I like to think it was a clear spring day on the morning of May 15, 1829, much as it had been that morning nearly a decade earlier when Joseph had repaired to the woods alone to inquire of the Lord which church he ought to join. Joseph and Oliver had been engaged in translating The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ for about five weeks. In the account cited above, Oliver Cowdery describes these weeks as "days never to be forgotten--to sit under teh sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of Heaven." I imagine evenings in that small cabin in Harmony, Pennsylvania, as Joseph and Oliver sat by the fire, the days' work of translation done, the two young servants of God discussing the doctrines taught in this marvelous new book of scripture they were receiving. As they arrived at the climactic event of the Book of Mormon narrative--the ministry of the resurrected Christ to the people of ancient America--Oliver Cowdery indicates that they had some question over the issue of the authority to baptize and administer other ordinances, perhaps brought on by the Savior's instruction that baptism should be performed by one "having authority given...of Jesus Christ" (see 3 Nephi 11:25)

So it was that the two servants of God, the Seer and the Scribe, retired to the woods to seek Divine guidance in the area of authority. Joseph was, perhaps, slightly more accustomed to Divine Manifestations than was Oliver, who had only been introduced to this work a few weeks earlier. Imagine young Oliver's amazement when they were suddenly joined by a glorious being introducing himself as John the Baptist, who conferred upon them the same authority once held by Aaron, the high priest of Israel--the authority to baptize, and to administer the emblems of Christ's sacrifice. Not long after this, though the historical record does not indicate a specific date, Joseph and Oliver were visited by the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John who conferred upon them the full authority of the Holy Apostleship.

It is interesting to note that neither Joseph nor Oliver made their ordinations public at the time of their occurrence. Joseph indicates in his history that this was due in part to the spirit of persecution that was strong in the area. Certainly, in a time when anti-Catholic sentiment in the country still ran strong, and the idea of "priesthood" was closely tied in the public mind to un-democratic "Papists," this story of priesthood ordination would only have fueled the fires of prejudice against Joseph and his followers. Moreover, I have wondered if, as their understandings of the gospel grew line upon line, precept upon precept, Joseph and Oliver grew into a greater understanding of the magnitude of this event as the Restoration unfolded, and so became more willing to share the story.

I suspect, though, that the Prophet's initial reticence on the subject of the Restoration of the Priesthood may in fact teach us something about the Priesthood itself. A later revelation teaches that "no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood" (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41). Some men, after having the interaction with the ancient prophet and apostles described above, might have been tempted to leave the banks of the Susquehanna River that day asserting their own importance, and using their ordinations to assert power and dominion over their fellowmen. Joseph and Oliver, however, did not give in to any such temptations--if such temptation even crossed their minds. Instead of asserting their authority as newly-ordained priesthood holders, they simply quietly went about continuing to do what priesthood holders in all ages have been commanded to do--to humbly and quietly go about serving others, and building up the Kingdom of God. They completed the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, and continued to prepare for the organization of the Lord's restored Church.

Numerous modern-day prophets and apostles have taught about the distinction between priesthood power and priesthood authority. That day in May of 1829, Joseph and Oliver received priesthood authority. Priesthood power, however, is no more or less than the power of God, and the powers of God and Heaven "cannot be controlled nor handled," Doctrine and Covenants 121 teaches, "only upon the principles of righteousness." Their access to priesthood power, then, was conditional on their worthiness. So it is with us; as Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught in the April 2014 General Conference,  "access to the power and the blessings of the priesthood is available to all of God's children," and all those who act under the direction of Priesthood leaders to build up the Kingdom of God act under the auspices of priesthood authority. Yet for power and authority to be combined, we must have both the authorization from those who hold keys--the authority to direct the use of Priesthood power--and the personal worthiness to access the power of God.

As we grow, individually and as a people, to better understand the role of priesthood power and authority in the Lord's kingdom, may we follow the example of Joseph and Oliver in spending less time talking about authority in the Priesthood, and who has or does not have it, and more time acting with priesthood power to serve and bless the lives of others. 

He Lives

"Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 

-Job 19:23-26

Few questions troubled early Christian theologians and Church Fathers as much as the problem of a literal Resurrection. For these students of the Greco-Roman intellectual tradition, a cursory reading of the Resurrection narratives in the New Testament was not enough--the Greek abhorrence of matter led men like Lactantius, an early Latin Church Father to declare that "whosoever desires the highest good, let him desire to live without a body, for all matter is evil." (cited in Hugh Nibley, Temple and Cosmos, "TheTerrible Questions," Deseret Book Company, 1992.)

How then, did the Resurrected Christ declare to His incredulous apostles, "a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have?" (Luke 24:39, emphasis added). Similarly, Job, in the passage cited above, seems to take the resurrection as a literal, physical occurrence. Turning the literal truths of the Gospel into something figurative, allegorical, or "spiritual" (though I question the use of the term "spiritual" in opposition to the term " literal" provides a convenient method for tempering uncomfortable or inconvenient doctrines, but does not bring us any closer to a perfect understanding of the truth. Somehow, in spite of the bold testimony of Peter, of Paul, of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and of "above five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:6), the doctrine of the literal Resurrection of Christ, purportedly celebrated this month throughout the Christian world, has become clouded, muddied, and confused.

Thankfully, we need not rely on the accounts in the New Testament alone for evidence of the Resurrection. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ not only stands as a second nation's witness for the Resurrection of Christ, but also teaches unequivocally the doctrine of a literal resurrection for all:  

 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body...

(Alma 11:43-44)

Can there be any doubt as to the meaning of this text? Amulek, the Christian missionary speaking here, leaves no room for misinterpretation of his words--the Resurrection will be both literal and universal. Even more irrefutable, however, is the testimony of hundreds of men, women, and children in ancient America who saw the resurrected Christ as recorded in the 11th Chapter of 3rd Nephi, the climax of the historical narrative contained in the Book of Mormon. Moreover, we have modern testimony of His resurrection; "After the many testimonies which have been given of Him," declared Joseph Smith and his associate Sidney Rigdon in 1832, "this is the testimony last of all, which we give of him: That He lives! For we saw Him, even on the right Hand of God..." (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-23) 

 Mary Magdalene, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Peter and the other Apostles, Paul, 500 ancient Christians, the 2000 Nephites at the temple in Bountiful, the modern-day prophet Joseph Smith--with all of these witnesses, how can there be any doubt that Jesus Christ was literally resurrected, and lives today? Yet even among devout Christians, there is much debate--as evidenced by divergent opinions voiced by a variety of theologians on an ABC New special from 2005  investigating the Resurrection of Christ.  Some say it was indeed a literal physical resurrection, some say it was literal, but somehow in a different dimension, some say it was only a spiritual resurrection, some that it was simply a dream or vision shared by grief-stricken disciples.

Why so much doubt in the face of so much testimony? I believe that there is an epistemological principle at play here--this sort of knowledge cannot be simply transmitted from one mortal mind to another through the medium of human language. (Indeed, we might question whether any knowledge can actually be transmitted this way, but that is another post for another day.)   In the First Epistle of John, the Apostle indicates that the saints "need not that any man teach [them]," because of the anointing they have received--the ministration of the Holy Ghost.  (1 John 2:27) Similarly, Peter's profound testimony of the Resurrection of Christ on the Day of Pentecost comes only after he and the other Apostles receive an outpouring of the Holy Ghost (see Acts 2).  Many theologians, both ancient and modern, have posited that the Resurrection is simply a mystery--something which cannot be understood by the mortal mind. They are correct insofar as a mystery is something which cannot be known unless it is revealed by God. I was not on the road to Emmaus, in the upper room with the Apostles, nor at the temple in Bountiful among the Nephites. Yet I know that Jesus Christ left the tomb a perfected, physical, resurrected Being that first Easter morning. Knowledge communicated through the Holy Ghost provides for me--and, I believe, provided for those ancient saints, an assurance that lives on when memories of physical evidence fade, or are clouded by doubt and the influence of rationalist and materialist philosophies. As the Savior told Thomas, who desired physical evidence to support his belief, "Because thou has seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29).

As we leave behind yet another Easter season, may we strive to remember throughout the year the true source of knowledge and testimony--and seek to know that of which our physical senses may not always be able to testify. And may we remember that this knowledge, this hope, this newness of life for each of us, comes Because of Him.